Is Club Champion worth it?

[Hakr4ever]

I was fitted for irons at CC in Jacksonville. Absolutely think it was a great investment in my golf game. Have been playing the same Pings for last 10+ years. Hit the TM Stealth irons best, ended up buying from them. Only problem was delivery. 3 months. (Heads) They gave me 10% off for the inconvenience. Highly recommend them, just tell them upfront what you want!

[Dog Faced Pony Soldier]

For Christmas I bought my 81 year old father a CC fitting for new irons. I’m excited because it’s going to be easy for them to build him a new set that will greatly outperform his existing set. 

[Ryan Luke]

Hello All!

I personally got fitted for every single club listed below in my bag.  I purchased every club through Club Champion except my Scotty putter which I have owned prior to going to CC.  However, I did go through the whole bag fitting process and my putter needed some adjusting and it has made a big difference in making more putts that used to just slide across the edges/lip out.  I'm making more putts in the center of the cup than ever so the adjustment was well worth the time/cost for the full bag fitting.  I agree with some comments that your fitting experience may be strongly influenced by the fitter themselves, but I've been fortunate to have great fitters.  Both of my fitters listened and understood my desires and concerns and found the right combinations of heads and shafts to help maximize my game.  

I highly recommend getting fitted for anyone who wants to enjoy this amazing game more and or shoot lower scores regardless if you are a scratch golfer or a 20 handicap, the right clubs in your hands will make a very positive difference when you swing it properly!  I for one will never buy another club without being fitted as I have seen the difference it has made in my equipment and game!

[BigUrsus]

I've done CC twice and wasnt thrilled with the experience. I've done golf and ski callaway performance studio in NH and spargo in RI. I would pay extra for either of those over CC. Both prices for a full set seemed more reasonable and in addition both places modified my existing while i was their to put my equipment in as close to a fit as they could without major reconstruction. (bending loft/lie, adjusting grips, lengths, club weight settings,etc.) They also gurantee their fits and seems like places you could work with if something didnt work out.  

[RN4Lgolfer]

I have mixed feelings about CC. I don't like their philosophy on using just the 6 iron. So use one of the least used iron in your bag for your fitting? I've been to another fitter that's listed in Golf Digest's Top 100 fitters and they use a 7 iron. When you watch YouTube videos of new irons being tested, the use PW, 7i, and 4i. Their prices are insanely high and not even competitive. I got an estimate for a set of irons w/KBS C-Taper lites, besides charging me the normal price per club they were going to charge an additional $90/club for the shafts. First, those shafts retail for $49.95 and second they didn't factor in the credit that should be applied for the stock shaft not being purchased. Grips were the same thing, overpriced. I used them to get my specs and then ordered accordingly else where and saved myself $500+.  

Now driver and fairway fitting was a different story. I went in there with the heads I was going to use and just wanted to see what shaft would be optimal for my swing. My fitter was honest and said on my driver I was playing the right shaft. He recommended I should change my fairway shafts and since they were fairly new he recommend I take them back on the "playability" guarantee and order them with the shafts we picked out, which just so happen to be one of the stock offerings for Titleist. At the end he didn't even charge me for the fitting, so I tipped him the fitting fee. 

[Golfist]

I got a free fitting at a local Mizuno fitting day & no requirement to buy clubs - comments:

- their Swing DNA Shaft Optimizer tool provided data about swing speed, tempo, lie, shaft kick & club release ….for my swing

- I was all over the face that day which I attribute to fitting shafts grips too small to accommodate my arthritis.  Yet the data was quite consistent,  which is what matters

- I tried 2 different heads and three “stock” shaft recommendations were suggested for each (No upcharge)

My final $.02

- see TXG & other YouTube videos regarding Mizuno tool. It works and is designed for “big box” & independent small shops to provide 90+% of fitting expertise that CC, TourSpec, TXG, etc. provide - but -  at little or no cost.

- a competent “big box” or independent fitter could probably take your Mizuno swing data & recommended head/shaft info & match to a similar head from your preferred OEM 

Good Luck !!
 

 

 

 

 

[Golfspy_CG2]

14 hours ago, NoCoGolfer said:

I just went back to Club Champion yesterday for a fitting and ended up ordering a new set of clubs.

Some may agree or disagree, but part of my reasoning is my current set ordered direct from the Manufacturer and the poor quality of the specs direct from the factory. I recently installed a Bushnell Launch Pro system in our home this year which has allowed me to see my gaps, look at spin rates, launch angles and overall gather data on my swing weekly. 

