Way Way OT-Cleats

[Peter Sayegh]

For those of you who have not gone completely spikeless, even in our modern times, is there anything worse (pertaining to golf) than trying to replace your golf spikes after seven months of neglect?
First world problem, I know.
How often you guys change your spikes? Any tips?
Thanks, Peter.

[astavrides]

Soak the cleats in hot water to get all the dirt out before trying to remove the cleats. Use a good cleat wrench.


btw, I've definitely started OT threads before, but for something as prosaic as this, gotta think that posting in golfwrx or calling a golf store would work better.

[Thomas Dai]

I miss the sound of metal spikes at a golf course.
And another metal spike related aspect I miss as well.
Etiquette and courtesy.
Remember when all golfers wore metal spikes?
Remember how we all stood still when near a player playing a shot in order not to make a distracting noise.
Etiquette and courtesy.
No more alas. It’s walk-on-bye in our soft spikes and bubble soled shoes, forgetting that it’s not just noise but nearby movement that is distracting to a player playing a shot.
Wee rant over (for now).
Atb

[Tim Martin]

I remember it being a similar task to shucking a couple dozen clams on the half shell when you had neither the proper tool or technique. You were lucky if you suffered less than a dozen stitches. I went all in on spikeless the minute they were available.

[Tim Leahy]

Use Vaseline on the spikes when you put them in and they will come out easier.

[Matt_Cohn]

For the ones that don’t come out after a reasonable effort, just use a flat head screwdriver and twist and pry them out. You would think that that would just kill the threads but it really doesn’t. I’ve done that a number of times and the new ones stay in just fine.

[Jeff Schley]

Drop them off with your clubhouse attendant and throw him a few extra bucks!

[Peter Flory]

Now that we can tap down spike marks, why can't we have metal spikes again? 


The bifurcation happened with the wrong equipment. 

[Jim Sherma]

Since the demise of metal spikes I feel like greens have come to be maintained much softer in general. The softness is both a function of the amount of water as well as the amount of sand mixed into the soil near the surface. There are many courses I play that can at times get get chopped up by addidas adi-zero and other aggressive soft spikes. They would be absolutely mauled by metal spikes. 

[Peter Flory]

The metal spikes penetrate it and the soft spikes put lots of dents in the green.   I blame that for all of my missed putts since the early 2000s. 

[Peter Sayegh]

Thanks for the hints all. For me, March 1 is the beginning of "golf season" (especially this year with no Spring Training) and I look forward to re-gripping and re-cleating this last week of February. I hope everyone gets this itch like I do.

The metal spikes penetrate it and the soft spikes put lots of dents in the green.   I blame that for all of my missed putts since the early 2000s. 

Peter, why limit your blame to soft spikes? After a 34 putt round, I actually held a chicken parm sub accountable--one eaten two days prior.

[Dave Givnish]

There’s a YouTube video for everything, including this. You need a hammer, a drill, and a spike wrench.  Whack the center of each spike a bit to loosen the dirt underneath. Get a drill bit about the same size as the wrench holes in the spike. Drill enough to clean them without going into the sole. The spike should come out with the wrench. It took me about 5 minutes to do this with a pair of FJ Traditions.


Good luck.

[Mike_Young]

There are many courses I play that can at times get get chopped up by addidas adi-zero and other aggressive soft spikes. They would be absolutely mauled by metal spikes.

The soft spike is a "silent killer".  The metal spike has been shown to have less surface indentation than the soft spike but it is looks worse to the eye.  AND soft spike is all about the clubhouse not the greens....just go spikeless.  It works for the majority of players.

[Peter Sayegh]

The soft spike is a "silent killer".  The metal spike has been shown to have less surface indentation than the soft spike but it is looks worse to the eye.  AND soft spike is all about the clubhouse not the greens....just go spikeless.  It works for the majority of players.
 

Mike, thanks for that perspective. I never thought about the clubhouse aspect. Makes sense.
Does anyone still use metal spikes? I, like Thomas, miss the sound, but that's about it. Now that I think about it, even the "Bushwood CC does not allow metal spikes" signs of ten years ago seem to have disappeared at the courses I've played recently.