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Is Club Champion worth it?


Mr. 82

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On 4/14/2021 at 7:37 PM, Dr Strangelove said:

Like most things, it comes down to the person(s) at the store.

I am satisfied with my driver fitting and purchase at Club Champion.  I am comfortable that I got to try out all the clubheads that I was interested in and that the shaft selected fit best.  It's expensive, but I believe the fitting is a fair value.  Note: "Fair value" is when you won't pay a penny more and they won't take a penny less.

What I don't like is that you have to pay full price for the driver and stock shaft.  And then the full price of the fit shaft (not an upgrade charge).  But when they come in, you don't get two shafts.  I would have liked to have offset my cost by selling the stock (which I could have done if I just purchased both the club and shaft separately myself).

Also, I'm not a beleiver in shaft puring.  

They only receive heads, and not full shafts from the OEM.  Everett was an early adopter of SST Pure so they may have had input into the technology as it evolved, giving Nick the opportunity to buy it.

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15 minutes ago, ChitownM2 said:

This may or may not be possible.  My guess is not possible since they probably aren't going to install the required adapter into his driver to make it work with the universal adapters they have on all the demo shafts.

This has been discussed several times before in several places and I believe the consensus is that they order the entire club & pay the same price as everyone else.  Even if you/they only want the head, the OEMs won't sell just a head and you have pay for it all.  I've been told that you can "request" the stock shaft from club champion and they will give it to you but have no personal experience to back that up.  

I know the original owner, I know the guy who turned it into CC. I've been in the build shop many many times.  They do not buy full clubs and pull the shafts.  They may be the only one in the business who has the luxury of 'heads '

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Some drive a Lexus, some a Toyota. A single digit player may find the investment to pay $1000 for a driver worthwhile to go for a state championship. Validating a shaft on a 3 year old driver is not worth $200 in my mind. You can find a good pro shop with outdoor fittings that will do the same with a Trackman. Likely starting at $75 with some discount for either fitting, shaft, or new driver.  A stock 425 shaft should fit a 400 at a lower price than a custom selection  

In any event, it is worth finding a shop with a fitter you can (learn to) trust. Being over 70 and LH, there is nothing I can buy off the rack that is even close. Worth paying $75-150 for a professional checkup. 

Titleist TSR 11 degree, HZRDS Red R 44.75 LH

Titleist TSR-1 5/7 Woods LH

Titleist TSR-1 23 Hybrid LH

Titleist T200  7-48 - T350 6 Tensai AMT Red LH

 Titleist SM9 50-54-58 TT AMT Red LH

Scotty Phantom X 7.5 RH

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23 minutes ago, flyingwedges said:

I know the original owner, I know the guy who turned it into CC. I've been in the build shop many many times.  They do not buy full clubs and pull the shafts.  They may be the only one in the business who has the luxury of 'heads '

If that is really the case then there is no justification for the pricing then.  They aren't a retail customer so I would presume they are not paying full retail price of a fully built club with shaft, grip, etc for just the heads.  Just like PGATSS or my local shop they are probably buying at wholesale which is substantially less.  Especially now when you have almost no "made for" shafts in any of the big 5 club options, which means the shaft is no longer a $15 throw away like it was 15 years ago.  All of them offer several choices of "premium" "aftermarket" shafts as a no-cost upgrade or as part of their base stock offerings.  Motore, Smoke RDX, Tensei AV Raw and many others are all $300 retail shafts that are no-cost choices from several of the major companies so they aren't getting them for free so there should be some serious kick-back if they are getting just the heads.  

There are also some cases where they aren't just buying the heads.  I've met several people who have been fitted there and ended up with a no-cost shaft option but had CC assemble the club and they didn't have to buy the shaft separately.  Which means that they certainly do have the option to buy the a whole club (probably unassembled) and then do the assembly themselves.  

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9 hours ago, flyingwedges said:

All CC builds are in Willowbrook, IL, a few steps from where Everett had his second shop (the fist was in a small storefront about 1 mile away)  Your Fitter will never see the inside of the build shop for any customer, it's not what they do.

I was speculating based on the fitter's comments and giving benefit of the doubt because of that. If what you said is true, then it's even more disappointing - the fitter made misleading comments, and their dedicated build shop failed on 20% of the clubs I bought from them (excusable with varied builders, unacceptable with a dedicated shop).

