Knock Off Golf Clubs

If you love golf, want to save money on your golf club purchase but don’t want to scrimp on quality, knock off golf clubs might just be the answer.

They're cheaper and use the same design principles that make the branded golf clubs effective.

But did you know you have to be careful about buying knock off golf clubs? You could be buying a copyright infringement without knowing it.

First, let's differentiate "knock off golf clubs" from "clone golf clubs."

You can, rightly, use the terms interchangeably.

But there's one big difference when talking about the two.

Clone golf clubs are clubs that are designed using similar technology and design principles as the branded ones.

They also use the same materials. That's because clone golf club manufacturers are not technology leaders, they're followers. They imitate and adapt what leading golf makers have created, within the limits of the law, of course.

Knock off golf clubs, on the other hand, can (and I stress the word "can") be created not only to infringe a design copyright, but also to deceive or confuse you into thinking you're buying the branded name.

Remember Cobra brand's King Cobra line? Its knock off was the King Snake, something that confused many golf club buyers into thinking that they're buying the same thing.

Now, not all or even most of what we call "knock off golf clubs" are designed to confuse golfers.

In fact, the vast majority of manufacturers are perfectly legitimate companies, and there's no problem whatsoever in buying this type of club.

When it comes to consumer items such as cars, it's common to find designs that look slightly similar.

Witness how the SUVs from different manufacturers look like each other's sibling – a few design tweaks here and there and you get an adaptation of the first design that comes out of the market, all legal, ethical and fair.

The reason why no car manufacturer is suing another is because these designs are cloned. Meaning, they have similar design and feature principles but are not meant to deceive their customers into thinking they're buying something else.

For example, you'd never buy a Honda car thinking you're paying for a Toyota, right?

In the same manner, knock off golf clubs are prohibited from fooling customer's eyes by trying to pass off as the original.

So as long as a clone or knock off manufacturer isn't trying to deceive you into thinking you're buying something else, then there shouldn't be any legal issue at all.

They use materials and design principles similar to those used by leading golf club manufacturers, but they do so with the intent of providing "generic" choices to customers.

Legitimate knock off or clone golf clubs are not there to make you think you're buying the brand name.

Compared to traditional brand name golf clubs, legal knock offs are cheaper, with prices that can range from 50% to as much as 75% lower, with nearly the same quality level and design.

Manufacturers who produce legal knock offs can sell their products at cheaper prices because they don’t have the same expenses as brand name manufacturers, who have to spend for product research and development, product and brand marketing and pay for professional endorsements.

For all their value in terms of savings and quality, legal knock off golf clubs also have a couple minor disadvantages for some golfers.

First, they don’t have the prestige that branded golf clubs have and many golfers who prefer to develop image over savings don’t like the fact that they sort of put a damper on their style. If that's not a problem for you, then you can ignore that aspect of clones.

Second, if you're looking for the latest in design and technology, knock off golf clubs don’t offer the very latest. They're really just followers of the trends that brand name manufacturers discover and put out. This isn't to say knock offs aren't advanced. They are, in fact, just as advanced as all but the very latest name-brand clubs.

Generally speaking, the part of the golf club that is often cloned or knocked off is the club head. This is where much of the new technology and innovation are focused and offered.

Most manufacturers of knock off golf clubs and clones usually have the same sources for shafts and grips as do the major manufacturers.

So is it okay to buy a knock off or a clone golf club?

As long as you know for sure that the manufacturers do not, in any way, try to persuade you into believing it is the original or at least a product of the original manufacturer, you can try a knock off golf club for yourself.

As long as material quality, design and make are at par, a knock off golf club's brand and price will not be the sole determinant of how it will perform. Know what to look for and what constitutes value and you will be able to wield a knock off golf club as an effective weapon, as much as you would a much higher-priced original.