TRUE linkswear Tour - 1 Year Later

[Tony Covey MGS]

One of the things I promised myself I'd try to do with footwear and apparel reviews is follow up after a reasonable amount of time. Just about any shoe (or shirt) is going to look good, and perform reasonably well when they're new. Durability, however; well...that's a whole other beast, isn't it?

That's why we're here today to look at the durability, and I suppose the longevity or lifespan of one of the most popular products among the MyGolfSpy Staff; The TRUE linkswear Tour Shoe. While the other spies (Matt, Dave, and Tim...I'm looking at you, you bastards) all got either new True Stealth or True Tours to test, yours truly got left out, and so I've had to wear last years' model continuously (Oh the Horror! I'm supposed to be the trendy, stylish one).

As you may recall from my original review of the True linkswear Tour shoe, I received them in late 2010...mostly after the golf season had ended (it mostly ended early because my wife decided to shoot out my daughter before the snow fell...damn her too), so the first few months I wore my True Tours during my shifts at Tark's Indoor Golf. Their comfort has never been in doubt.

I put them into play last May (day two of our annual ABCD Draft Tournament), and with the exception of a few rounds with the True phx, and a few with my old Nike shoes (I wanted to see what a traditional shoe was like after a year of Truelinks), the Tours have been on my feet constantly. I'm ball-parking a bit here, but I think +/- 75 rounds is probably a reasonable guess. So how have the held up? Let's go to the photos.

 

In the bigger picture things look pretty good. There's some scuffing on the toes. I scuff the toes on all of my shoes...and when I'm barefoot, I just scuff my actual toes, so they look how I'd expect any pair of shoes I own to look. What has almost surprised me is how well the seams have held up. Not a loose thread anywhere.

 

 

 

On the inside of the right shoe, the sole is starting to separate from the upper. It's been like this since very early in the season (at least that's when I noticed it). So far we haven't gone full breach, and no doubt when it does, that'll be the end of things. As long as my feet aren't submerged (tall wet heather, or a misstep near a creek), they still do a very good job of keeping my feet dry.

 

 

 

There are also signs that the upper and sole are considering parting ways along the outer edge of the toebox. Again...this is also limited to the right shoe.

 

 

 

 

Although you can't really tell what you're looking at in the above picture, the foam heal cushion (also right foot) has lost its shape a little bit so once I've got my foot in place, I sometimes have to push it around a bit to get it to sit right. It's a minor annoyance, but it hasn't caused any problems or made the shoes noticeably any less comfortable.

 

Let's talk about the tread, shall well. I know those of you coming from big spikes have always worried about the traction offered by True linkswear shoes. What I would say is that apart from the wettest of conditions, they grip the ground as well as anything out there. Simply put, traction has always been the least of my concerns. Of course, when you're talking about a relatively soft rubber sole, it's certainly going to wear over time. I've done a decent job of minimizing contact with hard ground (I try and stay off the pavement when ever I possibly can), but there are definitely signs of wear starting to show.

 

What's interesting about the wear is that although True links essentially splits its tread pattern into distinct blocks, only the 2nd section (counting from the toe) shows any real wear and tear. The rest of the sole is basically like new, which really illustrates how your feet behave when they're able to move more naturally. As you can see from the pics below, the worst of the wear is limited to only 6 of the little nubs that provide traction. Worth mentioning is that the wear pattern is basically identical for both feet, which flies in the face of some modern golf shoe design paradigms that suggest that the left and right feet behave very differently in the golf swing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, as you can see from this final picture, one there is some cracking, and what appears to be separation as one of the nubs looks like it's trying to break free from the sole. As with the separating upper, this no doubt would represent a critical failure, and the end of life for these True tours.

 

 

All off the above is likely part of the reason why TRUE linkswear features a new tread pattern in their 2012 models.

 

Overall I'm generally satisfied with the durability of the original TRUE linkswear tour. In the past my expectation was that I'd get two full seasons out of a golf shoe (and that's when I was playing a lot less), so it's not unreasonable to think I might not quite get two full years out of these. Yeah...they're basically reaching terminal stage, but I'm not ready to let go, so I'll wear them as long as I possibly can, and only say goodbye when I'm forced to do so.

 

*What can't be seen in the photos is the smell. I took a big misstep late last season and went shins deep into a swamp...a real one, complete with that lovely decomposing swamp smell. I've tried everything to get the stench out. I've failed, but it doesn't stop me from wearing the shoes.

 

 

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Man, you're good! Answered all my questions and more and then deleted my post to keep me from looking like an idiot (which my wife will tell you is a full time job!). Thanks for the update -- will see how mine look towards the middle of next year - hopefully will wear as well without the swamp smell.

[Matt Saternus]

Trendy ≠ Stylish.

 

Nice update, though.

