Clone golf clubs?

[Shaolin]

anyone have any experience with Clone clubs? I remember with Ping came out with their TiSi drivers I played with a guy that had a clone version of it.. it was pretty much the Ping driver without the logo.. He let me try it out a couple of times and it felt the same as my cousin's real Ping..

Anyways, for those who uses clone clubs.. where do you get them? I'm thinkin of gettin new fairway woods and irons..

[hockeybronx]

I know quite a bit about this, however they are usually called knock-offs rather than 'clones'.

Here's the deal: in golf there is one factor that says how much it costs and how you hit it and theres another factor that says how you feel about it and how you like looking at it. This is true whether it's a driver, fairway wood, iron, or putter.

I personally would never ever get a knock-off. I play roughly 60 rounds of golf per year and it is worth it to me to throw the extra money into the clubs.

Sure in some cases the knock-offs can be the same quality but I really believe that if you feel good about what you have in your hands you will play better.

Last year I went and bough a Scotty Cameron Newport putter. $420.00. It felt so fricken good and my putting increased immediately. I started going to the practice green after every round and doing all sorts of drills. The pure feeling of a $420.00 putter is in my opinion unparelled.

If you are a occasional golfer, or golf is not a huge priority for you then by all means go for the knock-off. However if you are really serious then just suck it up and go for the real thing. You'll feel better, you'll look better, and what really matters: you'll probably play better.

Let me know what you decide.

[hockeybronx]

Oh yeah, the best place to get knock-offs these days is probably Nevada Bobs since they are now moving towards the lower price range customers. Golf Town is really taking over the golf industry and they are specializing in the high end stuff.

Here is my next purchase:

http://www.titleist.com/irons/details.asp?id=8

[A2VR6]

Too bad Golf Town is all the way in Shawnessy! So FAR!

[hockeybronx]

Originally posted by A2VR6
Too bad Golf Town is all the way in Shawnessy! So FAR!

Ha ha! 10 minute drive for me!

[Shaolin]

dam those Titleist are sweet.. yeah I play about 20 rounds a year and don't intend to buy the good clubs, so i figured using clones would be good enough.. I spent 300 on a GBB Hawkeye 3 years ago and that's the only club that's worth anything in the bag right now anyways.. unless people want to sell me their used irons

[ZCracer]

I have an extra set of last years Great Big Birthas just collecting dust if your interested? They were played maybe 15 rounds by the old head pro at Stewart Creek in Canmore. I'm looking to get 700 obo if your interested. I believe Golf Town was selling them for around eleven to twelve hundered last year and are now clearing them out for a thousand (i could be wrong though, i try to avoid going there because i would much rather support the smaller shops) Anyway, let me know.

[Shaolin]

are they lefts? I'm a lefty

[Pacman]

Here is my problem with knock off clubs....As the other poster mentioned, golf is all about confidence and feeling good when you line up to hit the ball....I just don't get that feeling when I use a cheaper club. Another problem with knock offs, is that the resale value on them is very poor.

I've had experience with buying knocks offs and brand name clubs...and here are my thoughts on the 2 options.

Option 1.- Buy a set of Pro Line irons for roughly $1,000. I know some brands are more than others, but I'll use a new set of pings as an example. You can play with these irons for a few years, and still sell them for $500-$700 depending on the condition of them. Heck, I still play a 20 year old set of Ping Eye 2 irons.....according to numerous auctions on ebay, I could probably sell them for $350 - $400, perhaps even more since mine are in excellent condition. So after playing with brand name irons for a few years, you stand to lose about $300-$500 bucks, assuming you want to sell them.

Option 2.- Buy a set of knock off irons for roughly $500. Play them for a year, and I bet you will have one hell of a time selling them. Knock off sets are tough to sell, and when you do get a buyer, they only want to pay $125 - $175 max. You will lose at least $300 going with a set of knock off, again, assuming you want to sell them and upgrade to something else.

So in the end, it everything ends up being the same...except for the fact that you get to play with a pro line club, have more confidence when playing, and get a little bit of bling. Also, you will less likely want to upgrade when you play a set of pro irons, because you already own the best.

[ZCracer]

^^Very good advice, plus with name brand stuff you have a warrantee etc. to protect you if there is a defect with the club. And sorry, the clubs are right handed, but if anyone is interested feel free to pm me. Good luck with your search!

[TalonVelocity]

[Merkur]

There was a right up on knock-off clubs in a magazine i read at work the other day. The main compaies(Acushnet(titliest) callaway, taylor made-adidas) All spend millions of dollars trying to get these clubs not made, not only does it afftect their sales but people think they are getting the SAME thing as what a titliest is. All the clubs the companies get tooken off the market are compared with the actual club, as this magazine put it if you went out and spent 150 dollars on a knock-off, you are just as well off to go to walmart/canadian tire type stores and buying the cheap0 drivers they sell cause other than the look its the exact same club.

[hondarunner]

I myself have played many rounds using different clubs and i feel that for the initial time, the novelty of using a callaway big bertha, or ping, mizunos or even the new nike clubs definately helps your game. But after a while (once the novelty wears off) you are still back to your old game.

golf is a mental game, so if a club is gonna help your confidence, by all means go for it.

[aftermarket]

Knock-offs in general are extremely low quality (a.k.a crap for the most part). There are the very few that are half-decent, but, most are pretty much the same disappointing quality.

I have had my experiences with "pro-line" and "knock-offs", hands down pro-line is the best way to go. At least you get what you pay for.