Under Armour HOVR Drive Golf Shoes Preview - Full Round Comfort and Responsiveness

Sometimes when a golf shoe focuses on comfort or softness, it loses responsiveness.  Think of walking in the sand on the beach for example.  Extremely soft and comfortable, but you don't really have much feel.  And too many golf shoes on the market today unfortunately sacrifice feel as a trade-off for giving you comfort. 

 

Enter the new Under Armour's HOVR Drive golf shoes.  Delivering both total comfort and powerful energy transfer, the new HOVR Drive shoes are a standout option for golfers who demand lightweight flexibility and full-round comfort and support.  Under Armour is basically saying you can finally have your cake and eat it too. 

I spent some time talking with Under Armour Director of Global Golf Footwear, Mike Forsey at the PGA Show, and he explained how the technology in the new HOVR Drive shoes delivers total comfort and maximum power without sacrificing either. 

 

Under Armour HOVR foam was first designed as a new cushioning system in Under Armour's running shoes, and then later also applied in their basketball shoes.  But using this technology in golf shoes required a different kind of thinking and application.  And Forsey and his team figured out how to make this design happen. 

TOTAL COMFORT 
First, Under Armour designed the new HOVR Drive golf shoes to run cushioning the entire full length of the shoe, from the heel to the forefoot.  And then UA also combined that with a lightweight thermal plastic polyurethane (TPU) outsole. 

 

 

This combination ensures every step you take on the course is a comfortably soft.  But it also returns energy with a responsive almost springy sensation.  From the first hole to the last, you're getting both maximum comfort and the enhanced feel and power you need at impact. 

ENERGY RETURN 
Forsey also explained to me how UA HOVR cushioning isn't just any regular cushioning.  It's a proprietary foam compound designed in partnership with Dow Chemical, and the soft comfortable feel is just part of the story. 

 

This cushioning was specifically designed and tested to deliver strong responsiveness and maximum energy return.  This helps retain the power (or energy) built up in your back swing, and also ensures your legs and feet stay fresh for the entire round.  With HOVR Drive cushioning, ground reaction forces are harnessed to become responsive power for your swing. 

The HOVR Drive golf shoes clearly aren't new shoes just to release new shoes.  I came away extremely impressed with the legitimate technologies (and targeted application of them) in these shoes, as well as the sincere excitement Forsey had in sharing the design story with me. 

TRACTION 
Explosive energy and incredible comfort won't mean much if you don't have exceptional traction on the course.  So Under Armour also decided on a combination of particular spikes and outsole traction elements to keep you locked in through your swing. 

 

 

Nine, low-profile Softspike Silver Tornado cleats provide ideal horizontal traction to handle any lie on the course.  While the RST 2.0 rotational resistance spikes work to prevent rotational slippage as the foot turns and pivots through the swing.  Every aspect of the HOVR Drive is designed with intelligent technologies and components to help you achieve your best performance on the course. 

For more information on the new Under Armour HOVR Drive shoes as well as their entire 20190 line-up of golf shoes and apparel, check out UA.com and UAGolf.com, and follow them on twitter @UAGolf and Instagram @uagolf.  

 

And as always, if you have any questions, shoot me an email or DM on twitter or Instagram.