Don't think just because the face has a mark that for some reason it may be fake. All clubs mark up. The harder the ball, the amount of sand in the turf, all cause friction marks. I think I learned this from "Bill Nye The Science Guy". Look at a club in a PGA Tour bag and see if they are spotless. Those guys have a noticeable wear mark around the sweet spot within a few days of playing. If you want a club without marks, never remove the plastic. Otherwise, enjoy the way they perform. They are great sticks!

If you bought them new (still in protective plastic) from a brick and mortar store for something north of $125 a club, they will be authentic. If online for less or were offered used, you may want to investigate a little further. But Dale is correct on the face generating marks.

Golf Discount has the 718 AP1 4-GW for 649 that is much less than the 125 per club and they are an authorized dealer. I bought this set around 6 weeks ago for that price from them and the serial number on my 6 iron is in fact not smooth, if you drag your fingernail over it you can feel the engraving of the numbers. There are great deals going on for the 718 line of Titleist irons. Hit’em long and straight!!

I own these irons and love them. Mine are a bit marked up but entirely normal for the two hundred plus rounds I have played with them. I do have a question, I have the s300 steel shafts and was considering going to graphite. I am 68 and thought perhaps I would do this. Any thoughts or suggestions?