Is This Under Armour’s Most Comfortable Golf Shoe Ever?

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:

Under Armour’s new Phantom Golf shoes. The golf-specific variant of the Baltimore-based brand’s best-selling running/training shoe, the HOVR Phantom.

Who Tried It:

Connor. Director of Soft Goods Testing and resident sneakerhead. The non-golf Phantom is my go-to shoe when I need something comfortable for the gym or the airport. If its golf-specific brother shares any of the same comfort, Under Armour’s got a winner on its hands.

Behind the Design

Before we go any further, we’ve got to talk about the design. The new Phantom Golf shoes share a lot of DNA with the non-golf variant. In design and performance, the shoes are largely the same.

That said, Under Armour made three key improvements to the Phantom design to make them appropriate for the golf course: upgraded traction, more durable materials and a waterproof membrane.

The insanely comfortable HOVR midsole completes the package. Let’s walk through each design choice, step by step, to determine if the Under Armour Phantom Golf shoe is worth your money.

Upgraded Traction

We’re going to start with traction because it’s my least favorite thing about the new Phantom golf shoe.

Let’s get this out of the way now: the spikeless outsole is perfectly good in dry conditions and semi-wet conditions (think morning dew). However, on a really rainy day, you will experience slippage.

It’s just not on par with “flagship” traction, like Under Armour’s Drive Pro SL.

But, with the sneaker-style golf shoe craze (I’m looking at you, Jordan), the Phantom Golf shoe fits in nicely. Enough traction for a casual round but not quite enough to rival the best of the best spikeless golf shoes.

This is, for better or worse, the norm for this style of shoe that’s been converted from an existing silhouette.

OK, enough about traction. Let’s get to the REALLY good stuff.

Durable Construction and Waterproof Membrane

One big(ish) change Under Armour made to the Phantom design was in the construction. Instead of a solely knit upper, Under Armour has strategically placed TPU overlays in high-wear areas to ensure the shoes are more durable.

Under Armour also added a waterproof membrane which keeps water out and adds much-needed rigidity to the upper. The knit maintains its soft feel inside while flexing a more robust structure on the outside

The addition of these overlays adds to the overall rigidity of the shoe, making it more stable than its off-course brother. The exterior heel cup and sculpted interior heel pillows help, too. That said, someone with Tour-level power and speed will probably find the Phantom Golf shoe to be a little too flexible.

Speaking of stability, the beefy HOVR midsole has just enough girth (sorry, this word just makes sense) to provide a stable base without sacrificing the flexibility that makes them so comfortable.

Did I mention that they’re comfortable? Let’s get into it.

Comfort is King

Above all else, a golf shoe must be comfortable. I look at comfort as something that’s holistic, perhaps omnipresent. If a shoe is not comfortable in all key aspects (midsole, upper, insole), it’s not for me.

I want you to think of your favorite comfort food. That warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you eat macaroni and cheese (or, in my case, funeral potatoes) is how your feet feel after a round in the Phantom Golf shoes.

The HOVR midsole is flat-out baller. It’s comfy and cushioned yet firm enough to remain stable. Couple that with Under Armour’s ergonomic sockliner/insole and the pliable knit upper and you’ve got yourself something that rivals the comfort of most any golf shoe you’ll put on.

I’m not ready to call the Phantom Golf shoe the most comfortable golf shoe out there. But it’s on a meteoric rise up my list and shows no signs of slowing down.

Final Verdict

In my ever-expanding collection of golf shoes, it’s fun to find a new favorite. While the Under Armour Phantom Golf shoe is (as it should be) billed as a golf shoe for a casual round … well, that’s all I play anyways. For someone who, like me, isn’t as concerned about things like traction and just wants something comfortable and easy to wear, the Phantom Golf is the perfect fit.

That said, if performance is your main concern, you’d be better served with something from UA’s flagship lineup like the new Drive Pro or budget-friendly Drive Fade.

The Phantom Golf shoe is a casual golf shoe for the casual golfer. And if that were its job, it would win employee of the month, no doubt.