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Probably the worst thing a weekend golfer can do is head off to Dicks Sporting Goods or one of the other big sports discount stores with the mindset that the Big Bertha driver or those Callaway irons will make a big difference in their golf game. In fact, the only thing worse than doing that is to go to Pro Shop at your local club and buy those same items, often for twice the price of Dicks, thinking they will deliver you some serious new game.

However, it can be very tempting when you see those large shiny heads perched on the end of brand new driving shafts to succumb to the notion that they could be just the key to turning your game around. Likewise, though a high end putter may run a couple hundred dollars, it still might feel really good in your hands, so good in fact that your are convinced it will make you more consistent from ten feet in.

That said, the newer golf equipment is often tempting, particularly because a certain style will often feel almost perfect in one's hands. That driver does feel powerful, that putter seems easier to line the ball up, etc.

If you find yourself tempted by the higher end equipment because of this better feel, then you should likely pay attention to it. After all, confidence is half the battle and if a certain club feels better, then when it comes time for you to pull the club from your bag you will likely pull it out with great confidence. That in turn will generally lead to better and more consistent shot making.

So if that Big Bertha driver or that Titleist Rescue wood or that Odyssey Putter gives you that feeling of confidence, then you might just want to try those type of clubs out for real. If you cannot try such new equipment at a shop or even if you do try it at the shop and find you like it, you may want to consider the fact that there are many clones on the market, clubs that are extremely similar in design yet are priced at 25 cents on the dollar.

Truth be told, many of these clones offer the same quality and performance as a name brand club would for the weekend golfer. Yes the pros might actually be able to feel or see a difference but the average golfer will never be able to sense of feel the difference.

So if you are thinking of buying a set of those Callaway, Ping, Titleist, TaylorMade or Cobra woods and irons, you should think again. Yes, these are the biggest name brand clubs on the golf market but they are also the most expensive.

The weekend golfer needs to understand that clone golf clubs are made from the same materials as the high end clubs. They are also designed to match the feel and appearance of the big name outfits, and once placed in the hands of a player with a medium caliber swing, may actually out perform the high end clubs where the entire focus is placed on a very small sweet spot. In other words, the high end clubs will only perform better if the contact point with the ball is identical every time, i.e. when used with a pro caliber swing.

The thing for the weekend golfer to remember is that the clone companies buy their club heads, shafts, and grips from the small set of suppliers that the big companies do. Clones will provide great performance but at a much better price.

So if you are tempted by those larger head drivers that run $250.00 per club or more, take a look at a clone like those offered on Pinemeadow.com, where woods are offered as low as $49.00 that will match many of those you see with the big names. That same company offers a putter for $39.00 that matches the looks and feel of the Odyssey Two Ball White Hot Putter that runs $299.00 in most shops. Many other sites like Redwinggolf.com and Diamondtour.com offer similar types of clones, again at numbers pushing 10 cents on a dollar at times.

So if those high end clubs do tempt you, then before throwing away a thousand dollars on clubs that may yield little in the way of improvement, try one of the clones that most resembles the high end club you seek. If the clone doesn't work for you the way you thought it would, you can be guaranteed that the big name brand will have a been a major disappointment, just as dissatisfying because your game has not improved any but many times more aggravating due to the initial outlay of funds.

And if you find the clone does give you that confidence that leads to game improvement, don't be swayed into thinking the higher end club will lead further. In fact, if you find a club that works for you consistently, you should stick with it.