What to Wear: Footwear for the Modern Golfer at the PGA Show

Golf needs more sneakerheads. As the footwear world explodes globally with every collab imaginable, it begs the question what the golf industry can do to keep up with the style and comfort of the modern shoe. Golf has long been accused of favoring traditional style over comfort. Well, as you walk the landscape in the convention center you notice very quickly something has changed.

The best example of a new approach is the company True Linkswear (https://truelinkswear.com/ ). Started in 2009 by PGA Tour player Ryan Moore, their footwear in our industry is truly unique. Inspired by the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, their shoes connect you to the ground. This famous story rewrote the future of the running shoe industry and several other shoe categories. What the True team designed in their original shoe, the OG, was a shoe with zero drop from heel to toe.

If you are wearing shoes while reading this, they most likely have a raised heel. For many of us this is the only style of shoe we have ever worn. Even sandals tend to raise the heel. When you first try on a True shoe you almost feel as if you are going to fall backward. With your foot lying flat on the ground, you have significantly increased your connection to the earth. You can quickly adjust, and you notice how stable it feels. Who doesn’t want more stability and balance in their golf swing?

The second pioneering aspect of their footwear can be experienced when men and women try on their shoes. True doesn’t make men’s or women’s shoes, they just make shoes. Similar to the philosophy we encountered at Demo Day with Stix Golf’s club design, True Linkswear makes unisex shoes that are offered in a full range of men’s and women’s sizes. It may seem like a revolutionary concept, but it’s not. Just a great example of how one company is making an inclusive statement in our game.

With comfort and innovation, the last category is style. Their shoes fit in with the modern walking world. Knitted designs with splashes of leather and color they remind you of shoes you see every day on the street. When a fresh company is succeeding in golf it makes a statement. Watching the action within their booth you feel a buzz. True Linkswear’s motto is “Enjoy the walk.” Thanks to their thoughtfulness, we certainly can.