Clone vs real thing

I am new to the forum so if this has been covered b/4, forgive me. I play with an old set of Tommy Armour ti-100 and am about ready to upgrade. I am looking at a Clone of the new Callaway x-18 (I think, may be x-19). My question is; Is there that much difference, in general, between a clone and the real thing? Also, how important are custom clubs. I.E. Lie angle, type and length of shaft etc?

We have had several debates on here as to which is better, clones or OEMs. What usually comes out is that the best choice is component clubs. The reasoning is that OEMs are expensive because of the advertising they do, and clone companies come and go and you will have trouble with warranty, consistancy of the heads. Many of the component companies have been around for a while, provide great customer service, provide exceptional quality products but don't have the high advertising costs.

If you are looking for irons, try Snake Eyes (www.golfsmith.com) or Dynacraft (www.dynacraftgolf.com or www.golfquip.com in Canada.)

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Clones generally are trying to make a quick buck by creating some lookalike heads - some of the proprietary technology just isn't there in clones (such as weight distribution, aerodynamics, and in putters, insert materials).

Example: I have both a 2ball clone and an actual 2ball. The clone is much heavier, and the insert is not the same as the Odyssey White Hot. But it sure LOOKS like an Odyssey!

That said, when it comes to irons, I would buy clone heads (ok, I did buy clone heads, and assembled them myself), and get them built by a respectable clubmaker. There's not too much technology going into irons, per se, (yes, weighting, but there's not much to do for irons, IMHO). In fact, my brother-in-law bought some Pinemeadow clone irons, and loved them. We pulled and spined the shafts, and now he loves them even more.

But generally speaking the best performing, best value clubs are component (SMT, SnakeEyes, Dynacraft, LogicTech, Maltby, etc). They're developped like OEMS, but without the big price. And for those that want to play Tour equipment, we're starting to see more and more pro's using components (Voodoo Putters, Yes! Putters, SMT drivers).

As for custom fitting, it's well worth it. Even if you're average height (so clubs aren't adjusted for lie or length) it quite important to have shafts that fit your swing. Too stiff, and you'll never load them properly (and may lose balls right), too flexible, and you'll overload the shaft and spray balls everywhere. And don't be fooled by the letters. One companies' 'R' flex is another companies' 'S' flex, and a thirds' 'A' flex.

__________________
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter - www.pcsgep.com
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

Gord,

Thought I had decided on club heads, but second thoughts. If I wanted clubs like the Taylor Made RAC ST 2s, which components would I order from say Dynacraft or Golf Smith? Ther are about 9 million heads. Also, would you recommed paying 40.00 for a swing analysis?

I read that Callaway bought the #1 cloner of their clubs (based in china). So they can sell both segments of the market.

If you are looking for a high quality component from Golfsmith, you would be looking at the 600 Snake Eyes series. The 600B's are the blades, the 600C's are the cavity back version of the 600B's and the 600XC's are larger and have a deeper cavity than the 600C's. You may even want to consider building yourself a combo set of these:

3i - 4i - 600XC
5i - 7i - 600C
8i - PW - 600B

or something similar.

I'm not sure what Dynacraft's components are for their top of the line series - Graham (TeachingPro) would eb the most familiar with the Dynacraft line as I believe they sponsored him for a while.

As for the swing analysis, DEFINITELY get a swing analysis. This will tell you what shafts you need and the correct swing weight for your swing.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

I've heard quite a few good thing's about the Pinemeadow irons and think I'm gonna to take a shot on a set with good shaft's and grip's..