Clones

Clones, also known as knock-offs, are very easy to identify, as they are usually made of a similar design and color as the real deal but with differences that allow them to fly under the patent infringement radar. The resellers of these golf clubs will generally let you know what club they are trying to emulate. They may have a totally different name and may sport certain design and cosmetic differences.

Don’t be fooled however, these clubs are anything but similar to the clubs they are trying to copy. In order to lower prices, cloned golf equipment will be made of 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 lesser degree of tolerance. Cloned clubs may be heavier (or lighter), shafts may be stiffer (or

softer) and swing weights will not be consistent from one club to the next.

Top-tier manufacturers spend millions of dollars on research and development tying to perfect their golf clubs. These costs are obviously passed on the consumer, thus justifying the prices. On the other hand, cloned clubs, which can be up to 75% cheaper than their real counterparts, cannot claim to have superior technology backing them up. They produce a cheap and inferior product and the

consumer ends up paying the price on the course.

Knock-off resellers will recommend that you purchase these clubs, 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, you won’t be able to know or feel the difference.

Our advice is to steer clear of these clubs as they will not allow you to improve your game over time. You may learn how to master the swing, tempo, and follow-through and hit the ball in the sweet spot every time. However, if you use inferior products, you will most certainly be at a disadvantage on the course as the knock-offs you have purchased are not true with every swing.

If you’re new to the game, purchase a used set of clubs made by one of the branded manufacturers such as callaway golf preowned. As these clubs are infinitely more precise and exact in their production, they will allow you to work on your swing without having to worry about the performance of the clubs. They also sound great … ping!!! Furthermore, you should be able to get a great deal on used sets, some of which might look brand new. Remember, you get what you pay for. Wouldn’t you rather have a set of Callaway’s or Taylor Made?

Counterfeits

Some clone manufacturers don’t even go to the trouble of making sufficient changes to the designs of the real clubs and cross over the patent infringement line. An illegal knockoff and/or counterfeit are products that violate the legal trademarks, patents or copyrights of another company. You may notice some of these names; King Snake, Tommy Mann Bummer, The Big Burser. It is pretty obvious who they were trying to copy. Sometimes, counterfeiters will use the same names as the branded clubs and try to pass them off as the real deal.

Branded club manufacturers spend countless hours and millions of dollars trying to stop these companies from making and selling their product. As is the case with R+D numbers, unfortunately these costs are also passed on to the consumer. Most illegal knockoffs are manufactured in Asia and sold to wholesalers in the US, Europe and other important 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 top-end manufacturers are placing serial numbers and other identifying marks on their clubs. If it is not serialized, chances are that the club is a fake or a cheap imitation.

The majority of older models will not have serial numbers. That’s when you should start to look for cosmetic blemishes such as unevenly applied paint, lettering not centered, 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 is not.

Am I purchasing from an authorized branded club retailer? If the answer is “no,” your chances of purchasing counterfeits increase greatly. Your best protection against counterfeits is to purchase only from an authorized golf club

retailer.

Is the price for the “brand new, top of the line” clubs too good to be true? If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is and you should be extremely wary. Finally, the last test you should perform is two-pronged. Some unscrupulous retailers will have both real and clone clubs for sale. If these are available, grab the first in one hand (holding the grip) and the second in the other hand (also

grip). Which feels better to you? Shake them slightly …Does one make a rattling sound? Do they both sway evenly back and forth? You should be able to tell a difference right away. The branded version should feel much better, more balanced, and obviously better looking.

The second test you should perform, if the retailer lets you, is to take 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 both clubs.

The last word of caution is this: if the club you’re buying doesn’t have a warranty, leave it aside and buy one that does. The branded companies stand behind the product that they make. They value their customers and honor warranty claims. There is always a remote possibility that your club will snap, dent, chip or crack. Do the clone manufacturers have an 800 number for customer service? Before

you spend $1000 or even $100, check out who makes the clubs and what their policy is for warranties.

Copyright 2007 David Lester

David Lester is the owner of http://www.shop4clubs.com a golf content website. David has worked in the golf industry for over 10 years in various capacities such as product management and international sales.

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Author: David Lester

Getting A Discount On A New Set Of Irons

Your First Step Is Research

If you are in the market for some new irons, there are few ways to you can save some money – but you have to be patient. There is no point jumping on the first deal you see and then finding out that the irons are no good for you.

