Clones broke!!

[Jtjohns]

I haven't seen too many people with clones make it that far. I've seen a lot of bad golfers with new OEM irons too, so there's no guarantee you'll get to a level of "not sucking", with any iron.

Shooting low 90's now.... I'll be there by the end of the summer. Practice is key.... I bet Phil or Tiger could use my irons and still shoot under par. So the clubs aren't the issue buddy.

[sean_miller]

Shooting low 90's now.... I'll be there by the end of the summer. Practice is key.... I bet Phil or Tiger could use my irons and still shoot under par. So the clubs aren't the issue buddy.

I didn't realize you're already shooting in the low 90s. You'll be shooting in the 80s in no time.

[Jtjohns]

I didn't realize you're already shooting in the low 90s. You'll be shooting in the 80s in no time.

Yeah, the majority of my problems come from being within 70yds of the pin like most high handicappers. I'll get it straightened out though. I've actually started trying to lay up about 120yds away so I can have a PW onto the green so I don't have to touch my SW/AW.

[amcquay]

I tried a set of G2 irons (G10 clones) and thought they were inferior to the real thing. I wanted to like them, they would have saved me $200-300, but the Pings were just far better in my opinion. I say play what works best for your game that you can afford.

[Fourputt]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say whatever manufacturing agreement someone like Ping has with any factory will specificly state that the dies used to make Ping clubs can not be used to make any other brand.

You are correct. Clones are not made with the same dies as brand name clubs. They are made with dies designed by taking measurements from brand name clubs, then almost (but not quite) copying them. Counterfeits are usually made from stolen dies, and are marketed as the real deal. Clones are not.

[delav]

There are many reasons high profile companies have to charge much more for their clubs than the clone companies. One being the market research that is involved in manufacturing equipment.

Market Research drives their costs? I'm assuming this was a typo as actual market research costs are a mere fraction of the cost associated with product development, engineering and marketing. Yes, those big dollar for name-brand equipment go to pay for advertising and sponsorships, but they also pay the many engineers and solidworks drafters working in labs, continually testing and optimizing new products.

I'm simply stating that I, along with 90% of non-pro golfers are not good enough to notice what may be a slight difference.

Man, I'd love a reference to that article...

I agree with the others. Clone clubs are not about the "sharing of ideas or technology." It's a ploy on you, the consumer, to convince you that those big, bad manufacturers are charging too much for identical clubs. Let's face it, you aren't buying a perimeter-weighted iron with an elastomer dampener, you are buying a club that looks like a ping club.... and that's likely why you bought it. Even the Giga Golf stuff is designed to look like someone else's actual product. If these clubs are anything more than a reverse engineered club using a CMM machine and an underpaid CAD jockey, then why not position them as independent and reputable products rather than the red-headed stepchild of the real thing. That's my beef... the misrepresentation of product. We don't buy cloned cars, we buy new or used reputable cars... With thousands of sets of yesterdays best clubs on eBay for the same price of clones, it makes no sense to buy a clone of anything... It totally stumps me. But who am I kidding... Lord knows there are plenty of retards who would jump at a cloned Honda Accord while stocking up on Oakleys, Coach bags, Faux Ed Hardy Tees and other douche paraphernalia while visiting Mexico.

[Jtjohns]

But who am I kidding... Lord knows there are plenty of retards who would jump at a cloned Honda Accord while stocking up on Oakleys, Coach bags, Faux Ed Hardy Tees and other douche paraphernalia while visiting Mexico.

First off, LMAO!!

I understand the beef with clones. I just feel that not all clones market themselves as the "same" club as the real club it is cloning. Many market themselves as offering similar or most of the same benefits as the more expensive clubs for a lot less $$. If you want to use car manufacturers as an example, look at Hyundai, this is their exact business model. They claim to offer the same benefits and luxury as BMW, Lexus, ect. without carrying the high $$ price tag. Even though, I drive AMERICAN!!!

[CoolBreeze20]

Lots of "high horses" in this thread. I say play whatever you enjoy and can afford. Noone but you has to hit them. If a person is happy and content with "clone" clubs or "clone" sunglasses why should anyone else care?

[Shanks A Million]

Lots of "high horses" in this thread. I say play whatever you enjoy and can afford. Noone but you has to hit them. If a person is happy and content with "clone" clubs or "clone" sunglasses why should anyone else care?

Seriously. I can gaurentee most of you do things much worse than hit clone golf clubs, like speed in your car, lie, take more than one, etc. It's one thing to talk big about being moral, but another to actually do it.

[Kingfisher]

Lots of "high horses" in this thread. I say play whatever you enjoy and can afford. Noone but you has to hit them. If a person is happy and content with "clone" clubs or "clone" sunglasses why should anyone else care?

Dude, it's not a question of cost when it comes to clubs - there's plenty of reasonably priced used clubs out there on Ebay and the like. I just can't imagine what's going through somebody's head to make them wany to buy a set of rip-off Pings / Callaways / TM, when you can get them for a song.

The original poster could get himself a set of real Ping G10s for not much money, but instead he chooses to buy a set of Pong Q10s or whatever the hell they're called - plus just to make him look doubly foolish, now he has to get the damn things repaired - for christs sake, real G10s don't even have a ferrule on them! The moral of the story is if you want quality, you have to buy quality, it doen't have to be this years model and it doesn't have to be new, so it doesn't have to be expensive. Brands cost money and have brand equity for a reason. You think the lenses on some shades made in a sweatshop in China will protect your eyes like Oakleys will? In this life, you get what you pay for.