On a recent trip over the pond last month I rented clubs because it was more of a trip to spend time with my wife rather than the usual golf involved and I wasn't sure how many rounds I could get in (2). On one of the rental sets, I played a brand new Taylormade set with Reg (F3) Recoil shafts. Although they were too soft, I was able to shoot a respectable round after hitting the clubs on the range and slowing down the swing a bit.

That round opened up my eyes to how good I felt not grinding through a round. I am approaching the big 60 and have been considering making a change to my current set which have given me the 2 lowest rounds of my life this year.  I had considered looking at a few different heads during the fitting but first we looked for a shaft that felt good and produced good numbers but was less weight. One of my complaints with my current set is there wasn't a lot of head weight feeling during the swing. Part inconsistent swing weights in the set and part me getting older and slower. The specs were also off from what I had ordered and I recently took them into a local shop and had all of the specs re-done., with the exception of swing weight. I wanted to do this before making the CC appointment and re-look at my numbers and gapping in the set. My 8 iron was $$$ my 9 iron I thought from day 1 something was wrong with it producing inconsistent results? (I usually attribute it to the Indian not the arrow?)

After hitting several different heads during the fitting and intending to put a set of Mizuno's in my bag, I ended up ordering another set of P-790's 5-7 (will re-shaft my current 4) and the new P-770's 8-AW. All with Nippon NS Pro 850 stiff shafts. I tried shafts from several steel fiber, straight graphite and ended up with the Nippon. The new combo should give me better consistency in my launch angles and descent into the green, along with being able to find a smoother transition through the swing. The misses with this combination for me was obvious compared to the other combinations I tried. I wasn't looking for distance but rather small misses. I can't hit hit it pure every time lol. 

I have been dealing with the same guy at Club Champion since they opened their first store here in Colorado. A great guy who has become a friend and loves what he does. We actually met when he worked at Golfsmith before they closed their doors in Golden Co.

Hope this helps?

 

4 hours ago, tortise said:

I believe that being fit for golf clubs is a good ideal. I have always been custom fitted for my pings. But the the club champion in our area just literally took advantage of a guy I work with sold him thousands of dollars worth of golf clubs with a horrible golf swing. It was just absolutely useless. I went to a green grass pro where I got fitted for Titleist a few years ago and he couldn’t get any more distance or accuracy out of the new clubs as my old clubs, so he refused to sell them to me. He said you don’t need to spend money for maybe a yard more dissed and that’s what they should’ve done with him. Tell him take his money get some lessons from and come back in a few months.


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4 hours ago, LarryG said:

If you do not get fit you are cheating your game!! Club Champion is EXCELLENT!! You will be a better player!

 

3 hours ago, Len Dillon said:

MR. 82:

I did an entire bag fitting with Club Champion in Charlotte the week they opened.  Even met the owner during the process. If you are interested in only a driver fitting then most certainly do that by all means.  I would recommend that you go into the process with no pre-conceived thoughts on what club will work best for you.  You may love your current gamer but it may not perform best for you based on some other combination.  Just be open mined and financially about the process.  It is an investment. 

I found the staff well trained, knowledgeable, patient and well versed at their job.  Once you are in the system and unless your specifications change you can basically call and add new weapons to the bag effortlessly.        

The process added a ton of performance improvement and confidence to my game.  

 

Good luck

 

3 hours ago, morjo02 said:

I finally was fitted for new clubs at Club Champion in NY. Been playing for 20 years with incorrect specs that match my swing. My irons were more accurate, longer drives reduced my handicap from 14 to 10 this year. Evan at Club Champion is an awesome master club fitter.

 

3 hours ago, Hakr4ever said:

I was fitted for irons at CC in Jacksonville. Absolutely think it was a great investment in my golf game. Have been playing the same Pings for last 10+ years. Hit the TM Stealth irons best, ended up buying from them. Only problem was delivery. 3 months. (Heads) They gave me 10% off for the inconvenience. Highly recommend them, just tell them upfront what you want!

 

53 minutes ago, RN4Lgolfer said:

I have mixed feelings about CC. I don't like their philosophy on using just the 6 iron. So use one of the least used iron in your bag for your fitting? I've been to another fitter that's listed in Golf Digest's Top 100 fitters and they use a 7 iron. When you watch YouTube videos of new irons being tested, the use PW, 7i, and 4i. Their prices are insanely high and not even competitive. I got an estimate for a set of irons w/KBS C-Taper lites, besides charging me the normal price per club they were going to charge an additional $90/club for the shafts. First, those shafts retail for $49.95 and second they didn't factor in the credit that should be applied for the stock shaft not being purchased. Grips were the same thing, overpriced. I used them to get my specs and then ordered accordingly else where and saved myself $500+.  