So the first step always has to be narrowing your options down to two or three different sets at the most. You will do this with some input from your local pro, who can give you advice about what type of irons will be most suited to your swing. Make sure you hit some balls with the different sets you are thinking of buying.

Once you have your short list, you then need to start your price research. Check all the major online retailers and the local golf stores. Have a good idea of the range of prices that the irons are currently selling for. This way you will be better placed to know a bargain when you see one.

Where Are The Best Places To Get Discount Golf Irons?

The online stores are generally going to be able to offer the best prices. One strategy you can use is to wait until the model you are interested in is just about to be replaced. This is when the best discounts will be found as stores try to sell stock through in order to make room.

So keep up to date with that particular manufacturer’s upcoming launches, and when they look like they are about to replace the clubs, check all the retail options and see if anyone has thrown a big discount on the irons.

It is also a good idea to check with retailers at the end of the season. If you enquire about making some sort of deal at this time of year, chances are they are going to be more receptive to the idea of offering you a discount on the irons.

Buying Pre-Owned Discount Golf Irons

There are two particularly good websites to visit if you want brand name irons at a good discount – Callaway Pre-Owned & Taylormade Pre-Owned. The advantage of buying from these sites is that there is more of a guarantee on quality than from some other used club sources.

Buying Discount Golf Irons On eBay

eBay is always going to have some fantastic deals. There is a free tool available called the PGA value guide which tracks all golf sales on eBay and uses the data to determine what the average sale price is for over 5000 different models.

This tool can be found at http://valueguide.pga.com. For every item you search there will be two numbers shown. The first is the trade-in value. If you look to the right of this, in small print will be a link to the re-sale value. Click on that link – it will give you the number you are looking for i.e. the average sale price for your particular item.

You can use this info to work out whether you have found yourself a good deal on eBay or if the vendor is kidding themselves.

When buying discount golf irons on eBay it is important that you see photo’s for every single iron. If any photos are missing, get in touch with the vendor and ask them if there’s any reason for that.

And as always on eBay be vigilant in checking the reputation of the vendor – check their feedback rating and any comments from previous customers.

Other Sources Of Discount Golf Irons

· Classifieds

· Other Auction Sites

· Craigslist

· Garage Sales

· Estate Sales

· Local Golf Club Notice Boards.

There are plenty of good discounts on golf irons to be found, as long as you are patient and remember to check all the sources available. One thing you should remember to do when buying used irons is to thoroughly check every iron – check the head, shaft and grip of each one. Any damage will mean a little more that you can negotiate to be taken off the price. And every little bit helps.

Craig Crooks is the author of the new eBook Who Wants Cheap Golf. This book and the accompanying resource directory are the most complete source of discount golf information available anywhere.

Together they reveal insider strategies, resources and tools you should be using to make sure you never pay full price again.

To find out more visit Who Wants Cheap Golf, and sign up for the free course -’How To Recession Proof Your Golf Game’.

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Author: Craig Crooks

The ERC Fusion Driver is available in lofts from 7.5 to 12.0, and is great if you are looking to drive the ball “Long and Straight”. The 360CC carbon composite head, with a forged titanium face, is actually 75% lighter. The ERC Fusion’s 45″ shaft is standard, with either a “Regular D-2″ or “Strong D-3″ swingweight. This enables both the male and female golfer to swing the club with ease, without experiencing a loss in power.

The ERC Fusion Driver looks and feels great! How many times has your foursome stood on the tee box waiting to hit, and you start comparing each others drivers? You compare grips, weight, feel, take a few practice swings, trying to get an overall feel for one anothers clubs. Put the ERC Fusion in your bag for your next round, and you will be the envy of your foursome.

I started playing with the Callaway ERC Fusion driver in the spring of 2004. I had previously played the Callaway C4, the Biggest Big Bertha, the Great Big Bertha, and the Big Bertha Warbird. Although I liked my previous drivers, and hit them fairly well, none compare to the success I am having with the ERC Fusion. I have become much more accurate off the tee, hitting more fairways, and driving much longer than my regular opponents. As you probably know, when you are longer and straighter off the tee, you score better.

It is much easier to hit the green from 150 yds. out, from a good lie on the fairway, than it is from 170 yds. out, from the rough, or even the trees. The larger sweetspot provides me the accuracy and distance needed for tight par 4’s and long par 5’s. The ERC Fusion enables me to reach some of those par 5’s in 2, cutting even more strokes off my game. It’s great putting for an eagle every now then. The lighter feel allows me to slow down my swing producing much better contact. It is simply the best Callaway Driver I have ever played.