[Tyk]

THe uppers on my black/white Trues are starting to separate from the sole in the exact same spot as yours T. I'm a bit concerned as I got these in October and they only have about 2O rounds on them at most. So far they are still waterproof but if it gets much worse it will ruin them.

[Tony Covey MGS]

Trendy ≠ Stylish.

 

Nice update, though.

 

Are those cargo shorts in your avatar?

[GolfSpy Tim]

good to see this - and I've already seen the sole separating from the upper in the same spot on my pair (noticed it last week in Mexico)

[Matt Saternus]

Are those cargo shorts in your avatar?

 

Honestly, I have no recollection. That was...4 years ago? Well played, though, if they are.

[Super Tuna]

Neat follow up T.

 

Two questions

A: Did/do you regularly clean them?

B: Any extra water proofing done on them?

[Moecat]

Very informative follow-up, thanks!

[fairwaygolfusa]

GREAT REVIEW!

 

I been wearing mine for 4 months now - 2012 true tours. I wear them everyday to work and golf and I absolutely love it. comfy with solid traction and no need to swap shoes when I want to go to the range after work!

 

I do not clean mine at all and the waterproofing is awesome on the true tours. true tours carry a 2 year waterproof warranty.

 

a lot of my friends are converting to these comfy shoes-

[Tony Covey MGS]

Neat follow up T.

 

Two questions

A: Did/do you regularly clean them?

B: Any extra water proofing done on them?

 

A: Cleaned a couple of times, but certainly not regularly

B: Nope

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Been thinking about this the past couple of days -- it's a question of value. Is two years of relatively heavy use an acceptable life out of a $150 golf shoe? Well, if you don't have to change spikes (at $15 a pop) every month or so, and they're as comfortable as True Links -- I'd say yes. I had a pair of spiked Ecco's two seasons ago on sale for $90 - comfy as all get out but several of the spike sockets wore out by August. My Nike's held up much better and are now a backup pair.

 

Got my 2011 Tours at Rockbottom about a month ago for $69 -- two years out of those is an awesome value!

[Tyk]

I don't think there is a golf shoe made that can go much more than 100 rounds. I would suspect most of them aren't even good for that many. The only way shoes last me 2 years is because I have many sets of golf shoes and rotate them all regularly. Since I walk mostly, I've found that usually the insole gets beaten down and uncomfortable long before the soles or uppers go out. The shoes look good, they just don't feel good. Once that starts to happen I just toss the shoes in the "wearable but not 'walkable'" pile and get some new ones.

 

That is part of why I am so concerned about the sole separation on the Trues, they have seen a bit heavier use than my usual shoes just because I like them so much. When they were the only Trues I had they were heavy in the rotation, but I quickly added more Trues and now have 3 sets so they aren't even seeing exclusive "True Usage". From October to now I would be surprised if I've had more than 50 rounds, considering I usually get in about 80/year and play less in the winter.

[Florida Gator]

I have had two pairs of True Tours that the sole seperated like these in the pictures. I emailed pictures of both pairs, albeit a couple of months apart, to customer service at True and received new replacement pairs sent out within 24 hours with no questions asked. Apparently the sole material was changed due to this problem. True knows about this and has stood behind their product 100%. Because of their customer service and comfort of these shoes, I have no intentions of buying anything but Trues.

[Florida Gator]

I have had two pairs of True Tours that the sole seperated like these in the pictures. I emailed pictures of both pairs, albeit a couple of months apart, to customer service at True and received new replacement pairs sent out within 24 hours with no questions asked. Apparently the sole material was changed due to this problem. True knows about this and has stood behind their product 100%. Because of their customer service and comfort of these shoes, I have no intentions of buying anything but Trues.

[Tony Covey MGS]

I have had two pairs of True Tours that the sole seperated like these in the pictures. I emailed pictures of both pairs, albeit a couple of months apart, to customer service at True and received new replacement pairs sent out within 24 hours with no questions asked. Apparently the sole material was changed due to this problem. True knows about this and has stood behind their product 100%. Because of their customer service and comfort of these shoes, I have no intentions of buying anything but Trues.

 

Excellent point about TRUE standing behind their product. From what I understand, the separating sole thing qualifies as a known issue, and it was addressed, and rectified in the 2012 model.

[Tony Covey MGS]

On a barely related note, I have it on pretty good authority that the 2012 Limited Edition US Open TRUE Tours will be available on the TRUE Linkswear website Sunday night.

[JDFish]

Might I suggest the use of shoe trees. I use them in all of my shoes to hold their shape and the cedar helps dry out the interior. I'm not saying they will remove "swamp smell", but your shoes will look nicer.

 

I rotate between 2011 tours and 2012 stealths and, though the tours have more rounds on them since I started wearing them at the end of last season, I don't think they are showing any separation yet, but I'm sure now I'll be looking for it.