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Is Club Champion worth it?


Mr. 82

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1 hour ago, Madboy76 said:

If your strikes aren't in line with your norm, the data is useless.  Norm is not perfection.  You should see what happens on bad hits, but if they're all bad it wouldn't help you. 

A good fitter is going to be able analyze your swing and use the numbers to show you what’s going on and why he or she is putting you into a combo and then from that combo they will make adjustments based on what they see and what the numbers show. And rinse repeat til there’s a combo that works for your swing on good and bad hits to minimize the penalty of hitting an errant shot. Good communication goes along way in the process and letting the fitter know what your normal shot is, what your miss is and so on will go along way into getting proper combo.

 

1 hour ago, Madboy76 said:

Simulator numbers help but don't represent real shots on a course.  A driver might yield more distance on a monitor, but that might result in more missed fairways in real golf. 

Simulator numbers allow the fitter especially one that uses indoor facilities to see what the ball is doing and what adjustments to be made to make sure what the numbers show actually work in real golf swings. Unless someone walks in and says I just want to hit the ball as far as possible good fitters are going to give you a playable club.

 

1 hour ago, Madboy76 said:

My other issue is that you don't know the fitter and the fitter doesn't know you.  The information is what they're given at that point in time.  So they can't really talk to your game because they don't know it.  They're trying to develop an idea to give you a recommendation for clubs.  I'd much rather see a fitter who has some relationship with you, so they can speak intelligently about recommendations for you knowing your tendencies and faults. 

It's unfortunately very hard to find the place where you can take clubs out for a round to test them unless you're a member at a private club. 

See above comment. If the fitter isn’t talking to you about your game before you start or while you are warming up and getting baseline numbers then get your money back. A good fitter is going to ask you all that, is going to ask you about what he or she is seeing during your warmup and baseline and during the process. They are going to look into your bag and see what your make up is like. Is a two way process.

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 1/1/2022 at 1:51 PM, Middler said:

Wonder why only about 1 in 4 MGS readers fitted at Club Champion would recommend CC to their friends or colleagues? Whereas 3 in 5 would recommend the manufacturers - where there is little or no upcharge for the variety of shafts they offer. Club Champion will cost you considerably more, could easily be 2X.

https://mygolfspy.com/2021-driver-satisfaction-survey-results/

  • Golfers who get fitted at manufacturer-owned facilities are most satisfied.
  • Cool Clubs leads among custom fitting locations while True Spec and on-course aren’t far behind.
  • Club Champion is an outlier among custom-fitting chains.

Respondents who were fitted at Club Champion locations were less likely to recommend it and there were significantly more detractors. I’d love to dig into this more to understand the reasons behind lower satisfaction levels. Anecdotally, friends who have visited Club Champion have specifically mentioned heavy upselling leaving a bad taste.

C0D690CF-4F25-4BA6-B53E-4F019A143C84.jpeg

That's not exactly what the Net Promoter Score means, its not a Yes/No question. The calculation is percent promoters (9 and 10 on the survey) minus percent detractors (0 through 6) on the survey.

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Tester for the Titleist TSi Driver

Spring 2020 MGS Tester for the Fujikura Motore X Shaft

Updated 07/15/2022
Driver:callaway-small: Rogue St Max LS - Autoflex
Fairway Woods:callaway-small: Rogue Max St 3HL and 7 Wood
Irons:mizuno-small: JPX 921 Hot Metal 5 to AW - Aerotech Steelfiber i95 Stiff parallel tip
Wedges:ping-small: Glide 4.0 54 and 58
Putter:  :ping-small: PLD Custom Kushin 4

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Interesting discussion.  I live in a rural area with not many options, so drove to the city to do the fitting.  I did the full CC build on my last set about 5 years ago.  Whole bag.  Could have bought a decent used car...I have some unusual swing needs mainly around where I load a shaft and generally more weight = more speed for me.  Looking to reduce spin and height through the bag, so at the time needed to try a bunch of different shafts.  I ended up in the same iron shaft I was playing...which was funny to me.  The fitting itself was a great experience and I spoke to my fitter often about tweaking clubs and he would bend stuff for me whenever I was over in the the city and could stop by.  He left, and I did a wedge fitting with a different guy a couple years ago.  Then he left and I did a putter fitting with someone else.  See the pattern.  All did good work but the first fitter I got to know and he knew my swing and it was easy to dial stuff in.  Since it is a 2+ hour drive and the cost started to outweigh the benefit, I have since moved to figuring it out myself. 

