Review: Under Armour Spieth One golf shoe review

Our Under Armour Spieth One review largely took place on the course at Moor Allerton in Leeds.

But as always, our reviews start when we receive the product in the National Club Golfer office.

Who wants to see a really clumsy unboxing of the new Speith One from @UAGolf … Oh, well I've done it now anyway pic.twitter.com/W18DEMCxu9

— James Savage (@JamesSavageNCG) January 19, 2017

We put them on, walk around the office and gauge opinion from the rest of the team. This was a shoe which certainly got people talking.

They had a decent run out at the range before going anywhere near the golf course.

Cheeky little test of the new @UAGolf Spieth One shoes. Really like the performance. Good traction and padding in the right places. pic.twitter.com/gq4Egpf2FY

— James Savage (@JamesSavageNCG) January 19, 2017

Under Armour Spieth One review – First impressions

We knew for a while that Jordan Spieth had been working closely with Under Armour to create his own signature shoe.

We’ve already had three Under Armour golf shoe models – Drive One, Tempo Hybrid and Tempo Tour – which were the brand’s first foray into the market.

We are big fans of the spikeless Tempo Hybrids.

Spieth had previously worn the Drive One but had identified a few key areas where he wanted the shoe to work better with his swing.

Check out how the brand new @UAGolf Spieth one worked for our equipment editor @JamesSavageNCG..

➡️ https://t.co/2LPQj7mUgh pic.twitter.com/y3OeKzfPPi

— National Club Golfer (@NCGmagazine) February 19, 2017

It’s not something new. We’ve seen the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy working with designers at Nike to create shoes to help their games.

I always find it a bit unusual that big brands create shoes for the mass market based on the needs of a tour player but often the principles behind the shoes are relevant to a wider audience.

We’ll get on to the technology in a minute.

Visually, this is very striking shoe and has a fairly busy design. It’s not something I’d immediately opt for but there are different styles and colour options available.

However, performance is the the most important thing to me when it comes to shoes.

Under Armour Spieth One review – The technology

I caught up with Under Armour’s Mike Forsey at the PGA Show in Orlando.

He was the man who worked directly with Spieth to create this shoe…

We worked with Jordan for about a year, looking at his on-course needs.

“Just like all the top players, he has great footwork and great balance but if there’s anything we can do for a tour player we hope it can translate and be meaningful for a recreational player.

“Jordan has a unique move to his left side. He gets to that lateral left edge of his shoe with his long irons and his driver.

“We spent a lot of time with him, following him on the course, looking at his practise sessions and he also has a simulator in his house so we filmed a lot of him there.

“We came up with a few concepts and suggested some directions to go in.

“One thing was to try and get him closer to the ground. This outsole is about as close to the ground as you can get.

“We didn’t want to put him on a platform where he gets to that lateral edge and basically falls of the shoe.

“We video taped him from the first sessions and then into this product and there’s a distinct difference from where he was.

“Now he can go after it really aggressively and he doesn’t even get to the outside edge anymore. He just rolls naturally from the top of the swing through to the finish.

So what have Under Armour done to prevent Spieth ‘falling off’ the left edge of his left shoe?

The Spieth One features what Under Armour are calling rotational resistance traction.

Different cleats and materials are used on the outstep of the shoe.

The upper of the Spieth One is composed with a single seam, reducing layers and weight.

The outsole has a softer forefoot for flexibility, paired with a firm heel for stability and support.

Under Armour Spieth One review – The results

After putting these shoes on, I soon got over the looks. I think they actually look a lot better on than off.

One thing that struck me was just how well padded they were.

It really feels like your foot has been nicely locked in. This helps raise the comfort levels too.

I wouldn’t dream of comparing myself to Jordan Spieth – I’m a much better putter for a start – but I have been known to display unusual footwork in my golf swing.

The more a shoe can keep me rooted to the ground the better.

This is exactly what I found with the Spieth One. They gave me a really sold and stable base.

I tested them out on the course at Moor Allerton in very wet and muddy conditions and didn’t suffer any loss of traction at all.

This is a really comfortable shoe and feels incredibly solid.

One slight draw back for me is the weight – they did feel a bit on the heavy side.

This was probably because I’m so used to wearing lightweight spikeless shoes so it took a while to adjust to wearing something a bit more substantial.

Under Armour Spieth One review – NCG Verdict

I’m really looking forward to wearing these shoes a bit more over the winter and I’ll probably look to them in wet conditions during the summer.

On a firm course in the middle of the summer, I just can’t see me opting for anything other than a spikeless model.

This is a premium shoe and feel like it’s loaded with tech and quality materials.

They’re not cheap but you’ll feel like you’re getting a high-quality product.

If you’re after something to add a bit more stability and traction that doesn’t compromise on comfort – the Spieth One are definitely worth a look.

Details

In store: March 1, 2017

SRP: £150

For more information visit the Under Armour website HERE