CHAMP Spikes Challenge Review Thread

[10YardDraw]

Yeah I was surprised to have suck good luck with the champ tees, actually my buddy bought some tees after he saw how much I loved them-now he's looking into the stingers for his shoes. I love what testing can do for other people haha.

I seem to have little rocks in some of the holes in the shoes, but not as bad as other spikes I've owned. I just took another look at them and wow, the debris fell out by itself, these spikes say so clean!

I have a set of Stingers on order as of this morning for my dad's shoes, he has had the same spikes in his shoes for 2 years! Going to surprise him and put them in when he is not home to see if he even notices and if it helps him on the course. I dont have problems with little rocks or pieces of gravel getting stuck in the holes but mud, like I said I havent seen that yet. Yes they sure do stay clean and I love that.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

I have a set of Stingers on order as of this morning for my dad's shoes, he has had the same spikes in his shoes for 2 years! Going to surprise him and put them in when he is not home to see if he even notices and if it helps him on the course. I dont have problems with little rocks or pieces of gravel getting stuck in the holes but mud, like I said I havent seen that yet. Yes they sure do stay clean and I love that.

I bet he's going to notice less slipping and shifting on the course, I hope he likes them, champ makes a quality spike!

 

[10YardDraw]

I bet he's going to notice less slipping and shifting on the course, I hope he likes them, champ makes a quality spike!

Thats my guess as well, he always and I mean always complains about slipping while playing and I always tell him to replace his spikes but he never does lol, I figured I would just do it for him and support CHAMP at the same time.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Thats my guess as well, he always and I mean always complains about slipping while playing and I always tell him to replace his spikes but he never does lol, I figured I would just do it for him and support CHAMP at the same time.

That's a great idea, I love what Champ did for the testers, not only did they give them spikes, they gave them extra stuff-the royal treatment I guess, I'm impressed with Champ. It's amazing what a few pieces of plastic can do for an entire game

 

[10YardDraw]

Since leiruagetro and I got to talking a bit about the CHAMP Fly Tee's I thought I would throw up a few pics showing the slight differences over the EPOCH's. I have been using the Fly Tee's since this testing started and like I mentioned they are pretty much identical to the Epoch's in terms of performance but there are a few slight differences. As you can see in the first photo the Epochs (THP Epoch's of course) have 4 lines for adjusting tee height and the Fly Tee's only have 3.

This next photo is of the top of the tee (where the ball sits people hehe) and you can definatly tell which is which from this view if you have played both tee's. THP Epoch is on the left and as you can see it has 4 large post compared to the Fly Tee's 6 smaller ones. Just slight difference's I though I would point out in case anybody was interested.

The biggest difference for me is not how they perform because that is equal but the marks they leave on my driver, so far the CHAMP Fly Tee's have not left a mark on my driver as where the Epoch's leave white streaks on the bottom of the driver and face sometimes that can be a pain to get off. Not a huge deal for some people but I am OCD about keeping my clubs clean and this is just one less thing I have to worry about cleaning off. I still love the Epoch's and will continue to play both tee's as my gamers.

 

[chewie69]

Holes walked: 36
Holes with cart: 54
Range sessions: 2

Played 18 this morning in very dry and fairly hot conditions. The ground had a lot of dew for about the first 6 holes, and the spikes continue to perform not once did I feel like my feet were going to slip. The wear on the Karmas is still what I would expect.

 

[Wake]

Thanks for the feedback on the tees 10yd. I have been waiting on my epoch supply in my bag to run out before giving the champs a run. I finally ran out this week so I will be playing the Champs this week. The no white mark will be very welcome. I hate cleaning that stuff off.

 

[10YardDraw]

Thanks for the feedback on the tees 10yd. I have been waiting on my epoch supply in my bag to run out before giving the champs a run. I finally ran out this week so I will be playing the Champs this week. The no white mark will be very welcome. I hate cleaning that stuff off.

No problem Wake. To the bolded its a very small thing that most people dont mind but it bugs the crap out of me and that is the only reason I can say I would rather play the CHAMP's over the Epochs. Figured since they sent them with the spikes I would touch on it some.

 

[coolbreeze]

Nice pics Chewie, I have the Karma's on my Nike's right now and they have been a great spike. They do wear very well and the grip is second to none.

 

[TripleBogieTim]

So I have 10 rounds in on my Scorpion Stinger Spikes and 7 or 8 range and practice sessions, so I thought this would be a good time to take some pics of the wear on the spikes, especially since I play as much in a month as some do all summer.

