True Tours - Feeling the Ground
Pros: Comfortable, Feels connected to the turf
Cons: A Wee Bit Odd Looking
I have quite a few golf shoes. White/brown, black, brown, white, and navy......I have more golf shoes than regular shoes. But one color combo I was missing was a white/black which would match great with some of my outfits. I was about to pull the trigger on one of the new DryJoy models, but after reading others sing their praise of the True Tour I decided to give them a try.
The hard part was finding a pair. I'm a firm believer in trying footwear before buying, and have found that some shoes will feel fine and others can feel like a torture device in the store, even when others will tout how comfortable those may feel. So for me, shoe shopping off the web is a no-go. Finding a pair of True Tours in my size proved to be a challenge, but finally after visiting five stores in this area I lucked out. In the store, the shoes felt good but not quite slipper-comfy as some have described. The extra room in the toe box felt great, but the corner of the tongue bit slightly into a bone on the side of my ankles. After walking around in them for 5 minutes, it seemed good enough and I walked out with the only white & black size 11 they had in stock.
Since the shoes do put you lower to the ground don't have some of the slight foward wedge shape, I thought a range session was in order to get used to them before heading out on the course. I also have a tendency to rock forward too much in my swing, and I found the low heel helped me keep a better balanced feeling. So far so good, and that little part on the tongue that was poking at me seemed to soften up a bit.
First round on the course continued the good impressions. I had no slippage problems at all, and could really feel the contours under my feet more effectively due to the thin sole. It isn't anywhere near the point where you feel little rocks or anything, but it's just right to feel green contours a little better. Apparently something was working right, because my first round with the Trues yielded a 74, a new personal best! I've played three more rounds since in the Trues, and they've softened up nicely and the tongue no longer feels like a pressure point.
One comment on the looks. Like many others, I thought they looked a little like clown shows when these first came out, and when you look down at your feet they definitely give a little of that impression. But the first time I saw someone else playing these on the course I didn't notice the odd appearance nearly as much. Yes, when you look down at your own feet they seem kind of odd looking, but from other angles they don't look nearly as controversial. In other words, you'll think they look weirder than your playing partners will!
I'm packing tonight for a Hawaii trip and will be playing a few times while there, and I have a choice of which shoes to take including a few pair of Ecco Street Premiers and FootJoy Contours. The Trues are going on the trip - they're comfortable and their very light weight will be appreciated when lugging around luggage through the airport.
True has built a great shoe, and I hope they hold up well with use because I think they're going to get a lot of it!
