Equipment

WRX Spotlight: True Linkswear: redefining a great walk

Published

5 years ago

Feb 11, 2019

When it comes to golf footwear, there are a lot of players in the game, but there is only one that is committed to making sure they put their absolute best foot forward with every product, and doing everything it can to make sure you “enjoy the walk.”

True Linkswear was founded only 10 years ago in 2009, and in that time the company could be credited (at least partially) for the popularity of what we have today as the modern spikeless golf shoe. Founded on the principles of creating the most comfortable walking shoe imaginable they did just that with the original True Tour. This shoe offered the thinnest sole in golf and took the golf industry by surprise. It took features from the emerging barefoot running trend at the time and along with it brought the wide natural toebox, zero-drop revolution to the golf masses.

So confident in their crossover ability, on October, 7 2012 , the same day Ryan Moore won the Shriners Hospital for Children Open in Las Vegas wearing the True Sensei, one of True’s founders, Rob Rigg, was a lot further north up the West Coast wearing the same Sensei in the Portland Marathon. Not many shoes on the market can lay claim to winning a PGA Tour event and running a marathon in the same day.

Let’s fast forward to today, after some serious sole searching (pun completely intended) between 2014-2016, after some admitted less-than-first-rate products, the company went back to the drawing board and completely relaunched.

The goal was to get back to creating the most comfortable shoe with premium products and deliver them to the customer without compromise. True doesn’t just want to be your favorite golf shoes, they want to be your favorite shoes period. With that in mind, and drawing from their Pacific Northwest home — a part of the country known more for rain and the great out doors than bright sunny days, they have come out swinging with their most technology packed shoes designed to be comfortable right out of the box — or out of the bag… more on that later.

The first of these new designs was the “Original” a shoe that took all of the elements from the very first tour and put it into a modern stylized package with the most traction of any True to date, and gave it the on course, off course looks to take your from the range to the streets, to the hiking trails without having to make an extra trip to the trunk.

The next shoe from True was the Knit, and as the name suggests this knit design offers the breathability and comfort you would expect from a lightweight shoe, that also has the flexibility to fit almost any width foot. Not designed to be waterproof, they offer flex where you want it and strength where you need it. Offered in a number of colors, True have also made a commitment with one colorway to give back $30 for every pair to the MS foundation.

RELATED: More photos of True Linkswear’s products in the forums.

In talking to True President Jason Moore — yes, the brother to PGA Tour Player Ryan Moore, the company wanted to put a stake in the ground by offering an exact dollar amount, not a percentage of sale littered in a fine print. This is another example of doing something a little different.

This brings us to the True Major — a shoe built from the ground up with input from some of the best players in the world (the True Players Advisory Board) and tested to standards usually reserved for the worlds best outdoor shoes and hiking boots

80K Step Dynamic Waterproofing: When most shoes are tested by merely get placed in a water, Trues get tested in motion for 80,000 steps to ensure they can offer one of the best waterproof guarantees in the business
Flex zones to eliminate break in period, and keep shoes looking their best longer
Full wrap paracord lacing system that wraps entirely under the midsole of the shoe to secure the foot in place during peak lateral forces (the golf swing for example) while also maintaining comfort and flexibility for every step along the way
Outdoor Grade Nuback leather: (we looked it up, it’s a real thing) used on the most wear susceptible parts of the shoe including the toe to reduce wear and keep shoes looking great.

Last but not least, one of the coolest additions that you get with the new True Major has nothing to do with either comfort or style but has everything to do with offering something a little extra and help the environment along the way: a multi-purpose shoe bag that can hold your shoes, lunch, extra change of clothes, or be used as shag bag for those trips to the range. Designed with functionality and sustainability in mind, it’s another way True is doing things a little different and helping you enjoy the walk and your next practice session a little more.

RELATED: More photos of True Linkswear’s products in the forums.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

4 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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