To Pinemeadow or not to Pinemeadow?

Clarence Beeks

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Morning all!

Over the weekend, I went and hit some irons at the shop, to test them out, and I came away really liking the Callaway Diablo Edge set with graphite shafts (recent rotator cuff injury, liked the lighter swing weight)

Now, if i don't have to shell out the $$$ to get that set, well, I don't want to, right? I know Pinemeadow offers a a similar clone set in their Excel Monerossa ( http://www.pinemeadowgolf.com/golf-clubs/irons/excel.monterossa.irons )

Background - my irons are the last thing to be replaced in the bag - woods are already Diablo Edges, Oddessy putter, Jaws 60deg wedge.

4H and 50deg wedge are Pinemeadows - I had ordered them to see if too good was to be true, and have been satisfied to no end with the hybrid. The wedge has a lower success rate, but that's operator error, honestly.

Thoughts? Or would I be just copping out/cheaping out/missing the Callaways?

Thanks Hackers!
 
Don't bother with PM. The quality isnt there. If you want an alternitive look into Golfworks. Have them build you a set. There clubs are the real deal. Not made to look like.
 
Im not a proponent of clones. If one wants to save money, they can find many sets based on previous years models or find components that fit their game. Clones are many times not made up to the same level of QC as others, have very little R&D and do nothing more than create a club that looks like another that is popular. Nothing wrong with smaller companies and many offer some very good equipment in the way of components.
 
+2. I would avoid clones at all cost. The quality is just not there. To save money there are options out there to purchase pre-owned clubs from all the major OEM's in great condition at reduced prices. As noted, there are small companies as well that offer good clubs at lower prices.
 
Thanks gang, that's what i felt in my gut, just wanted to run it past here.
 
Update:

A set of Taylor Burner Plus irons followed me home last night. :act-up:
 
Not really a fan of clones. Nothing wrong with lesser names, but I just don't know about copying a club closely.
 
I don't call these clones. I consider these to be knock-offs. They look similar but the name doesn't come close to what the real name is.

I consider a club to be a clone if it looks similar and the name is close to what the real name is: Big Bertha - Big Bubba or some other variation. A counterfeit looks the same, has the same name but is not made by the manufacturer.
 
Old thread I know but you guys are wrong about Pinemeadow Golf. They are great clubs and high quality. I have used them since 2005 and quality is superb, never had a problem. Just bought a set of irons and they are wonderful! Will be adding more clubs from them soon. If you havent used them how can you comment?
 
They are not all clones and they have several original designs.

Not everything is a clone, but I dont see a whole lot of originality there. I love when a company sells by saying this

"Compare price and features to Odyssey BackStryke"

Why not create something on your own and market it accordingly rather than just trying to "borrow" someone elses design.
 
Not everything is a clone, but I dont see a whole lot of originality there. I love when a company sells by saying this

"Compare price and features to Odyssey BackStryke"

Why not create something on your own and market it accordingly rather than just trying to "borrow" someone elses design.

I'd have to agree. If I wanted to save some money I'd rather buy a used 'real deal' set from a reputable used equipment dealer. JMHO
 
I also love how it says added distance through carry and roll, who in the heck wants their irons to have a lot of roll out. Guess they dont believe in holding greens lol. If they work for you great but I know I will never support a company that makes clones.
 
Not everything is a clone, but I dont see a whole lot of originality there. I love when a company sells by saying this

"Compare price and features to Odyssey BackStryke"

Why not create something on your own and market it accordingly rather than just trying to "borrow" someone elses design.

So then how come your Srixon Z-Star irons cavities look almost identical to Calloway X-20 cavities?? Everything is copied, don't fool yourself.
 
Really guys?

Let's not feed the fire.
 
So then how come your Srixon Z-Star irons cavities look almost identical to Calloway X-20 cavities?? Everything is copied, don't fool yourself.

If that is what you believe, all the power to you. I have both sets here and wont begin to argue with you about it. I also have a fine Folex watch some might love. :act-up:

I have no issue with component companies. Like quite a bit of them. But a straight knock off is something fairly despicable to me. Its called lack of creativity and R&D, so just copy something and hope that someone wants to have something that looks like a "real" set for less money.

Almost more comical in this is the fact that Pine Meadow themselves (Production Manager) dont bother putting their name on their "original" line of fine wedges. Chris Carnahan put his own name on that.
 
Well, maybe I can me the man in the middle here.

