Azinger - "You couldn't pay me a million dollars a day to wear soft spikes."

[mallrat]

I don't see any need for metal spikes, especially when you see the amount of guys going to or wearing spikeless shoes successfully. Seriously doubt most guys on here need more traction than Justin Rose or Martin Kaymer.

Also, if i remember reading correctly, the amount of guys who wear metal was down to 1 or 2 handfuls, nowhere near 25%.

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='lumberman2462' timestamp='1437426162' post='11987336']
Uhh. Fellas......

We didn't go to soft spikes because of wear and tear on the course.

Everyone got tired of replacing the carpet in the Pro Shop, Men's Grill, Locker Room and other places in the club house.
[/quote]Thanks Bro, lmao!!!

Very Well Played-

As far as my club/course, for what I frickin pay, I don't give a s***!!

Seriously

If you don't drag your feet, you're fine-

I know when we voted as a board, the course never came up, lol

If not metal, of which I have four pair of AE with em, it's like Rooks said, the Pro Stingers!

Hope you're Havin a great season Lumber!!

Stay Well Bro

All the Best,
Richard

[straightshot7]

Seems like a fine guy, but I wish someone would pay Azinger a million a day to not broadcast.

[tgreenwood11]

Spikes should not be allowed for any player whether they are a 30 handicap or Jordan Speith.

[Craglyboy]

Didn't someone get disqualified a few years back for wearing metal spike in an open qualifier?

[15th Club]

[quote name='Craglyboy' timestamp='1437433870' post='11988166']
Didn't someone get disqualified a few years back for wearing metal spike in an open qualifier?
[/quote]

Steve Elkington, as noted in the link I posted early in this thread. He WD; no DQ'd. Said he wouldn't play without them and wouldn't switch. He left without starting.

Somebody else just above claimed I was wrong about a figure hovering about 25%-35% of the Tour players wearing metal. That is the general range of numbers that a wide array of questioners (golf writers, pollsters, Darrell Survey, etc.) repeatedly come up with. It is also the same number I came up with (the high side in fact) when I spent a day counting soft/hard spikes at a regular tour event. So it is not "a handful." It is one out of three or four tour players.

[dogleg0425]

Does any of you advocating and pining for the return of metal spikes actually remember what the surface of a green looked like at the end of the day? They looked like a moonscape! Literally hundreds of thousands of tiny holes; might as well be putting on the sidewalk. If you want that to return then I think you may have lost your minds. Or, maybe metal for you but not everyone else. For those not old enough to remember, a ball did not roll it went hippity hippity all the way from inches off the putter face to wherever it stopped.

[Mitchell]

In my opinion, soft spikes were an over reaction to poor etiquette and also helped perpetuate the increased production of poor quality, disposable shoes. The worst damage I have seen via normal play came from a group wearing those ridiculous plastic Adizero shoes.

[Guia]

I bet he would for a million dollars, and make a commercial.

[straightshot7]

[quote name='dogleg0425' timestamp='1437435027' post='11988292']
Does any of you advocating and pining for the return of metal spikes actually remember what the surface of a green looked like at the end of the day? They looked like a moonscape! Literally hundreds of thousands of tiny holes; might as well be putting on the sidewalk. If you want that to return then I think you may have lost your minds. Or, maybe metal for you but not everyone else. For those not old enough to remember, a ball did not roll it went hippity hippity all the way from inches off the putter face to wherever it stopped.
[/quote]

"15th Club" seems to know his numbers on this one, and if the effect of spikes was that bad, wouldn't the non spike players on tour (65-75%) be outraged over the damage done?

I know Vijay complained a couple years ago about Phil leaving marks by the hole from his spikes, but if your description is accurate it would be a huge problem.

[bvmagic]

[quote name='Craglyboy' timestamp='1437433870' post='11988166']
Didn't someone get disqualified a few years back for wearing metal spike in an open qualifier?
[/quote]

Lee Janzen got DQed for wearing metal spikes in a US Open qualifier.

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2013/06/lee-janzen-disqualified-from-us-open-qualifier-for-metal-spi.html

[Doc420]

[quote name='dogleg0425' timestamp='1437435027' post='11988292']
Does any of you advocating and pining for the return of metal spikes actually remember what the surface of a green looked like at the end of the day? They looked like a moonscape! Literally hundreds of thousands of tiny holes; might as well be putting on the sidewalk. If you want that to return then I think you may have lost your minds. Or, maybe metal for you but not everyone else. For those not old enough to remember, a ball did not roll it went hippity hippity all the way from inches off the putter face to wherever it stopped.
[/quote] I remember how greens could get, but it isn't any worse than the players who don't think they need to repair ball marks these days. You only see spotless greens at the higher end private clubs. Ball marks are a bigger problem.

