The Modern Golf Shoe: Good or Bad for greens?

[Mike Benham]

I bought a new pair of golf shoes and the soles look like a cross between Lego pieces and the pyramids of Egypt.  They have some new fangled soft spike that is sharper then any metal spike I have every worn.

The foot prints I made on the practice green was intresting, all the pyramid "stabilizers", round cones and soft spikes did not pierce the turf but it made many indentations, which did not seem to dissipate very quickly.

The old days of a flat leather sole with 10 or so metal spikes per shoe would pierce the turf, but left no other "dents" in the turf.

Are these new soles damaging the turf, making the surface uneven and bumpy?  Are they a maintenance nightmare?

[Mike_Young]

Many tour players have said the softspikes cause more undulations than steel spikes and in a plaster cast they have been proven correct.....
NOW the biggest problem I can imagine for golf is using thse new shoes with a rangefinder......just not fair....

[ed_getka]

I see the dents too, especially when the softspikes are brandnew. It doesn't seem to effect the roll of the ball though. And you don't get those footdragger volcanoes that you used to see with metal spikes.
    Now if they could just make a ball that doesn't leave pitchmarks. Seems to be a much bigger problem, since few people seem to take the time to repair them. I've been to some courses where I could repair 20 pitchmarks per green, easily.

[Jim Nugent]

How big a problem are spiked shoes for greens?  How well do the modern shoes solve that problem?  

[Ryan Farrow]

From my experience seeing a lot of spike marks on a green is a good sign that the green needs top dressed.

[James Bennett]

Are you more concerned about the apparent 'dents' in a smooth surface or the health of the grass in the greens?  

I am more interested in the latter.  Generally, if I see dents in the greens from the shoes, the course is over-watered or has had extended periods of rainfall.

As I understand it, the old metal spikes cause more compaction, allow opening up of the greens to allow the infestation of rogue species (poa) and also perhaps allow greater infiltration of rain on wet days (rather than surface run-off).  These things combine to create that 'donuting' effect whereby the worst part of the green is the middle where the wear has been heaviest from the spikes.

But, I'm not a turf guy, so get a better opnion.

James B

[Joe Hancock]

http://turf.lib.msu.edu/2000s/2003/030907.pdf

Give that a read....

Joe

[Bill_McBride]

Was it the metal spikes making punch marks or the golfers dragging their feet with the metal spikes?

I can remember walking around the course behind some individuals who consistently caused damage to the greens because of foot dragging.

[Eric Franzen]

Vijay showed no love for Mickelson's metal spikes at Augusta back in 2005.

"Phil Mickelson bared his soles at the Masters. The defending champion started his short day at Augusta National by making a birdie on the dangerous par-3 12th. Minutes later, he was stopped in the 13th fairway by a rules official who wanted to see the bottom of his shoes following a complaint by Vijay Singh that Mickelson's spikes were too long.

Their spat over spikes carried into the Champions Locker Room during a rain delay Friday, where two men with green jackets had a pointed confrontation about whether Lefty's shoes were damaging the greens."

[Wayne_Kozun]

The study cited above was from 2003 - and it said that "fewer than 25% of pros were wearing metal spikes at the end of the 2002 season.  

I haven't looked that closely but I would have bet that it was more like 50% metal spikes.  Does anyone know what the numbers would have been for 2006?

[Kalen Braley]

Isn't the best defense to spike marks/ball marks a firm green? Those sponges, they call greens, at most munis coudd benefit greatly by being setup differently.

[Pete Wendt]

We have found that the latest soft spikes really mark up the greens, especially when you have a foot dragger on the course.  The earlier versions of the black widow seemed a little more pliable, the latest from all manufacturers seem very hard with very little bend.  It is not so much the indentation as it is the twisting and ripping.
     That said, these are nothing compared to metal spikes.  With modern grasses/mowing heights, metal spikes wreak havoc.  Personally, I would like to see a softer, more forgiving spike.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Just a couple of points on soft spikes.

What amount of $$$ were spent on paying pros to switch?  While adoption was slow at first, the manufacturers spread some dollars around to get this started.  

Secondly, if you were a touring pro and on your feet six days a week, which would you prefer to extend your career, metal spikes or soft spikes?  I know my back, knee and foot problems are better wearing the soft spikes.  

Finally as an amateur, my putting is so bad, I often feel the bumpiness knocks my ball back on line as often as it knocks it off.  If the greens are too smooth they roll right on bye!