This Technology May Change The Future of Footwear

What can’t your smartphone do?

Until recently, I probably would have said, “Scan your feet to produce one-to-one, custom insoles.”

Then I found Groov (or, rather, they found me). In any case, I’m fully confident in declaring Groov as one of, if not the coolest and most helpful, technologies I’ve ever used. It’s that good.

The premise is simple. You take a few scans of your feet using an iPhone’s built in TrueDepth camera system (the same one that’s used for your FaceID) and in a few weeks you have a precise custom insole at your door. It can be done through their website, no app needed!

In practice, it’s just as simple and seamless. It took me no more than three minutes to complete the required three scans. That’s at least 10 percent of the time it would take me to drive to the podiatrist to get a scan.

You do have to hold pretty still to get the scans (which proved a little difficult with a nine-month-old crawling all over me) but it uses voice prompts to guide your foot placement which was especially helpful.

A few weeks later, two sets of custom insoles showed up at my door. My experience since then has been just as smooth and seamless as creating the custom scan in the first place.

Real-world experience

Groov offers two different types of insoles: an Everyday model (for comfort) and a Response model (for performance). Naturally, I’ve been wearing both.

Groov Plush (Everyday) Insoles

I’ll admit that I’ve never been one to wear custom insoles. But after years of manual labor, shooting a lot of hoops and now playing golf, I do have some plantar fasciitis that flairs up from time to time. From the moment I stepped into the Plush insoles, I immediately felt support in all of the places I needed it.

That, friends, is the benefit of a custom insole that fits your foot perfectly. Every step since then has been nothing but bliss. If I’m being honest, I wish I had a pair of the Plush insoles for each of my 35-plus pairs of shoes I rotate through. It’s that good.

Editor’s note: The Groov Plush insoles have since been rebranded to the Everyday insoles.

Groov Response Insoles

On the flip side, the Response insoles are still comfortable but billed more as a performance pair. As the name suggests, it’s got more responsiveness and more rebound for athletic movements and high-impact motions.

I found this pair to provide a good amount of support and a firmer underfoot feel, something a lot of golfers are looking for to help them feel powerful and stable in the swing.

Again, this is a big win. As someone that’s reviewed more than 125 pairs of golf shoes, the vast majority comes with flimsy, cheap insoles that do a whole lot of nothing. Having a performance-focused pair to swap in makes a big difference.

Technology that actually makes a difference

In a world full of AI tools and meaningless technologies that all claim to help the golfer, athlete or human being, Groov is proof that consumer tech can be beneficial and helpful.

I was blown away by the entire process, especially how easy it was. Name another tool that can build you custom insoles in a matter of minutes all from your living room couch.

The price is a little steep compared to your options at the local Walmart. Sure, $150 for a pair of insoles ain’t cheap. But in my mind, it’s much more cost effective than having to go to the podiatrist and dealing with insurance.

Want to give Groov a go? Use code MYGOLFSPY to save $10 on your first pair of custom insoles.