Do Golfers Fake it?

[Slab]

There’s a study out in the papers saying 90% are morally against fake goods but 50% of folks have actually bought a fake something or other (I'm assuming knowingly rather than conned)

Do you think this is replicated in the golf community, meaning every other golfer has a fake piece of gear (not just talking about the clubs here but all the apparel & accessories used by club & social players including clothing?)

Can a fake at the right price be a bargain?

As I understand it it’s against the UK law to manufacture &/or sell fake goods but remember reading that it’s not illegal to buy fake goods for personal use. Not sure if this is true though

 

[NST]

I hate fake goods, I'd rather wear a t shirt from primark than a fake. As for fake golf kit, why? It will be poor quality and won't do what the real thing is built to do.

 

[gripitripit]

Bought a few fake or "genuine copies" in Turkey a few months back...Had a good look before hand though as must is tat...But found some nice RL polos and a Breitling for 20 euros...Why not...LOL

 

[CMAC]

There’s a study out in the papers saying 90% are morally against fake goods but 50% of folks have actually bought a fake something or other (I'm assuming knowingly rather than conned)

Do you think this is replicated in the golf community, meaning every other golfer has a fake piece of gear (not just talking about the clubs here but all the apparel & accessories used by club & social players including clothing?)

Can a fake at the right price be a bargain?

As I understand it it’s against the UK law to manufacture &/or sell fake goods but remember reading that it’s not illegal to buy fake goods for personal use. Not sure if this is true though

No!

 

[Hacker Khan]

I've been to the Silk Market in Beijing twice and it's a fascinating place, 5 floors and stall after stall of fake goods (including golf clubs). Of course I stocked up on some fake clothes every time. If fact I am wearing a fake Abercrombie hoodie as I type that I got for about £7 that has lasted me 3 years and counting. And I got a fake North Face jacket for about £15 that has also lasted me 3 years and counting, and is very warm and waterproof. So in answer to the OPs question, yes fake clothes at the right price can be a complete bargain.

I think there is a problem when fake goods are being passed off as real and consumers are being conned, and I imagine there were a fair amount of people at the silk market buying stuff that they then stick on ebay. But then again I suppose the buyer contributes as well and if you want the real deal then get it from a reputable buyer. We've all seen people come on here with some obviously fake site asking if the set of TM Rocketballzs for £200 are real (well duuuurrrr).

I do not think I have unknowingly bought fake anything, but then again I have knowingly bought fake clothes which did not overly trouble me. Is buying a non fake t shirt at a bargain price from the high street made in some third world sweat shop any more morally justified than buying some fake gear that everyone (the buyer and the seller) knows is fake?

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Personally I would always prefer to buy the real McCoy , however when you look at the inflated prices of some "high end" goods ,it's no wonder that people get tempted to buy a good quality fake.

Who in their right mind is going to spend upwards of £90 on a Hugo Boss polo shirt ,
Same with computer software , in excess of £300 for full Microsoft Office is stupid, it's encouraging the racketeers , if the original goods were fairly priced, more people would be tempted to buy them.

 

[chrisd]

Personally I would always prefer to buy the real McCoy , however when you look at the inflated prices of some "high end" goods ,it's no wonder that people get tempted to buy a good quality fake.

Who in their right mind is going to spend upwards of £90 on a Hugo Boss polo shirt ,
Same with computer software , in excess of £300 for full Microsoft Office is stupid, it's encouraging the racketeers , if the original goods were fairly priced, more people would be tempted to buy them.

Totally agree with this viw

 

[Pin-seeker]

I'd never buy fake golf clubs. I did buy a few Lacoste polo tops from Turkey this year & they look pretty good until they've been through the washer a few times,but for £9 you can't complain. We also bought my son a few football kits for about £10 each & they've been spot on.

 

[spawn_ukuk]

The most important part of your golfing gear is the equipment and its never worth buying fake gear at any price.

Now if your talking about fake golf cap, fake clothes those maybe not effect your game as much, But i still prefer to buy real.

 

[mikee247]

Personally I would always prefer to buy the real McCoy , however when you look at the inflated prices of some "high end" goods ,it's no wonder that people get tempted to buy a good quality fake.

Who in their right mind is going to spend upwards of £90 on a Hugo Boss polo shirt ,
Same with computer software , in excess of £300 for full Microsoft Office is stupid, it's encouraging the racketeers , if the original goods were fairly priced, more people would be tempted to buy them.

I can take your point here but surely thats what buying expensive products is all about. if you buy a Boss shirt for £90 quid then becomes more exclusive because not all will want to do so and more importantly cant afford to do so. Its all about choice. You buy a fake because its cheap and then you know its a fake then surely you feel must fake because you are conning yourself its the real thing........ buy an original and it will feel better and more real no matter what it is. Pay more for something sometimes does make it feel more worth it and you have earn t it.

For years when I was younger I used to wear a very good fake Rolex....until it broke it was fine but it never felt quite right. Equally if anyone asked me is it fake I said yes.... Why???? Now I have a few real McCoy expensive watches which I like to wear and they feel like Ive earn t and deserve them. Im not suggesting everyone should pay top dollar for everything (I love a bargain) but over the years I have realised that if I can afford it then buy it and if I cant buy something cheaper but real. Never ever buy a fake however...

 

[Alex1975]

Rather ware/use dunlop than a fake. Defiantly think the OP does not carry over to golf, there is a product at every price point.