[tgreenwood11]

Golf courses can't afford the damage spikes do to the course, paths, carpets, etc..

[RookieBlue7]

[quote name='15th Club' timestamp='1437431613' post='11987900']
[quote name='RookieBlue7' timestamp='1437421180' post='11986608']
...
I wear metal now. I've got 4 or 5 packs of them in a cabinet currently and am about to order even more. Champs Pro Stinger.
[/quote]

Where are you allowed to play with those spikes? Or don't they know you do it?
[/quote] The GM nor the course pro says anything. The Pro actually asked me to order him some at my home course. Wear them everywhere I play in North Georgia. Some of my shoes, I just replace two on each shoe with them, some are all metal. Just depends on the shoe I wear. On my TW's, the inside 2 spikes in the toe box on my left foot and outside 2 spikes in the toe box on my right foot are metal with the rest being softspikes. In my Tour Premiums, they're all metal (those don't get worn near as much because I need to stretch them more with some stretchers). And on several other pairs, I have the spikes set up depending on comfort as well.

[RookieBlue7]

[quote name='15th Club' timestamp='1437434797' post='11988260']
[quote name='Craglyboy' timestamp='1437433870' post='11988166']
Didn't someone get disqualified a few years back for wearing metal spike in an open qualifier?
[/quote]

Steve Elkington, as noted in the link I posted early in this thread. He WD; no DQ'd. Said he wouldn't play without them and wouldn't switch. He left without starting.

Somebody else just above claimed I was wrong about a figure hovering about 25%-35% of the Tour players wearing metal. That is the general range of numbers that a wide array of questioners (golf writers, pollsters, Darrell Survey, etc.) repeatedly come up with. It is also the same number I came up with (the high side in fact) when I spent a day counting soft/hard spikes at a regular tour event. So it is not "a handful." It is one out of three or four tour players.
[/quote]I believe someone else got DQ'd at the turn. I want to say Lee Janzen and it was a local rule they DQ'd him on.

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='RookieBlue7' timestamp='1437436370' post='11988442']
[quote name='15th Club' timestamp='1437431613' post='11987900']
[quote name='RookieBlue7' timestamp='1437421180' post='11986608']
...
I wear metal now. I've got 4 or 5 packs of them in a cabinet currently and am about to order even more. Champs Pro Stinger.
[/quote]

Where are you allowed to play with those spikes? Or don't they know you do it?
[/quote] The GM nor the course pro says anything. The Pro actually asked me to order him some at my home course. Wear them everywhere I play in North Georgia. Some of my shoes, I just replace two on each shoe with them, some are all metal. Just depends on the shoe I wear. On my TW's, the inside 2 spikes in the toe box on my left foot and outside 2 spikes in the toe box on my right foot are metal with the rest being softspikes. In my Tour Premiums, they're all metal (those don't get worn near as much because I need to stretch them more with some stretchers). And on several other pairs, I have the spikes set up depending on comfort as well.
[/quote]Georgia still has real Men, not neutered pansy a** politically correct bois parading around talkin about "for the betterment of the course."

As I said, and I was/am a board member and it had zero to do with our course, and we have the second most rounds of any country club in Pgh behind only Oakmont, and it was all about the clubhouse and the patio area.

It ain't the spikes, it's the people, and that 5 Mill that have exited?!?

LMAO, not neeeearlllllly enough!!!

Mitch nailed it-

It's about ETIQUETTE Gents!!!

It's about CARING about someone other than yourself!!

Spikeless?!?

Spike this

I hope that you're well Rook

Fairways & Greens My Friend,
Richard

[MtlJeff]

I'll do it for 50K

If there are any soft spike reps out there, contact me for excellent endorsement opportunities

[braincramp52]

I miss wearing metal spikes after 6 beers walking on a asphalt cart path.

[15th Club]

[quote name='dogleg0425' timestamp='1437435027' post='11988292']
Does any of you advocating and pining for the return of metal spikes actually remember what the surface of a green looked like at the end of the day? They looked like a moonscape! Literally hundreds of thousands of tiny holes; might as well be putting on the sidewalk. If you want that to return then I think you may have lost your minds. Or, maybe metal for you but not everyone else. For those not old enough to remember, a ball did not roll it went hippity hippity all the way from inches off the putter face to wherever it stopped.
[/quote]

I think I am way beyond any notion of "most" golfers wearing old-style metal spikes anymore. Look at this thread, and there are a whole lot of people ridiculing the notion of metal spikes and sneering at anyone who wears them.

Okay.

My question is this; apart from your own personal choices, do you feel the need to tell other players what to wear? If nearly everybody is wearing softspikes, does it matter to you, or other golfers, or course owners if I wear metal spikes?