Driver: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus 8* (adjusted to 8.75*), Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 X Flex (New toy incoming!)

Fairway: :taylormade-small: Stealth2 Plus, 15* (adjusted to 14.25*) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 7X

Irons:  :titleist-small: U505 1 Iron (16*), T200 "Utility Build" 3 and 4 irons, all with Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 95 X Flex, :titleist-small: T100S 5-9 with Nippon Pro Modus 120 X Flex (2021 MGS Test). These things are monsters. 

Wedges:  :vokey-small: SM9 46.10, 54.12, and 58.08, all with custom etchings & KBS Tour Masters-themed shafts, X-flex (CHA Post)

Putter: Total headcase and Putter Ho. Down to two main options in the rotation (one mallet, one blade), but have 4-5 by the basement putting green that might make it in the bag at some point this year... Mallet: :L.A.B.: Mezz XL 36" Orange; Blade: :L.A.B.: Link.1 w/Accra White shaft & :garsen: grip

 

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11 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Not even close to the truth. Even the made for callaway hzrdus im shaft isn’t low end.

The ping tour shaft is actually built off the aftermarket elements chrome+
 

The hzrdus shafts, the Aldila rogue white which is stock in at least one brand are $300+ shafts when bought from aftermarket dealers. Just like a graphite design, Accra, fujikura and so on

I agree. Most of the made for shafts are pretty good. I used to test clubs for Wilson Sporting Goods back in the early 2000s when they had their testing facility in Humboldt,  TN. Most of the made for shafts performed quite admirable against the best shafts they gave me. The only exception I remember was the Fujikura Speeder 757. That one outperformed everything.

@IONEPUTT I respectfully disagree on your argument about shaft alignment. Thecounter argument is that many drivers, fairway woods and hybrids are adjustable and the shaft actually rotates, as the adapter doesn't have a sleeve to keep the shaft in the same orientation. So, install a pured, FLO'd, or spine aligned shaft and then decide you want to tweak the settings. Now, you are no longer aligned unless the adapter sleeve allows the shaft to stay in the same orientation. Both Taylormade and PING have sleeves that allow the shaft to rotate during adjustment.

Xcaliber shafts have an alignment process before they put the finishes on their shafts. Last week, I installed one in my PING 3 wood and assumed I would be playing it in the -1°, flat setting (as I was fitted for). So, that is how I installed the shaft.

After some more testing, I decided that I really didn't like so many misses right. I played with the -1.5° and -1.0° settings and decided I liked the -1.0 setting, which also is 2° more upright yet still 0.5° flatter than the other 3 woods I have gamed. Now, my shaft is no longer spine aligned. I highly doubt I will see a huge dispersion difference than if I reinstalled the shaft with the graphics aligned. 

I used to have every shaft pured and now no longer request it. I am not good enough to notice a difference and am pretty convinced that unless it is a complete garbage shaft, that there is little difference. I have seen studies that support puring and many that say it makes no difference. I would tend to agree that the results difference would be negligible. Just my opinion and experience over the last 19 years of being my own club builder. 

As soon as you put certain adjustment sleeves on a club and start tweaking, any supposed benefits of puring or any other alignment method would be gone.

Titleist TSI3 8°, Xcaliber Avalon 6 tour stiff, tipped 1", C3 surefit and H2 for backweight, D1 SW, 45 3/8", 40g counterbalance weight;

PING G425 LST 3 wood, set at 13.5° Xcaliber T6* tour stiff, tipped 1 1/4" 43 1/2", D1, 20g counterbalance weight;

Snake Eyes 19° Quick Strike Tour, Xcaliber T6+ Tour Stiff, 20g counterbalance weight;

Maltby TS-1 irons, Modus 120x soft stepped once, D5, 2° flat;

Cleveland RTX Zipcore wedges, black satin, 50°, 54°, 58°, all 2° flat;

Ping TR series Anser 5, 33", 2° flat, 1.5° strong, 75g optivibe at 2" down the shaft and a 12g tourlock pro+ counterweight

Srixon Z Star XV, TP5X, or Maxfli Tour X

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19 minutes ago, jtgavigan said:

Most of the made for shafts are pretty good.

