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Showing results for tags 'minimalist'.
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Just a little tickle for y'all… I know we have a LOT of TRUE Linkswear fans here. I am one of the biggest, if not the biggest here. TRUE's original shoes, reviewed here offered quality materials in a unique looking shoe that had a lot of the features I love in shoes: lightweight flexible zero drop minimal support low to the ground conforming/twistable great feeling comfortable waterproof great materials and leather Well, it's no secret that TRUE has spent a few years in the rough. Outside influences and a few missteps led to the introduction of some forgettable models, and the faith of the TRUE fans has been tested. For the past year or so, Ryan Moore, his brothers, and other trusted TRUE reps and "fans of the walk" have been scouring the world for the best materials, the best factories, and advanced construction techniques. They've re-examined what they wanted out of a shoe, and are truly returning to shoes that you can wear on the golf course, to the office, or out for a night on the town. Look for more details soon, but finally (and I realize how odd that sounds after only a few years off the tried and true path that made so many instant, hard-core fans) TRUE is returning to its roots. Returning to a world where you can #EnjoyTheWalk. More coming soon… stay tuned. -
I wanted to start a(nother) discussion about what I strongly feel are the best footwear options, the industry's ongoing trend of building up the heels and adding "cushioning" everywhere, all in the false name of comfort. When you buy a shoe with a bunch of padding, it will feel good at first, but it will cause issues over time. Our bodies are incredible machines, and we've evolved to do some things really, really well. This includes walking upright: our feet are mechanical marvels in what they are built to support and how they're built to work. Cramming your feet into narrow, inflexible, "supportive" shoes with lots of cushioning and a high heel drop is working against the way our bodies work. They're like putting a cast on your foot - your muscles atrophy and your feet stop working the way they were designed to work. I've always been a barefoot guy. I go barefoot 99% of the time I'm at home. When I go outside around my house I'll wear some flip flops or something with minimal padding. I'll get the mail barefooted, etc. At Golf Evolution, particularly when I have to leave my shoes by the door to let the snow melt off of them, I'll often walk around in my socks, and sometimes two hours go by before I notice and go get my shoes. There's a good interview here that you should read: http://truelinkswear.com/blog/barefootwear-an-interview-with-nick-at-the-foot-collective/. And here is a good article, too: http://www.thefootcollective.com/barefoot/. My feet don’t hurt so why should I switch? Most people with dysfunctional feet have zero foot pain…….Yet. If the arch of your foot has flattened out you can guarantee that after enough time on your feet they will start to hurt. Why? Because the arch of the foot is the key to a stable foot and indicates that the intrinsic foot muscles are working to create stability and protect the fascia from being over-tensioned. The more time you spend in supportive, stiff footwear the more likely you become to start getting foot pain. Just like it wouldn’t be very smart to wait until your car starts falling apart to fix it, waiting until your feet start being painful is a poor way of treating your body. Fix the issue before it becomes a problem by learning about your feet, working on foot strength and mobility, spending more time barefoot and making the transition to barefoot footwear. I pretty much agree. An X-Ray of someone in golf shoes - or even a lot of sneakers or dress shoes that we wear day to day in offices, etc. - would look pretty similar: We walk a lot in playing golf. Even in a cart, my Apple Watch will show thousands of steps in a round of golf. More if it's cart path only. Even more if you walk, of course. We can walk up to seven or eight miles in a round of golf. Easily. We, more than most people, should care more about the health of our feet and ankles. Q. How can shoes be designed to better accommodate the human foot? "I believe most shoe companies aren’t focused at all on foot health. They are primarily marketing and technology companies who happen to make shoes. In general a shoe should provide minimal support so that the foot can feel the ground underneath it. The shoe should be zero drop and it should have a wide toe box to allow the toes to move naturally. Advances in materials science will allow companies to start making thinner and more durable shoes that support healthy foot function." Q. What are a few exercises that people can do to start to regain natural foot function? "There are 3 videos on the TFC website that can help to reset and regain natural foot function. The videos focus on: Foot mobility work, hip mobility work and upper glute release." (Check them out here: https://tfc-shop.com/pages/videos) "Additionally, spending more time walking around the house barefoot and trying to balance barefoot on one leg with your eyes closed can be extremely helpful." Here is one of the videos: Here's another video on toe spreaders, which you could probably make for yourself, or at least something similar (maybe not for sleeping, though): Transitioning