Now driver and fairway fitting was a different story. I went in there with the heads I was going to use and just wanted to see what shaft would be optimal for my swing. My fitter was honest and said on my driver I was playing the right shaft. He recommended I should change my fairway shafts and since they were fairly new he recommend I take them back on the "playability" guarantee and order them with the shafts we picked out, which just so happen to be one of the stock offerings for Titleist. At the end he didn't even charge me for the fitting, so I tipped him the fitting fee. 

Wow...Love all posts form either new members or members who have been here a few years but only made a couple posts.

They oddlyy enough pop up in a thread touting the virtues of Club Champion.    Good to know so many of our new/infreqent posters are having such great success there 

[GolfSpy_APH]

6 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow...Love all posts form either new members or members who have been here a few years but only made a couple posts.

They oddlyy enough pop up in a thread touting the virtues of Club Champion.    Good to know so many of our new/infreqent posters are having such great success there 

It was boosted in our newsletter today so that certainly helps it get some added attention. 

[Bag Ratt]

I got fit back in the 80s from Henrygrifits , they were the first company that did their fitting on the driving range with a loft and lie board..How times have changed ..I got fit for new PXG irons a few months ago ..they do theirs out side but it’s now trackman …Lov my new PXG irons and Gen 5 driver..

PXG did not charge me for the fitting.. 

[Birdieputt13]

I had a driver fitting at the Club Champion facility in Cary, NC in May, 2019. I was quite disappointed and would NOT recommend Club Champion to anyone.

As I arrived for my appointment, the fitter asked me what I needed as I walked in. When I told him that I had an appointment and what my name was, he pointed to a hitting bay and said "Go warm up". He never introduced himself and just walked away. After warming up, he proceeded to fit me for a driver. He seemed disinterested and simply went through the motions. I had worked in the golf industry for seven years and knew something about the process but was disappointed with what Club Champion offers and more importantly, the attitude of some of their employees. 

Everything is sold "ala carte" and the Taylormade driver I did buy was much more expensive than just going to a Demo Day and being fit there. Ironically, a fellow club member, where I regularly play, also went to the same facility and later told me he would never go back to a Club Champion facility facility again. 

I have several friends who have gone to True Spec and were fitted for an entire bag and said it was a very pleasant and professional experience. 

[Subdiver1]

On 3/16/2020 at 4:52 AM, Mr. 82 said:

So I am staying with my sister for 10 days here near Asheville, NC, and I checked and not only is there Top Golf in Greenville, SC an hour away  but there is also a Club Champion in both Charlotte and Greenville, each within an easy drive, which definitely wasn't the case where I live in Tallahassee.

I've been considering seeing them to see if there is a better option for both my PING G400 driver and fairway club then the standard stock shaft in both.  From everything I've seen with Club Champion their goal is to evaluate every club by select manufacturers to find the one that is best for you.  But what if I life the clubs I currently have and just want to see if there is a better shaft that might perhaps increase distance in both clubs?  Is that something I can stipulate up front with them?

Also, I noticed a fitting session for those two clubs alone is $200 (they have a 33% discount, so that would soften the blow a bit).  That's a lot of money to me, but if I can go in there and have them evaluate everything with my driver and fairway club and find some improvement, distance wise, then I am definitely interested.  I just don't know if it would be worth the investment, especially since I am sort of straying from their conventional fitting model in that I want to keep my current clubs and just see if the shafts can be upgraded to something better.

Anyone have any thoughts on all of this?  Anyone do a club champion fitting and can offer me some advice, tips, or suggestions before committing to it?

IMO and experince CC is worht the $$.  The first question I would ask you is, what is your issue or question about your G400?  I broke the custom shaft I was fitted to in my G400 and found out they are no longer producing that shaft, found one more unicornout there, so I went to get an updated fitting in case I have another break.  NOTHING had any better dispersion, ball speed, spin numbers etc. than I am getting off my G400. I played a G410 while waiting for the replacement shaft and loved the feel play and shape of my drives, but when the numbers came in the 425, the various SIM models etc. did not compare.  The closest I got was a Srixon ZX7 so I have that in my back pocket.  The Stealth wasn't out yet, but I've since hit that and doesn't even come close to my G400. I did a fitting with Titleist this summer, before the TSR was released and the TS2, or 4 cannot recall, came really close but the numbers off my G400 beat them yet again. So, unless you are having issues with your G400 I would suggest that it will be hard to replace, by the numbers.

Perofmance comparison being important, I am 51, Driver swing speed Ave. ~107, 7 HCI (mostly due to stupid course management decisions). Good luck

[Onestoptech]

Personally I was not happy with my experience with them I started a full bag fit and ended up having to split up multiple days due to my injury recovery and during that weekend they stopped carrying the irons I was smoking so had to redo iron fitting and driver I got from them was a joke. It supposed to include free grips and adjustments for a year but my fitter left the company shortly after my fit and so they wouldn't do free adjustments or grip changes after he left had a lot better experience with 5iron golf. 

