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WRX Spotlight: True Linkswear: redefining a great walk

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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.

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.

 

 

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Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Tom

    Feb 12, 2019 at 2:41 pm

    Just stick with FJ if you want a decent shoe….

  2. Thomas A

    Feb 12, 2019 at 12:35 pm

    I was a big fan of Trues. I had the Sensei, Proto, and others. They had to change up the company because all the leather shoes I had leaked like crazy. Marie at customer service and I got to know each other too well with all the returns I had. I bought the True Outsider with help from a $50 rebate from one of my many returns. They leaked on my 3rd outing in morning dew. They sent me another pair. Leaked again. I’m wearing them at work right now because they are comfortable, but never again will I buy a pair.

    • Bob Eubanks

      Feb 19, 2019 at 6:59 pm

      This brand is junk. The shoes stain quickly look like crap after and leak as stated above. Avoid this junk brand.

  3. James

    Feb 12, 2019 at 10:06 am

    I have the knits and love them. The idea of wearing them casually did not work, I slipped multiple times but they are great on the course when its not wet. I’d love to try the Majors but I cannot tell them width on them as someone with a wide forefoot.

  4. Harry

    Feb 12, 2019 at 6:18 am

    These are horrible. Comfortably walk to the nearest trash can and throw them away.

  5. X

    Feb 12, 2019 at 1:51 am

    Are those the new Skechers? lol

  6. JP

    Feb 11, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    Comfortable, but none that I’ve had have enough traction or stability. I just wish they’d make a comfortable model with a stiffer sole with spikes.

  7. Dom

    Feb 11, 2019 at 3:32 pm

    I currently have six pairs of Trues. Love their shoes. The True Originals have a big toe box which is great for even those with the widest of feet. I would order a half size up for the Knits and Majors. I like the Knits for hot days. Just tried the Majors for 18 holes. Great shoes overall. Material is premium, the shoe bag is awesome, and they are comfy, but they are not good for people who overpronate like me. Can’t wait to see what other colorways they come out with next.

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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