Last year I did woods.  My buddy has a fore sight simulator at his shop, so borrowed some heads and shafts from the local golf store--I know the guy well.  Dialed in a head with a stock shaft that performed great all season.  Ordered directly from Callaway. 

So I wanted new irons and only had two on the list.  Mizuno Pro 225 or Apex Pro.  At 55 with arthritis I wanted to go forged hollow head and graphite. So we ordered in a few shafts, hit a few balls and just ordered them direct from Callaway.  Little lead tape and tour lock counter balance to add some weight to the graphite shafts and love the feel and playability so far.  Only played a couple sim rounds and one round on real grass yet, but I know I will make these work.  I did do a lot of research on graphite irons shafts.  Tons of reading on different forums and that narrowed down what might work for me.  Oh ended up the the Apex 21 Pro with Catalyst 100 shafts. 

Big believer in fitting, but at some point you know your swing characteristics and that should narrow down potential options.  With all the tech that is available these days, it is easier to do this work on your own and honestly quite a bit more fun.

Stealth 2+ Ventus Black S, Epic Max 3 wood Smoke Black S, Epic 21 3 Hybrid Smoke Black S or an old Titleist 712U 2 iron with Smoke Black X, Mizuno 923 Tours Project X LS 6.0, Mizuno T21 50, 54, 58 KBS V tour S.  Everything is +1 inch.  Currently rolling a Cameron T-22 Limited Release Newport 2.  

Titleist ProV1 X left dash or AVX in the winter when its cold

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3 hours ago, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:


Actually it’s illegal (in the US at least) for anyone to tell anyone what they have to charge for a product.

 

Not sure that is true;  I deo believe that Ping has rules for its resellers on what they can charge for current model product.   Manufacturers can impose price restrictions;  see the article from the Federal Trade Commission

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/dealings-supply-chain/manufacturer-imposed

I believe you are confusing this with price fixing which is where competing manufacturers set prices.  

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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46 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Not sure that is true;  I deo believe that Ping has rules for its resellers on what they can charge for current model product.   Manufacturers can impose price restrictions;  see the article from the Federal Trade Commission

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/dealings-supply-chain/manufacturer-imposed

I believe you are confusing this with price fixing which is where competing manufacturers set prices.  

While I’m not a lawyer, my career has made me knowledgeable on this subject. Nobody can dictate what you can sell something for. I work for a huge international manufacturer, and they’re always VERY careful we not even imply what one of our retailers has to sell something for. It’s literally illegal. If a supplier doesn’t like how your prices impact the marketplace, all they can do is cease supplying you with more product to sell. This really is so obvious it’s ridiculous that anyone can argue that a Minimum ADVERTISED Price policy means something other than the minimum price someone can ADVERTISE. If anyone wants they can do a web search for themselves and get educated. Here’s a screenshot after a 10 second search. Found: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-minimum-advertised-price-2890196

The point is the person writing that blog post is lying to us. 

1058583A-5FCB-41DD-9AEB-56C736140B37.jpeg

Edited by Dog Faced Pony Soldier

Driver: :titelist-small: TSR3 w/ LA Golf DJ Signature Series (65-4)

3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

Ball mark: Kraken Golf - Revolver, Weight Plate, Turntable

Tracked and scored by :Arccos: 

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7 minutes ago, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:

 All someone can do is cease supplying you with more product to sell. 

