Golf fittings are increasingly popular, but one type that may have slipped your mind is in relation to your footwear.
Most golfers know the value of being fitted for a driver. Many understand the benefits of finding the right golf ball. But have you considered getting fit for your golf shoes?
It’s time you should. According to Under Armour’s Head of Footwear Optimisation, Chris Murtagh, the right shoe can have an impact on pretty much everything. From clubhead speed to consistency to fatigue levels, it can have a significant impact on your overall game over 18 holes.
Your Golf NCG host Jack Backhouse recently headed to Stoke Park to experience Under Armour’s shoe optimisation process. A detailed analysis of his swing mechanics and foot structure, outlined just how influential shoes can be.
Your golf shoes matter more than you think
The fitting process begins by establishing baseline data while golfers hit shots in their existing footwear. Using pressure plates and motion analysis technology, Murtagh examines how players interact with the ground during the swing.
“We start off initially with some shots in your own shoe, we just get some baseline data,” he explained. “Once we’ve established that, we start to look at, particularly the peak force that you create, the rotation you create, obviously the lateral motion you create, and from that point can assume or decide whether we’re going to go down the spiked or spikeless route.”
The data helps determine how efficiently a golfer is using the ground and whether their footwear is helping or hindering that movement.
For golfers producing lower levels of force, Murtagh explained that footwear selection can directly influence performance.
“When you have a one point below 1.7 you need more peak force, you need more vertical, essentially,” he added. “How do we get more vertical? We stay more centred, we coil more, we use a spike shoe, which will help us to stay more centred, create more torque.”
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The role of feet structure
Murtagh went on to explain that this is a process that goes beyond choosing between spiked and spikeless shoes.
He explains the need to analyse the structure of a golfer’s feet, looking at factors such as pronation, arch height and overall foot posture before building a customised insole solution.
“We then look at the foot structure, see the shape of the foot, how pronated you are, if you’ve got a nice high arch, then we will build an insole that will support or guide your foot into a neutral position,” he added.
For Backhouse, who is a PGA qualified golf coach, the findings were eye-opening.
“For something that Chris said to me, that I genuinely had not thought about in all of my time thinking about golf swings, was the effect that having flat feet or pronated feet could have on your swing,” he said.
“The idea that getting a wedge under the arch of my foot would maybe able to change everything and really help sort of achieve what I’m trying to achieve, hit a bit faster, use more turn, and crack the whip in the swing a bit more, from an insole, that’s pretty mental to me.”
Under Armour spiked and spikless options
The review team at NCG have tested both the spiked and spikeless options from Under Armour for 2026.
Jack Backhouse got fitted for the Drive Pro Clone Golf Shoe and gave them a 5 out of 5 rating. Read the full review here.
Max McVittie reviewed the spikeless Halo Tour – shoes that combine summer style with tour-level performance.
Once again these received an impressive review, with Max giving them a 4.5 out of 5. Read the full review here.
- NOW READ: Why some golfers should ditch spiked golf shoes – and why others shouldn’t
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