[Titleist_ProV1x]

In this life, you get what you pay for.

And if you're smart! You'll get more than what you pay for

[Shanks A Million]

The original poster could get himself a set of real Ping G10s for not much money, but instead he chooses to buy a set of Pong Q10s or whatever the hell they're called - plus just to make him look doubly foolish, now he has to get the damn things repaired - for christs sake, real G10s don't even have a ferrule on them!

His G10 clones' ferrule didn't break, his clone Vokey ferrule broke. So much for the reading.

Brands cost money and have brand equity for a reason. You think the lenses on some shades made in a sweatshop in China will protect your eyes like Oakleys will?

Yep. And you look a lot smarter seeing as you didn't pay $200 for a pair of sunglasses.

[delav]

His G10 clones' ferrule didn't break, his clone Vokey ferrule broke. So much for the reading.

There is a good amount of technology in a good set of sunglass lenses (oakley or other) that can be crucial to protecting your eyes. Perhaps not $200... but let's line up apples with apples.

I don't particularly care about people playing clone clubs, but I feel bad when I see young golfers wasting money of poor equipment under false pretenses. Yes, they are new and shiny and look like the real deal, but good luck ever getting your dollars worth out of these clubs like you can a name-brand iron. There is a 1-year old set of Giga Golf clubs in our marketplace that the owner is practically giving away for $75... These are over $250 new, and last time I checked they were still for sale and he was bumping his thread for attention. Old sets of various ping, Titleist, Callaways and other great irons can be bought and sold for less than $200 on eBay. People still seek out and play clubs like the Ping Eye2 and the 962B. So what gives? To the OP, whats your stance?

[Jtjohns]

His G10 clones' ferrule didn't break, his clone Vokey ferrule broke. So much for the reading.

To KingFisher,

Yep, there was no mention of a ferrule on the clones or anything about repairing the Z-10 (Ping clones). Your beliefs lead me to believe you are one of these people who think because you spend a lot of money on an item, its the best quality. Is this correct? If so, shouldn't we all be living in the most expensive houses and driving the most expensive cars, afterall, wouldn't they offer more protection?

[Jtjohns]

There is a good amount of technology in a good set of sunglass lenses (oakley or other) that can be crucial to protecting your eyes. Perhaps not $200... but let's line up apples with apples.

I believe there are clones out there that do come close to offering the same quality as the real deal. I understand the technology will not be exact and the real deal will have an edge. Frankly, I know I'm not good enough to tell the difference at this time. As stated earlier, I've hit both my clones and the real G-10s side by side at a Ping demo day and both responded the exact same. I had my golf instructor hit my clones as well, he too said they performed just fine.

Will I eventually purchase a more expensive set of clubs? Heck yeah!!! when I am playing better and reach my goal of consistently shooting in the mid 80s, I'll buy a set I intend to keep for years to come. As of right now, spending $200 on clones thay perform just as I thought they would works just fine for me. Who cares about the resale value? I don't!! It's $200, I most definately will get my money's worth out of this set even if I only keep them for a season and sell them for $75 or sell them at all. Come to think of it, I spent $200 just playing this past month. Ouch!

[sean_miller]

Dude, it's not a question of cost when it comes to clubs - there's plenty of reasonably priced used clubs out there on Ebay and the like. I just can't imagine what's going through somebody's head to make them wany to buy a set of rip-off Pings / Callaways / TM, when you can get them for a song.

I missed that the ferrule was from the Fauxkey wedge too. How crappy would that feel? The real ones aren't exactly "butter".

Anyway, my daughter's ophthamalogist highly recommended not buying cheap sunglasses. She says you're better to wear a hat with a brim, go with no sunglasses and squint, than wear cheapos that don't do what they claim. But, did you know knock-off speakers and guitars sound exactly like the originals? True story.

[Shanks A Million]

At least this guy can admit the clubs don't swing him. I've seen more club hos around golf forums than I can care to count. They're all obsessed with the newest, latest, most expensive club on the market, even though they're a handicap golfer. Every 3 months, they have to have the new Taylormade driver, and they rave on and on about how great Miura forged clubs are, and why don't all the tour pros play them... on and on.

I was once down at the driving range, and there was this guy with the most atrocious swing I've ever seen, reverse pivot, over the top, chicken wing, no balance, etc. He was just blasting away at this driver, a brand new, super forgiving Adams Insight A4OS driver.

This guy actually says to his group, "I just need to get a good club and I'll hit it better. This club isn't very good."

Everyone thinks the clubs make the golfer. Not true. Tiger could beat anyone on this forum playing the cheapest pot metal clones ever made. I would be more ashamed to take out a set of expensive forged blades, and fail to break 100 than playing cheap clones and shooting 80. He plays what he wants, and you guys don't have any right to tell him he's wrong. His clubs are perfectly legal, and he has every right to use them.

[sean_miller]

At least this guy can admit the clubs don't swing him. I've seen more club hos around golf forums than I can care to count. They're all obsessed with the newest, latest, most expensive club on the market, even though they're a handicap golfer. Every 3 months, they have to have the new Taylormade driver, and they rave on and on about how great Miura forged clubs are, and why don't all the tour pros play them... on and on.

There are 4 or more schools of thought on this:

1.) play what you want - or rather what looks like what you want, but is more in your price range 2.) who cares, because I suck either way 3.) I'd like to play something that's quality, even if it's slightly used or from the clearance rack 4.) counterfeiting anything is kinda douchey 5.) who friggin' cares Since I'm partly #3, but mostly #5, I should bail on this thread.