 

That sentence says it all.  I can stop supplying you product if you don't sell for MSRP.   It isn't illegal.  

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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13 minutes ago, cnosil said:

That sentence says it all.  I can stop supplying you product if you don't sell for MSRP.   It isn't illegal.  

First, read the blog post again. He’s stating that they are required to sell at MAP. That is the clear lie I’m pointing to. 

You are simply mistaken. It is illegal for someone to force someone to sell something for a particular price. That’s why MSRP is a SUGGESTED Retail Price. This is exactly what I do for a living. I live this everyday. Maybe do a web search on MSRP and learn this from a source you trust? 

BTW… This illegality isn’t limited to manufacturers. Nobody can tell you what you have to sell your house, car, knitted scarf, etc., for either. It’s literally illegal.

Edited by Dog Faced Pony Soldier

Driver: :titelist-small: TSR3 w/ LA Golf DJ Signature Series (65-4)

3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

Ball mark: Kraken Golf - Revolver, Weight Plate, Turntable

Tracked and scored by :Arccos: 

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41 minutes ago, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:

First, read the blog post again. He’s stating that they are required to sell at MAP. That is the clear lie I’m pointing to. 

You are simply mistaken. It is illegal for someone to force someone to sell something for a particular price. That’s why MSRP is a SUGGESTED Retail Price. This is exactly what I do for a living. I live this everyday. Maybe do a web search on MSRP and learn this from a source you trust? 

BTW… This illegality isn’t limited to manufacturers. Nobody can tell you what you have to sell your house, car, knitted scarf, etc., for either. It’s literally illegal.

I am not referring to MAP or MSRP; I am referring to your statement that it is illegal for someone to tell you what you have to sell something for.   I looked at the Federal Trade Commission site and posted a link to an article that says manufacturers can  imposed requirements on price.    I could be entirely wrong but the post I referenced seems pretty clear. 

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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1 hour ago, cnosil said:

I am not referring to MAP or MSRP; I am referring to your statement that it is illegal for someone to tell you what you have to sell something for.   I looked at the Federal Trade Commission site and posted a link to an article that says manufacturers can  imposed requirements on price.    I could be entirely wrong but the post I referenced seems pretty clear. 

The information at that link is pretty broad; and doesn’t allow someone to tell someone else what price they have to sell something. Regardless, the CC blog post is stating that MAP policy dictates that they are required to sell at MSRP. We all should agree their statement is absolutely and completely untrue. 

Keep in mind- The person chastising CC’s blog post (me) is a CC Member with a CC driver fitting already scheduled for early March. I believe in CC… I just am going to call out BS when I see it. 
 

The more I think about CC’s blog post I also take issue with the premise that components are required to be sold at the MSRP of a full club. Of course the MSRP of the component MAY be the same as the MSRP of the full club, but don’t try and tell us that parts of a product must be sold at the MSRP of the complete unit. That just BS. Does anyone really think CC pays the same for a clubhead as a full club? I don’t. 

Edited by Dog Faced Pony Soldier

Driver: :titelist-small: TSR3 w/ LA Golf DJ Signature Series (65-4)

3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

Ball mark: Kraken Golf - Revolver, Weight Plate, Turntable

Tracked and scored by :Arccos: 

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2 hours ago, cnosil said:

That sentence says it all.  I can stop supplying you product if you don't sell for MSRP.   It isn't illegal.  

 

2 hours ago, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:

First, read the blog post again. He’s stating that they are required to sell at MAP. That is the clear lie I’m pointing to.

Just throwing it out there, there's likely truth to both statements here, just trying to prove two different points - legal and practical are very different. Sure, maybe they can't come in and say "you are not allowed to sell for less than $X", but they can (and do) say "if you sell for less than $X you will no longer sell our products". They have control of their accounts and can suspend at will. 

