We recently received a counterfeit Titleist 716 AP2 iron set, but we were able to identify that they were fake. Below are some comparison photos between the counterfeit iron and an authentic version, as well as some of the factors that helped us identify the inauthentic clubs.
Counterfeit Titleist 716 AP2 Iron Set Differences
- This is one of the more obvious fakes that we’ve spotted. The design differences with the text on the cavity are very poorly done on the counterfeit. It would be hard to pass these by almost anyone as legitimate.
- The most noticeable and poorly done difference is in the “Tungsten” text. On the counterfeit club, this text is a completely different font. The letters are very close together, and it is not italicized. This is a glaringly obvious difference.
- The AP2 logo isn’t quite as obvious, but there is a subtle difference. The indentions in the “2” on the counterfeit club are very rounded. The real club cuts into the “2” at the top and bottom at a much sharper angle.
- The Titleist logo in the cavity is a pretty close replicate to the real thing in terms of font, but the finish is more of a matted silver. It is not as shiny as the finish on the authentic logo.
- There are also slight differences to the text of the word “Forged”, though very minor. The placement of the word is higher, more towards the sole on the authentic club.
- The black rubber piece inside the cavity with the Titleist logo on it is different. On the authentic version, this piece has eleven raised lines, while the fake club only has nine.
- A simple eye-test shows how different the angles and sizes of components within the cavity are in comparing the two clubs. All of the pieces within the counterfeit cavity are much smaller and tighter than on the real club.
- The creator of these counterfeit clubs did a much better job at matching the head shape than they did at getting the details of the design correct. There aren’t any obvious differences that just stand out when comparing the faces. But when viewing from the soles, we can again see the discrepancies.
- The sole of the authentic club is slightly broader, making for larger overall head size.
- From the sole, it is easy to see the differences in the cavity again. The components inside the cavity on the counterfeit club do not sit nearly as deep within the cavity as they do in the authentic version.
- The wear on the sole is consistent with cast clubs, not forged.
- Another thing to note that is common on a lot of counterfeit clubs is the holographic sticker on the shaft just under the shaft label. On all authentic clubs that have holographic stickers, the sticker is usually under the grip on the underside of the shaft, or down by the hosel of the club also on the underside of the shaft. Counterfeiters seem to think that putting in a visible location will fool more people.
- The Titleist text on the grips is not straight. The font is clearly off when compared to how this text looks on an authentic grip. The grips also have a strong rubber smell, which is common with counterfeits.
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