diff --git a/pkg/loader/fileloader.go b/pkg/loader/fileloader.go
index 052c8cc15..e39515606 100644
--- a/pkg/loader/fileloader.go
+++ b/pkg/loader/fileloader.go
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func (l *fileLoader) Root() string {
 
 func newLoaderOrDie(fSys fs.FileSystem, path string) *fileLoader {
 	l, err := newFileLoaderAt(
-		path, fSys, []string{}, hashicorpGitCloner)
+		path, fSys, []string{}, clonerToUse())
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("unable to make loader at '%s'; %v", path, err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/loader/gitcloner.go b/pkg/loader/gitcloner.go
index ad59b5e8c..1306e9f4a 100644
--- a/pkg/loader/gitcloner.go
+++ b/pkg/loader/gitcloner.go
@@ -17,8 +17,11 @@ limitations under the License.
 package loader
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
+	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -35,22 +38,69 @@ type gitCloner func(url string) (
 	// Any error encountered when cloning.
 	err error)
 
-// isRepoUrl checks if a string is a repo Url
-func isRepoUrl(s string) bool {
-	if strings.HasPrefix(s, "https://") {
-		return true
-	}
-	if strings.HasPrefix(s, "git::") {
-		return true
-	}
-	host := strings.SplitN(s, "/", 2)[0]
-	return strings.Contains(host, ".com") || strings.Contains(host, ".org")
+// isRepoUrl checks if a string is likely a github repo Url.
+func isRepoUrl(arg string) bool {
+	arg = strings.ToLower(arg)
+	return !filepath.IsAbs(arg) &&
+		(strings.HasPrefix(arg, "git::") ||
+			strings.HasPrefix(arg, "gh:") ||
+			strings.HasPrefix(arg, "github.com") ||
+			strings.HasPrefix(arg, "git@github.com:") ||
+			strings.Index(arg, "github.com/") > -1)
 }
 
 func makeTmpDir() (string, error) {
 	return ioutil.TempDir("", "kustomize-")
 }
 
+func simpleGitCloner(spec string) (
+	checkoutDir string, pathInCoDir string, err error) {
+	gitProgram, err := exec.LookPath("git")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", errors.Wrap(err, "no 'git' program on path")
+	}
+	checkoutDir, err = makeTmpDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	url, pathInCoDir, err := extractGithubRepoName(spec)
+	cmd := exec.Command(gitProgram, "clone", url, checkoutDir)
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	cmd.Stdout = &out
+	err = cmd.Run()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", errors.Wrapf(err, "trouble cloning %s", spec)
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+// From strings like git@github.com:someOrg/someRepo.git or
+// https://github.com/someOrg/someRepo, extract path.
+func extractGithubRepoName(n string) (string, string, error) {
+	for _, p := range []string{
+		// Order matters here.
+		"git::", "gh:", "https://", "http://",
+		"git@", "github.com:", "github.com/", "gitlab.com/"} {
+		if strings.ToLower(n[:len(p)]) == p {
+			n = n[len(p):]
+		}
+	}
+	if strings.HasSuffix(n, ".git") {
+		n = n[0 : len(n)-len(".git")]
+	}
+	i := strings.Index(n, string(filepath.Separator))
+	if i < 1 {
+		return "", "", errors.New("no separator")
+	}
+	j := strings.Index(n[i+1:], string(filepath.Separator))
+	if j < 0 {
+		// No path, so show entire repo.
+		return n, "", nil
+	}
+	j += i + 1
+	return n[:j], n[j+1:], nil
+}
+
 func hashicorpGitCloner(repoUrl string) (
 	checkoutDir string, pathInCoDir string, err error) {
 	dir, err := makeTmpDir()
diff --git a/pkg/loader/gitcloner_test.go b/pkg/loader/gitcloner_test.go
index 1b1ac002a..fdd5c3194 100644
--- a/pkg/loader/gitcloner_test.go
+++ b/pkg/loader/gitcloner_test.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ limitations under the License.
 package loader
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -38,6 +40,14 @@ func TestIsRepoURL(t *testing.T) {
 			input:    "github.com/org/repo",
 			expected: true,
 		},
+		{
+			input:    "git@github.com:org/repo",
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		{
+			input:    "gh:org/repo",
+			expected: true,
+		},
 		{
 			input:    "git::https://gitlab.com/org/repo",
 			expected: true,
@@ -168,3 +178,52 @@ whatever
 			coRoot+"/"+pathInRepo, l2.Root())
 	}
 }
+
+var repoNames = []string{"someOrg/someRepo", "kubernetes/website"}
+
+var paths = []string{"", "README.md", "foo/index.md"}
+
+var extractFmts = []string{
+	"gh:%s",
+	"GH:%s",
+	"gitHub.com/%s",
+	"https://github.com/%s",
+	"hTTps://github.com/%s",
+	"git::https://gitlab.com/%s",
+	"git@gitHUB.com:%s.git",
+	"github.com:%s",
+}
+
+func TestExtractGithubRepoName(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, repoName := range repoNames {
+		for _, pathName := range paths {
+			for _, extractFmt := range extractFmts {
+				spec := repoName
+				if len(pathName) > 0 {
+					spec = filepath.Join(spec, pathName)
+				}
+				input := fmt.Sprintf(extractFmt, spec)
+				if !isRepoUrl(input) {
+					t.Errorf("Should smell like github arg: %s\n", input)
+					continue
+				}
+				repo, path, err := extractGithubRepoName(input)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Errorf("problem %v", err)
+				}
+				if repo != repoName {
+					t.Errorf("\n"+
+						"       from %s\n"+
+						"    gotRepo %s\n"+
+						"desiredRepo %s\n", input, repo, repoName)
+				}
+				if path != pathName {
+					t.Errorf("\n"+
+						"       from %s\n"+
+						"    gotPath %s\n"+
+						"desiredPath %s\n", input, path, pathName)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/loader/loader.go b/pkg/loader/loader.go
index ba97a0040..c5491fccf 100644
--- a/pkg/loader/loader.go
+++ b/pkg/loader/loader.go
@@ -22,12 +22,23 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/ifc"
 )
 
+const useHashiCorpCloner = true
+
+func clonerToUse() gitCloner {
+	if useHashiCorpCloner {
+		return hashicorpGitCloner
+	}
+	return simpleGitCloner
+}
+
+// var clonerToUse = simpleGitCloner
+
 // NewLoader returns a Loader.
 func NewLoader(root string, fSys fs.FileSystem) (ifc.Loader, error) {
 	if isRepoUrl(root) {
 		return newGitLoader(
-			root, fSys, []string{}, hashicorpGitCloner)
+			root, fSys, []string{}, clonerToUse())
 	}
 	return newFileLoaderAt(
-		root, fSys, []string{}, hashicorpGitCloner)
+		root, fSys, []string{}, clonerToUse())
 }