Re: clone golf clubs

hi
sorry i don't know about the clubs your after but i have heard that the Z-force G5s ping copy's that the same company sell are very good and very playable.
i had a look at the G10s ping copy and if you look you will see a little plastic in the cavity on there clubs, on the real pings this is weighted to balance the swing-weight of the clubs so every club had th same swing-weight. and also missing is the tungsten weight on the lower part of the toe.
what you get with the clone is a plastic plate on the cavity and no tungsten weight on the toe.
people that have bought the Z-force G10s copy say there great but i don't think there a patch on the real Ping g10s.
sorry i cant help with the clubs your looking at as i have only played pings and never used other makers clubs.
if your on a budget then most clones are a good starting point but if you look about you could get a second hand set of real Cobra's.
the clubs your looking at are cavity backed so they should be forgiving with your bad shots and you should be ably to play gofe with them, if you had the real clubs would you game be that much better, its had to say maybe by a shot or two at most i think.
if you don't mind playing with clones then at that price you cant go wrong.
the clone clubs that are made today most are better than clubs made 20 years ago and the shafts are better too.
if you think of the as a cheaper brand rather than clones then it a case of buying a ford car against buying a BMW, both run and drive well it just the BMW is better made better performance.
if you hit in the 100s then i don't think you will feel that they are lacking in any way.
let us know how you get on.
cheers
bill

Re: clone golf clubs

Well if the ping's are good, then I assume other clubs made by the same company good too, that's encouraging. I really don't mind playing with clones, honestly I don't think I could tell any difference (especially since I haven't, and probably won't for a while, played the name brand clubs). I am on a budget, I'm really looking for nothing over $150 for the irons, and nothing above $100 for the driver. Forgiving is one of the big things I was looking for when researching different sets, blade style irons really seemed too hard to work and hit.

Re: clone golf clubs

You could always look to buy a set of secondhand OEM clubs at a good price, you could also get them fitted afterwards.

Consider Mizuno forged clubs, they can be bent to suit you and are made in their own factory.

Re: clone golf clubs

hi
try looking up golfreview.com and look up your clone club and see if there is a review i had a quick look and did not see your clubs but there a lot of reviews of clones on there. try looking up Z-force as they seem to make good copy heads.
cheers
bill

Re: clone golf clubs

thanks, I'll try that.

Re: clone golf clubs

Ok, so I just ran into the while browsing around

http://www.discount-golf-clubs-and-e...m/v90irons.htm

They're clones of the Nike Pro Combo irons. I kind of like the fact that the short irons are blade style, but do I need that when I'm still shooting in the 100's? I'm not sure if I have the skill to work the ball at this point, so would the blade style short irons be too difficult for me to hit? Should I just stick with the game-improvement Cobra clones I'm currently looking at?

Re: clone golf clubs

hi again
with the short irons ie the 8 and 9 iron you wont be able to work the ball much as there is to much back-spin put on the ball with the 8/9 and wedge. so there is very little side spin.
with the wedge and the 8 and 9 its more aim at the target than let the ball fade or draw. it may turn a little but it is very little.
with the Nike clubs you were looking at, the shape is fairly simple and should be easy to copy and thats what you want is something thats not to hard to copy.
there are copy's (clones) of the Ping rapture clubs but in the real club the separate made face of the club is titanium and the weight port tungsten and theirs a tuning port on the cavity and the hollow club head id steel has the titanium face welded onto it.
this is so complected and hard to do right that why copy's or clones don't bother and make the whole head all out of steel so the clubs are so different.
if buying a clone look for a club thats simple to make. ie no weight ports.
the Nike you looked at fits this.
if its simply made the the standard should be good.
cheers
bill

Re: clone golf clubs

For amateurs in general, there are many low-priced slightly used clubs out there from every clubmaker, eh? Even last year's models (unused) will have a significant discounted price.

Re: clone golf clubs

Ok, update. Basically I've brought it down to determining between 2 sets of callaway clones. one set is a clone of the 2005 big bertha fusion irons, and the other is a clone of the new FT I-Brid irons. anyone have any advice on which of the two to take?

