Under Armour golf shoes review
UA golf shoes have been getting better and better over the last few years, so here’s my review of the Under Armour HOVR Drive Golf Shoes.
Style and Looks
The HOVR Drive is a good looking golf shoe. It’s styling it quite understated, but it has some nice flashes of blue and red throughout to give it some personality. The Clarino Microfibre upper is nice and soft, and more importantly waterproof. There’s some design texturing on the rear heel counter, as well as some cool webbing texture on the HOVR foam midsole, but generally I’d say the Drive is going for quite an understated approach.
Comfort and feel
This is where the HOVR Drive starts to show off what it’s really about. Firstly, the Clarino microfibre upper has been specific used because of its light weight properties. The upper is nice and supple and doesn’t require any breaking in, but you can really feel how light the shoes feel on feet. Given their look and style, they also feel nice and breathable. I wouldn’t worry about my feet getting hot and sweaty on a warm day. Under Armour have to be applauded for creating a spiked classic looking waterproof golf shoe that’s also lightweight and breathable.
In addition to the upper, the Drive feel very comfortable underfoot, mainly due to the HOVR foam. This is a midsole foam that UA have been using in several of their running trainers so great effect. The HOVR foam is lightweight, but also allow for impressive cushioning and energy return. It’s not quite a squishy as Adidas’ Boost foam, but it feels free damn close! Combining the HOVR foam with the low profile RST spikes on the sole plate results in a show that does feel nicely connected to the ground, for a soft feeling shoe you don’t feel like you’re walking on stilts like you can with other golf shoes.
Grip and Stability
On the sole plate Under Armour have included a combination their Rotational Resistance Traction (RST 2.0) and Silver Tornado soft spikes which provide a good level of grip. If you haven’t come across them before, the RST 2.0 spikes look a little different from normal spikes. They allow for optimum grip while also allowing the shoe to rotate as you’d want it to during your swing. There’s also some small raised elements on the TPU soleplate to help with the grip.
The laces fasten nicely across the top of your foot and give decent stability. The external heel counter does its job well and keeps your heel nicely in place during your swing. As a result of the shoes being so lightweight there has been a slight trade when it comes to stability, so if you’d prefer a more stable UA golf shoe, you should perhaps take a look at the Under Armour Spieth 3.0 instead.
Summary
Overall the Under Armour HOVR Drive does a lot of things well, and will meet the needs of a lot of golfers. If you’re looking for a lightweight waterproof spiked shoe, that still looks like a more traditional golf shoe and not a trainer, these are definitely worth a look. I’m a big fan of the HOVR foam, which help to make a comfortable shoe right out the box.
These are a fully spiked waterproof shoe, using a Clarino microfibre upper. They also come with Under Armour’s Rotational Resistance Traction spikes. These are very lightweight golf shoes, so ideal for summer/autumn golf, and are available in a regular or wide fit. The Under Armour HOVR foam is very comfortable and works well with these shoes.
