No amount of digs at Gareth Bale for his love of golf could possibly phase the former Real Madrid superstar, he’s heard it all. “He was already thinking about winning Augusta,” joked Bale’s ex-manager José Mourinho in a TV appearance earlier this summer, suggesting his priorities lay elsewhere in the final years of his career. “Playing Augusta maybe, not winning,” responded Bale in laughter.
In 2019, he held up the flag with the infamous “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In That Order” after leading his home country to the 2020 Euros. So when Bale did finally hang up his boots at the age of 34, everybody knew straight where he was headed: the golf course. In the year since Bale made the announcement he’s been a regular presence at pro-ams and charity events. That’s not to say he wasn’t before, but his game is definitely on the right track according to fellow world famous sportsman Rory McIlroy. “The way he hits the ball he could be a scratch player,” said the Irishman.
His style is also trending upwards. Professional footballers have long looked to golf as an escape from the grind of a 35-plus game season. So now that golf brands are looking to generate crossover appeal with other sports, the transition to a golf personality for someone like Bale is hardly a reach. Enter adidas Golf, who tapped longtime ambassador Bale to be the face of their new CODECHAOS 25 performance golf shoe. The sneaker is the most aggressively styled in the adidas Golf stable, taking cues from some of the brand's trail and running silhouettes and forgoing spikes for a Twist Grip outsole.
We caught up with Bale at the adidas launch event in Tokyo, Japan to find out his perspective on golf fashion and its intersection with football culture.
How's your golf been, how often do you play these days?
Obviously I have a lot more time now since I've been retired to play golf and to practice, I probably play two or three times a week. I have four kids so when they are off school it's more difficult and it's a lot of juggling but I try to get them involved. I've taken my son to the driving range and on the course, and yeah just trying to get better like everyone else.
We’re here to talk about CODECHAOS 25, but the Samba has become really popular in the golf world recently. Have you have worn them on the course or driving range?
Yeah I've had the Sambas for a while, I wore them last week to tennis actually. They're very fashionable shoes. They've been around for years and like you said over recent years they've become more popular. I've been wearing the CODECHAOS shoes so I haven't really been wearing the Samba but I've seen them, and I think I wore them many years ago. In 2013 I believe there were some that came out with different colors. I think they brought out an Augusta special edition color which was green and yellow. But yeah I'm a CODECHAOS player at the moment and I love wearing those on the course.
Do you see more similarities between golf and football culture now?
Yeah I think so, especially with the shoes and football boots these days. I think every colorway is trying to appeal to the new generation. When I was growing up it was very simple colors, maybe black, white and red. But I think with times moving forward there have been more colors and styles introduced. And with the new CODECHAOS, I think all the colorways introduce fashion and bring younger people into the game so they can actually express themselves through dressing rather than just golf.
What changes have you noticed in the way golfers are dressing today?
Yeah obviously you notice a lot of different styles on the golf course, and like I said adidas has always had the style that I like to have on the golf course. I like to look sporty and have different colors, my favorite color to wear is green. So even with this shoe now, to have a little bit of green on the heel is great for me.
But yeah I think now there are so many styles on the golf course that can match someone's personality and how they want to dress. Most people dress differently off the course so they kind of want to bring that to the course now, and there are so many brands now that do that. adidas is reaching out to all these different communities, they've done partnerships with Bogey Boys and Malbon for example and are doing all kinds of collaborations. So I think adidas is going down the right path in trying to bring everyone together, and it’s the one brand that does sport-to-fashion the best.
Are there other adidas sneakers you could imagine wearing on the golf course that aren’t specifically golf shoes?
I've actually worn the Ultraboost before mainly for practice and stuff. They're very comfortable, they have the boost on the bottom and good traction. I've worn the Samba before like we mentioned which is a very good style because if you're going out to practice you don't necessarily have to wear full golf attire. You want to feel a bit more casual.
Let's talk about CODECHAOS. What do you like about the new version?
I think the traction on the bottom seems to be even better this year. I’ve always worn spikeless shoes and I think this year the traction is really, really good. The stability in the shoe as well is amazing and I think the comfort level is so good. Since I don't play football anymore I try to walk as much as I can to keep my exercise up and comfort is really important. So yeah I think yeah it's just such a good shoe, it performs all around.
Finally, how has Welsh culture and history influenced your golf playing style and your outlook on life in general?
I love the history and everything about my country. I think for us the main thing is the dragon which links us to Asia. I've worn football boots with the Chinese dragon and I’ll try to wear stuff with red now and then, so trying to bring my country and fashion together is always fun. And yeah, representing Wales in any capacity always makes you feel proud.
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