Metal golf spikes

[raycharles]

Are PGA players granted the ability to wear metal spikes on all the courses they play?

[Yukari]

Yes.

I miss those days of metal spikes clickety clacking on the parking lots and on paved cart paths. But what I most miss is the stability with metal spikes. Especially this time of year when the tee box is frozen in the morning. This Saturday, I had a few shots where my feet slipped out under me b/c of plastic spikes. I hate those!

[MiniMoe]

Steve Elkington once quit qualifying for the US Open because they had a soft spike policy and he refused to change his spikes. Once you get to the tour, metal is just fine. A friend just purchased some Pro Stinger spikes. They are both soft and metal. It brought back memories of the crunch, crunch when walking on pavement. Not supposed to wear them around here, but the course is a goat track, so who cares.

[joepro23]

There is nothing in the USGA rule book banning the use of metal spikes. Of course, they have been banned by most clubs in their local rules to avoid the greens getting destroyed. I guess if a pro shows up in metal spikes to your local course, you could tell them to change. I am pretty sure the PGA wipes out some of these local rules such as the softspike rule when they take over a course for a tournament.

[WUTiger]

... This Saturday, I had a few shots where my feet slipped out under me b/c of plastic spikes. I hate those!

I remember when soft spikes became mandatory around 1998. I switched out to some

nubbies , little rubberish buttons with four pairs of ridges around the edge. I was taking a May golf lesson, a week into the soft era. The nubbies under my left foot slipped, I did a standing split, tore my right groin muscle, and couldn't exercise at all for 60 days. Golf season was pretty well shot. After recovery, I got some hard plastic nubs that at least held a little bit - and wore out really fast. Metal spikes get blamed for damaging golf greens, but the real culprits are: * Too fast greens: Cut the greens super short, and they get beat up faster. * Wet day play: Twenty years ago, if it rained all morning the course was closed in the afternoon. Today, because of falling golf revenues, courses get play when its way too wet. * Overweight golfers: Lots of golfers are overweight and out of shape. Even if they take a riding cart, they get tired by the back nine and start dragging their feet. This damages the greens. I have since found soft spikes which hold - like Black Widows - but don't tell me that metal spikes tear up the greens. Real culprits are above.

[Gioguy21]

+1 for the black widows...i have em on both sets of FJ's...love em

[FHopper]

*

I believe Bugs Bunny said it best, "what a marone". Watch old Shell world of golf matches and the greens are destroyed by spike marks, the close ups of the putts are remarkable for the spike eruptions everywhere. As for your incredibly bigoted comment about fat people we can use English here... moron. Proper walking is a matter of posture and breeding, not weight, people who shuffle come in all weights.

[WUTiger]

As for your incredibly bigoted comment about fat people we can use English here... moron. ...

Point taken, I was out of bounds on that remark. My apologies.

I do believe, however, that scalping the putting surface and allowing play on puddle days hurts the greens.