Zazbot Discount Shopping

So I was in China about four or five years ago and I bought some of these counterfeit Callaway golf clubs. I bought a full set of clubs with head covers, a bag, a travel bag, and even some golf balls – all for $200 Canadian. What a steal? So I used these counterfeit golf clubs for two years and it was funny what happened. One by one, each one of these clubs began to snap at the shaft near the hosel of the club head. It was extremely amusing for me and my golf partners when I took a big swing at the ball just to watch my club disintegrate before their eyes. At least I can say that (about replicate golf clubs) – they were a great sense of entertainment.

After I repaired all of these clubs, over a period of three years, it became clear to me that I was spending just as much money as if I had bought a brand-new set of Big Bertha clubs. “If I had known then what I know now”, as the saying goes.

So after I realized how futile it was buying and using replica golf clubs, I got smart and went and bought a real set of Callaway clubs. Of course, the shafts have not broken and I have not had any problems. If I didn’t have any problems however, I would have my warranty kick in and my clubs would be replaced. The whole experience has been funny say the least. So this goes out as a warning to anybody who thinks purchasing replica golf clubs (or should I say counterfeit) is a worthwhile endeavor. It simply isn’t! I highly urge you to go ahead and spend the dollars on a real set of clubs and have the warranty that comes with them. There are more reasons than I have just listed for my opinion, which I will get into now.

(picture has nothing to do with counterfeit golf clubs, but I figure you would appreciate it)

It Takes Time to Get Used to a Set of Golf Clubs

Any time you buy a new set of golf clubs it will take time before you get used to how they feel in your hand and how they make impact with the ball. That is just a fact. In my case, it takes me about two full seasons (two years) before I have any confidence in the new golf clubs I have purchased. Maybe for others it doesn’t take that long, but I only play about once or twice a week in the summer seasons. Those two years that I used the counterfeit clubs were a complete waste of time because I ended up having to get rid of them and throw them in the garbage anyway. If I had bought a real set of clubs in the first place, I would have been used to them and my game would be much better. I still have not got used to my brand-new real set of Callaway’s, because I had gotten so used to the counterfeits I had. So why waste your time learning how to use a set of golf clubs you know are going to just break and disintegrate. I mean disintegrate literally!

I was recently in Palm Springs playing golf with some friends down there, and we were on a long par three. I took my counterfeit clubs with me to Palm Springs because I didn’t want to risk having my new (and real) golf clubs stolen on the plane, or anywhere else for that matter. I pulled out my 7 iron to use off the tee box because this was a par three, at around 165-170 yards long. I took a big full swing and the seven iron literally exploded! The club head disappeared into the water, and more dramatically, the shaft of the club (which was graphite) completely disintegrated before our eyes.

Once again, this was a source of great amusement for my group, and I have to say myself. We all laughed when we looked at this graphite shaft which was split all the way up to the grip in about six or seven places. Like I said, it completely disintegrated and there was nothing left to the shaft. Over time, these counterfeit clubs start to wear out and the shoddy manufacturing begins to show itself in the most dramatic way.

So if you are considering the purchase of a counterfeit set of golf clubs I highly recommend you steer clear of the whole idea. Save yourself the time, the hassle, and embarrassment of even owning counterfeit clubs. It is against the law anyway, so why even bother walking on the dark side.

I never thought of reading something on the Internet about counterfeit golf clubs before I purchased these. I was just in a market in Shanghai and my eyes popped out of my head when I saw how cheap these clubs were. Of course, in brand-new condition these clubs almost looked as good as the real McCoy. The bag is immaculate and clean, and the irons shined in the light. The head covers were brand-new and the stitching suggested that they are worthy of my dollar.

Of course, they’re not. The bag fell apart within the first year and the lining pretty well disintegrated entirely. When you open a zipper up on this particular counterfeit Callaway golf bag, there is nothing there to hold your golf balls and your golf paraphernalia. It’s hilarious actually. The head covers also came apart within the first two years of owning them. The stitching began to go on the driver head cover almost immediately. In every aspect, my experience with counterfeit golf clubs is comical to say the least.

When I was over in China shopping in the markets, I saw dozens of men with their eyeballs popping out of their heads just like mine were. We were all giddy with the great fortune that was being beset upon us. We were all grinning and chuckling like a bunch of pubescent children. We were even more excited when we thought we were haggling with these Chinese merchants and getting another $20 carved off their asking price. Not only were we getting a heck of a deal on the clubs, we were getting a deal on top of a deal! The comedy of this still makes me grin as I am typing today.

You have to admit, it is quite ingenious what the Chinese have managed to do with selling their counterfeit goods. They managed to convince us Westerners to pull out good money from our pockets and pay for garbage products – and feel really good about it. When I came back from Shanghai I had purchased 13 different counterfeit watches, which all (all!) fell apart, or stopped working over the first year after being home in Canada.

I would suggest to anybody that goes to China, to keep their hard-earned money in their pocket, and learn something about the country and the amazing people that live in it. I think the Chinese people are beautiful, and extremely warm. Before I went to China, I didn’t understand their culture and I didn’t understand their way of thinking. I used to think the Chinese people seemed to be a little bit cold and cut off from others. How wrong I was. How incredibly wrong I was.

It seems to me now after being in China that the Chinese people are more connected to this universe than us Anglo-Saxons. They don’t waste much time with insincere niceties, but when they do speak to you – you get a sense they are being genuine – even when they are pulling your hat down around your ears .  They seem to mean what they say when they say it.

Anyways I’m getting off topic, and it is time to go. Steer clear of the the counterfeit clubs my fellow golfers.

Tags: callaway, china, chinese, counterfeit, golf clubs, shanghai

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