Cleanliness

Here is a pic of the bottome of the shoes, now I want to say that I have purposely during this whole process not cleaned the bottom of my shoes. Usually at my home course I have to use the "foot brush" cleaner after each 9 holes just to walk in the club house to get a drink. I have not touched it in the last 3 weeks.....so what you see here is how clean these spikes remain after that much usage.

Spoiler

As you can see, there is a small amount of grass under 1 spike...that's it. I really wished I had taken before pictures before I replaced my old spikes....there were tons of grass knarled up under each cleat. I love how clean these spikes stay!

Durability

As I have said....this is 10 rounds and 6 or 7 range sessions into this testing process. In my opinion I would say that I am seeing very limited wear on the cleats....not eccessive wear at all.

Spoiler

Spoiler

As you can tell from the photos....there is some wear on the outside spikes....but not too much for the type of use I have given them in a months time.

Traction

Since switching from the factory foot joy spikes to the Scorpion Stingers, I haven't worried about traction or my footing even on awkward lies. The Stingers have given me good firm traction and zero slippage. I am a big guy and sometimes I tend to slide my front foot around on the follow through...but I haven't noticed that either.


Summary

The Champ Scorpion Stingers have done exactly what they claim to do....give great footing and traction, they seem to be very durable and they are extremely clean!!

I will never buy another replacement cleat that is not a Champ brand, and I will look more favorable at new shoes that already contain the Champ Cleats.


Thanks to Champ and to THP for allowing me to be a part of this process.

 

[InHartWeTrust]

Good stuff in here, fellas. I already know I'll be replacing the spikes on my 360 ATV's with Champs spikes...I'm just not sure which ones?

 

[Jersey Nate]

Good stuff in here, fellas. I already know I'll be replacing the spikes on my 360 ATV's with Champs spikes...I'm just not sure which ones?

It depends upon what you really want, and how do you travel during your round, for me...if I played the majority of my rounds as a walker, or with a push cart, I'd probably go with the Zarmas, based upon the multitude of great reviews about that in this thread. Great traction, cushioning spikes, and a lower profile. Myself, I ride a majority of my rounds, and the stingers have just been lockdown stable for my feet. ZERO slipping issues, and I feel like I have grip on any lie. I can't speak for the Zarmas as I haven't tried them out (I'm thinking of getting them when these stingers wear down, but that's going to take a while).

 

[10YardDraw]

Great update TBT! I just got back from the course and planned on playing 18 but it took 3 hours to play 9 holes! I will have a update with pic's coming this afternoon, the course was back to being soaking wet from the rain we have had the last 3 days, some parts were so soft/wet you could feel the ground sinking in when you walked on it and I had my first slipping issue as a result of this, I will touch up more on it when I get my update up.

 

[thedue]

Nice update TBT, sounds like you are well sold on the Champ line of spikes as am I.

Great job Chewie, great pics and the spikes are holding up well. Karma is a great name for these Zarmas, lol.

10YD, that's pretty neat to hear about the surprise for your dad and thanks for posting about the Fly Tee's. I'm using nothing but them now and loving them. I've yet to break a single on, even in the hard ground we have here now, but a buddy of mine has actually broken two, lol.

 

[Buckjob]

Nice update tim.

 

[10YardDraw]

Nice update TBT, sounds like you are well sold on the Champ line of spikes as am I.

Great job Chewie, great pics and the spikes are holding up well. Karma is a great name for these Zarmas, lol.

10YD, that's pretty neat to hear about the surprise for your dad and thanks for posting about the Fly Tee's. I'm using nothing but them now and loving them. I've yet to break a single on, even in the hard ground we have here now, but a buddy of mine has actually broken two, lol.

No problem Due, I really love those tee's as well. Im still on my first tee as well and its as strong as it was the first day I used it. I have a couple things to do before I get my update up but its coming soon fellas.

 

[InHartWeTrust]

It depends upon what you really want, and how do you travel during your round, for me...if I played the majority of my rounds as a walker, or with a push cart, I'd probably go with the Zarmas, based upon the multitude of great reviews about that in this thread. Great traction, cushioning spikes, and a lower profile. Myself, I ride a majority of my rounds, and the stingers have just been lockdown stable for my feet. ZERO slipping issues, and I feel like I have grip on any lie. I can't speak for the Zarmas as I haven't tried them out (I'm thinking of getting them when these stingers wear down, but that's going to take a while).

