Adidas' Codechaos shoe is a real 'if you know, you know' shoe. If I see people wearing a pair, I know they know ball. The three previous iterations of the franchise have perfectly encapsulated everything about the best adidas golf shoes, combining high levels of performance, genuine comfort and a more esoteric design language that never crossed over into silliness. The fourth generation 2027 version has arrived with a lot to live up to.
Taking them out of the box, I couldn't help but feel that the design language has gone back into its shell. On previous iterations - namely the Codechaos 23 - we've seen outsole nubs bleeding onto the upper and patterns and materials that evoked the sort of chaos that the name demands.
On the 27 model, I don't get as much of this. The last (the shape and fit) is very similar to previous models and is certainly on the more athletic side of the spectrum. It is most certainly a golf shoe, and doesn't make any efforts to be anything else or offer 'off-course' wearability, which I think plays into its strengths.
The colourway I tested it in certainly leans on the chaotic side. The blue and green look decent together on the shoe, but good luck finding an outfit to match this with.
My last gripe with the looks is the plastic sheen that comes with the new Axislock technology, which runs from the midsole to the heel. Pictured on my pair as the blue polygon shape with a green outline, the material used looks and feels cheap to the touch, taking away from any premium design cues this shoe does have in place.
There's a similar sheen to the three stripes running down the middle of the upper, and I think it cheapens the overall look.
It's not all bad from a design perspective, however. One neat detail is the ornamental badge on the bottom of the laces, which mimics the design of the outsole nubs. It's touches of detail like this that make the shoe feel very considered. The embossed stripes on the upper part of the toe box are another design cue that helps claw back some of the design elements I really didn't like.
I'm incredibly pleased to report that the performance of Codechaos 27 is as good, if not better, than all the previous generations. The Boost midsole foam - my favourite of the three foam technologies Adidas uses in its golf shoes - runs throughout the entire sole from toe to heel, offering a brilliant balance of walking comfort and rebound through the swing that I've come to enjoy so much in the Adidas Tour360 24, which uses the same foam.
The excellent Twistgrip outsole has also been improved on in this generation, covering 120% more surface area than the previous iteration while using four different lug shapes configured to offer optimal grip in all conditions. I think it's one of the best examples of a spikeless outsole in an ever-improving part of the market.
Though the exterior look of the Axislock technology isn't to my taste, it is certainly an effective addition to the shoe. My heel felt nicely slotted in place and healthily cushioned by the Boost midsole foam to create a powerful sensation with no slippage whatsoever.
The even better news comes in the form of the price tag. In the UK, it can be found for £119 and in the US for $149. The UK RRP, to my mind, is incredibly competitive for such a high-performing and all-year-round golf shoe.
I can't fault the Codechaos 27 for its performance, and the franchise remains one of the best spikeless golf shoes on the market right now. Looks are, of course, subjective, but it's not the best-looking in the family lineage for my money. However, that takes nothing away from this well-priced, consciously designed and well-executed golf shoe.