In today’s market there are very few made for shafts. Hzrdzus IM for Callaway, ventus for TM and Tour Edge and maybe 1-2 others. Other than those the shafts offered by the club manufacturers are the same across all brands. The pricing and offerings are based on what we deal the club manufacturer worked out with the shaft manufacturer 

That goes for what many consider aftermarket and what many think or consider made for or stock.

TM offers the ventus with velocore for $250 upcharge and same for ADDI

Titleist offers the same shafts but it’s $345 for the ventus and $200 for the ADDI. 
 
Some brands have chosen to offer only hzrdus rdx black and not blue. Some have offer both and varies on whether stock or upcharge fee. Some offer the limited edition paint on the rdx blue for an upcharge. 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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1 hour ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

I was speculating based on the fitter's comments and giving benefit of the doubt because of that. If what you said is true, then it's even more disappointing - the fitter made misleading comments, and their dedicated build shop failed on 20% of the clubs I bought from them (excusable with varied builders, unacceptable with a dedicated shop).

This last comment came off as more negative than intended -- it is a disappointment, but doesn't change my actual satisfaction. 

I've been fitted by them twice. I'm happy with the outcome. I think I went in with the right expectations, and I came away with good products that work for me. I didn't spend the $5k that others are saying, but did put up some good money, which I fully expected. I'm not in a location that has a ton of options for this type of fitting, but I expect I'd have the same experience at one of their direct competitors (a friend went to TrueSpec and it sounded very similar). 

Club Champion is not just a fitter, it's a specialty shop. They are an entryway into after-market and higher-end shafts that you might not find at other retailers. If you want to dive into what's possible with after-market shafts, pay up and go there (or to TrueSpec or Cool Clubs); if you're expecting to get fitted with stock products, you're not going to get it there, and that should be expected -- they view these products as inferior, and even call that out in their "are custom clubs more expensive?" FAQ. If you want stock shafts included outside of your gamer, go to a place that will actually apply the fitting fee toward a purchase -- that's a better use of your money (I think GolfTEC and PGATSS both offer this). 

Driver: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus 8* (adjusted to 8.75*), Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 X Flex (New toy incoming!)

Fairway: :taylormade-small: Stealth2 Plus, 15* (adjusted to 14.25*) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 7X

Irons:  :titleist-small: U505 1 Iron (16*), T200 "Utility Build" 3 and 4 irons, all with Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 95 X Flex, :titleist-small: T100S 5-9 with Nippon Pro Modus 120 X Flex (2021 MGS Test). These things are monsters. 

Wedges:  :vokey-small: SM9 46.10, 54.12, and 58.08, all with custom etchings & KBS Tour Masters-themed shafts, X-flex (CHA Post)

Putter: Total headcase and Putter Ho. Down to two main options in the rotation (one mallet, one blade), but have 4-5 by the basement putting green that might make it in the bag at some point this year... Mallet: :L.A.B.: Mezz XL 36" Orange; Blade: :L.A.B.: Link.1 w/Accra White shaft & :garsen: grip

 

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12 hours ago, flyingwedges said:

They do not buy full clubs, but receive heads only from OEMs

Seems dishonest they charge full off the rack MSRP for heads only when off the rack includes stock shaft, adapter, grip, assembly cost and excess shipping volume/cost. And then charge the customer for custom shaft, adapter, grip and assembly again...

  • Titleist TSR2 11° HZRDUS Red CB 50 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize
  • Titleist TSR2 16.5º HZRDUS Red 60 CB 6.0 & TSR2 21º HZRDUS Black 4G 70 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize
  • Mizuno JPX923 HMP 4-GW, T22 54.12WS, T22 58.04DC w Lamkin ST+2 Hybrid Midsize
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  • Maxfli Tour & ProV1
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I don't have many choices in my area for fittings.  Club Champion, 2nd Swing, & local clubs.  From what I'm reading here, CC isn't really the way to go unless you want to spend a bundle.  I guess it matters how much you want to get out of your game & how deep your pockets are in order to achieve that.  

WITB:  Do I like Titleist or what? 