Blast from the past: this happened to my former boss with the Callaway C4 (which, coincidentally, is back in the news with the new TM Carbon driver) - MAP was too high for his market, they weren't moving at all in his shop, so he tried to sell lower, but when their rep caught wind of it, he got warned that his account could get suspended. 

Now imagine a company like Club Champion doing that and risking suspension of their Callaway account -- they will never take that risk, so they will not go below MAP. Maybe they aren't legally bound to that price, but they are contractually committed to it, so I don't really see that comment as misleading in the blog post. 

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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Reflecting back to the title of this thread: are they worth it? Hot take: not anymore. 

First went in and was told that as long as I made a purchase, refits would be free for life (not sure if that was actually the policy or if it was a verbal slip). I did one refit and made significant purchases both times. Either that was verbally misleading from my original fitter, or they ended that policy in favor of the Rewards program.

Free refit was a big perk for me, and would be great now that we have a local CC. But with now needing to pay the fitting fee again, I'm likely going to try a TM PDC/Gears fitting this year to see how that compares (might start with woods only - irons are feeling good right now).

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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Perhaps I broadened the conversation too much and distracted people? Allow me to tighten up the discussion for people not familiar with how this works.

The plain fact is CC is not bound to SELL at MAP. MAP only describes what price a retailer can advertise. MAP simply puts zero limitations on the sell price. Thus the contention made in CC’s blog post is a clear lie. 

Edited by Dog Faced Pony Soldier

Driver: :titelist-small: TSR3 w/ LA Golf DJ Signature Series (65-4)

3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

Ball mark: Kraken Golf - Revolver, Weight Plate, Turntable

Tracked and scored by :Arccos: 

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7 hours ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

 

Just throwing it out there, there's likely truth to both statements here, just trying to prove two different points - legal and practical are very different. Sure, maybe they can't come in and say "you are not allowed to sell for less than $X", but they can (and do) say "if you sell for less than $X you will no longer sell our products". They have control of their accounts and can suspend at will. 

Blast from the past: this happened to my former boss with the Callaway C4 (which, coincidentally, is back in the news with the new TM Carbon driver) - MAP was too high for his market, they weren't moving at all in his shop, so he tried to sell lower, but when their rep caught wind of it, he got warned that his account could get suspended. 

Now imagine a company like Club Champion doing that and risking suspension of their Callaway account -- they will never take that risk, so they will not go below MAP. Maybe they aren't legally bound to that price, but they are contractually committed to it, so I don't really see that comment as misleading in the blog post. 

 

I respect your overarching point, but my several decades of career experience managing global brands in the most competitive retail market in the US makes very clear to me the BS this blog poster is trying to pull on people. Managing these retail situations for manufacturers falls exactly in my area of responsibility. That’s why I can see the deception and find it so offensive. This clear lie makes me lose some confidence in other statements being made in the blog post on topics where I don’t have intimate knowledge, like the club building and fitting process. 

I feel compelled to repeat my personal viewpoint, where I don’t take issue with the overall value I get for my money at CC. The individual line item prices aren’t what I’m concerned with when shopping because I’m not going there to buy a component “over the counter.” I’m buying the entire experience. What I’m looking at personally, is the bottom line price for what I’m getting. This includes the member benefits, convenience, product performance, etc.. I’ve been nothing but happy with CC… at least until seeing them try to BS people about MAP pricing. 

Edited by Dog Faced Pony Soldier

Driver: :titelist-small: TSR3 w/ LA Golf DJ Signature Series (65-4)

3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

Ball mark: Kraken Golf - Revolver, Weight Plate, Turntable

Tracked and scored by :Arccos: 

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8 hours ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

 

Just throwing it out there, there's likely truth to both statements here, just trying to prove two different points - legal and practical are very different. Sure, maybe they can't come in and say "you are not allowed to sell for less than $X", but they can (and do) say "if you sell for less than $X you will no longer sell our products". They have control of their accounts and can suspend at will. 

