The Adare Manor and G/FORE golf shoe puts an old-fashioned idea to rather modern use. Its upper is full-grain leather, its appearance is deliberately polished and there is not an inch of knitted running-shoe cosplay in sight.
Underneath, however, sits a TPU-and-rubber outsole designed for grip and stability, while waterproof construction gives the shoe a practical purpose beyond looking handsome beside the first tee.
That makes this limited-edition collaboration rather more interesting than another exercise in putting a famous logo on an existing product.
It also arrives as Adare Manor prepares for the considerably larger matter of hosting the 2027 Ryder Cup.
Golf shoes have several jobs before anybody hits a shot
Golf places some peculiar demands on footwear.
There is the walking, obviously, but also long periods standing, changes in gradient, damp or uneven ground and the rotational movement of the golf swing. A shoe therefore needs to balance comfort with sufficient connection to the surface beneath it.
G/FORE’s answer here begins with waterproof full-grain leather and a soft polyester lining.
The leather gives the shoe its more traditional appearance while the waterproof construction is intended to keep conditions outside the shoe where they belong. The lining, meanwhile, is there for comfort over the course of a round.
None of that constitutes independent testing, and the shoe should not be mistaken for one that Sustain Health has subjected to 18 holes of rain, rough and questionable putting.
These are the materials and design intentions specified for the product.
Underfoot is where the less glamorous work happens
The outsole consists of 60 per cent TPU and 40 per cent rubber.
TPU — thermoplastic polyurethane — is widely used in sports footwear because it can combine structure and durability without the inflexibility of much harder plastics. Here, it is paired with rubber in an outsole designed to improve grip and stability.
That matters because the prettiest upper in golf is of limited consolation if your feet begin negotiating separate peace treaties halfway through the downswing.
G/FORE and Adare Manor have clearly chosen to keep the technology visually quiet. There are no theatrical pieces of exposed engineering. From above, the shoe still reads as a smart leather design.
That may help its appeal beyond the final green.
Course-to-clubhouse styling is not a trivial detail
Golf footwear has steadily moved away from the rigid distinction between shoes designed exclusively for play and footwear that looks socially acceptable once the scorecard has been signed.
The new Adare Manor model sits firmly in that crossover territory.
Full-grain leather gives it a cleaner, more formal appearance than many overtly athletic golf shoes, while the estate-specific detailing is kept relatively restrained.
There is an Adare Manor bear emblem on the side of each shoe and bespoke artwork on the insoles. Buyers also receive two sets of laces: conventional white and Adare Irish Green.
The latter provides just enough colour to make somebody ask about them, but hopefully not enough to make the maître d’ reach for sunglasses.
A limited edition with a very specific sense of place
The connection to Adare Manor is important because the shoe is not merely another G/FORE colourway.
The bear, artwork and Irish-green detailing anchor it to the County Limerick estate, which will host the Ryder Cup from 13–19 September 2027. The event will mark the centenary staging of the contest between Europe and the United States.
That provides a useful backdrop without turning the design into a walking tournament billboard.
Adare Manor is already entering the period in which its profile will rise sharply among golfers beyond Ireland. A limited-edition collaboration with a recognisable golf-fashion brand gives it a way to turn some of that interest into something physical and wearable.
It is merchandising, certainly. At least it is merchandising with decent manners.
The €350 question
The Adare Manor store currently lists the limited-edition shoe at €350, putting it squarely in premium footwear territory.
That price changes the conversation.
This is not attempting to be the democratic answer to everybody’s golfing footwear needs. The appeal rests partly on materials and function, but also on scarcity, G/FORE’s design identity and the connection with Adare Manor.
For golfers interested purely in traction per pound spent, there are naturally broader choices across the market. Someone attracted to this shoe is buying the combination: waterproof leather, a performance-led outsole, a luxury golf destination and a limited production run.
Those things are difficult to separate because they were never meant to be.
Sensible design beneath the decoration
The strongest part of the collaboration is probably that the practical specification has not been forgotten beneath all the talk of exclusivity.
Waterproofing has an obvious purpose. A softer lining matters over long periods on your feet. Grip and stability are fundamental requirements of golf footwear. A polished leather upper gives the shoe scope to remain on the foot after the round rather than being hurried into a shoe bag.
How well it delivers on those promises requires actual wear testing, and pretending otherwise would turn a feature into an advert with punctuation.
On paper, though, the priorities are coherent.
Adare Manor has supplied the identity. G/FORE has supplied the footwear language. The approaching Ryder Cup supplies the timing.
And the Irish Green laces supply just enough mischief to stop the whole thing becoming terribly well behaved.
The Adare Manor x G/FORE Limited Edition Golf Shoe is available to purchase now, while stock lasts, via the Adare Manor Online Store
