Recently a member of the forum purchased some Ping G15s that turned out to be fake. Today, a full set of Ping G15 clubs were put up for sale on the forum that were determined to be fake. I thought I'd post this thread to help educate people on what we should be looking out for when we are buying clubs, both in general and in G15s in particular.
Generally, these are things that should get your spidey senses tingling:
-clubs are being sold as a full, matching set including the bag
-the bag can be a big tip-off when it doesn't look like a current retail line bag from the manufacturer
-bubble wrap
-cellophane wrapping of clubheads, especially Scotty Cameron putters which do not come with plastic wrapped heads.
-a below market price
None of those are necessarily proof that an item is fake, but they are things that should trigger you to do a bit more homework on the item you are considering purchasing.
In the case of the Ping G15s that have been offered for sale around Ottawa recently, I've attached two pictures below of the irons, one from the Ping website, and one of fakes that have been offered for sale here in Ottawa.
As you can see there are a few subtle differences:
-it's a bit hard to tell because of the plastic wrap, though you can definitely see it on the hosels, but the fakes have a polished finish, whereas the authentic G15s have that satin look that most Ping irons have.
-the fonts are a little off. The 'Ping' in the emblem on the cavity back is a different size in the authentic picture, as well as the little red slots below the 'Ping'. Also the '15' is a bit thicker on the fake clubs than on the authentic G15
In fact, the fonts and graphics are usually a very good way to distinguish between fake and authentic clubs.
Attachment 22462 Attachment 22463
