Xeon M-2 Putter

There is a large market for cloned golf clubs, which look like original designs from top manufacturers but are available at a fraction of the cost. These clubs have enough design variation to make them unique from the original, but on the other hand they have enough similarities in color, shape and overall look to confuse an uninformed customer. The Xeon M2, for example, is not a bad putter, it just isn't exactly the same club as the original it is designed to look like. Golf club clones are the equivalent of knockoffs in the clothing industry.

The Xeon M2 is an oversized, open mallet head design with a red, synthetic face insert to give the club feel when used with harder two-piece golf balls. The majority of the club head weight is distributed around the perimeter of the club to widen the sweet spot and stabilize the club for off-center hits.

Xeon touts its dotted line alignment aid as one of its primary advantages over other putters. The white top line of the putter has a dotted line extending back from the face through the center of the sweet spot, allowing the golfer to get a very clear idea of the line she is set up on before initiating a putting stroke.

Original suggested price for the Xeon M2 was about $70, a substantial savings compared to the original suggested price for the TaylorMade Monza Corza of about $180. Since these clubs have been available on the market for a few years, prices for used and remaindered items are substantially lower at about $30 and $100, respectively.

The dotted line alignment aid on the Xeon is only the most immediate cosmetic difference compared to the straight line aid on the TaylorMade club. The Monza Corza features more substantial weight distribution and adjustable weight technology in the back of the club. Many consumers chalk up the difference in price to merely profiteering by big brands, but in actuality the biggest percentage of the price difference in these cases is in quality control and manufacturing. The big-brand clubs are simply original designs that are made with more quality.