There are few brands quite like adidas when it comes to breadth and depth in its best golf shoe offering. From the new Tour-level Tour360 24 and ZG23, to its ultra-casual Ultraboost golf shoe and bold Codechaos 22 shoe, there really is a golf shoe for every style and performance preference on the golf course. For 2024, the brand has introduced another shoe into its crossover category, aiming to offer golfers a shoe that can be worn from dawn until dusk, on and off the golf course. The new S2G SL (there is also a spiked version available) is based off a running shoe design, which is what gives it its modern, sporty silhouette. The shoe is designed to be worn as much off the golf course as it is on it with the lightweight, responsive feel of a running shoe coupled with some key elements that make it adept on the golf course too.
The version I tested uses a mixture of synthetic materials and a leather upper to create what is a very premium looking and feeling shoe. It's a much wider fit that adidas' other golf shoes so they fit very true to size, unlike other adidas shoes where I need to go half a size up. This makes for a very comfortable fit and certainly a more relaxed one that some of the other best spikeless golf shoes I've tested this year. Despite this relaxed fit, the shoe still does a solid job at supporting the foot throught the swing. This mixture of materials won't make it the most breathable spikeless shoe on the market, but that has to be one of the considerations when considering the £90 RRP. It uses adidas' Lightstrike technology through the midsole, a technology borrowed from its running division and one that has been executed brilliantly in the recent Tour360 24 and ZG23 golf shoes. It once again works very well in the S2G SL, offering plenty of cushioning and energy return that make it very pleasant both to walk in while offering a good sensation as you swing the club.
Style wise I think this hits all the right notes. It certainly borrows heavily from the styles we see in modern running shoes as well as motifs from modern sneakers too, with the angular rear section in particular very on trend right now. It sits right on the line of looking both like a modern golf shoe and a modern sneaker, meaning it'll look as good with a pair of trousers on the golf course as it will with a pair of jeans at the pub. adidas has done a great job of styling this shoe to really blend in, but still look good, in multiple scenarios you might want to wear it. With the first major of the season coming around very soon, I also particularly enjoyed this shade of green on this colorway. There's plenty of other options too, with an all-black, all white and white/navy color options also available.
The outsole is solid if unspectacular. Being a shoe designed to work on hard surfaces as much as grass, the nubs that make up the spikeless outsole certainly don't offer the same ground penetration or lateral support as the outsoles on the likes of the Under Armour Drive Pro SL or FootJoy Pro/SLX Carbon. These are the kinds of tradeoffs you have to expect when deciding whether to go for an out-and-out performance shoe like the two aforementioned shoes, or something that offers a little more versatility like the S2G SL. That being said, this has been a solid performer in wet conditions. I wouldn't be wearing this is the wettest, muddiest conditions of deep winter, but these shoes do offer good grip in damp conditions. The version we tested benefits from a fully waterproof leather upper, which adds some peace of mind and a premium touch to the materials. The shoe isn't all leather, just on the upper piece, and there is also a non-leather version available for around £5 less.
Such is the versatility of this shoe to be worn on and off the golf course, the £90 RRP feels like incredible value for money considering how much you'll be able to wear it. Couple that with the build quality and attention to detail and this has to be one of the best value new golf shoes that has been released in the last couple of years. Speaking with the team at adidas who designed this shoe and brought it to life, they've clearly thought carefully and considerately about how it's going to be used. For a shoe with this price tag, it's rare to see so much thought and execution go into it - adidas has once again nailed the brief with the release of the S2G SL.
