Real v. Fake Scottys

[dang3rtown]

As many of you may have seen, yesterday's blog post was MGS's most recent entry into their on going quest to infuriate Titleist! They tested real Scotty Cameron putters versus some fakes and... the fakes had a slight edge in performance. You should absolutely read the article and the comments below as well! It's a great piece and MGS absolutely makes it clear that no person should be buying counterfeit product. Now, who thinks MGS is a beacon of truth in an incestuous industry, who thinks MGS is promoting illegal products and who thinks just maybe, there is some nuance that needs to be considered!

 

I'll just be here eating some popcorn, working on some putts.

[JudgeSmails]

I think it was a great article, and I was not at all surprised by the outcome.   The one drawback I see, even though we know MGS would not condone actually purchasing counterfeits is, many of the comments I've seen are from people wanting to know where they can get one of the fake ones......and unfortunate by-product of a well-intentioned and well executed test.

[Brian A]

I have to admit I was surprised by the results.

 

As someone who has used a counterfeit club (dint buy but borrowed from a friend just to see what it was like) You could tell the difference (but it was a wood)

[poprocksncoke]

I was surprised as well, I had a friend that got a fake Cameron off Ebay years ago.  I tried it and no way it would compare with the original, maybe the counterfeiters have gotten that much better since then.

[MDGolfHacker]

I'm pretty sure I had a fake Cleveland wedge... Performed the same as a real one.. Shanks on the toe went the same distance and it got lost on the course just as easy as my real Cleveland wedges... Lol

 

MDGolfHacker

[cnosil]

I was one of the testers of the putter and both putters performed exactly the same for me.  The only glaring difference to me was the weight difference in the putters;  the real cameron was significantly heavier.  After the test when I was told one was a counterfeit club,  you could start to notice the subtle differences between the two clubs.   Both clubs were in basically new condition so you couldn't tell if the counterfeit clubs would start to degrade over time.

 

I think the moral of what this test proves is that counterfeit clubs are made inexpensively but look almost exactly the same as the real club and unless you are comparing the clubs side by side you can't tell the difference.  Ultimately buy from authorized or trusted sources/re-sellers to help ensure the putter is real because you probably can't tell the difference.  

[ole gray]

I appreciate the fact that MGS has the balls to test any and all equipment to bring the facts to consumers. With that said, it does not endorse the winner of the test because in the end, the consumers have a mind set to what they are going to buy. Fake or real is no big deal to those  who know what they want.   It's just information folks!

[xxio]

I had 2 comments that were never printed.

 

Basically saying even if a counterfeit is not condoned, when you bring attention to it the couterfeiters/theives get what they want.

 

I'm sure if there were counterfeit mygolfspy things, website, or someone just giving away (not making money) golfspy items without permission or acknowledgement we would might have different views of counterfeits.

[ole gray]

I had 2 comments that were never printed.

 

Basically saying even if a counterfeit is not condoned, when you bring attention to it the couterfeiters/theives get what they want.

 

I'm sure if there were counterfeit mygolfspy things, website, or someone just giving away (not making money) golfspy items without permission or acknowledgement we would might have different views of counterfeits.

 

I had one comment that never showed up however it might have been a good thing.   

[Zeasy]

Brandwashing is real. The real question here is what exactly are you getting from an OTR Scotty other than an AM&E cover and a heavier (too heavy imo) head?

[dang3rtown]

Brandwashing is real. The real question here is what exactly are you getting from an OTR Scotty other than an AM&E cover and a heavier (too heavy imo) head?

 

Well, you're paying for the intellectual property that produced the putter. A big part of what makes a Scotty Cameron putter great, is the designs made by Mr. Cameron. The build and quality is one thing but many people are capable of producing a high quality product. The truly hard part is designing a product that functions well in the first place. When you buy that SC putter, you are paying for access to Scotty's intellectual property. When you purchase a fake, you are guilty of IP theft. 

More to the point, golf is a game that prides itself on oftentimes brutal honesty. Just a week ago, a high school athlete disqualified her entire team from states because of a self correction on a score card. We celebrate that in the golf community! I consider theft a form of cheating on the highest order. I'm glad that MGS did the test, it showed that manufacturing is replicable by many factories and people, that the build of a putter isn't magic but, you have to remember, the only thing these cheats can do is copy, they can't produce innovation.

[mtisdale]

I love that MGS writes the truth on products and gives us the facts whether or not people like the results. But, at the same time when it comes to counterfeit products any media coverage (good or bad) just helps them out as there are always people looking for cheaper options. Even thou MGS condones the purchase of counterfeit products it just helps shed light that they out there and in this case pretty good.  

 

This is a test I personally think MGS should have not done. It's one thing to test brand vs brand, where companies develop and market and sell their own product not just rip someone else off and sell it under the same name. Comparing product against an illegal counterfeit product should be left alone.