Blast from the past: this happened to my former boss with the Callaway C4 (which, coincidentally, is back in the news with the new TM Carbon driver) - MAP was too high for his market, they weren't moving at all in his shop, so he tried to sell lower, but when their rep caught wind of it, he got warned that his account could get suspended. 

Now imagine a company like Club Champion doing that and risking suspension of their Callaway account -- they will never take that risk, so they will not go below MAP. Maybe they aren't legally bound to that price, but they are contractually committed to it, so I don't really see that comment as misleading in the blog post. 

 

Ping does this as well and will send in secret shoppers. I know two accounts that lost Ping because of this.

Also look at golf retail websites, many times you will see ping and titleist items say see cart for price. 

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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9 hours ago, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:

The more I think about CC’s blog post I also take issue with the premise that components are required to be sold at the MSRP of a full club. Of course the MSRP of the component MAY be the same as the MSRP of the full club, but don’t try and tell us that parts of a product must be sold at the MSRP of the complete unit.

Golf companies don’t sell components to anyone. There are independent club builders who will do end of year dumps of shafts that were pulled from club heads because they have to buy the entire club.

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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14 hours ago, dlow206 said:

That's not exactly what the Net Promoter Score means, its not a Yes/No question. The calculation is percent promoters (9 and 10 on the survey) minus percent detractors (0 through 6) on the survey.

Fair enough, regardless Club Champion scores last among significant alternatives, and a score of 25 is horrible in Net Promoter methodology. The only alternative that’s worse is a Big Box store…

What’s Considered a Good Net Promoter Score?

Net Promoter Score scores can range from -100 (all detractors and no promoters) to 100 (all promoters and no detractors). The closer to 100, the better.

Businesses will bring their subjective views to their net promoter scores, and these scores can be open to interpretation. But here is a good rule of thumb:

  • 70 or more: outstanding
  • 50 to 69: strong
  • 49 or less: needs improvement
  • Below 0: red flag!

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3 hours ago, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:

I respect your overarching point, but my several decades of career experience managing global brands in the most competitive retail market in the US makes very clear to me the BS this blog poster is trying to pull on people. Managing these retail situations for manufacturers falls exactly in my area of responsibility. That’s why I can see the deception and find it so offensive. This clear lie makes me lose some confidence in other statements being made in the blog post on topics where I don’t have intimate knowledge, like the club building and fitting process. 

The blog post just makes the statement without context, leaving it open to interpretation. Partial context would have helped. Full context/logic behind it would be too long and could lose the reader's interest. Sure, it could've been phrased better, but it states a reality of golf equipment sales.

If interpreting the context as a global requirement, you're right, it's misleading. If narrowing that to "in order to keep our business model of having the most combinations of anyone", it becomes less misleading - in order to have that model, they must keep their accounts; in order to keep their accounts, they must sell for MAP; therefore they must sell for MAP. 

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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On 2/11/2022 at 8:01 AM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

I'll just post this hear and leave the comments to everyone else 🙂

Ok, I lied. You'll either find it an informative or "entertaining" read...LOL

https://clubchampiongolf.com/blog/

CC owns SST Pure and if recall what Everett told me many years ago, he was an early investor in the technology.  It's expected that CC will upsell this all day, every day.

 

The blog has this:  "Our builders are expected to deliver clubs within 1/8 of an inch, one degree of variation for loft and lie, and one swingweight point" ----   That would never pass by me for any of the builds I do, those variables are too wide.

The blog has this:  "Most off-the-rack clubs are built in an assembly line where those tolerances aren’t assured and inspected. The assembly line process will have machines automate all the work or have one person cutting the shaft, another gripping and another gluing, and so on"   ----------   This was the CC model until a few years ago and also why they had delivery time issues, when they hired a person with production expertise.

It would seem to me, that most folks would have done enough research to know  that the first  session with a 'custom fitter' is an analysis of loft and lies, especially lie angle to make sure that what equipment they have is appropriate for whatever swing they have.  A second session would be focused on dialing in lofts, with a third session focusing on shafts.  After the irons are done, then focus on hybrid, then driver.