to Minimalist Style Shoes I have heard from a few people who, when they first switch to minimalist shoes (like TRUE Linkswear ), will complain that their arches are sore, or their feet or ankles are a little sore. That's because they have to build up a little strength in their feet. All the years they've been wearing highly structured shoes with a lot of support in the arch especially have weakened and atrophied their muscles. Q. Is there any other helpful information about how minimalist footwear can effect your golf game or swing? In addition to the general health benefits described above, foot and ankle health should help you perform better on and off the course. Healthy feet prevent injuries, allow you to function with less pain and increase your movement efficiency. Shoes that allow you to feel more of the ground allow for more integration throughout the lower body, engaging the hips, and creating more rotational torque. The Point? I just wanted to start (again) a conversation about the footwear that y'all tend to wear, and increase a little awareness. If you're wearing small toe-box shoes with heel drop (a heel that's higher than the toe box), lots of arch support and sole cushioning, and that's heavier and/or not very flexible… you could probably do yourself a favor by spending a little time investigating this stuff. I was going to update this topic, but I wanted to start a new one to call a little more attention to the topic. I encourage you to read at least the first page or two of this topic, though:
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I'm in the proces of getting my (8-club / "minimalist" - hate that word) set MOI fitted and that proces has surprised me (in the best possible way). My club maker has set up a path to getting a better set for me, that begins with me finding a swing feel that I like and the re-creating that feel in all other irons, based on the MOI of my preferred iron (which is my number 5). His path is pretty simple: Based on a static fitting and a thorough club-measuring session, we got an overview of just how, ahem, varied my club makeup is, when it comes to both length, swing weights and MOI values Currently, I am visiting my driving range and hitting that preferred iron while adding lead tape to see what feel I like the best. The aim is to get the club as heavy as possible without hurting my swing, the ball flight, consistency or length. I will go to my club maker in a couple of weeks and have him MOI-match all the club, including shortening shafts etc. to match my static data. When I have played a while with the clubs and gotten a good fell for the new set, we will the make the necessary/needed changes to loft and lie, to give me an iron selection, that is evenly spaced out. I needed that, after confusing my self last season with my purchases... Carrying my head under my arms, last year I bought a Cobra King F6 Baffler and a few months later a 7/8 wood in the same series. Then I swithced my attention to my short game and bought the Cleveland Smart Sole 2.0 S and C. That means I have a driver, a 3 wood, 4 wood, 7/8 Wood, 3 iron, 5-S iron, Chipper and GI sand wedge - and a putter. Of different brands, lengths, weights, grips and so on. Now that all my irons are in play during the fitting proces, it scares me to see that I hit my 3 iron better than my 7/8 wood, and that my 5 iron is challenging the wood too. Thing is, I am still using a beginner set (a skymax) that seems to work really well, even if the shaft lengths are off (my 3-iron is 40.25, which is at least .75 too much). It has neither bells nor whistles but is just a solid iron head, tons of cavity back and forgiveness. My observations so far: Lead tape is sooooooo much fun to play around with on alle the clubs. And it makes such a differnce. Had I just looked at swing weights, I would have never dared to use as much lead tape as I'm doing right now. But focusing Longer shafts hurt my swing less than clubs that are too light. My 3 wood has gone from being a joke to being the love of my bag in a few range sessions, simply because i t weighs more. On the other hand it is ugly as sin right now, with all the lead on the head. But oh my god, from a low tee, that thing goes and goes Ignoring the industry standard focus on shaft flex and swing weight is giving me much food for thought - and a way to focus on what is actually helping me. And using MOI (which is science/physics based) gives me a sense of security that my irons will work in the same way, once the changes are complete, rather than feel the same way. I know that that is putting it too simply, but I have no other words to explain the differences in approach... The things I'm currently wondering are: If my 3 wood is about as far as my driver (and much more controllable) why not just finish the season using that 3 wood - or get myself a mini driver/2 wood? If I keep a driver in my bag, should I complement that with the baffler 4 Wood? Should I go 3i, 5i, 7i, 9i, C and S or maybe 2i, 4i, 6i, 8, C and S - and if the latter is a good idea, should I get myself a couple of utility/driving irons for the 2i and 4i positions in the bag? Feel free to chime in, guys - your thoughts are very appreciated And so sorry for any spelling/typo mistakes. My (and my PC's) mothertongue is Danish, and I'm not sure I've caught all the auto-corrects... And, before anyones asks: Hcp 23.1, aggresive but short swing, my height is 6 foot something and 38+ wrist-to-floor.
