There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.
What We Tried:
VKTRY carbon-fiber insoles. You may have seen them floating around Instagram with basketball players shorter than me skying and slamming with ease. Outside of basketball, VKTRY provides claims of golfers seeing increased clubhead speed. Brand ambassador Padraig Harrington claims to have seen better ball speeds while using VKTRY insoles.
At $149 per pair, this begs the question: Can you buy clubhead speed?
Who Tried It:
Connor. Director of Soft Goods Testing and resident sneakerhead. I believe golf is better with a pair of cool shoes and comfortable joggers. I’m a sucker for a good Instagram ad so I knew I had to try these out.
The Rundown
- Retail for $149
- Made from aerospace-grade carbon fiber
- Three thickness variants depending on style of shoe
- 90-day money-back guarantee
VKTRY Insoles Review
Can an after-market carbon-fiber insole give you more clubhead speed? I made it my mission to find out.
Carbon fiber has been in running shoes for a while. It’s no coincidence that top marathoners prefer carbon fiber-infused shoes. The proof is in the pudding. The most common shoe among the top finishers at last year’s NYC Marathon was the NIKE ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 which features a full-length carbon-fiber plate.
How does that translate to the golf swing? Let’s find out.
How I tested the VKTRY insoles
My swing is slow. Really slow. So I went out on a limb for you guys with this one. Am I going to embarrass myself by revealing my swing speed? Yes. But I did it in the name of science.
I spent two days (after the mandatory break-in time recommended by VKTRY) testing the VKTRY Gold insoles in two different shoes: a stable spiked shoe (ECCO BIOM Tour) and a very flexible, spikeless shoe (adidas Ultraboost Golf).
All data was collected indoors using Foresight GC4. My test was conducted using a driver and I alternated between the factory insoles and the VKTRY Gold insoles.
My findings, while somewhat unexpected, should not be taken as an “end all, be all.” Simply put, there are variables that exist where you may see different results than mine. For example, your particular swing, speed or even foot shape could be more or less conducive to using after-market insoles.
With that said, here’s what I learned about the VKTRY Gold insoles.
Empirical Evidence
You’re here for the data so that’s where I’ll start. I’ve broken my data down by each shoe, the spiked and spikeless models. As per VKTRY’s (and Padraig Harrington’s) claims of increased clubhead speed and ball speed, those are the metrics I’ve collected and displayed.
The results are (somewhat) compelling. Here are my observations:
- I saw no increase in ball and clubhead speed in the spiked shoe. In fact, I was slightly slower with the VKTRY insole.
- There was a slight (and I mean slight) increase in my clubhead speed overall when using the VKTRY insole in the spikeless shoe (89.8 mph versus 89.6 mph).
- The biggest increase I saw when using the VKTRY insole was ball speed with the spikeless shoe (121.1 mph versus 118.1 mph)
Are the numbers conclusive? I would say no. The increases (or decreases) across the board are just too small to conclude anything about the performance of the VKTRY’s insoles and therefore the claims of increased club head and ball speeds.
That said, I think the results with the spikeless shoe are compelling enough that a testing with a larger sample size would be worth consideration.
Subjective Feedback
On the subjective side of things, I found the VKTRY Gold insoles to be pretty good. Besides being more comfortable than I’d expected (they won’t replace the comfort of your custom orthotics), I was impressed with how much overall stability the insoles added to a shoe like the adidas Ultraboost Golf.
It’s this added stability that I think contributed to my overall “better” performance in the spikeless shoe versus the spiked shoe.
In this regard, I do feel that VKTRY insoles could be a solid option for someone looking to add more structure and stability to an unstable or flexible golf shoe.
It’s worth noting that the VKTRY insoles will make your shoes fit more snug. In some cases, this can be beneficial (especially if you’re wearing something a little more roomy than you should). However, if you’re already spilling over the edges, so to speak, you may not be able to wear VKTRY insoles without going up at least a half size.
Is it a victory for VKTRY?
I wouldn’t call it a victory. My thoughts are this: VKTRY’s carbon-fiber insoles are pretty darned expensive for something that has the potential (and I use that term loosely) to increase your speed.
As for my subjective feedback, I can’t see the VKTRY insoles being comfortable enough or changing the structure of your shoe enough to justify the price on that merit alone.
Even still, I think a larger sample size would prove very beneficial in the quest to see if a carbon-fiber insole can produce faster speeds.
steve s
6 months ago
Yeah, not surprised at your results. Much of this with socks, shoes and insoles in marketing hype. For all sports you need a stable base(your feet). Any good pair of shoes that stabilizes your feet and ankles will work. I’ve used cross trainers, hiking shoes and golf shoes. The all do a good job as long as they are a quality shoe.