Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 Performance Review

The Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 aims to build upon the success of the original HOVR Drive. But despite doing some things very well, the Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 falls short in other categories. Are the successes enough to cover up the shortcomings? Let’s find out.

Pros

HOVR Cushion

Fresh off of my review of the Under Armour HOVR Tour SL, I’ve been pretty high on HOVR, and the Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 gave me even more reason to fall in love with Under Armour’s proprietary cushion.

The Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 was stacked with full-length HOVR, and it felt even better than the Tour SL, which I loved. From what I can tell, Under Armour just packed this thing full of HOVR…you can never have too much of a good thing right?

It felt extremely responsive, stable, and oh-so-comfortable under foot. The HOVR felt awesome during my swing, but it really stood out as a winner when walking around in the wastelands trying to find my wayward tee shots, (trust me, there were plenty). The cushion left me feeling energized, not lethargic.

Traction

Spiked traction is hard to mess up, but I’m still going to give Under Armour kudos for the great traction on the Under Armour HOVR Drive 2.

The cleats provided fantastic rotational grip, a must for powerful swings. As you hit the downswing, if your feet start to rotate and slip, you’re going to lose all of the kinetic energy and power. Thus keeping your feet stable and firmly in place is key to efficient energy and power transfer from your body to the golf ball.

Under Armour nailed this idea of rotational grip, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the traction. As I say, spiked traction is hard to mess up, but Under Armour took it a step up with Rotational Resistance Traction on the HOVR Drive 2.

Breathability

I’ve found that most companies struggle to make a breathable TOUR golf shoe, mostly because they also have to make the shoes waterproof…those two things are pretty much opposites. However, I thought Under Armour struck the right balance between waterproofing the Under Armour HOVR Drive 2, while also keeping it breathable and cool

Thanks to strategically placed holes in the side of the shoe, I didn’t find my feet getting all hot and sweaty, even in the 107-plus degree temperatures that I’ve been playing in. The holes and extremely thin waterproof membrane were just enough to keep me cool…or cooler than I would have been otherwise.

Cons

Fit

The fit on the Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 is a little concerning. At first, I thought it was just me, but after doing some research and reading other’s experiences, I can say with confidence that the toe box of the Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 is extremely roomy…so much so that I’d suggest sizing down at least a 1/2 size to get a better, 1 to 1 fit.

And it wasn’t just the toe, I found the way the heel was sculpted really made the shoe feel larger on that side too. Not that I felt I was swimming in my normal size 11, but there was enough wiggle room that I would definitely go with a 10.5 next time.

Lockdown

The larger than normal fit was not helped by the lockdown of the Under Armour HOVR 2, which was average at best. Now to be fair to the shoe, part of the lockdown issue was the way they were laced. But until I finally decided to use the lace holes back towards the heel, I was constantly sliding forward in these shoes.

Once I made the decision to use the extra lace holes, lockdown improved, but I found myself struggling to tie them due to a lack of lace real estate. I just managed to muster up enough lace to tie them, but it wasn’t as seamless as it should have been.

If you’re going to grab a pair of these, I would definitely suggest using the extra lace holes towards the back of the shoe. Be aware that you may have to really choke down on the laces to have enough left at the end to properly tie them.

Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 Summary

All things considered, the Under Armour HOVR Drive 2 should be defined by its great cushion, traction, and breathability, but I found myself spending more time worrying about the fit and lockdown than anything else.

The mark of a good golf shoe is the ability to put it on and forget about it. With the Under Armour HOVR Drive 2, I spent less time focusing on my golf game, and more time focused on how to keep my feet from shifting forward within the shoe.

Would I suggest picking these up? If you’re a wide footer who wants awesome cushion and great traction, I’d say go for it. Other than that, make sure you try these on first, so you can get the best size to help with the fit and lockdown.