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5 minutes ago, flyingwedges said:

It would seem to me, that most folks would have done enough research to know  that the first  session with a 'custom fitter' is an analysis of loft and lies, especially lie angle to make sure that what equipment they have is appropriate for whatever swing they have.  A second session would be focused on dialing in lofts, with a third session focusing on shafts.  After the irons are done, then focus on hybrid, then driver.

That seems to be a lot of sessions just for the irons; not sure why one session wouldn't be enough.  The shaft selection would potentially mess up the loft/lie combinations that you did in the first sessions.   How the shaft loads and unloads has an influence on how the head is delivered which ultimately influences lie and loft.   A follow up session for gapping would be done to ensure that the distance gaps between clubs are consistent but that requires the entire set to be built.

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                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

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On 2/11/2022 at 7:44 PM, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:

While I’m not a lawyer, my career has made me knowledgeable on this subject. Nobody can dictate what you can sell something for. I work for a huge international manufacturer, and they’re always VERY careful we not even imply what one of our retailers has to sell something for. It’s literally illegal. If a supplier doesn’t like how your prices impact the marketplace, all they can do is cease supplying you with more product to sell. This really is so obvious it’s ridiculous that anyone can argue that a Minimum ADVERTISED Price policy means something other than the minimum price someone can ADVERTISE. If anyone wants they can do a web search for themselves and get educated. Here’s a screenshot after a 10 second search. Found: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-minimum-advertised-price-2890196

The point is the person writing that blog post is lying to us. 

1058583A-5FCB-41DD-9AEB-56C736140B37.jpeg

Quite interesting discussion as years ago, one of the largest Ping resellers, Pro Shop World of Golf in Skokie, IL (long since closed) was in a pizzing match with Ping about what they sold iron sets for. Because of volume, they sold many sets of Pings to Japanese business folks who were in the US.  Ping never shut them down but they did fight them on 'advertised' price.

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1 hour ago, cnosil said:

That seems to be a lot of sessions just for the irons; not sure why one session wouldn't be enough.  The shaft selection would potentially mess up the loft/lie combinations that you did in the first sessions.   How the shaft loads and unloads has an influence on how the head is delivered which ultimately influences lie and loft.   A follow up session for gapping would be done to ensure that the distance gaps between clubs are consistent but that requires the entire set to be built.

My post presumes the customer is astute enough to work out a cost arrangement. Most clubs need lie work, so that's why it's first. Then after a lot of range balls and a few rounds, you get the lofts addressed. Very few, who play golf, have good enough swings to benefit from a leap into new shafts on day one.  That is a waste of money.  If you don't have shaft lean at impact, any old shaft will do for the vast majority of those who play golf.  Fitting is about giving them proper loft and lie first, even adding a shaft extension if necessary.  Once length, lie, loft are locked in, then the customer should work on the swing, and once that is locked in, spend the wild cash on new irons and shafts.  If I'm CC, and I know them pretty well, I'll sell you whatever I can, it's a business. If I'm  someone who plays golf, I actually want to be fit properly.

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1 hour ago, flyingwedges said:

My post presumes the customer is astute enough to work out a cost arrangement. Most clubs need lie work, so that's why it's first. Then after a lot of range balls and a few rounds, you get the lofts addressed. Very few, who play golf, have good enough swings to benefit from a leap into new shafts on day one.  That is a waste of money.  If you don't have shaft lean at impact, any old shaft will do for the vast majority of those who play golf.  Fitting is about giving them proper loft and lie first, even adding a shaft extension if necessary.  Once length, lie, loft are locked in, then the customer should work on the swing, and once that is locked in, spend the wild cash on new irons and shafts.  If I'm CC, and I know them pretty well, I'll sell you whatever I can, it's a business. If I'm  someone who plays golf, I actually want to be fit properly.

