I'm always amazed that some people think that some websites that sell full sets for the price of two or three wedges(legit ones) can be genuine. Never is it truer than with new golf clubs, that if it is way too good to be true then it probably is

But one thing that has got me recently is, when you think of the work that goes into making these new drivers that are carbon fibre/metal mix....how do the 'fake' people do it. There is alot of work in making carbon fibre products, it is a slow process and a certain amount of skill is needed

Just a thought

Cause they use inferior products, Lewis.

Plus the 'genuine' manufacturers inflate their prices to cover costs in research and development, marketing and sponsorship, etc

Fake sellers just use spam and websites to market their items 

Lewis, 

As a specialist driver builder I see more than my fair share of counterfeit drivers, many of which are sent to me to repair after they break.

Invariably the difference between the genuine article and the counterfeit are light years apart both in terms of materials and build.

By way of example let me cite the drivers I spend most time on sleeving, re-sleeving, and generally working on - Taylor Made's R9 series:

The counterfeit heads I see are made from the very poorest of alloys; hosels are often not centered sometimes with one edge being paper thin; the teeth which receive the sleeve are way out with sometimes a couple of the teeth being half the depth of the others; and the overall internal engineering nothing like what it should be.

If the head is counterfeit the sleeve has always also been counterfeit (at least in those which I have seen) and the sleeve is invariably the most ridiculous with it being impossible to properly adjust ball flight characterists as no FCT is present and the bolt is always simple metal (not titanium) so is usually the first to break due to dry joint movement stressing an inferior brace.

I cannot always clearly determine if the Motore shaft is counterfeit or not, but many clearly are - particularly when the silver paint is matt and comes away from the shaft simply by applying and removing masking tape!

The counterfeits are never sold by authorised dealers and are usually acquired via a major auction site. One customer recently paid £260. to a company situated in Poland for a counterfeit driver which could be acquired as a genuine product for £129. in the Christmas sales!  Most buyers let the claim period expire before they do anything, and those that realise in time usually shrug their shoulders and do nothing except sometimes send the crap on to me or another club builder.

Sorry to write at such length but I am personally fed up with regularly seeing hard working golfers  gift to criminals half a week's wages for a product not worth a tenner and fail to appreciate how bad what they have bought is.  I suspect that some buyers deliberately buy counterfeit golf products believing them to be as good as the originals!       

Sanders,

thankyou for your input, since taking up golf it is something I have thought about. As well as highlighting how bad the fakes are I think the fake market also shows up how much margin there is in the Real Deal items and how marketing works.

cheers

Lewis, 

Thanks for saying "Thanks." On most forums contributors are not that courteous. Funnily enough I would guess that profit margins are far far greater on counterfeit products due to poor materials and low marketing costs. (But, simply a guess).

My final comment (in reply to your last post) is that more than 99% of UK golfers prefer to buy (often for more money) an inferior well marketed product (often bearing little resemblance to what appears to be the same product played by tour players) rather than a custom built club built from cutting edge components whose names they have often not heard of.

But then that is the power of marketing - it works from washing powder through to golf clubs.  Bentleys, Ferraris, and Lamborghinis are little marketed, and fewer sold, but their quality is unquestionable!      

Welcome back Ivan, hope you are still showing them how to do it.

Hello John,

Nice to see your face again!  It's fortunate that I returned to this forum. My style is on an occasional spare day write on a few golf forums, don't follow up, and return again in 6 months or a year's time when the next spare day arises.

I don't know about "showing them how to do it." I visited the range yesterday and a 3 handicap customer very kindly gave me half an hour of his time and showed me how to do it. We all need a second set of eyes (preferably at least once a month) and I need more help than most!

You personally more than "showed me how to do it" by a few years ago advising me to stop driving 200 miles a week for constant driver adjustments and stop laying out a fortune on club building expenses. Specifically you advised me that it was about time that I trained to build my own equipment and it was one of the very best pieces of advice which I ever received and acted on.   

I keep hitting the ball further, but my golf is no doubt getting worse and if you both want to call by soon and give me a lesson on the range that would be most welcome.

Very best wishes.