 

Driver:     :titleist-small: TSR3 9* UST Mamiya Proto LIN-Q Blue 

Fairways   :titleist-small: TSi2 UST Mamiya LIN-Q Blue 13.5* 

Driving Iron:   :titleist-small: U500 17* :Fuji:  Blue Ventus HB Velocore 

Irons   :titleist-small: T350 4 & 5, T200 6 - PW UST Mamiya Recoil Dart F4 105g

Wedges    :vokey-small: SM6 48*, SM9 52*, SM8 56* Modus Tour Wedge 

Putter    :cameron-small: Newport 2 w/ Garsen Ultimate grip 

Ball    :titleist-small:  *ProV1 Left Dot

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20 minutes ago, golfinnut said:

I don't have many choices in my area for fittings.  Club Champion, 2nd Swing, & local clubs.  From what I'm reading here, CC isn't really the way to go unless you want to spend a bundle.  I guess it matters how much you want to get out of your game & how deep your pockets are in order to achieve that.  

Nobody has to spend money on clubs from CC. That is a separate business they have. You ou for a fitting. That’s it. If you want to buy from them then you can but it’s not a requirement.

Also if you tell the fitter what your budget is they will work with that. Once the fitting is over you get your specs and can source the clubs however you want whether it’s direct from the manufacturer, using a club builder or from a retail shop. Heck you can even attempt to do it on forums and ebay.

As was mentioned going to a place like CC expands the options of what one can be fit into, but it’s ultimately on the consumer to inform the fitter if their intentions

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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20 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Nobody has to spend money on clubs from CC. That is a separate business they have. You ou for a fitting. That’s it. If you want to buy from them then you can but it’s not a requirement.

Also if you tell the fitter what your budget is they will work with that. Once the fitting is over you get your specs and can source the clubs however you want whether it’s direct from the manufacturer, using a club builder or from a retail shop. Heck you can even attempt to do it on forums and ebay.

As was mentioned going to a place like CC expands the options of what one can be fit into, but it’s ultimately on the consumer to inform the fitter if their intentions

IOW don't go to Club Champion if you just want to be fitted for one of the standard shafts many club makers now offer at no additional cost. And don't go to CC if you're not sure what your budget is, because like any for profit business they will recommend something well above off the rack prices. Otherwise we're in complete agreement.

Quote

I had an unsuccessful fitting at Club Champion, but it’s probably because my sole objective was unlikely to be fixed by fitting. That’s my fault.

  • If you want to optimize distance and/or launch, a fitting by a qualified fitter will probably provide good results, for players of almost any ability. Lessons still may be more helpful for high HI players, but you can’t know for sure without trying both.
  • If you have a bias to the right or left, a fitting might be helpful, but it may be partially or wholly a swing fault (lessons).
  • If you want to tighten dispersion, a (Club Champion) standard fitting is unlikely to help, and they won’t tell you that - or they would have turned me away.  Lessons are far more likely to help. [That was my situation that I incorrectly applied to other fitting goals. I had no issue with distance or launch. I explained my MO several times but it was lost in discussion, and I drew conclusions too broadly as well]
    • For a fitting to improve dispersion, a very different methodology would have to be used.
  • And even Club Champion will admit they can’t fix swing faults, they don’t sell “magic sticks” (their term).

There may be other expectations that are within or outside what a fitting can likely help with.

I still contend that some people recommend fittings as a cure all for the wrong reasons, but my view was far too narrow. Live and learn…

 

  • Titleist TSR2 11° HZRDUS Red CB 50 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize
  • Titleist TSR2 16.5º HZRDUS Red 60 CB 6.0 & TSR2 21º HZRDUS Black 4G 70 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize
  • Mizuno JPX923 HMP 4-GW, T22 54.12WS, T22 58.04DC w Lamkin ST+2 Hybrid Midsize
  • Evnroll EV5.3
  • Maxfli Tour & ProV1
  • Ping Pioneer - MGI Zip Navigator AT
  • Payntr X 002 LE, Ecco Biom C4, FJ DryJoys
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9 minutes ago, Middler said:

IOW don't go to Club Champion if you just want to be fitted for one of the standard shafts many club makers now offer at no additional cost. And don't go to CC if you're not sure what your budget is, because like any for profit business they will recommend something well above off the rack prices. Otherwise we're in complete agreement.

