WA Golf News June 30, 2025

From Fairway to Footwear: The birth of TRUE linkswear

Ryan (left) and Jason Moore have been brothers and friends their entire lives, and now are business partners in co-founding TRUE linkswear.

It’s 2009. Jason Moore is caddying for his older brother Ryan, who plays on the PGA Tour. The boys have always had a tight relationship – even though five years separated them – and seem destined to work in golf. They’d spent much of their childhood on their father’s Linksman driving range in Tacoma. Ryan would pound balls on the range while Jason worked a stand peddling balls he pulled from the range collection for 50 cents apiece. By 2009, Jason’s looping for Ryan, training with him, and practicing with him every day. Then Jason reads a new book –  Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes , and   the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen  written by Christopher McDougall – about indigenous tribes that don't wear shoes and the health benefits that they experience because of it. A bell goes off in his head – why are there no minimalist golf shoes?

A modest studio in Tacoma is the world headquarters for TRUE.

“Ryan and I started working on these concepts and consulted expert podiatrists who were key to helping us understand the benefits of zero-drop footwear with wide toe boxes,” recalls Jason. “It was a mental breakthrough. Fortuitously, we got connected with a couple of guys who had an idea of starting a minimalist golf shoe company and we all came together. From those meetings, we created some prototypes and samples. The whole first generation of footwear was based on this idea of barefoot style footwear with a wide toe box, anatomically shaped, lightweight, flexible sole and zero drop – meaning it's level from heel to forefoot. Our first styles were built around those five key frameworks.” And TRUE linkswear was born. At that point, they had no intention of starting a shoe empire. They just wanted to make a product that didn't exist. They looked around and found a factory to produce a prototype. Ryan started wearing it during rounds and said his feet felt amazing. After he wore it in a few tour events, the brothers realized they needed to come up with a business plan.

TRUE has gathered under its tent a number of Northwest players and friends, and they regularly exhibit their brand at the annual PGA Show in Orlando (pictured). Left to right are TJ Bordeaux, sales director, who grew up in University Place, Wash. and played on the mini tours; Andres Gonzales, brand ambassador, of Olympia, Wash., who grew up playing with Ryan and also briefly made it onto the PGA Tour; and Ryan, who in 2004 was the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, before going on to a successful career on the PGA Tour.

“In the early stages, it was a lot of guesswork and experimenting,” recalls Jason. “We released our first shoe to the public in 2010, with no idea if it would sell. They sold quite fast and we thought we might be onto something and if other people are resonating with this, let's keep it going. We were really proud of the products.” TRUE has since expanded its products well beyond shoes – always believing that if they had a selfish desire for a product that didn't exist, they should try to build it. It’s clear that each Moore knows his own role at TRUE. Jason is the creative director behind products and the brand, with a passion for the golf community and golf footwear. And Ryan checks in daily, running a lot of research and development testing, providing feedback on products, coming up with new product ideas, connecting the brand with more tour players to wear TRUE, and cultivating connections with resorts and event venues. A good twosome, on any fairway.

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From Fairway to Footwear: The birth of TRUE linkswear

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