Since it started designing some of the best golf shoes in 2016, Under Armour has always cast itself as a the 'performance' brand in the market, delivering grip and support through the foot on the golf course. It's a position it should rightly cast itself in with its most recent iterations, including the outgoing Hovr Drive 2 SL, all coming out on top from and out and out performance perspective in our testing.
So, how was the brand going to go about bettering itself in 2024? Well, the all-new Drive Pro SL - and its sister model spiked Drive Pro - have been redesigned from the ground up with extensive help from world renowned biomechanist JJ Rivet as well as the brand’s most high profile Tour player Jordan Spieth. Two years of research and development led to what it's calling a Swing Support System - otherwise known as S3. S3 covers everything from traction and the midsole all the way up to a new lacing system developed by the Under Armour team. It's a comprehensive system, one I'll briefly touch on as I go through this review, but the topline news is that I simply cannot fault the performance and feel of these golf shoes on the course. The S3 system works faultlessly to keep the foot planted on the ground while offering the foot the support it needs to move in the shoe while also supporting it in key areas you need to. It’s a sensation I’ve felt in few spikeless golf shoes like it.
I've criticized some of Under Armour's previous models for being a touch on the firm side when you first put them on. Thankfully, they've been listening to feedback on this and worked hard to improve the new Hovr midsole - which is part of the S3 system. The new HOVR midsole utilises softer, energy returning foam on the medial side of the foot and paired that with firmer, more supportive materials on the lateral side of the foot to support it through the movement of the swing. It's noticeably softer in certain areas than on previous Under Armour models, but by no means the softest on the market. One thing I've learned from testing shoes over the last three years is to never buy the shoe that feels 'most comfortable' when you try it on at the shops. Yes it'll feel lovely around your foot, but it's often the slightly firmer shoes that do a better job of actually supporting your feet. To me, the new Drive Pro SL sits somewhere in the middle, offering more softness that before, but a level of firmness where the foot needs it most. It's clever touches like this that show to me the level of detail that has gone in to the development of the shoe.
The all new hybrid outsole is the final piece of the S3 system and makes it one of the best spikeless shoes I've tested. It mixes TPU with rubber nubs, with the firmer TPU positioned through lateral heel to the medial toe in the most imporatant areas for grip. A major change from previous Under Armour spikeless outsoles is that not all of the nubs are at the same height. This gives additional grip as the TPU nubs provide more ground penetration while the rubber nubs add an element of softness and friction that catch the shoe from slipping through the swing. From my testing, I can certainly feel them at work and felt I could swing as confidently as possible from any lie or condition.
One final thing worth noting about the Drive Pro SL is just how lightweight it is. With all this tech and a comprehensive outsole attached to this shoe, you'd forgive it for being on the heavier side, but at just 12oz it's lighter than most of its direct competition. If you're looking for a hybrid golf shoe - i.e a shoe that can be worn and blend in on and off the golf course - I'd suggest looking elsewhere, but at no point is this shoe pretending to be a hybrid golf shoe anyway.
It’s worth noting all of this performance is packaged with a retail price of £130. In the current market for spikeless golf shoes - where performance models can top £200 - this is greta value for money in my opinion. Noting all of the research and development Under Armour went to in producing these shoes, it’s commendable they’ve launched the shoe with this RRP. For sure, the upper materials perhaps aren’t as premium as spikeless alternative likes the G/FORE G.112, Puma Ignite Articulate or Ecco Biom H4 but this is a willing sacrifice considering the performance on offer.
I think they’re a good looking shoe, if not a stand out model for looks in the category. It’s a typical Under Armour styled shoe. I particularly like the hero grey colourway I tested it in, with its shocks of navy and bright blue running throughout. Such is Under Armour’s pride at the new S3 system, they’ve decided to print it out it's key features as text on the outside of each shoe. To me, this is a strange addition to the shoe that does nothing for its aesthetic appeal. It's probably the most text I've ever seen placed into a golf shoe and I'd have personally left it off and let the S3 system do the talking while you're playing.
I raved about the last Under Armour shoe I tested a couple of years ago - the HOVR Tour SL - and didn't think I'd wear a performance-spikeless golf shoe quite like it for a while. It turns out it was another Under Armour model needed to be made to knock it off its perch. I'm not saying its the most comfortable or premium spikeless shoe out there, but from an out-and-out performance persective I'll be surprised if anything can pip it this year. Under Armour is perhaps a brand that goes under the radar due to its lack of Tour presence, but its new Drive Pro SL is easily its best to date and, at £130, represents one of the best value investments you'll make all year too.
