It's tough to discern value in the golf shoe market. Some golfers are happy to spend $150 or more on one of the best golf shoes they'll wear regularly, but for some, it's tough to warrant spending over the $100 mark when they don't play that often. Nowadays, it's tough to buy a new golf shoe that you can wear all year round for under $100/£100, but I think I've found the solution for the budget-conscious golfer that still values performance, looks and comfort.
The shoe in question is the Under Armour Drive Fade. In the UK, where I test these shoes, they retail at £109 but can already be found at £99 in some places. This almost seems too cheap for a spiked golf shoe from such a well-recognised golf brand. 'What's the catch?' I thought to myself. Well, it's certainly not in the looks department. While they're not a jaw-droppingly gorgeous golf shoe - see the FootJoy Premiere Series Packard LX for this - they blend in nicely. It's a classic spiked golf shoe silhouette with some decent colourways on offer. I wouldn't go for the all-white or all-black version, as I think the red accents on the shoe I tested elevate the overall look nicely.
Perhaps the one area this shoe falls down is the quality of materials, but you have to expect this at the price point. The upper materials are synthetic, a little firm to the touch and don't soften up in the way a leather shoe does. That being said, they're still fully waterproof but aren't as breathable as something like the Adidas Tour360 24.
No expense has been spared on the excellent outsole, though. It uses the same S3 spikes used on the brand's leading Drive Pro spiked golf shoe. These spikes were developed in-house by Under Armour for the Drive Pro's launch in 2024 and are some of the best on the market. There are seven on each shoe, all strategically placed to offer the best traction through the swing. Under Armour probably won't like me saying this, but I could hardly differentiate between the grip on offer here versus its more premium Drive Pro shoe. This comes in at £129 - so £29 more expensive - and I do worry if the quality of performance from the Drive Fade may cannibalise what is still a great shoe in the Drive Pro.
As with pretty much all of the best Under Armour golf shoes I've tested, it isn't the softest underfoot. That's not to say it's uncomfortable, I just want to highlight there are shoes like the FootJoy Quantum or Payntr Eight Seven SC which offer much softer sensations underfoot if that is what you prefer. It must be a tactic of Under Armour's in its golf shoe design, and it makes sense, seeing as they're often designing shoes for maximum performance over out-and-out comfort. The fit of this shoe is superb though, and your foot feels locked in during the swing, flexing where it needs to but with support from the shoe that allows you to put your best swing on the ball. The Hovr foam in the midsole is also a tried and tested technology I've enjoyed using, and you can especially feel it at work through the heel absorbing shock as you walk
All in all there is a lot of golf shoe for your money here. Solid looks, excellent performance and a price point that the casual and budget-conscious golfer can appreciate. If spikless is more your thing, then you're in luck, as the Drive Fade SL offers similarly superb value on a spikless platform. Credit to Under Armour for creating such a good shoe at this price point; let's hope, for their sake, it doesn't cannibalise its Drive Pro shoe too much.