See, the metal spikes guys are not telling other people what to wear. It is the softspikes advocates (and yes, definitely, possibly course owners and clubhouse maintenance people) telling us what to wear.

I come back to the question I posed in the original post; in an era where just about everybody is electing to wear softspikes or unspiked soles for their recreational golf, is it time to end the total ban (where such bans exist) on metal spikes?

[LittleLeftToRight]

I always thought metal spikes aerated the soil so the greens didn't require as much maintenance. Could be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time. I also remember reading along the way that the company that invented soft spikes did some fuzzy studies that stated they were better for the greens, which seems hokey to me, but they convinced greens keepers and that was what counted for their profits. I quit playing in the all leather, stitched, metal spike shoe days when men were men and people who dragged their feet were [i]immediately[/i] ostracized. I like to go after the ball too, and modern "soft" shoes cause me problems at times. End rant [size=1](from someone who misses the old days)[/size]

[15th Club]

[quote name='RookieBlue7' timestamp='1437436370' post='11988442']
[quote name='15th Club' timestamp='1437431613' post='11987900']
[quote name='RookieBlue7' timestamp='1437421180' post='11986608']
...
I wear metal now. I've got 4 or 5 packs of them in a cabinet currently and am about to order even more. Champs Pro Stinger.
[/quote]

Where are you allowed to play with those spikes? Or don't they know you do it?
[/quote] The GM nor the course pro says anything. The Pro actually asked me to order him some at my home course. Wear them everywhere I play in North Georgia. Some of my shoes, I just replace two on each shoe with them, some are all metal. Just depends on the shoe I wear. On my TW's, the inside 2 spikes in the toe box on my left foot and outside 2 spikes in the toe box on my right foot are metal with the rest being softspikes. In my Tour Premiums, they're all metal (those don't get worn near as much because I need to stretch them more with some stretchers). And on several other pairs, I have the spikes set up depending on comfort as well.
[/quote]

So basically we are talking about a daily fee course in North Georgia where there are so few people attempting to play in metal spikes, and with nobody asking about them, such that people have barely seen them.

And that is sort of my point; is the infamous ban on metal spikes becoming less and less of an imperative in an era where all sorts of younger golfers elect softspikes on their own?

It used to be, that if you went to a good club or a good course, there would be signs proclaiming "Soft Spikes Only, Please." The first time I encountered it was at the Loxahatchee Club in Florida, where a locker room attendant quickly zipped out the metal spikes in my all-leather FootJoy Classics and zipped in Softspikes brand soft spikes with an electric drill. I slipped more than once that day, twice on shots just like the one Zach Johnson slipped on today (fairway woods). The Loxahatchee Club was I think the first mandatory soft spike club in the country, back in the day when they proudly claimed the southernmost bentgrass greens in the world. (They didn't work.)

[parforme]

I seem to recall a tournament this year where Phil was picked up my a microphone while walking up a cart path and it was obvious he was wearing metal spikes.

[highergr0und]

I don't mind soft spikes. Only times I've ever slipped have been on rock hard ground that I don't think a metal spike would have penetrated.

[ZAP]

I miss the sound of metal spikes on concrete but I really do not have any traction issues and the spikeless shoes are way more comfy. Of course with the new materials metal spiked shoes would probably be more comfy than the hard leather blister makers of the past as well.

[Breezy-3-]

I heard Zinger's riff about soft spikes on air today, I honestly thought he was referring to "spikeless" shoes. I know he went on and on about soft spikes, but I think he misspoke...

[knockdstiff]

I just missed the last years of metal spikes...I would be really curious to try some. BUT I'm pretty sure I'd misjudge the friction and immediately slip on something and break my back.

[richbryce]

Miss the sound. Played Mizuno spikes in high school with the lifetime warranty ceramic spikes. We use to drag them all over the course to ware them down and get a new pair every year.

[moose557]

According to GD Zach Johnson was wearing metal spikes.

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/07/did-soft-spikes-threaten-to-de.html?mbid=social_facebook

[hayzooos]

[quote name='Mitchell' timestamp='1437435233' post='11988310']
In my opinion, soft spikes were an over reaction to poor etiquette and also helped perpetuate the increased production of poor quality, disposable shoes. The worst damage I have seen via normal play came from a group wearing those ridiculous plastic Adizero shoes.
[/quote]

No doubt. I have Adizeros and I gotta be careful in those things because those spikes will tear the piss out of greens. Seemingly worse than when I used to wear metal spikes. I don't know if it's because of the width of the soft spikes or what, but if anyone with those on drags their feet just a bit, it's ugly.

[Weston003]

I'd wear metal if courses didn't restrict it.

The problem is not the spike, its the darn fool that thinks pivoting, dancing, twisting, and running on the greens with metal spikes is cool. Learn how to flipping walk and we are all good.