The Case For Clone Golf Clubs

Clone golf clubs are clubs that look and play like brand-name golf clubs at a fraction of the price. Some of these golf clubs are designed to replicate a specific model of brand-name golf clubs. Other clone clubs are proprietary designs that use all the latest in golf technology, but don't necessarily mimic a specific brand or model of golf club.

Clone golf clubs are also sometimes called knockoff golf clubs. But unlike in some industries, these knockoff clubs aren't illegal counterfeits. They are not designed with fake labels of brand name clubs. Instead, they are lesser known brands that have playing characteristics and sometimes visual aspects that are comparable to a specific name brand golf club. For example, a very popular super-game improvement iron set is the Ping Rapture irons. There are several knockoffs of this iron set on the market, but one of the best Ping Rapture clones is the Cloud Nine (C9) irons from Gigagolf. They don't purport to be Ping Raptures - they just have a similar look, feel and material as the Ping Rapture irons. Another example is the Ping G10 irons - a very popular game improvement iron. Pictured above is a clone of the G10 irons, the P2 irons which look and play very similarly to the G10 iirons.

Okay, so we've established that there are some clubs out there that look and feel and play like brand name clubs. So why not just play the brand name clubs? Price. It's really as simple as that.

Using the above examples, a new set of Ping Rapture irons can set you back from between $1200-$1500. Wow! A comparable set of C9 Irons will cost you about $250. Starting to get the picture?

Or how about the Ping G10 irons I mentioned above? You will pay anywhere from $800-$1200 for a set of those. The P2 irons, which are G10 iron knockoffs cost around $150.

If you have the money for brand name clubs - they are great clubs. But why pay that much?

Another way to ask this question is "why are brand name clubs so expensive?" The reason is because you are paying for a lot more than just the club. Big name golf companies pay PGA touring pros huge endorsement fees to play their clubs. Guess where that money comes from? Yep, you pay it when you buy their clubs. Up to 40% of a brand name club's price can be directly related to endorsement fees.

The second big money pit for the brand name golf companies is advertising. Most major brands have slick full page advertising in all the golf magazines out there. In addition, they pay huge fees for television advertising. Such advertising gives them a huge reach, but it is out-of this-world expensive. No problem for them though, because you pick up the tab on that too, everytime you buy one of their golf clubs. Advertising costs account for 30%-40% of the cost of a new brand-name golf club.

Clone golf club manufacturers don't do expensive advertising and don't pay touring pros to play their clubs. As a result, they don't have to tack on all those expensive markups to their clubs. You pay for club and a little profit. It's that simple.

A lot of people shy away from buying clone golf clubs because they've been conditioned to think that lower price always means inferior quality. That is not always the case, and especially not when it comes to clone golf clubs. That's not to say there aren't some cheap clubs out there, but I am talking about the quality, custom assembled clone golf club market.

Quality clone golf clubs are made from golf club components that are forged, cast and engineered in the same foundries that make the name brand golf clubs. They are generally assembled in America (as opposed to China for most name brand clubs) by smaller golf club manufacturing companies that use the same quality name-brand shafts and grips to build and assemble a set of clubs that is custom fit to you (based on your height and arm length).

So with clone golf clubs, you get the same quality and proven technology at a fraction of the price. If brand names are important to you, then clones aren't right for you. But if performance is what you are after and you just can't afford to drop a grand or two on new golf clubs, then clone golf clubs are the perfect match for you. Personallly, I love playing against guys who have $1500 clubs, and then just blowing them away with my $250 clones.

Remember, good clubs help you play your best, but they won't make you play better than you are. If you play well with brand name clubs, you will do well with comparable clone clubs. If you are a poor golfer, the most expensive clubs in the world aren't going to change that. So might as well save some maney to take a few lessons. Either way, clone golf clubs are a smart choice for golfers of any skill level.