Can golfers create a discernible changes in performance just by changing the shoes on their feet? It's something that has drifted in and out of my mind ever since I started testing golf shoes for a living and it's definitely an experiment I've wanted to try. There are so many varieties of golf shoes on the market now, but there is no definitive answer as to which is the best type to play your best golf in.
WATCH: Dan Parker and Sam De'Ath test their summer spikeless golf shoes against Under Armour's new Drive Pro and Drive Pro SL
We've never been able to properly test the true differences between different styles of golf shoes before, that was until Under Armour invited us down to Terre Blanche Golf Resort in the south of France to test a pair of spikeless casual summer golf shoes against its new Drive Pro and Drive Pro SL golf shoes, the brand's most biomechanically supportive golf shoe ever.
So, here's the test. Alongside world renowned golf coach and biomechainst JJ Rivet using his specialist 3D force plates technology, me and my colleague Sam De'Ath put a pair of our favorite spikeless golf shoes to the test against Under Armour's latest offerings. How much differently will our feet work through the golf swing? Will we see an increase in ball speed or total distance?
The First Test: Dan Parker
I was excited to really see for myself how this test would pan out. I'm a sucker for a casual golf shoe - with some of the modern sneaker styles really being to my taste - but I think I've always known in the back of my mind that they can't be the best for me if I want to maximise performance. JJ Rivet's 3D force plates, which measured the force I created through each foot during the swing, would be giving us all the information we needed.
I was hitting the ball pretty solidly in my 'gamer' shoes, so I was anticipating the move into the new Under Armour shoes with some good shots under my belt. As soon as I put the spikeless Drive Pro SL I could feel the difference. The shoe supports the foot where it needs it, but lets it flex and move where it needs to too. Whereas my non-specialist shoe allows my foot to move in all sorts of directions - some good, most bad - I could feel I was swinging the club better and striking the ball more consistently too. The outsole was also leaps and bounds ahead of my other shoe. A mixture of TPU and rubber nubs have created an outsole that perfectly compliments the mechanics of the rest of the shoe and - most importantly - give you the confidence to really explode on the down swing.
The results and feel in the spiked Drive Pro were very similar. Dispersion tightened, strikes were more centered and my average 7-iron carry ticked up. Interestingly, I hit the ball marginally further with the spikeless Drive Pro SL, but we put this down to my own preference and comfort in spikeless over spiked golf shoes. I gained a pretty significant seven yards of carry distance when moving from my summer casual shoe into the Drive Pro and Drive Pro SL. It's hard to explain the exact feeling of the new Swing Support System working when you're hitting balls, but you can definitely feel the shoe guiding your foot into the right positions as you work through the swing and it breathes confidence into your swing.
The Second Test: Sam De'Ath
Sam spent time with JJ Rivet and the Under Armour team at Stoke Park golf club just before Christmas last year. Same shoes and the same technology, it was going to be interesting to see if a player of his level (a +2 handicapper and former pro) could chip away at some performance gains with a new shoe.
Much like myself, Sam has a general preference for a spikeless golf shoe and his comfortability with the Drive Pro SL was evident when he managed to gain an impressive 3 yards of carry with his 6-iron just from switching shoes. Sam saw some real jumps in ball speed and consistency of strike in both the Drive Pro and Drive Pro SL, a clear sign he was harnessing ground forces more effectively and thus being able to deliver and better strike and more ball speed to his shots. For a player at his level to be eeking out more ball speed, better striking consistency and some more distance is a testament to the work Under Armour has done to both of its new shoes.
Our Conclusion
The results definitely speak for themselves in both testing sessions. Certainly my prior anxiety that my sneaker-style shoes weren't giving me the best performance on course came true. While we haven't been able to independently test the new Under Armour shoes against other spiked golf shoes or some more specialist spikeless golf shoes, what our test did show us was the clear superiority of both Under Armour shoes against mine and Sam's gamer spikeless shoes.
I also think our testing proved unequivocally that golf shoes need to be regarded as a serious piece of performance equipment on par with golf clubs themselves. If you're a serious golfer looking to eek every percentage point of quality from your game, it all starts by getting the right pair of golf shoes on your feet to support you on that journey. For sure, casual shoes aren't made redundant by these kind of findings, but those looking to shoot lower scores and play serious golf need to make sure their footwear is up to scratch.
