![](/uploads/1/2/6/9/126989167/260527963.jpg)
![Taylormade Taylormade](/uploads/1/2/6/9/126989167/323985761.jpg)
There’s good news about the problem of counterfeit golf clubs: Progress is being made.Steve Gingrich, vice president of global legal enforcement for Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO, noted recently that fewer instances of counterfeit clubs are being found in stores and golf shops in the past couple of years. “However,” he said, “investigations have revealed that many shops have access to counterfeit product and will try to accommodate a sale if the customer presses for a copy product.”Of course, the market still thrives below the surface, especially through direct-to-consumer websites.
Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group has worked with international law enforcement to seize more than a million fake clubs since 2004 and shut down dozens of websites dealing in counterfeit products.According to Jason Rocker, the group’s spokesman, 90 percent of the more than two million fake products sold each year are produced in China and sold online and in small shops there. Easier means of shipping individual products directly to consumers maintains the flow of fake products globally, and though the lure of low-priced versions of today’s most popular clubs can be powerful, it’s worth remembering that you might be getting exactly what you pay for.A recent Golf Digest test showed that one counterfeit driver was 15 or more yards shorter and produced a ball flight 50 yards farther to the right. The counterfeit version was 50 grams heavier.The best thing you can do to ensure you're purchasing a legitimate product is to verify that the retailer, online or brick-and-mortar, is listed as an authorized distributor of the brand you’re buying.Want to see video of a recent counterfeit raid? Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our (updated 1/1/2020) and (updated 1/1/20). Do Not Sell My Personal Information Golf Digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of DISCOVERY GOLF, INC.©2020 DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. All rights reserved.
May 13, 2017 TaylorMade serial numbers are normally put on with a laser and are smooth to the touch just like most counterfeit clubs. Normally, the counterfeit serial numbers are in a different font and specifically a larger font. On many of the newer Taylormade drivers and fairway woods, the real serial number will be very light colored gray writing. A little easier to tell apart than the TaylorMade above, you can see that the font used for the number 9 denoting the loft is slightly different on the fake (left). The letters used in ’ Big Bertha ’ are a little thinner; the sweeping white line at the bottom reaches all the way to the ferrule on the fake.
![](/uploads/1/2/6/9/126989167/260527963.jpg)