There’s not a fitter I’ve ever seen that takes this approaches it’s head and shaft first. This includes the best of the best at places like TPI, ECPC, The Kingdom, TXG. Lie and potentially loft are going to be combined with shaft and head because droop is going to be different with different shafts and that’s going to effect lie.

A good fitter is going to be able to get a golfer into a good combo of head and shaft within 15-20 swings if not sooner. They are going to eliminate the extremes early on and find the combo that gets into the right launch window. Once they have that they will then see what tweaks can me made to try and get the number the most optimized as possible 

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

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On 2/13/2022 at 2:53 PM, flyingwedges said:

You sir (I presume), are correct. They buy heads only and screw the customer on pricing.

The more I think about the CC blog post’s clear lie about how retailers “have to” sell club components at full club MAP pricing; the more I don’t want to do business with them any longer. While I was/am okay with actually paying full price; the attempted deception itself just lost me as a customer. I’m considering canceling my driver fitting; and the three custom SM9 wedges I was ready to order. Luckily I live in Bergen County New Jersey where there’s plenty of other options for getting fit for custom clubs. 

Edited by Dog Faced Pony Soldier
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3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

Ball mark: Kraken Golf - Revolver, Weight Plate, Turntable

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23 minutes ago, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:

The more I think about the CC blog post’s clear lie about how retailers “have to” sell club components at full club MAP pricing; the more I don’t want to do business with them any longer. While I was/am okay with actually paying full price; the attempted deception itself just lost me as a customer. I’m canceling my driver fitting; and the three custom SM9 wedges I was ready to order. Luckily I live in Bergen County New Jersey where there’s plenty of other options for getting fit for custom clubs. Apologies to Jeremy and the entire staff at Club Champion Hackensack. 

I'm in north Jersey also. Was going to do some fittings at CC also but just don't like their business practices. Was also looking into True Spec golf in NY. Any other fitters that you would recommend?

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1 hour ago, rlb4 said:

I'm in north Jersey also. Was going to do some fittings at CC also but just don't like their business practices. Was also looking into True Spec golf in NY. Any other fitters that you would recommend?

Novo Golf seems to have a strong reputation. https://www.novogolf.com

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3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

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On 2/14/2022 at 2:27 PM, Dog Faced Pony Soldier said:

The more I think about the CC blog post’s clear lie about how retailers “have to” sell club components at full club MAP pricing; the more I don’t want to do business with them any longer. While I was/am okay with actually paying full price; the attempted deception itself just lost me as a customer. I’m considering canceling my driver fitting; and the three custom SM9 wedges I was ready to order. Luckily I live in Bergen County New Jersey where there’s plenty of other options for getting fit for custom clubs. 

What fitter or club builder do you know that doesn’t have to buy the full club and can buy component?

What retail shop do you know that sells for less than MAP when there isn’t a promotional sale. Nearly everytime a retailer like Carl’s golfland, budget golf or rock bottom golf as examples have some sort of promotion going on you will see it doesn’t apply to Titleist and Ping. 

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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8 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

What fitter or club builder do you know that doesn’t have to buy the full club and can buy component?

What retail shop do you know that sells for less than MAP when there isn’t a promotional sale. Nearly everytime a retailer like Carl’s golfland, budget golf or rock bottom golf as examples have some sort of promotion going on you will see it doesn’t apply to Titleist and Ping. 

Second point first... Interesting how people continue to struggle to understand the distinction between MAP and a sell price. You're accurately describing MAP policies you see being employed in umm, advertising. MAP has ZERO to do with what price retailers actually charge when selling the product. Every single hour of every day retailers sell products at a discounted price that MAP policy would prevent them from advertising. Often you'll even see this manifested in advertisements, where they mention "price too low to list," or "call for price." This is because they can't advertise the discounted price they are willing to sell the product for. This isn't unique nor exclusive to golf equipment. 

