Mark my words: Lee Westwood's critic of metal spikes
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Lee Westwood, whose strong finish in the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills on Sunday - a 68 to finish on six over par completed four cuts in all four majors this season - may have opened a can of worms with his remarks after the event.
He was critical of players using traditional metal spikes in their shoes, as opposed to softspikes, which, he said had the effect of wearing crampons.
The Worksop golfer, with 17 European Tour victories to his name and enjoying an upturn in form, added that his score might have been even better but for the damage metal spikes were doing to the greens at Southern Hills.
"I had a good chance from four feet at 11 but somebody must have crampons on," he said. "The greens were really tearing up. It's the nine-millimetre spikes. I don't wear them out of respect to others but it happens at places like Valderrama and here.
"Until we do something about the long steel spikes it's going to keep happening, especially on greens like this."
The Rules of Golf (Rules 16) don't permit the repair of spike marks on the line of a putt ( as it may affect the putt's roll) though you are encouraged to repair pitchmarks made by a ball as it lands on the green.
It's a common sight with some players in social games to walk that line between the ball and the hole using their putter to tamp down blades of grass or other imperfections in the green but it's against the Rules and subject to a two stroke penalty in competition play.
Only after finishing a hole can a player tamp down any stray blades of grass or marks made by shoe spikes.
In defence of the Rule which millions of golfers feel is outdated and unfair, the USGA says: "One of the fundamental principles in the Rules of Golf is that you play the course as you find it. If there's a sprig of grass between your ball and the cup, it's a tough break."
Pulsar's flexible spikes |
Pro Stinger softspike |
Most courses around the world insist on flexible plastic softspikes, which it is claimed do less damage to the carefully manicured, high specification putting surfaces greens, though they can tend to clog up and prove hazardous for walking up and down slopes in slippery conditions.
Interestingly, Softspike manufacturers are now make a combination spike that incorporates metal into an alternative design to assist durability but without damaging the green. For example Champ introduced the Pro Stinger spike in 2006 - a plastic metal hybrid which claims to give golfers the stability of an all-metal spike but is better for putting surfaces.
Pulsar also is at the forefront of this trend, with its Reactive Comfort Technology - a curved design that claims to improve foot comfort and flexibility through flexible points on each of the spike's eight legs. Pulsar also features webbing between the legs of each cleat that reduces clogging with mud and grass.
Tell us on the forum: Is the spike marks Rule outdated? Have you spotted fellow golfers breaking the Rules repairing spike marks on the green? How do you react? What brand of spikes do you use in your shoes?