I have owned a clone or two in my day. I have had clones that performed well, and clones that did not. I like some clones. However, I have not liked a single clone as much as I like the stuff I have now, all older clubs from major OEMs. The average age of a club in my bag is about 4 years, and NONE of the clones I used came close to the performance that I am getting now. Do they have their place? Sure, for people who are broke or just getting into the game. Otherwise, I avoid them.
 
JB let me refresh your memory about what you said of Pinemeadow's crappy clubs....here is what you said about those Carnahan wedges, "Took these out to the range today and have to say was pretty impressed. Extremely versatile wedge that has a really nice and soft feel to it"

But I guess you'd be shocked that I can stick greens with my crappy Pinemeadow irons :confused2:
 
JB let me refresh your memory about what you said of Pinemeadow's crappy clubs....here is what you said about those Carnahan wedges, "Took these out to the range today and have to say was pretty impressed. Extremely versatile wedge that has a really nice and soft feel to it"

But I guess you'd be shocked that I can stick greens with my crappy Pinemeadow irons :confused2:

You may want to actually take in what I am saying rather than trying to start an argument. Where did I say that Carnahan wedges were not good? In fact what I just said a few posts ago was this.

Almost more comical in this is the fact that Pine Meadow themselves (Production Manager) dont bother putting their name on their "original" line of fine wedges.
 
The fact of the matter is that clone/copied things may work. It's just the premise of taking another company's hard earned R&D and churning out your own blatant copies that irks a few of us. It's like plagiarizing something in school. You may get a good mark if you aren't caught, but it will never be your own, and you can't really feel proud of that work (speaking from a company's POV and not a consumer's POV).

Pinemeadow Golf openly states on their website as to being a clone, and therefore condones plagiarism and stealing other peoples' work IMO, and that is where I leave that.

JB let me refresh your memory about what you said of Pinemeadow's crappy clubs....here is what you said about those Carnahan wedges, "Took these out to the range today and have to say was pretty impressed. Extremely versatile wedge that has a really nice and soft feel to it"

But I guess you'd be shocked that I can stick greens with my crappy Pinemeadow irons :confused2:
 
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The fact of the matter is that clone/copied things may work. It's just the premise of taking another company's hard earned R&D and churning out your own blatant copies that irks a few of us. It's like plagiarizing something. You may get a good mark if you aren't caught, but it will never be your own, and you can't really feel proud of that work (speaking from a company's POV and not a consumer's POV).

Pinemeadow Golf openly states on their website as to being a clone, and therefore condones plagiarism and stealing other peoples' work IMO, and that is where I leave that.

Well said.
 
I use clone clubs from Giga Golf. Other than the price, what attracted me to them was the custom building - I'm 2* upright for irons, and I ordered my driver - .5". I looked around locally and checked on-line for used LH equipment from the brand-name OEMs and just couldn't find any that had the correct adjustments. I'm reluctant to have irons adjusted at a golf store or pro shop because there is some risk of breakage (at least that's what I have been told), so I decided that going the clone route was better. I considered Pine Meadow, but I didn't like the appearance of any of their LH offerings.

Anyway, I can't say I'm disappointed with the clubs, but I'm not 100% pleased, either. They are definitely better than the off-the-shelf Ram clubs I had been using - I noticed an immediate improvement. However, the irons are showing more wear than I expected, and the driver has something rattling around the inside since the last time I changed the weights, so I would say the weight mountings are probably not sturdy enough. So, I'm inclined to think that there is validity to the notion that clone equipment is lower quality.

Also, upon closer examination, the clubs are not really that similar to the brand-name designs they are supposed to resemble, so I would question the need for the comparison in the first place. Not that it was a selling point for me - I was attracted by the custom building and low prices.

I will definitely be looking to upgrade to brand-name OEM in the future - there are too many design features out there now that are not truly replicated in the clone clubs, plus the brand name stuff looks much better, IMO.
 
I owned a PIne Meadow 60* wedge early in my golf career. I got it for a good price, ($19 new I think), and it really helped me play around and learn how to hit different shots w/o investing much $. Once I decided I wanted to keep the 60* in my bag for a while I bought a major OEM club. I did notice slightly better performance with the OEM club but I didn't really feel like I missed too much with the Pine Meadow. This was a couple of years ago. With where I'm at today I don't think I would go back to a clone. It that performance or ego talking? Probably both.
 
Clone companies dont have the buying power to purchase the right materials to make great golf clubs for THAT cheap. So they cut corners on materials, which sacrifice feel, design, performance, etc.

Id probably use a clone wedge, or blade iron, but anything to do with technology or forgiveness, youre pretty much begging for garbage. Especially with drivers.
 
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