[xxio]

Brandwashing is a different issue and is not a justification for bringing counterfeit products to the spotlight.

 

My sister is an entrepreneur and has had some of her products copied, reproduced, and sold online. The counterfeit items may be even be better but does that mean it is okay to feature products you know to be counterfeit. Using the fact that it is counterfeit as a vital part of the issue.

 

 

 

I agree with the statement about comparing other brands, I mentioned it in my unpublished comment. There are many exact iterations of the Newport/Anser/BB1, etc. in fact there is a rumor of a stolen CAD for one of the Cameron putters.

 

Why not compare those? Probably because it won't bring enough controversy and views.

[JAGolfore]

Well, you're paying for the intellectual property that produced the putter. A big part of what makes a Scotty Cameron putter great, is the designs made by Mr. Cameron. The build and quality is one thing but many people are capable of producing a high quality product. The truly hard part is designing a product that functions well in the first place. When you buy that SC putter, you are paying for access to Scotty's intellectual property. When you purchase a fake, you are guilty of IP theft.

More to the point, golf is a game that prides itself on oftentimes brutal honesty. Just a week ago, a high school athlete disqualified her entire team from states because of a self correction on a score card. We celebrate that in the golf community! I consider theft a form of cheating on the highest order. I'm glad that MGS did the test, it showed that manufacturing is replicable by many factories and people, that the build of a putter isn't magic but, you have to remember, the only thing these cheats can do is copy, they can't produce innovation.

I will agree to some point but the putters tested were old ping designs.

 

My question is how much are wet being overcharged for a mass produced product? These are not hand made by Scotty. Yes some are and those are the Tour Only ones.

 

Never buy these counterfeit clubs but we the consumer control price. If we wouldn't purchase the $300 putter they wouldn't sell the $300 putter.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[Key.lloyd]

I was one of the testers of the putter and both putters performed exactly the same for me. The only glaring difference to me was the weight difference in the putters; the real cameron was significantly heavier. After the test when I was told one was a counterfeit club, you could start to notice the subtle differences between the two clubs. Both clubs were in basically new condition so you couldn't tell if the counterfeit clubs would start to degrade over time.

 

I think the moral of what this test proves is that counterfeit clubs are made inexpensively but look almost exactly the same as the real club and unless you are comparing the clubs side by side you can't tell the difference. Ultimately buy from authorized or trusted sources/re-sellers to help ensure the putter is real because you probably can't tell the difference.

Haha! How is that your takeaway? Why would I spend 300 at a retailer when they can't even out-perform the counterfeit

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[EthanSterlingPrice]

Haha! How is that your takeaway? Why would I spend 300 at a retailer when they can't even out-perform the counterfeit

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using MyGolfSpy mobile app

gotta consider quality control from club to club. The fellas making the counterfeit probably won't work as hard at it as the real deal. I do agree that they're way too expensive though.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[xxio]

Then don't buy the counterfeit. Buy the walmart/costco putter or even a Dunlop/etc.

 

If you are knowingly buying a counterfeit because as the test says, there is no difference, then you are knowingly supporting and bringing attention to theives.

[revkev]

Clearly MGS didn't intend to endorse counter fit clubs - whether they did so unintentionally is a good topic of discussion but I'm not so interested in it here so I'll refrain from commenting on that further.

 

What I am intrigued by is the topic of why we play golf.  If I've learned one thing from my five plus years as a MGS member its that shooting the lowest score possible is rarely the reason why people play golf - very rarely!  People play golf because it makes them feel good about themselves - an element of that may be the score that they shoot, it might be the distance that they hit the ball, it might be how they look, it might be the status of the clubs that they bag, the friends they play with - whatever it is it's because they feel good.

 

Therefore one guy might feel good because he has a cheap, bargain basket putter that he bought at Costco for $49.99 while another guys feels good with his $500 Scotty regardless of whether or not the Scotty actually out performs the Costco one.  Perhaps he doesn't feel comfortable using a putter that doesn't have a tour presence - perhaps he's a guy who prides himself on flying against the grain and he would be unhappy with a club that is used on tour.

 

This test and the subsequent comments have reminded me about this important tidbit - what makes one golf feel good may not matter to the next. 

[McaseyM]

If anyone is looking for a fake Scotty, just look to craigslist for any SCs for less than $50.  I'm NOT endorsing buying counterfeit equipment, but if the price is too good to be truth, it's either stolen or fake, 

[ole gray]

If anyone is looking for a fake Scotty, just look to craigslist for any SCs for less than $50.  I'm NOT endorsing buying counterfeit equipment, but if the price is too good to be truth, it's either stolen or fake, 

 

 

If you find any fake Cleveland TFI 2135 Mezzo putters w/OS Grip let me know!