Clone Clubs????

[hiltairm]

I have been playing golf for a number of years now and havent gotten over the hump of staying in the 90's. I used to have an old set of clubs I bought from walmart many years ago. I have since broken the 5 iron head off. My girlfriend bought me a new set of clubs last week. They are called P5G's. The clone brand of the ping g5's. What do you guys think about clone clubs compared to the real thing? just wondering. I bought them online and had the height adjustment added to them because I am 6' 3". They seem heavier than my old set and it is an adjustment to swinging them. They feel good. here is the website of the offer for them. Tell me what you guys think.

http://www.golfclubsandmore.com/Specials002.htm

[BrianW]

Re: Clone Clubs????

This company sell various clubs from other clone manufacturers. Many of them like the Acer and Oxygen makes are from Pinemeadow a USA manufacturer of clones. I must say their materials and quality are first class, also their customer service is great. see www.pinemeadow.com

[LowPost42]

Re: Clone Clubs????

I think if they're golf club shaped, you can play with them.

That said, I don't think the P5G's will play as well as G5's.

But I really don't think that any club will play as well as the ones that are fitted for you.

[bill reed]

Re: Clone Clubs????

hi
the p5g's have had a few good reports about them and are well made and look good too. i dont think they are as good as the ping g5 as the torance and swing weights are not as tight but for the money still a good buy, how do you feel swinging them and do you hit the ball the way you want too.
i have not heard anything bad about them and a few have said as good as the g5's but i think not as well made but close.
bill

[hiltairm]

Re: Clone Clubs????

I really cant compare them to the ping g5's because I have never used any before. I can say that with this set that is fit to my size and the weight of them that I feel that the club does alot more of the work. My old set, it kinda felt like I had to do all the work and get the clubs in the right position to make a good shot. I can now swing alot easier which in turns helps out control and accuracy. Im playing in the morning at a golf course that is only 17.75 to play with/cart. We have a website that gives us discounted rates on greenfee's and carts. I read online somewhere that there are only 10 manufacturers of golf clubs in the world. I dont know if thats true or not.

[LowPost42]

Re: Clone Clubs????

hi
the p5g's have had a few good reports about them and are well made and look good too. i dont think they are as good as the ping g5 as the torance and swing weights are not as tight but for the money still a good buy, how do you feel swinging them and do you hit the ball the way you want too.
i have not heard anything bad about them and a few have said as good as the g5's but i think not as well made but close.
bill

Wut?

The tolerance of the p5g's and the G5's are the same: +/- 2° loft/lie, +/- 3g in head weight. As for swingweight, that's a build spec. I'm sure unless you've custom ordered your Pings, the swingweights won't follow any kind of pattern.

Now, that said, I built a set of p5g's for my mother. She wanted a set of Ping's, but didn't want to pay the huge price tag. So she decided she wanted a set of p5g's. She hits them great! Not because of the heads, mind you, but because they were fit to her swing.

[bill reed]

Re: Clone Clubs????

hi lowpost
i was told by ping the torance of the g5's were + and - 1% due to there new tuining ports on back of the club and thats why there were better than the g2'S and also the clubs head were matched as a set after being pollished and finnished off. so you dont have a 7 iron thats a +1 and a 6 iron that -1 and olso they are batched matched so the match the same torance together as much as they can, this gives a better head swing weight and freq matching.
thats what i was told and i did see them say same on "whats in your bag" about club head matching that was not done to this extent on the older clubs, thats why the g5's are better matched then the g2's.
please let me know what you think as i know you know more about it than me.
thanks bill

[LowPost42]

Re: Clone Clubs????

Hi Bill,

I find it odd that Ping would actually admit to having tolerances... in my experience, none of the other major OEMs actually admit to there being a tolerance.

I know for Ping WRX clubs, that sounds much closer to what they do; but I cannot believe that standard off-the-rack Ping's are going to be that good.

Now, I think I can say for certain that a given set of p5g heads will NOT be close to that Ping spec.

[bill reed]

Re: Clone Clubs????

hi lowpost
thanks for your reply, do you think most playes like me "10 to say 20 handicap" would be able to tell any real diffrence or would it just be in your mind.
bill

[LowPost42]

Re: Clone Clubs????

Tell any difference in what?

Playability? No, highly unlikely. (See my first statement: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.)

However, you're far more likely to get heads closer to spec going OEM or component, rather than clone.

But I think if you hit them side by side, you'd see a difference in ball flight, distance, and feel.

