How to Spot Knock off Golf Clubs

When you see knock off golf clubs, the lure of the price may be hard to resist. You may even think you're looking at the real thing.

"Wow, what a great set of golf clubs. They cost next to nothing! Wait…wait a minute here…this one seems to have a bit of a chip on it...Well this is a strange color, I don't remember seeing this brand in puce…And this one here's more orange than a carrot…I'm pretty sure I've been had."

What you've just read is a dramatization of what can happen if you buy a set of knock off golf clubs. It happens often, because as sure as there's someone making money, there's someone looking to copy the idea. When you're picking out your link luggage, keep an eye peeled for these signs of phony clubs.

Bear in Mind the Brand
Before shopping, it helps to familiarize yourself with the various brands available. What do their clubs look like? What characteristics are indicative of their standard mold? The reason this comes in handy is, as expert David Faulkner notes, many counterfeiters try to place a brand logo on a club that was clearly not manufactured by that brand. If you know what to look for going in, it's easier to discern an out-of-place logo. Does your brand of choice make clubs of this color? Shape? Size? Material?

Sets=Bad
As is the case with bears or soccer hooligans, golf clubs in packs spell trouble. Specifically, clubs being sold at auction in sets of 14 should trigger a warning signal, as pointed out at Golfmagic.com. Golfers generally wear out some clubs faster than others, so it's very unlikely that someone would be selling a matched set of used clubs, unless they haven't been used that much. Golfmagic also notes that metal woods sold in groups frequently wind up being counterfeit.

Buying clubs on the Internet is particularly risky. You can't see the clubs before you buy them, so all a scammer needs is a photo of the real thing and your trusting nature. By the time you realize you've been duped, the scammer has cashed your check and moved to a new location.

Deal only with reputable online merchants, and check the Better Business Bureau's Web site for any complaints. Buy from private parties only if you can inspect the clubs beforehand. Avoid buying golf clubs that are shipped from overseas, particularly Asia, where counterfeitting operations are common.

Heads Up
Golfmagic.com warns that club heads sold as separate components have an "exceptionally high incidence" of being counterfeit. Note that authorized major brand dealers do not sell club heads by themselves on eBay.
 
Trust, but Verify
The best way to erase any of your doubts is to take your club to be appraised, much the way you would a ring at a jewelry store. Visit a local retailer or pro shop, and allow the experts to evaluate the gear in question.

Nothing Good Comes Free
As always, when buying golf clubs or anything else, remember that a deal that seems too good to be true is likely just that. Compare prices of reputable clubs at reputable retailers and distributors. If you see prices that are well below the average, find out why. Some Web sites will liquidate overstocked clubs or last year's models at very low prices, but this usually only happens once or twice a year. Check the site's history and reputation, and look for a no-hassle return policy in case what you receive isn't what you expected.