For some people this might be the only or the best option to get fit. Finding a competent fitter in some areas isn’t easy. I personally wouldn’t go because I prefer to see the actually ball flight. 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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I agree that for many people there aren't a lot of other options.  I live in a major market and there are only a couple of choices of local independent fitters (not TrueSpec or Cool Clubs as they are basically the same as CC) that carry all of the major brands.  There are a lot of local pro-shops that might carry one or two fitting carts but finding a place that carries all of the big 5 plus mizuno, srixon, etc is extremely difficult.  

The big box stores are an option that have all makes, but I've found that unless you personally know of a particular staffer who is competent and can get in with that person and that person only, it isn't worth your time. My experience has been that most of them are not as knowledgeable as they would lead you to believe and you could probably do just as well by educating yourself on fitting (which is to say not very good).

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Go see Daniel Clemmons at Clemmons Golf on Pelham Rd near top golf. He was the fitter at the Eagle Zone before Haas bought it and put in Club Champion. I had him fit my irons and driver. Great guy and extremely talented at fitting. I give him a 11 out of 10. He spent almost 2 hrs with me on my driver and still charged me only $70.  I had a teaching pro I know in VA tell me to use him. I was glad I did. 

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1 hour ago, EvilIncarnate said:

If you get the right fitter, they are worth it! Stay away from the Raleigh, NC location! bought an 1100 driver for my wife, and it wasn't even spec'd right upon delivery.

Did the Raleigh fitter not send in the right specs for the build or was the build wrong compared to what was sent in? If it’s the latter that’s not the Raleigh fitter’s mistake it’s the builder in Illinois 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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On 8/4/2021 at 10:19 PM, flyingwedges said:

They only receive heads, and not full shafts from the OEM.  Everett was an early adopter of SST Pure so they may have had input into the technology as it evolved, giving Nick the opportunity to buy it.

Like others have noted, that makes it even worse.  They charge you full retail for the club as if it came with the stock shaft though they don't pay for it.  Then they add the full retail of the aftermarket shaft.  Not the upcharge for a shaft.  The full retail for the aftermarket shaft.  So you've paid full price for two shafts and get one.  And they've only paid for one too.

:ping-small:G410 plus driver,:taylormade-small:Aeroburner 3W, :cobra-small:F6 Baffler 
:callaway-small:XR 4, 5 hybrids
:titleist-small:2021 T300 6 - GW, SW irons
:callaway-small: Mack Daddy CB 58/12 wedge
Axis1 Rose putter

Alternates: Srixon ZX4 MKII irons

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Recently had a fitting with Club champion and while the fitting was a good experience the pricing wasn't.  They fitted my in to the new Titleist t-200 being released at the end of the month with Project X shafts.  What the fitter didn't' realize is these shafts are available as stock from Titleist.    They quoted be $2,500 in total and I can get the same exact clubs for $1,600 ordering direct.  I don't buy a $900 markup because they are going to build the clubs.    I found another local fitter that was actually a better experience and while didn't end up with the t-200s.  His pricing was only $250 more then the manufacture which I found reasonable.

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3 minutes ago, SD1199 said:

Recently had a fitting with Club champion and while the fitting was a good experience the pricing wasn't.  They fitted my in to the new Titleist t-200 being released at the end of the month with Project X shafts.  What the fitter didn't' realize is these shafts are available as stock from Titleist.    They quoted be $2,500 in total and I can get the same exact clubs for $1,600 ordering direct.  I don't buy a $900 markup because they are going to build the clubs.    I found another local fitter that was actually a better experience and while didn't end up with the t-200s.  His pricing was only $250 more then the manufacture which I found reasonable.

The quote more than likely has a fee per shaft for flowing/spineing the shafts. Plus their build fee 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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On 8/7/2021 at 9:37 AM, Dr Strangelove said:

Like others have noted, that makes it even worse.  They charge you full retail for the club as if it came with the stock shaft though they don't pay for it.  Then they add the full retail of the aftermarket shaft.  Not the upcharge for a shaft.  The full retail for the aftermarket shaft.  So you've paid full price for two shafts and get one.  And they've only paid for one too.