And yes, although they might not want to admit it, my regular playing partners do envy me, especially as I am looking back at them from the fairway, waiting for them to hit first to the green.

The “Callaway Golf Pre-Owned” website offers these beautiful, powerful, slightly used golf clubs from $139.00 to $239.00. With a MSRP of $449.00, this is quite a Golf Bargain. Whoever thought driving a golf ball “Long and Straight” could be so fun, yet so easy.

(Copyright 2005-ehbvi-www.golfgodz.com)

Ernie Horning is a Business Owner and avid golfer who writes articles for: http://www.golfgodz.com

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Author: Ernie Horning

When shopping around for pre-owned golf clubs, there are a few things to look for when evaluating clubs.

For irons, you’ll want to take a look at the grooves on their faces. They should still be distinct. If they are worn down to be almost smooth, then the club is no longer serviceable and is not worth considering. A few scratches on the sole of the irons won’t affect their play, but it does take away from the cosmetic appeal of the club. This will lower the value of the club and you may be able to pick up a perfectly useable set of quality irons, such as Ping, for a song.

For drivers and fairway woods, check the face, sole, and crown for wear and signs of abuse. An expensive driver or wood that has been dented and badly scuffed isn’t a good deal no matter how low the asking price.

Grips can be replaced, but you’ll need to consider the additional expense and effort to have this done.

So where do you find used clubs and club sets? You can search you local newspaper classified ads for pre-owned golf clubs as well as locally, online at Craigslist.com.

However, an often overlooked, but really great place to look for literally thousands of pre-owned golf clubs is right on eBay. The selection is almost limitless. There are just about every brand of golf club you can think of from Callaway, to Ping, Taylormade, Wilson, Cobra, and more. There are men’s and ladies’ clubs, junior club sets as well as every variety of left handed clubs. The search facility on eBay makes it extremely easy to search for just the right types of pre-owned golf clubs you’re in the market for.

You can also find complete club sets, which include a driver, fairway woods, irons, wedges, a putter, and a golf bag on eBay. Tremendous savings can be had with these complete sets, since to put such a set together individually would be very expensive.

Many of the pre-owned golf clubs and club sets offered for auction or sale on eBay are from dealers and other bricks and mortar storeowners. They know how to evaluate the condition of golf clubs and will describe the condition of each club in great detail and also provide photos of their clubs.

They may also regrip clubs prior to putting them up for auction on eBay. And on eBay, you are free to email the seller with any and all questions you may have regarding the items for sale as well as the conditions of the auction such as shipping details and accepted payment methods.

If you’ve never bought or sold anything on eBay, don’t worry. The registration process is quick and easy and there are helpful online guides to lead you through how to place bids and shop safely on eBay.

So, as an avid golfer or a soon to become avid golfer, you really owe it to yourself and your wallet to consider the great savings in pre-owned golf clubs. For the same price as an average set of new clubs from your local sporting goods store you can get the same clubs as the pros at pre-owned prices on eBay.

Find great deals on pre-owned golf clubs. Use our advanced search facility to find rock bottom prices on new and used Callaway, Ping, Ladies, and Left handed clubs at http://www.golfclubsfast.com/callaway-irons.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rich_Rojas

Author: Rich Rojas

Technorati Tags: callaway pre owned

Browse the used clubs on the golf retail sites to compare prices and get brand name

ones at discount prices. If you shop at a site that sells brand name equipment, you

will also get a certificate of authenticity so you know you are getting the “real” thing.

Used doesn’t mean damaged, so you can shop with the security they are good to use.

Many golfers trade in their used sets for new sets or an upgrade in equipment. These

are then checked for any damage or defects and repairs are made to them. They are

also tested on the course to make sure that their performance is as it should be under

normal circumstances.

There are some things that you do have to look for when you buy preowned equipment. Check the heads to make sure they are not worn too much or don’t have any

indentations. If there are dents and scratches on the faces, then this is a sign of weakness,

so you should stay away from this set. Checking the shaft for potential burn or wear is

also a good idea so that you won’t have to replace the shaft. The grips should not have

any cracks or splits in them. When you buy from a brand name retailer, you will get a

100% satisfaction guarantee, so that even after you receive them you can return them if

they are not to your liking.

The best preowned golf clubs can be found at Callaway Golf Preowned For a detailed review of this online store visit http://www.getgolfclubsonline.com

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Author: Tom Cruz

Technorati Tags: Callaway PreOwned