Thanks, man. I ride a lot, but next year when I am back to playing tournaments and qualifiers, I will probably be walking quite often. I might try the Zarmas out first, then the Stingers, and make a decision from there. 'Preciate the feedback and thoughts Nate!

 

[Kmac]

Thanks, man. I ride a lot, but next year when I am back to playing tournaments and qualifiers, I will probably be walking quite often. I might try the Zarmas out first, then the Stingers, and make a decision from there. 'Preciate the feedback and thoughts Nate!

From the looks of things in here Id say the Stingers will probably last longer of the two. I dont really take walking or riding into account when I get spikes, Id rather them last longer more then anything else.

 

[thedue]

From the looks of things in here Id say the Stingers will probably last longer of the two. I dont really take walking or riding into account when I get spikes, Id rather them last longer more then anything else.

I think your right about the Stingers lasting a bit longer, I still have some in one shoe that's been there for about six months and still looking good. I myself will be going with the Zarmas just for the comfort alone, even if I have to change them more often. My feet need the extra cushion, lol.

 

[10YardDraw]

7-1-12 CHAMP Scorpion Stinger's

7-1-12 CHAMP Scorpion Stinger's

Date-7-1-12
Weather-80* Very Humid Heat Index in the upper 90's at 7am!
Course Condition-Very Wet
Spikes-Scorpion Stingers in FJ Contours
Holes Played-9 in a cart due to slow play(3 hours for 9 holes)
Total Holes On Spikes-36 all riding & 2 range sessions

Hey everybody just wanted to give a update after this mornings round, we had planned on playing 18 but after taking 3 hours to just play 9 we decided to call it a day. I was up at 5am this morning and ready to roll as I wanted to hit the range and chipping green before the round, I arrived to the course a little after 6am and got to work on the range. In my last update I noted the course was as dry/hard as I have ever seen it from the drought but we have had some pretty severe thunderstorms the last 3 days that put down quite a bit of rain so it was back to being very very wet and soft today. I hit a small bucket on the range and the Stingers held up perfectly just like they have been the entire testing process, no slipping issues on the range. I did notice a small amount of mud starting to collect around the spikes but a quick bang to the bottom of my shoes with a wedge cleared it out. Here is a picture from my last update (when the course was dry/hard) for a visual so you can see what they collected today compared to last time.

I played very well today even though I hit from about every lie imaginable, fairways, rough, sand, feet on cart path while ball was in the rough and my favorite of the day, a side hill lie where the ball was up around my thighs, that's how far above my feet the ball was lol. The Stingers handled every single one of these shots to perfection except one and I had my first slip today and it cost me big time! Enter spoiler to find out which one cause I guarantee its not the one your thinking

Spoiler

Tee shot on hole 9 par 5 water down the left, it was so soft my feet were sinking in the ground, back foot slipped on downswing and I hooked it OB, ended up taking a 9 on this hole to end with a 42!

I will admit that it was not the slip that caused the

Spoiler

9 on that hole but what was going through my head about screwing up my round with that tee shot and I just did not pull it together mentally after that

.
I really do hate to keep touching on the same things here and sounding like a broken record but it is just amazing for 1, how stable these spikes keep me during the swing, all the way from the driver swing down to full fledged explosion flop and bunker shots, and 2 how clean these damn spikes stay! CHAMP really has something special here, I am not sure if it is in the design of the spikes themselves or the material they are made out of or both but they flat out perform and impress me like no other spikes have before!

In my very first initial impression's (page 1) I mentioned how these look like they have a lower profile over the Softspike's Black Widow Tour's I previously played and after spending some quality time with them I will say I still think that is true just from the way I feel connected to the ground better, it is very possible I am completely wrong in this aspect but I am just noting what it feels like to me. Now that I have mentioned the Softspike BWT's and you have read about my first slip with the Stingers I can confidently say that in today's course conditions I would have slipped at least 4 or 5 times and maybe more with the BWT's and that is just another reason to love these CHAMP Scorpion Stingers fellas! I don't think it would of mattered what brand of spikes I had in my shoes today that slip I had still would of happened that's just how wet, soggy, and slippery that spot was.