You pay for two shafts, two grips, two adapters, two assembly charges and double shipping costs. It's not just shafts they shaft you on. And they could conceivably reuse the grip and/or the adapter even while charging you twice...

  • Titleist TSR2 11° HZRDUS Red CB 50 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize
  • Titleist TSR2 16.5º HZRDUS Red 60 CB 6.0 & TSR2 21º HZRDUS Black 4G 70 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize
  • Mizuno JPX923 HMP 4-GW, T22 54.12WS, T22 58.04DC w Lamkin ST+2 Hybrid Midsize
  • Evnroll EV5.3
  • Maxfli Tour & ProV1
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Club Champion is a very expensive build.  You will pay full retail for the original clubs, full retail for the shaft, full retail for components, then their build fee.  Having said that, they do build the club to exact standards that they spec at the fitting, not that that justifies their pricing model.  OEM builds are not as diligent with their build process, from my past experiences.    I once custom ordered a set of Callaway and when they arrived, I had to adjust the loft and lie on 5 out of the 8 clubs.  I didn't swing weight them at the time, but I doubt they were all consistent.

CCs outrageous build pricing aside, the fitting experience that I had was good.  Few places can offer the full extent of club head and shaft combinations that CC can.  Nothing stopping anyone from finding the best club and shaft combinations for their swing at CC then having someone else build them, including OEM.  

I ordered my clubs from CC when I was fit but I would do it differently in the future.  I would go through the fitting process but buy the clubs through another source.  Of course, my experience is based on having been fortunate to have been with a good fitter at the location where I was fitted.  I'm sure there are some bad apples out there at other locations, just like you might find a good fitter or a ho-hum one at a big box store fitting booth.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite  TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright

Wedges: Edison 53* and  57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright

Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft

Ball:  Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

My Photography can be seen at Smugmug

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Ok aside from being expensive. For your average Joe, non-tournament player. Honestly, how many strokes does one save in a round for a CC build? Same question for a CC fitting and self source? I have always added a half inch of length to my clubs as my custom order and a regular shaft, normal lie angles. Seems to work out fine. 

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4 hours ago, Middler said:

You pay for two shafts, two grips, two adapters, two assembly charges and double shipping costs. It's not just shafts they shaft you on. And they could conceivably reuse the grip and/or the adapter even while charging you twice...

Good grief

:ping-small:G410 plus driver,:taylormade-small:Aeroburner 3W, :cobra-small:F6 Baffler 
:callaway-small:XR 4, 5 hybrids
:titleist-small:2021 T300 6 - GW, SW irons
:callaway-small: Mack Daddy CB 58/12 wedge
Axis1 Rose putter

Alternates: Srixon ZX4 MKII irons

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On 8/7/2021 at 8:37 AM, Dr Strangelove said:

Like others have noted, that makes it even worse.  They charge you full retail for the club as if it came with the stock shaft though they don't pay for it.  Then they add the full retail of the aftermarket shaft.  Not the upcharge for a shaft.  The full retail for the aftermarket shaft.  So you've paid full price for two shafts and get one.  And they've only paid for one too.

 

14 hours ago, Middler said:

You pay for two shafts, two grips, two adapters, two assembly charges and double shipping costs. It's not just shafts they shaft you on. And they could conceivably reuse the grip and/or the adapter even while charging you twice...

I've noted this in other longer posts here, but I think the best strategy (at least for woods) is to buy shafts from CC, not full clubs. That means you need a head that works for you first, and you don't necessarily get out any cheaper, but it makes the CC cost easier to swallow. That strategy is best for someone who actually wants an after-market / "can't get as an upgrade" shafts (it's like going to a specialty shop). CC is not nearly as good for someone that ends up in a stock or available upgrade shaft.

They don't overcharge for after-market shafts, but their full club build costs are not worth the money (in my opinion). The last driver shaft I got from them cost me $30 more than I would've paid from another retailer that carries that brand (outside of fitting fee, which at this point is spread across multiple shafts and an iron set), and that $30 is only because I wanted to keep my old shaft with the adapter intact (I could've had them use my old adapter and not pay the $30 extra) -- I also waived the $15 for the grip because I had some extras in my basement and just slapped one on when it showed up. I had no problem with the price because they were my entry point to that brand -- the two closest Accra dealers to me are in Milwaukee (Club Champion) and Dubuque. 

