The last decade has seen Under Armor establish themselves as a high performance brand that garners a lot of respect in golf. I have been a fan of their clothing since it first hit the shelves in the early 2000’s but have never had or tried a pair of their golf shoes until today.
Under Armour claim the Charged Breath 2 have been designed from the ground up for female golfers, but they never expand on what that entailed or actually means, so I will assume it is just a nice sounding tag line. Nonetheless, they are still packed with features that will surely make everyone happy; they have a microfiber leather upper, which is waterproof thanks to their Never-Wet treatment to keep your feet cool and dry. Like the Ecco WLT1 that I have also recently tested, they come with some Ortholite™ technology in the form of their sock liner to ensure comfort and breathability. The spikes are their own brand of UA Rotational Resistance RST 2.0 spikes which can then be replaced with the more commonly known fast twist fitting spikes.
First impressions upon opening the box were these are a great looking shoe, I love the overall design, shape and discreet patterns on the uppers. The purple on the inside along with the logo and section of the sole really make the shoes pop. They fitted well and I was happy to have chosen the size I did, as sometimes I can find a 7 too small in certain brands and and 8 too big, the 7.5 was just right.
My feet are not particularly wide but these did have a slightly more narrow and snug feel to them, so may not be suitable for you if you have wider feet. Being the proud owner of two incredibly flat feet I am always looking for my shoes to have good arch support without it being too much to cause post round aches, Under Armour seem to have done well with this but I did find the support better on the Ecco W LT1’s.
The Charged Breath 2’s on the course felt good, the grip provided by the spikes was noticeable especially when hitting drives and fairway woods, they made me feel that bit more secure. Each shoe has 9 spikes on the sole, I particularly appreciated the placement of the spike on the toe, which helped to provide more grip.
By the end of the round my feet still felt comfortable and there was no rubbing or potential blisters, which is always a great sign after the first wear.
Alas though they are not comfortable enough to make me a spike convert just yet. Mainly due to the feeling that I still knew I had them on and was looking forward to taking them off like you do a pair of shoes you might wear for work.
When you are going up against some of the comfiest spikeless shoes ever made that feel like slippers from the likes of Sketchers, Adidas and Ecco it is always going to be a tough gig as spikes require a more stable sole.
If you are a golfer that struggles with balance and staying stable when swinging I would absolutely recommend these shoes and at £70 they offer fantastic value for money.
