Old meets new with adidas’ MC80 golf shoe launch, inspired by 1980s footwear styles

SPONSORED

You may recognize this new retro golf shoe from the recent adidas X Bogey Boys collaboration, when adidas gave a sneak peek with a promise of more to come. Today, adidas is officially launching the MC80 golf shoe in four colorways in men’s and women’s sizing.

The shoe comes in a black-and-white tuxedo-like version, an all-white model with neon hits at the outsole, an off-white look highlighted by navy and blue details and a black-with-gray look. Retailing at $180, the off-white version of the shoe is only available to adidas' members (free to join).

The design is led by the solid leather uppers, lined with brogue stitch detailing across croc texturing. While brogues are most often seen as dress shoes, the style dates back to the early 16th and 17th centuries as a country walking shoe. The punched-hole design provided ventilation and, by some historical accounts, drainage in wet terrain. The look then became considered a high-fashion and upscale in the 1920s. The visual evokes the early days of golf footwear, when hammering nails into the bottom of a shoe created “spiked golf shoes.”

“Golfers today are very much intrigued by the footwear styles from the past, but they also want a shoe that can offer modern-day performance benefits out on the course,” said Masun Denison, global director of footwear, adidas Golf. “It’s a unique model that we’re excited for golfers to experience.”

Different from the shoes used to inspire this design that used to have stiff leathers on the upper, the MC80’s leather encapsulates the throwback look but with a more flexible and lightweight construction that better fits the needs of the modern golfer. The rubber welt on the midsole ties the look together, adding an upscale finish.

“The personality and style of MC80 is primarily designed to give golfers that modern classic silhouette but we were able to include so many benefits that golfers don’t see,” said Masun Denison, global director of footwear, adidas Golf. “The biggest surprise that they will discover is how comfortable these shoes are out of the box, but then they’ll notice the stability and traction to go along the rich finish in the upper.”

Using a combination of adidas’ Lightstrike technology in the midsole and concealed Boost cushioning in the heel. The brand’s Lightstrike technology is built to provide cushioning and responsiveness, without adding weight. Boost is another proprietary adidas technology used across sports. Known primarily for its energy return abilities, cushioning and flexibility, when used in footwear. It looks like a pebbled material, with each TPU pebble compressed and molded into the design seamlessly.

The outsole features the brand’s torsion bar that adds additional support to the midfoot in the form of bridge-like connection between the forefoot and heel. It helps keep the arches of the foot from overextending and encourages a more stable stance. For traction, the MC80 features a spikeless TPU outsole with strategically places nubs in different diameters selected specifically for golf.