Driver: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus 8* (adjusted to 8.75*), Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 X Flex (New toy incoming!)

Fairway: :taylormade-small: Stealth2 Plus, 15* (adjusted to 14.25*) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 7X

Irons:  :titleist-small: U505 1 Iron (16*), T200 "Utility Build" 3 and 4 irons, all with Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 95 X Flex, :titleist-small: T100S 5-9 with Nippon Pro Modus 120 X Flex (2021 MGS Test). These things are monsters. 

Wedges:  :vokey-small: SM9 46.10, 54.12, and 58.08, all with custom etchings & KBS Tour Masters-themed shafts, X-flex (CHA Post)

Putter: Total headcase and Putter Ho. Down to two main options in the rotation (one mallet, one blade), but have 4-5 by the basement putting green that might make it in the bag at some point this year... Mallet: :L.A.B.: Mezz XL 36" Orange; Blade: :L.A.B.: Link.1 w/Accra White shaft & :garsen: grip

 

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16 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The quote more than likely has a fee per shaft for flowing/spineing the shafts. Plus their build fee 

This was before the "puring Fee"  Regardless it is a stock club from Titleist charging a build fee of $90 per club seems excessive.  

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15 minutes ago, SD1199 said:

This was before the "puring Fee"  Regardless it is a stock club from Titleist charging a build fee of $90 per club seems excessive.  

The independent builders I have used charge some fee for the build or they have it included in the price of the clubs/shafts so you pay it somewhere/somehow with them. That’s paying for the time of the builder. 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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Understand.   I found a local top 100 fitter and builder who was able to provide clubs at approx $300 over the cost direct from the manufacturer.  Much more reasonable.   The issue with Club Champion is they said they don't buy the shafts from Titleist and order them separate. If that is the case no way are they paying the full price for the shaft+ heads.    In addition all of their marketing says they charge the same price as you could buy elsewhere.  The mistake my fitter made was not checking that this was a stock shaft.  My understanding is they try to avoid providing you a set up you can price shop.    

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34 minutes ago, SD1199 said:

Understand.   I found a local top 100 fitter and builder who was able to provide clubs at approx $300 over the cost direct from the manufacturer.  Much more reasonable.   The issue with Club Champion is they said they don't buy the shafts from Titleist and order them separate. If that is the case no way are they paying the full price for the shaft+ heads.    In addition all of their marketing says they charge the same price as you could buy elsewhere.  The mistake my fitter made was not checking that this was a stock shaft.  My understanding is they try to avoid providing you a set up you can price shop.    

They can get them directly, and they should have given you the option -- sounds like an error by your fitter (judgment on intentional vs. unintentional is up for debate), or if they really don't have the option anymore, then it's a change in their offerings. When I bought my Mizunos from them in 2019, they said they could either get them from Mizuno or order them separately -- cost direct from Mizuno was no different from me ordering them, except they push for upgrades like PURE (pull/pure/reassemble added some cost per iron). That left three options on the table: "Same price as Mizuno", "+$300 for direct plus retro-PURE", or "+$600 to get shafts through CC" (rough estimates - I don't remember the actual figures). I chose option 2, and have no idea if it actually made a difference 🤷‍♂️

Driver: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus 8* (adjusted to 8.75*), Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 X Flex (New toy incoming!)

Fairway: :taylormade-small: Stealth2 Plus, 15* (adjusted to 14.25*) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 7X

Irons:  :titleist-small: U505 1 Iron (16*), T200 "Utility Build" 3 and 4 irons, all with Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 95 X Flex, :titleist-small: T100S 5-9 with Nippon Pro Modus 120 X Flex (2021 MGS Test). These things are monsters. 

Wedges:  :vokey-small: SM9 46.10, 54.12, and 58.08, all with custom etchings & KBS Tour Masters-themed shafts, X-flex (CHA Post)

Putter: Total headcase and Putter Ho. Down to two main options in the rotation (one mallet, one blade), but have 4-5 by the basement putting green that might make it in the bag at some point this year... Mallet: :L.A.B.: Mezz XL 36" Orange; Blade: :L.A.B.: Link.1 w/Accra White shaft & :garsen: grip

 

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