The first thing you need to know is that NO counterfeit clubs are sold on Golfbidder. Never have been and never will be - so right away you can relax! However, on some websites which allow members of the public to buy and sell directly amongst themselves - counterfeit golf clubs are a very serious problem.

With a lot of counterfeit goods (eg Gucci handbags or Rolex watches for £10) it’s pretty obvious to the buyers from the low price that they are buying a fake. With golf clubs this is rarely the case. To avoid suspicion, sellers of counterfeit golf clubs tend to charge the same prices you would expect to pay for the genuine article. It’s a problem not only for the hapless buyers – but for the whole golf industry.

The counterfeiters are getting better – and it’s getting harder for a layman to spot the difference; It could be the colour of a decal, the step pattern of an inferior steel shaft; the fact that a magnet clings to a supposedly titanium head (magnets don’t cling to titanium) - numerous subtle differences. But hit a counterfeit club after a real one – and you’ll soon know the difference - the performance is invariably dreadful.

Golfbidder HQ –
a counterfeit-free zone

Rogues Gallery

There is not space to reveal all the tell-tale signs that mark out a counterfeit from the genuine article – but here are just a few examples of the sort of discrepancies which give the game away.

TaylorMade Burner 2007 Driver

It doesn’t take the crooks long to start copying the originals – on the left is a counterfeit of TaylorMade’s new Burner driver – only a few short weeks after the real ones began hitting retailers’ shelves. It is frighteningly difficult to tell from the real one on the right – the shade of red is very slightly brighter, but otherwise they are virtually identical. The top of the clubs (see below) made it a little easier to tell the difference, but not much...

The same clubs as above, but viewed from the top. Again the fake is on the left. Difficult to see in the photo but the web-type lines in the light-grey areas are thinner and not as defined. It would be almost impossible for a layman to notice difference – so our advice remains as ever – only buy clubs from a source you know, trust – and have recourse to if you subsequently discover the club is a fake.

Callaway Big Bertha 460 Driver

A little easier to tell apart than the TaylorMade above, you can see that the font used for the number 9 denoting the loft is slightly different on the fake (left). The letters used in’ Big Bertha’ are a little thinner; the sweeping white line at the bottom reaches all the way to the ferrule on the fake, whereas on the real one it stops short; the red paint used is also a little too bright.

Callaway FT-i Driver

On the right, Callaway’s best-selling Ft-i square driver. On the left, a cheap imitation.

The cosmetic differences are not immediately obvious unless you are inspecting dozens of genuine FT-Is on a daily basis; Note how the three squares denoting whether draw, fade or neutral model are fractionally bigger on the fake; the black plastic ferrule covering the join of the shaft to the head is slightly thinner – and the metal band slightly wider. The writing on the (supposed) serial number sticker on the fake is not as defined, the font used in the figure ‘10’ to denote loft is also slightly different. There is a small – almost invisible in this picture – round hole covered in black paint on both (close to the red/black paint divide immediately below the large ‘F’ of FT-I): On the fake it is recessed, on the real one it is proud. Note the dividing line between the silver area where the arrow is and the red area – the crooks haven’t got it quite the right shape – and it is not as crisp.

A top view of the same clubs – and again the fake is on the left. Note how the band enclosing the arrow on the fake is slightly thinner – and that the arrow is a slightly stronger colour.

Headcovers are also counterfeited. The one of the left is the fake. Note how the ‘F’ of FT-I is much closer to the beading edge than the genuine one, and how the white stitching is spaced differently.

Scotty Cameron Futura Putter.

One of these putters is made of precision-milled stainless steel – the same club is used by some of the best tour professionals in the world – and it sells new at £199. The other one is a worthless piece of alloy - but may still sell at £199 to an unsuspecting buyer.

In both photos, the counterfeit is the bottom one; it has a different score pattern on the face; the words ‘Scotty Cameron’ are not as crisp; most importantly – the metal used is a cheap zinc alloy which dents easily when struck – stainless steel does not. It’s the ‘feel’ of the thing which initially sets the alarm bells ringing – but in isolation, the fake could easily be accepted as genuine by someone who does not handle many real Scotty Cameron putters on a regular basis.

Callaway X-16 Irons

The real club on the left has a hologram ‘X’ in the blue medallion which is only visible from certain angles – the ‘X’ on the counterfeit is always apparent; The font used for X-16 is slightly different; the blue medallion on the fake (right) is too bright in colour; the 54 degree engraving shallower and less defined.

Callaway X460 Driver

The fake, here, is on the left – note how the number 9 denoting the loft is a slightly different font – and how Callaway written on the side is less defined. Note also that the plastic ferrule – which covers the join between clubhead and shaft – is slightly thinner on the fake.

…and a top view of the same clubs. The fake has a white alignment arrow, whereas the real deal has a more subtle silvery grey arrow. Yes, the one on the left is destined for the bin……

Nike SQ Driver

One of these clubs is a genuine Nike SQ driver – it has thinner but more defined face lines, with crisper edges and a cleaner finish. Got it? Yes, the fake is on the top.

The shafts are of the same clubs – and again, the impostor is the top one. Note the stronger blue and more defined decals of the genuine (bottom) one.

How come Golfbidder doesn’t get caught out?

Extreme diligence is the real answer: Our expert inspection team, made up of PGA Qualified professionals, personally handle tens of thousands of clubs every year. Every club is minutely inspected to ensure it is in the condition we expect – and then every one is individually photographed in close-up - and then described. The team has been with us for years, they take genuine pride in being able to spot a fake – they have seen thousands of the genuine articles, and on the rare occasions when someone sends us a counterfeit (having unwittingly bought it elsewhere) it stands out like sore thumb.

Golfbidder staff compare a
suspect driver with a genuine one

If you have any queries about counterfeits – or if you’re unsure of the provenance of a club you have - feel free to email a jpeg of the item to pros@golfbidder.co.uk or pop into our showroom in Surrey and we’ll be more than happy to provide whatever help we can.

Regards
The Golfbidder Team

pros@golfbidder.co.uk

Tel: 020 8401 6900