 

[USER1999]

I don't do fake stuff, can't see the point. I'd rather wear non branded stuff than a branded fake. Double that for equipment.

Apart from my silly titleist hat that is, which may yet appear at HFH.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I can take your point here but surely thats what buying expensive products is all about. if you buy a Boss shirt for £90 quid then becomes more exclusive because not all will want to do so and more importantly cant afford to do so. Its all about choice. You buy a fake because its cheap and then you know its a fake then surely you feel must fake because you are conning yourself its the real thing........ buy an original and it will feel better and more real no matter what it is. Pay more for something sometimes does make it feel more worth it and you have earn t it.

For years when I was younger I used to wear a very good fake Rolex....until it broke it was fine but it never felt quite right. Equally if anyone asked me is it fake I said yes.... Why???? Now I have a few real McCoy expensive watches which I like to wear and they feel like Ive earn t and deserve them. Im not suggesting everyone should pay top dollar for everything (I love a bargain) but over the years I have realised that if I can afford it then buy it and if I cant buy something cheaper but real. Never ever buy a fake however...

I'm sure you don't mean to come across this way and I apologise if I have misinterpreted, but that reply looks a bit like you saying you wore a fake watch for years as you couldn't afford real stuff. But as soon as you could you afford a few expensive watches you then condemn people for wearing fakes and say never ever buy a fake. It does come across a bit one rule for one......

.

 

[londonlewis]

The first pair of golf shoes I ever bought were off eBay. They were Nikes.
Clearly fake - although I didn't know at the time - but they were uncomfortable and the broke within a year (a huge slice from left to right across the middle of the sole, so water leaked in when it was wet).

I learned my lesson so I then purchased a solid pair of FootJoys for £90 - which are still going strong today.
I have followed this up with 3 more pairs of FootJoys and 2 other pairs of golf shoes, all of which I rotate to make sure I get great use out of them.

Fake clubs - would never
Fake golf shoes - never again
Fake clothes - not if I was buying them online
Fake watches / high end products - not a problem for me as I can't justify whacking £2k on a watch but I could suffer a fake for £30

 

[Slab]

Just realised that when I started the thread I'm sitting in the office with a fake shirt on...actually its a real shirt it just has a fake logo!

I do think most golfers would shy away from fake clubs believing them to be hugely inferior (not sure if this is the case or not and haven't seen any performance tests done)

But outwith clubs I think there will be just as many golfers who'd morally object to fake gear as in the study and just as many who'd buy it

 

[Imurg]

Whilst not condoning fakes in any way, shape or form, some golf fakes can actually be fairly decent.
There are good fakes and bad fakes - at my last club, one of my regular playing partners had a "Callaway" driver. It wasn't at all but it was a relatively decent club.
He could get 250 yards out of it and it lasted him years - I suspect he wouldn't have got any more out of the real thing and this fake cost him 20 quid against the 200 that the real thing cost.

So in answer to the question "Can a fake at the right price be a bargain" I would say that on occasions Yes it can be.

 

[swanny32]

I don't buy fake golf gear, be it clothing or equipment, got to be the real mccoy for me. Normal every day clothes I don't mind the odd fake here and there. When I was 16 I went on holiday to Dubai for a couple of weeks. They have a shopping area called Karama which is basically hundreds of shops all selling fake gear...you get hassled outside every single shop and walking 100 yards takes a lifetime due to it. I went into one shop and ended up buying a fake Quicksilver short sleeved shirt, nice colours, decent fit and only a few quid.....that was over 13 years ago and I'm still wearing it today, it's actually my favourite shirt and I wear it to almost every gig I go to...it has actually outlasted a genuine Quicksilver shirt!

Buying fakes has it's upside at times, but you got to know what fakes to buy.

 

[stevelev]

Who in their right mind is going to spend in excess of £300 for full Microsoft Office is stupid, .

If anyone has a key for the download for the full MS office suite i'd be glad to put it to use, that is as long as they paid for it. hahaha

 

[MashieNiblick]

I think my golf swing may be fake.

At first sight it looks Ok. From a distance, or when the light's poor, it might pass for the real thing, but the more you look at it, the more you can see it's not quite right. Push it a bit, or worse, let it get wet, then the poor workmanship shows up. It's obvious the various bits don't really fit together, some bits move that shouldn't and others don't move that should. On close scrutiny you can see the finish is a tad sub-standard. Inevitably before long it starts to fall apart and ends up leaking shots all over the place.

 

[londonlewis]

I can take your point here but surely thats what buying expensive products is all about. if you buy a Boss shirt for £90 quid then becomes more exclusive because not all will want to do so and more importantly cant afford to do so. Its all about choice. You buy a fake because its cheap and then you know its a fake then surely you feel must fake because you are conning yourself its the real thing........ buy an original and it will feel better and more real no matter what it is. Pay more for something sometimes does make it feel more worth it and you have earn t it.

For years when I was younger I used to wear a very good fake Rolex....until it broke it was fine but it never felt quite right. Equally if anyone asked me is it fake I said yes.... Why???? Now I have a few real McCoy expensive watches which I like to wear and they feel like Ive earn t and deserve them. Im not suggesting everyone should pay top dollar for everything (I love a bargain) but over the years I have realised that if I can afford it then buy it and if I cant buy something cheaper but real. Never ever buy a fake however...

People buy things they don't need, to impress people they don't like.

I like how you have to justify that your fake rolex was a 'very good' fake rolex.
Never ever buy fake however .... well, unless it is a fake rolex.