True Linkswear Stealth

Grade: A+
Teacher’s Comments: moccasins for the golf course

At the 1942 Masters, Sam Snead felt as though he had lost his timing and rhythm. So he took off his shoes and played nine holes barefoot. He’d learned to play the game that way and thought contact with the turf helped.

Snead said playing barefoot would cure other faults, too: “Overswinging is very difficult to stop. And I found one way you can stop that: take your shoes off and hit a few barefooted. That’s one good way to cut your backswing down so then you swing within yourself at about 85%.”

Playing barefoot these days probably is not a good idea. You don’t want golf course chemicals on your skin, and if your local track is like mine, you’ve also got to worry about goose droppings, stray sticks and the occasional sharp bit from a bottle or can top.

You can, however, get the feeling of playing barefoot with a pair of True Linkswear shoes.

True Linkswear doesn’t make a typical golf shoe. Looking and feeling more like a slipper or moccasin than an Oxford or sneaker, the True is by far the most comfortable walking golf shoe I have yet worn. They’re an awful lot like walking barefoot, but with traction and stability. The true is so light I can hardly feel them on my feet.

The key, I think, are the True Linkswear Stealth’s soft and flexible soles. They’re low to the ground, responsive and really make me feel as though I’ve got contact with the turf. At the same time, however, they offer traction with the built-in TPU “Ergo Traction” treads that include horizontal and lateral stability bars.

In several rounds wearing the shoes, I’ve had no problem with slipping. I’ve also been very much impressed the lateral stability that the shoes offer. I thought the less rigid structure would not perform as well as a more traditional design, but clearly I was wrong.

The close-to-the-ground feel of the True Stealth is for me much better than athletic style shoes, which often have made me feel as though I was standing on a block of wood. All of that extra padding and sole underfoot makes some sense when you’re pounding pavement, but any well-watered course already is plenty soft.

True achieves this grounded feeling by getting rid of the midsole.

That’s not to say that the True lacks padding. They’re amazingly soft inside—like a pair of slippers. There’s memory foam in the heel, a nice-feeling insole and thicker padding in the ankle area. There’s also some padding on the tongue.

The uppers are what you might call unstructured. It’s not shapeless—the stitching, heel, quarter, vamp and toeline give it form—but when you pull the laces tight, the True conforms to your foot, not the other way around. A more traditional shoe is a hole into which you squeeze your dogs. If the shape of the hole matches your feet, all is well. If not, it’s hello blisters.
A sign of the flexible fit is that the Trues come in only one width, but the company says they fit all from C to EEE.
The True Stealth felt great right out of the box—like an old pair of jeans. There was no break-in period here.
It’s clear to me that True Linkswear has done a lot of thinking about the nature of golf footwear. Traditional shoes started with men’s dress or work shoes and added hobnails; more modern designs evolved from running shoes. True Linkswear seems to have taken a third road and created its own paradigm.

Highly Recommended.

Available at GolfLocker

GolfLocker has the new Ashworth Cardiff spikeless golf shoes. They’re also offering free shipping.

They look nice.

Of the players I’ve watched over the years, Fred Couples is among my absolute favorites. In fact, if there’s one swing in the world I could have, I’d want Couples’ (his back, not so much).

Couples also has an undeniable sense of style. And while I’m highly dubious of celebrity endorsements, there are times when I feel gratified that a celebrity I like endorses a product I already use. In that vein, I’m happy to see that Ecco has re-signed Fred Couples. I’m a longtime Ecco fan—in fact, they are right now the only shoes I have in my closet aside from a pair of Keen sandals. I’ve got Ecco dress shoes, Ecco casuals, Ecco sneakers, Ecco hiking boots and several pair of Ecco golf shoes. I’ve always found the brand to be exceptionally durable and very comfortable.

So it’ll be nice to see Fred sporting the shoes I wear.

You can read the full press release below.

GolfLocker, a GolfBlogger sponsor, has a good selection of Eccos for sale.

Nike Lunar Control Golf Shoes
Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: Lightweight walkers

The Nike Lunar Control golf shoes fit in a growing category of shoes seemingly designed specifically for walking golfers.  These classic saddles are lightweight and flexible, yet still offer the stability you need for an aggressive swing.

At first glance, the Lunar Controls don’t look like walking shoes. The classic saddle design fairly screams “your father’s golf shoes.” I expected them to be stiff, hard and heavy.

It just goes to prove that first impressions can be deceiving. When I put these on, I immediately noticed they were polar opposite of my initial impressions. They’re lightweight, flexible and soft. I’ve now walked a couple of rounds in the shoes and found them to be a delight.

In terms of size and fit, they’re what I would anticipate. Heel to toe, they seem true to size. The toe box is plenty large.The heel, however, is slightly larger than my usual choices. That’s an issue with my own feet, however, and not with the shoe. I typically try to find shoes with a more narrow heel and wider toe box. If your feet are more of a standard size, you’ll find these fit as prescribed. Even with the slightly larger heel, though, I had no walking issues—no blisters, red spots or any sort of discomfort.

As with all its golf shoes, Nike has incorporated its experience in running and other sports shoes. Underfoot, the Lunarlon cushioning system is a dual density foam that’s both lightweight and supportive. When walking, I like to “feel” the ground beneath my feet, and these are better than most.

For stability, Nike has run some high-tensile fibers through the saddle that help to support the mid foot. It doesn’t feel overly snug in any way, but I can feel the support.

The Nike Lunar Controls have waterproof leather uppers, with a waterproof treatment. The outsole belongs to Nike’s Power Platform family. Nike also says that there’s a “Power Channel” in the forefoot to “allow more flexibility and greater natural motion.”

In all, I found these to be an excellent pair of shoes, and its a pair that I’ll keep in the car and rotate with my others. In walking as much as I do, I’ve found that rotating through several different sets of shoes helps not only to keep the shoes fresh, but also to keep from developing any potential soreness in any one spot on the foot.

I was thinking today that it’d be nice to have a Masters golf shirt to wear this weekend. It’s a little late now, but I think I could find a nice one for next year.

Men’s Stainless Steel Silver String Dial Beadset Bezel Rolex Datejust (301)

I have Watch Envy.

I’m in a mood to get a new pair of golf shoes for the season (not that there’s any in sight), and two newish models have caught my eye: The Ecco Street and the True Linkswear. They’re both similar in intent and design—lightweight, spikeless—so I’m wondering if anyone has tried either (or both) and can give me an opinion.

The Ecco Street has been out longer than the True Linkswear and has gotten quite a bit of good press.

In comparison, the True Linkswear looks as though its even lighter and lower to the ground. The literature says it’s like walking barefoot while still offering golf traction.

You can get both at great prices at Friend of the GolfBlogger, Golf Locker.