They say that the sincerest form of flattery is to be imitated. While that may be true in other industries,
Brand-name golf equipment manufacturers hardly fall for the idea that their designs, names and colors are there to be copied. Golf club manufacturing, being a finite market, can hardly afford to let imitators roam free. Unfortunately, for companies like Callaway and consumers who don’t understand the nuances of club design and manufacturing, there are hundreds of problems.
offs and fakes in today’s market.
clones
Clones, also known as imitations, are very easy to identify, as they are usually made similar in design and color to the real thing, but with differences that allow them to go unnoticed for patent infringement. Resellers of these golf clubs will usually tell you what club they are trying to emulate. They may have a totally different name and may have certain cosmetic and design differences.
Don’t be fooled though, these clubs are anything but similar to the clubs they are trying to copy. To lower prices, cloned golf equipment will be made from less expensive materials; for example, they will use alloys instead of pure steel or titanium. Also, the construction of the clubs will be different with a lower degree of tolerance. Cloned clubs can be heavier (or lighter), shafts can be stiffer (or
softer) and swing weights won’t be consistent from club to club.
Top-tier manufacturers spend millions of dollars on research and development to perfect their golf clubs. These costs are obviously passed on to the consumer, which justifies the prices. On the other hand, cloned clubs, which can be up to 75% cheaper than their real counterparts, can’t claim to have superior technology behind them. They produce a cheap and inferior product and the
the consumer ends up paying the price of the course.
Imitation resellers will recommend you buy these sticks, especially if you are new to the game. Why spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on Callaway, Taylor Made or Titleist, when you can have the same or similar club in a clone? As a beginner, you are told that you will not be able to taste or feel the difference.
Our advice is to stay away from these clubs as they will not allow you to improve your game over time. You can learn to master your swing, tempo, and follow through and hit the ball at the sweet spot every time. However, if you use inferior products, you will surely be at a disadvantage in the field since the imitations you have purchased are not true with every swing.
If you’re new to the game, buy a used set of clubs made by one of the brand name manufacturers, like second-hand Callaway Golf. As these clubs are infinitely more precise and exact in their manufacture, they will allow you to work on your swing without having to worry about the performance of the clubs. They also sound great… ping!!! Also, you should be able to get a great deal on used games, some of which may look brand new. Remember, you get what you pay for. Wouldn’t you rather have a Callaway or Taylor Made set?
fakes
Some clone makers don’t even bother to make enough changes to the real club designs and cross the line of patent infringement. An illegal imitation and/or counterfeit are products that violate another company’s trademarks, patents, or legal copyrights. You may notice some of these names; King Snake, Tommy Mann Bummer, The Big Burser. It’s pretty obvious who they were trying to copy. Counterfeiters sometimes use the same names as brand-name clubs and try to pass them off as authentic.
Manufacturers of brand name clubs spend countless hours and millions of dollars trying to stop these companies from making and selling their product. As with the R&D figures, unfortunately these costs are also passed on to the consumer. Most of the illegal knockoffs are made in Asia and sold to wholesalers in the US, Europe, and other major markets.
Sometimes it is very easy to spot a counterfeit club, other times it is very difficult. Generally speaking, stay away from clubs that are not serialized. Most high-end manufacturers put serial numbers and other identifying marks on their clubs. If it’s not serialized, the club is most likely a fake or a cheap knockoff.
Most older models will not have serial numbers. That’s when you should start looking for cosmetic blemishes, such as unevenly applied paint, off-center lettering, epoxy (glue) showing in one or more areas, misspelled names, and anything else that doesn’t look normal. Use your best intuition… if it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t.
Am I buying from an authorized brand club retailer? If the answer is “no”, your chances of buying fakes are greatly increased. Your best protection against counterfeits is to only buy from an authorized golf club
Retail sale.
Is the price of “new and top of the line” clubs too good to be true? If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is and you should be very careful. Finally, the last test you need to take is twofold. Some unscrupulous retailers will have real clubs and clones for sale. If available, grab the first one with one hand (holding the grip) and the second one with the other hand (also
grip). Which one feels best to you? Shake them lightly… Do any of them make a rattling sound? Do they both rock evenly back and forth? You should be able to tell the difference right away. The brand version should feel much better, more balanced and obviously more attractive.
The second test that you must perform, if the seller allows it, is to make a couple of shots alternating between both clubs. Does one sound better than the other? Does one feel better than the other? Even if you are not an experienced golfer, you should be able to tell the difference between the two clubs.
The final word of caution is this: If the club you’re buying doesn’t come with a warranty, put it aside and buy one that does. Brand name companies stand behind the product they make. They value their customers and honor warranty claims. There is always the remote chance that your stick could break, dent, chip or crack. Do clone manufacturers have an 800 number for customer support? Before
spend $1000 or even $100, find out who makes the clubs and what their warranty policy is.
Copyright 2007 David Lester
