A war of words broke out on Twitter last week between two of the game's best known names over the use of metal spikes.
Ian Poulter, one of the most prolific tweeters on tour, wasn't happy when he finished his first round at Bay Hill and tweeted the following message:
“The greens got crusty out there this afternoon baked in the heat & wind & plenty of spike marks. why do people still use spikes?"
That outburst drew a reaction from Rory McIlroy who fired back with:
“I wear spikes… Problem!?!? If you got your swing speed over 100mph, you might need spikes too…".
The Irishman did add a smiley at the end of his tweet to indicate it was all in good humour but it seems Poulter was serious with his complaint.
Only a handful of players still wear metal spikes but the issue is bubbling away under the surface with several other players also complaining about the problem at Bay Hill.
According to the US blog www.weiunderpar.com, both Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson told the site metal spikes were a problem in certain conditions though neither went as far as calling for a ban.
