Three North Carolina residents arrested as golf equipment maker Acushnet helps authorities uncover major counterfeiting operation.

Acushnet, makers of the Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra golf equipment, vigorously protects its brands and the company's intellectual property, habitually conducting daily monitoring of eBay and other auction sites. Recently, Acushnet spotted counterfeit golf products in the market, conducted and internal investigation and presented their findings to the North Carolina Secretary of State's office.

Following a two-month investigation by state and federal officials, two Vass, NC residents were arrested and charged with two felony counts of possessing counterfeit trademarked goods with intent to sell the counterfeit goods. Additionally, Donald G. Fondrie, 70 and Warren E. Fondrie, 47 – as well as Pei-I Chou, a 41-year-old Taiwanese national who was present at the time of the search by investigators – were also charged with resisting a public officer.

"A 21^st-century criminal operation". This was how North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall described the illegal activity. It was revealed that the Fondries operated an Internet-based site that sold fake brand-name golfing gear that originated in Asia, and then were sold domestically and internationally on a "store site" on eBay, the online auctioneer. Among the thousands of fake golf products seized during the raid were Titleist, Cobra and Scotty Cameron products, Golf Pride golf grips, LaCoste brand shirts and other golfing items with the Cleveland Golf, Nike, PING, Callaway and TaylorMade trademarks.

However, the North Carolina arrests were not the only ones related to golf-gear counterfeiting. Late last year, a Lake Forest, California man also pleaded guilty to selling fake golf clubs. According to Farrah Emami of the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Jason Paul Hughes, 33, imported cheap golf clubs from China and sold them as name brands over the Internet.  He pleaded guilty to seven counts of sale of items with a counterfeit mark and admitted the fraud exceeded $500,000. He now faces up to 12 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 20 in a Laguna Niguel courtroom, Emami said. The arrest was a result of a raid on a San Clemente warehouse that netted an estimated $1 million in bogus goods including clubs, golf bags and other items marked with such names of Carlsbad-based Callaway,Titleist, and Cleveland golfing equipment that did not carry serial numbers that would attest to their authenticity.

The price of buying fakes. Because golf is big business, with some equipment costing hundreds of dollars, consumers are always looking to save. But at what price? Fake golf gear may look almost exactly like the real thing, but will rarely perform like an original. Not only do counterfeits lack the years of engineering and quality standards behind the real brands, but they'll usually be made of substandard materials to keep the cost low. Experts say that with some fake clubs:

• Shafts break
• The head comes flying off when you swing it
• The plating comes off easily
• Medallions get loose
• The grip wears off excessively fast

The growth of golf around the world, internet auction sites and the influence of China on the golf industry has increased the growth of golf-gear counterfeiting. It has also prompted brand owners to issue how-to-tell-the-real-from-the-fake tips and advice. But it's not just a matter of saving the consumer from the embarrassment and risks of buying fakes. As Secretary Marshall said, "…fake goods don't just rip off and endanger the consumer – they also hurt the manufacturers and retailers…who are playing by the rules, providing jobs, paying their taxes and building our economy."