New Shoes From TRUE Linkswear

Back in 2010, The Sand Trap started covering a small golf shoe company by the name of TRUE Linkswear and the release of their original shoe the TRUE tour. This shoe was unique in the sense that it was spikeless (there were very few at the time), and even more so because it promoted the foot to work naturally. The shoe was also lighter than pretty much anything else available. Since that time, a few things have happened; TRUE has grown and has released a few more models including the TRUE stealth (and then updates to the tour and stealth) and the TRUE phx as well as a women’s shoe, the TRUE isis.  In addition to that, the market for lightweight, natural motion golf shoes has boomed with nearly every major manufacturer having a shoe in this catagory. At the beginning of the month, TRUE released the next shoe in their lineup, the TRUE sensei, which in addition to being a great golf shoe also doubles as a running shoe. In fact, Ryan Moore won last month in Las Vegas wearing these on the same day that the TRUE Linkswear president, Robert Rigg, ran the Portland Marathon in them.

There are a number of features that make the TRUE sensei (and the rest of the TRUE lineup) unique from other golf shoes and put together it is what the company calls the “TRUE barefoot platform.” The first thing you’ll notice about this is the sole, which has small nubs instead of traditional golf spikes. The sole is made from a strong, thin, flexible rubber that allows the person wearing them to feel the ground more.

The next part of the True barefoot platform is the wide toe box, which gives the feet and toes room to function naturally and provides a more stable base. This feature was very obvious on the original shoes but has become more and more subtle with subsequent releases. While the senesi still has the wide toe box it is not nearly as noticeable. The shoes are also built with Zero Drop, which means that your heel is as close to the ground as your forefoot is. This encourages a more natural stride while walking and better posture throughout the swing. The other big feature is the proximity to the ground. The average golf shoe puts your feet an average of 22mm of the ground. That number is more than halved in these shoes, putting the golfer a mere 10mm of the grass. This is achieved by removing the midsole and allows your foot to feel the ground more and give you more information, whether it be reading a subtle break in the green or the density of the sand in the bunker.

While the sensei share all of these features with the other shoes in the TRUE lineup, it is a bit of a departure from the rest as far as looks. Where as the tour and stealth models feature a more traditional golf shoe look, and the phx have a street look, the sensei look like a running shoe. The sensei features a different profile than other offerings from the company, a different spike configuration, and a breathable mesh upper.

The TRUE sensei is currently available in three colors (White/Charcoal/Grey, Black/Charcoal, Grey/Charcoal/Electric Blue), and can be found at select retailers or online at truelinkswear.com. Pricing for the shoes is $99.