But since tolerances are different, you're more likely to get inconsistencies in clone clubs - two clubs that go about the same distance, massive swingweight differences, that kind of thing.

[FlimFlam]

Re: Clone Clubs????

As another person rather new to golf, I really can't say just how dramatically the differences are in performance from OEM and clones. My irons and wedges are custom fitted Wilson Staff Ci5s, while my 3 & 5 woods are Callaway X clones, and my driver is a Ping Rapture clone from Big Papa Golf.

I'm pretty sure there's going to be a difference between OEM and clone equipment - you're paying for the service and assurance when you're buyng brand name, plus guaranteeing yourself some level of resale value as well. But I went with clones for my woods, and will probably buy cloned products in the near future.

First, being 6'4", I, too, need custom sizing. I run at +1.25" and some clubhead lie tweaks to accomodate my swing. Clone clubs are easier to purchase customized. Second, and more importantly, I know I am going to beat the heck out of my equipment, being the beginner that I am. After looking at the price I paid for fitted clubs, I made a decision that I wasn't going to play expensive new equipment, only to damage it to the point that I'd have to buy new ones within a few years. And as to buying used equipment, I'm just one of those folks that hate not knowing what other people might have done to used equipment.

Maybe in a few years, I'll purchase proper equipment. Until I know what I'm doing, I'll just hack away with the duffer mimics!

[BrianW]

Re: Clone Clubs????

As another person rather new to golf, I really can't say just how dramatically the differences are in performance from OEM and clones. My irons and wedges are custom fitted Wilson Staff Ci5s, while my 3 & 5 woods are Callaway X clones, and my driver is a Ping Rapture clone from Big Papa Golf.

I'm pretty sure there's going to be a difference between OEM and clone equipment - you're paying for the service and assurance when you're buying brand name, plus guaranteeing yourself some level of resale value as well. But I went with clones for my woods, and will probably buy cloned products in the near future.

First, being 6'4", I, too, need custom sizing. I run at +1.25" and some clubhead lie tweaks to accomodate my swing. Clone clubs are easier to purchase customized. Second, and more importantly, I know I am going to beat the heck out of my equipment, being the beginner that I am. After looking at the price I paid for fitted clubs, I made a decision that I wasn't going to play expensive new equipment, only to damage it to the point that I'd have to buy new ones within a few years. And as to buying used equipment, I'm just one of those folks that hate not knowing what other people might have done to used equipment.

Maybe in a few years, I'll purchase proper equipment. Until I know what I'm doing, I'll just hack away with the duffer mimics!

Hi FF,

Another consideration: OEM manufacturers like Callaway and Ping spend masses of money on marketing, distribution, specialised equipment stands, sponsorship etc: Who pays for all that?

There are some excellent clones on the market, these companies tend to sell only over the net which keeps their costs low. Like any product their will be varying quality standards but it's well worth looking around, especially here in the UK where our golf equipment prices tend to be almost double of that in the USA.

[bill reed]

Re: Clone Clubs????

hi
i think one other point is theat all clubs now apart from ping are made in china or japan and the makers of the club heads do tend to make diffrent makes at there work and clones are easer to make and market there. with ping the head are made in usa and are in house so they have more control about whats a real clone, and the cost of being make in usa i think would be higher too.
with other makes its had to stop a company making heads for you and say 3/4 other top makes in same place and not tweeking there molds to make a simlar clone and sell it in china or the far east where the top makes have no real control. it dont make them bad clones an sometimes very close to the real clubs, a clone is one thing but a copy something else, some clones make its clear its based on a big brand type and many have a good name at making this type of club. what i can tell it tends to be off last years model so the brand maker keeps just a bit in front of the clones.
bill

[josphill99]

Re: Clone Clubs????

I personally could not tell the difference, but then again I only golf about once a month if I'm lucky. So I think that only the most seasoned golfer would be able to see a noticeable difference.

[GBergstrom]

Re: Clone Clubs????

+1 for clones for beginners. The ones I have are the right length for all 6 foot 3 of me, have nice GP midsize grips that feel good my hands, and got me out on the course & the range without breaking the bank. While I am curious about trying out some name brand clubs to see what the difference is, I'm much more interested in developing a more consistent repeatable swing through practice & lessons.

I feel that buying Ping or Callaway is like buying a Ferrari or a Porsche - you are paying 40% of the price to buy the clubs, and 60% to support their work with the professionals. While you can't knock them for working with the best golfers in the world to advance club design & sales, those of us that are closer to average won't benefit much from the state of the art clubs.

Cheers, GB