Not sure what your point is about components. What I'm taking issue with is the CC blogger's contention that MAP policy 🙄 for full clubs somehow places a price limitation on club components. This literally makes zero sense. MAP nomenclature aside; is anyone here believing CC pays the same price for a component as the full club? I don't think anyone here believes that. At least I hope not but then again I'm still here explaining how a policy about the minimum price that can be used in advertisements places zero limitations on the sell price! 

Your post provides me an opportunity to update my thoughts on this topic.

Upon reflecting on this, and looking up the blog entry author on LinkedIn; I now realize what we're really seeing is a blog entry by Marketing person who's understanding of sales is very limited. This is obvious to any professional B-to-B salesperson as MAP policy is simply not as described in the blog. I've decided to keep my CC driver fitting appointment; and even ordered SM9s from them today. I still think (and see here how) the blog entry is misleading though. 

Edited by Dog Faced Pony Soldier

Driver: :titelist-small: TSR3 w/ LA Golf DJ Signature Series (65-4)

3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

Ball mark: Kraken Golf - Revolver, Weight Plate, Turntable

Tracked and scored by :Arccos: 

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On 2/12/2022 at 7:04 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

Ping does this as well and will send in secret shoppers. I know two accounts that lost Ping because of this.

Also look at golf retail websites, many times you will see ping and titleist items say see cart for price. 

Friend of mine lost his Ping account because one of their "secret shoppers" came into the pro shop, spent almost an hour giving him a made up sob story trying to buy a Ping fairway wood for $25 less than the MSRP to which my friend, being a nice guy, finally acceded to.  Few days later Ping was in touch letting him know his account with them was being closed because he did not sell at Ping's MSRP.   Additionally, when one looks at larger online retailers offering "20% off orders of $250 or more!" I see small print that says "Ping and XXX excluded from this promotion". 

Language parsing aside, there are a few companies that do whatever they can legally do to keep a high floor under their list prices and seem to be able to do that on a consistent, continuing basis.

Ping G430 Max 10.5*

Ping G430 SFT 3 wood and Ping G430 HL 7 wood SR flex

Ping G430 4,5,6,7 hybrids  SR flex

Cleveland Launcher XL Halo 8,9,P,G, SW irons   A Flex

Cleveland Smart Sole S wedge  A Flex

Cobra Nova putter

 

 

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3 hours ago, Bobbers said:

Friend of mine lost his Ping account because one of their "secret shoppers" came into the pro shop, spent almost an hour giving him a made up sob story trying to buy a Ping fairway wood for $25 less than the MSRP to which my friend, being a nice guy, finally acceded to.  Few days later Ping was in touch letting him know his account with them was being closed because he did not sell at Ping's MSRP.  

Not sure if we're still on topic or not but I'll continue to add my professional perspective if its welcome. 

Imagine you're (like me or the Ping manager) managing a major consumer brand with a protected network of authorized dealers. These agreements being made with retailers are anything-but happening by accident. Both parties are strategically and carefully choosing their partners. Being successful in this specific process itself is how and why people are getting paid to manage territories/regions. 

It's simply absurd to think a partnership would be broken over a single discounted in-person sale... especially after the salesperson invested so much time with them. It's like saying you divorced your wife because she spent too much money on groceries one time. If your friend's dealer had their account terminated it wasn't because of a discount given to a secret shopper; someone was already unhappy with the partnership. Perhaps that's why someone would invest in sending in a secret shopper. 

Edited by Dog Faced Pony Soldier

Driver: :titelist-small: TSR3 w/ LA Golf DJ Signature Series (65-4)

3w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

5w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

7w: :srixon-small: ZX MKII w/ Graphite Design AD DI-7 XS

4i-GW: :mizuno-small: JPX921 Forged w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

54º: :vokey-small: SM9 D Grind w/ Nippon Modus Tour 105 S

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER5vB w/ LA Golf P-Series SOHO 

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x  play #45

Ball mark: Kraken Golf - Revolver, Weight Plate, Turntable

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