Re: clone golf clubs

After reading through this entire thread, I feel much better about the clones from a beginners prospective, but still have a few questions.

A brand-name 'off the rack' set of clubs at a local sports shop vary so greatly in price. (ie. Sports Authority has a set of irons for $70, and right next to it, a set of Calloway Big-Bertha Irons for $700.)

Back to basics: What is the reason for such a huge discrepancy in price from one set to the other? (Bare in mind that both sets are 'off-the-shelf' prices, neither come with custom fitting [that I know of at least].)

That said, Linksman Golf is a local company (based here in CT) that has a large presence on ebay, their own website, and retail pro-shop where they retail their 'clones' which are also made in a factory locally. (link: www.linksmangolf.com ).

Alternatively, there are always plenty of sets of used, brand-name, irons on craigslist and other local classifieds in the sub $200 range. In fact I just picked up my first set of early 90's vintage Wilson 1200 G.E. (Gear Effect) irons with bag for a whopping $25. (I think it's obvious I'm VERY new to golfing.)


Now here's the million dollar question:
In keeping with the $150-$200 range for irons, you can get a decent-good set of used, brand name irons, but most likely they're at least 10+ years old, or can get a set of the clones (linked above) for the same price.

To all you pro's out there: What would you do?

Aside from a return policy on used clubs, and custom fitting (both services offered standard on every set of clubs Linksman sells), what else should I ask? Is it inappropriate to ask them what degree of tolerance their club angles are made? Should I also ask if they use the same materials? ...if they use spent molds from the OEM's or if they make their own molds from an OEM set?

I'm all for being fully informed. Knowing what the main differences are between expensive and inexpensive oem clubs is my first hurdle. From there, what materials are better than others, and anything else I should consider. Lastly, what are the wear points on used clubs that I should be aware of when considering buying a used set?

After knowing all these, I plan on doing a side-by-side comparison of these clones to a pre-owned set of irons at around $$150-200.

Sorry for the lengthy post.

Re: clone golf clubs

Most of my clubs have brand names, such as Callaway, Ping and Mizuno but I have a soft spot for my 5 wood which is a Turbo and performs very well indeed. Perhaps I just got sorta lucky with the club but it seems to fit my swing.

The proof is in the pudding... in this case, the ball flight, eh?

Re: clone golf clubs

Markmdz;

Here's the deal without the details:

Clones are cheap because their tolerances are loose - looser than OEM's. So your heads have a much greater chance of being out of spec.

If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

//end of deal without details. Here come some details.

Once you decide you're going to keep golfing, it would be wise to head to a clubmaker to get your lofts and lies set - incorrect lofts cause strange distance gaps and incorrect lies cause directional control issues. Ill-fitting shafts also exacerbate directional control issues, but that's a 'next step' issue. The final step is to get a set custom built for you and your swing. Either you'll adapt your equipment to your swing, or your swing will adapt to your equipment.

Re: clone golf clubs

Hi, HatMyFade,

I am writting from Argentina. I play golf since 2004, I started with an old Mizuno full set, then a Ram Fx full set, and since 2005 I use Pinemeadow clubs, R7 driver clone, hybrids TM and Nike CPR clones, irons X20 clones, SW cleveland clones and TM Roza Monza putter clone. They are great. I am now a 23 hcp and have won 12 tournaments since I was hcp 34. Grips are OK, shafts (standard ones) are OK and heads work as well as any OEM. I am now 59 years old and I am outdriving fellows using the last TM drivers and with 15hcp. I am no prodigy and I seldom play more than once a week and almost zero practice. Though I am a big golf fan (pity not having enough time to play/practice more) I resist paying a small fortune for an OEM who, as we can see, in 6 months time becomes outdated and ends up "On Sale" for $100 in e-Bay. Hope it will help

Re: clone golf clubs

I'm also a beginner and was not interested in spending big cash on clubs. Found a site, pinemeadow golf, they make clones. I could not be happier with the clubs I bought, less than $200 for entire set. Played lots of rounds with them, they still look brand new.