Ivan

E: sanderslongdrive@yahoo.com

Glad to see you back aswell Ivan, always enjoy your posts. John and I only mentioned you the other day in conversation and you have re-appeared (we must be careful who we talk about in our conversations JP ). Its good that you have learnt how to assemble your own sticks ,not exactly rocket science is it.

 Are you still out there at it and if so how the season go?

Dave

Hello Ivan, I can still remember our game at Corby, with those monstrous drives of yours. Three woood at the first if I remember, pin high to the flag. Over 300 yards and the course was not running at all.

Nice to hear that you are now building your own, that will save a lot of dosh in the long run.

Hi Ivan....I see your from Northants - I'm a born and bred Northamption (don't hold it against me) Loved the town growing up, but now live in N.Yorks for the last 6 years.

Are you into your rugby? My first love...but had to give up last summer.

 Big game tonight against Munster....can't wait

Guys, 

I am amazed at the friendliness on the contributors on this site! I returned again in case anyone had written and I did not wish to offend by appearing to ignore. I get nervous returning to forums due to offensive comments on the first forum where I registered. 

I am flattered to be asked questions and am pleased to briefly reply:

DAVE:  I am still "at it" but having only been into using the long sticks for three years I am still erratic. I patch one fault, and several more appear! (Just like golf). I did not compete in Europe last year - many of us vetoed the European Longdrive circuit. That circuit no longer exist. New and better beginnings are prayed for in Europe. The problems in Europe have not affected the sport's USA / world bedrock. 

I  competed in the USA last year and hit 358 yds. in neutral conditions (age 58) but failed to go through to the World Champs. due to inconsistency. New age groups have just been set up for this year's World Longdrive Champs. and I hope this year to fight it out in the 55-59 years category. I presently only have half the package though, consistency must be achieved as one has to go through around nine tournament rounds. The Americans are big (often ex-athletes) and are tough competitors. I'm a 5ft. 9ins. midget. But, fingers crossed! (I  earlier only occasionally succeeded in Europe due to only having to fight through around half that number of rounds per comp. and the events being poorly marketed. One gets lucky sometimes.)

JOHN:  I told the greenkeeper that you were playing that day. He nicked the teemarker off the 5th and placed it on the first. The first hole was really only 230 yards even though it stated 314. (P.S. My 3-wood is 48" long).

LEWIS:  Hope that the game result turned out OK. I am an athletics fan but some years ago a business colleague took me to see the Northampton Saints in action which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, it wasn't the game I enjoyed (as I did not understand the rules - the ball appeared to be travelling backwards away from the goal) but rather the crowd occasionally unexplainably erupting in glee. I stood there poker faced wondering what had happened. It was quite surreal, but extremely funny!  And, I enjoyed the pint of shandy after the game.

Any local guys please call by if you ever want to hit some range balls at Delapre Northampton  It's a lonely business there these cold nights!   (e-m address stated above).   

 Athletics....I was a javilin man when at school. When I was 14 I was able to throw 48m on Far Cotton Rec -  but I prefered basketball so stopped after a couple of years. A friend of mine (Jamie Moore) went to the Sydney olympics (trampoline) for GB and I think she now coaches in Northampton.

 Ahhh...Delapre Golf Course....That was the first time I went on a golf course - It was the winter of '91 (I was 13) and if I remember correctly it was the most amount of snow we had had before the big snow we just had. We were sledging on the course at the top end, the part that runs next to either London Rd or Towcester Rd....can't remember which

They were happy days

I also went to Delapre Middle School, I don't get back there very often now - but if I'm in the neighborhood I'll pop by. Do you work at the course?

Lewis,

I'll be pleased to hit a few balls with you when you are around.

No I don't work on the Delapre course, although I did recently enquire about working there. I'd be more than happy tending the greens. Seventh heaven. I am an unemployed property solicitor - one of the over 50% of us presently out of work!

Some think that my eBay shop is my job, but no. It is used to partially fund my travel to USA tournaments - an operation which never remotely comes close to breaking even!  Only pro golfers make money, not pro Longdrivers albeit there are a handful of exceptions.

I'm out of here now for 6 months or so. Too much attention. I'll be pleased though to chat to anyone by e-m.

Hit 'em LONG and straight!

Bye.

I.