Again sorry for touching on something I already have but my routine of how I treat my spikes has not changed as I wanted this testing to be equal and fair in the durability aspect as in all other aspects. I still put my shoes on before I leave the house and walk on concrete, asphalt, and across the parking lot of the golf course. I had to stop and get gas and a drink this morning and the Stingers went from the gas station blacktop into the store's tile floor just like I would with my old spikes. So durability after doing this routine before every round, 36 holes played, and 2 range sessions these spikes are still in perfect shape other than slight darkening on the tips of the yellow legs. By now I would of had at least one or two legs either broken off or beginning to break with the Softspikes.

Now enough of my rambling on here are the pictures after this mornings round, there was no "fancy banging" process or brushing of any kind done after the round so you can see how well they did today in the sloppy conditions! Just wanted to say thank you to & again for allowing me to test these and opening my eyes to a great company and a great set of spikes!

Pretty darn clean for no cleaning up after the round, that's all for now folks hope you enjoyed my first update of July. CHAMP Scorpion Stingers FTW!
edit: These still are leaving minimal marks on the greens even with them being pretty soft today, even when squatting down and being up on my toe's to read a putt the marks would be gone in about 10 seconds. I am very pleased at how gentle these are and it really helps in keeping the greens in great condition.

 

[royalwulff]

Well i went to my GolfTec lesson yesterday and i wore my FJ with the Champ spikes to see how they did on a mat. When i would have to adjust my feet to get in my set up I was literally having to lift up my foot to be able to change positions. I was really suprised at how well they gripped on a mat for me. I will be on the range later today so I should have some more updates tonight or tomorrow.

 

[pmoa]

KMac I think you're right. The stingers seem like they might last longer. The zarmas could be prone to broken fingers on the spike itself. But boy are they comfortable to walk in. I found my stingers in my others shoes seem a little harsher when walking on hard pan. Other than that I don't see why people don't go out and replace their spikes with these over the competitors.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Another 18 holes with my champ spikes. I have really like the traction that I have observed since the first time I used them. compared to the Zarma spikes others have been using, it seems that the stingers last longer. Yesterday the course that I played at seemed to have a lot of rocky areas as can be seen on the bottom right of this picture and the sand bunkers were filled with tons of rocks as well and as far as the wear from the rocky earth-I only saw some of the black arms flatten out a little more and shred more. the spikes themselves are blackened but the traction and stability hasn't changed. I'm really happy with the stingers and even though I originally wanted to test and switch to the Zarmas, I will stick with the stingers because they are durable, and they don't' lose their traction as easy. I did notice that I can really feel how hard the stingers are on my foot when I walk the course but it's not too bad. Overall I'm still impressed with the wear and durability of the Champ stinger and who could forget the fly tees, they are really great and I will be making the switch to the fly tees permanently.

 

[thedue]

July 1, 2012
Testing: Champ Zarma Spikes
Weather: Hot 95*, humid dry conditions
Course: Hastings Elks CC


Sunday marked the 12th full 18 hole round on the Champ Zarma, along with several trips to the driving range I've put plenty of time on these spikes to say I am officially impressed with the wear and amount of hold still in these. I've only walked one 9 hole round, but almost always playing with a group of guy's, I still get plenty of miles on my feet meeting the others at the hole, etc. I've played in everything from near monsoon weather in Iowa to dry sun baked hard pan courses that should be making my feet pay by the rounds end, but that's just not been the case. Champ is my go to spike from now on and my Champ of choice will be the Zarma. It may be a while before I buy any though as these are still in fine shape.

As documented earlier, I swing hard, out of my shoes hard, I not slipped once since playing these and that's saying a bunch. The traction still seems just as good as the first day with mine, I'm still leaving the same small spike marks as before and the pictures below should tell you something as they have very little wear after over 200 holes of "TheDue" golf.

Spoiler

Spoiler

This weekend playing in an 18 hole scramble, the course started out well watered and soft around the greens, but the course is rock hard. I walked a bunch picking up my ball, lol, and really expected to see a lot of wear. Similar on Sunday as I played later in the afternoon when the day was at it's hottest and the course the driest, yet not a lot of wear to show. I even have a bad habit of dragging my left foot while driving the cart and it's still looks as good as the right.

I have to say that Champ has done an excellent job in the design of these, from comfort to self cleaning and the main point in these with traction. They do as advertised and last, I have to give these a 10 of 10 rating. One last pic here to show not only the wear, but notice the holes used to insert the removal tool. A light amount of mud, no rocks. Great job here Champ Spikes!

Spoiler

 

[Nate]

Wow Duey....those look great after 200 holes! You must be light on your feet!