[RobinArthur14]

Listen…I know 5 or 6 Clubfitters across the US who make their living redoing CChampion’s bs work. They don’t care about helping you…only maximizing their margin.  That’s why “the best shaft for you” is the most expensive one…or one they have too much stock in.  They’re what’s wrong with with this industry….only out to get your money and say goodbye…

Robin…Xcaliber shafts guy

[EvilIncarnate]

You are really at the mercy of the fitter. I had some great fittings in the Rockville, Md location, and an awful one in Raleigh, NC.  For me, I found that, (for the most part), their finished product, comes back, too long, too stiff, and too heavy.  Good luck.

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 hour ago, EvilIncarnate said:

You are really at the mercy of the fitter. I had some great fittings in the Rockville, Md location, and an awful one in Raleigh, NC.  For me, I found that, (for the most part), their finished product, comes back, too long, too stiff, and too heavy.  Good luck.

I think the same us true of many places. You'll have some fitters who are better than others or even some that are better with certain types of golfers vs others. 

Altho companies may follow similar policies from store to store they are likely to be very different experiences. 

[StrikurJim]

I for one was trained many years ago by Ping Golf. Static fitting was the start point for all fittings.  Did my most recent fitting for my Irons without static fitting, trusting the fitter.  Even went standard length due to the fact that I fall in around 1/4 over standard.  I am only ready getting consistent divots with mid to long irons. About 5 years after getting the irons.  Also, went with a shaft I wasn’t happy with as I was told I am getting older and stiff or firm wasn’t the right option. So while I am happy with the feel it’s been a big learning curve to adjust …. Now I  am in the market again.

[AzRoger]

Forgot to mention in my previous post about my Club Champion fitting, the cost quoted for their recommended irons (Srizon ZX5) was about double what I could get the exact same custom configuration (shafts, grips, etc.) online. Makes me wonder if that big price markup is manufacturer specific, Ping requires that all of their resellers sell their clubs at the same price but not sure if that applies to Club Champion. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

3 hours ago, AzRoger said:

Forgot to mention in my previous post about my Club Champion fitting, the cost quoted for their recommended irons (Srizon ZX5) was about double what I could get the exact same custom configuration (shafts, grips, etc.) online. Makes me wonder if that big price markup is manufacturer specific, Ping requires that all of their resellers sell their clubs at the same price but not sure if that applies to Club Champion. 

Not quite accurate. PING has a policy of no discounting below its Dealer Blue price.  But there are no restrictions on a dealer selling above the Blue price. 

[flyingwedges]

On 12/9/2022 at 8:03 PM, Onestoptech said:

Personally I was not happy with my experience with them I started a full bag fit and ended up having to split up multiple days due to my injury recovery and during that weekend they stopped carrying the irons I was smoking so had to redo iron fitting and driver I got from them was a joke. It supposed to include free grips and adjustments for a year but my fitter left the company shortly after my fit and so they wouldn't do free adjustments or grip changes after he left had a lot better experience with 5iron golf. 

What you mention would be company policy, not Fitter specific policy.

[AzRoger]

19 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Not quite accurate. PING has a policy of no discounting below its Dealer Blue price.  But there are no restrictions on a dealer selling above the Blue price. 

That makes sense although don't recall ever finding any retailers selling above the listed price whenever I've priced Ping clubs in the past.

[cnosil]

53 minutes ago, AzRoger said:

That makes sense although don't recall ever finding any retailers selling above the listed price whenever I've priced Ping clubs in the past.

I don't know if you just checked purchase of Ping clubs that were built by Ping or were build by a custom builder.   Per CC's site they build all clubs from the ground up and even if you purchase stock options,  they indicate the shafts have been weight sorted which should get you a more consistent set.  

https://clubchampion.com/golf-club-fitting-process/our-build-process

The price above MSRP is essentially paying for their build process.  

I am not saying this is accurate,  what they do,  if they are quality builders or anything else;  simply that is what they advertise they do after you purchase clubs.   

[Onestoptech]

2 hours ago, flyingwedges said:

What you mention would be company policy, not Fitter specific policy.

Correct but still wouldn't honor it. So it's one of the reasons I was unsatisfied. I think it really comes down to knowing the right fitter who takes it seriously and as a career not a job. 

[flyingwedges]

4 minutes ago, Onestoptech said:

Correct but still wouldn't honor it. So it's one of the reasons I was unsatisfied. I think it really comes down to knowing the right fitter who takes it seriously and as a career not a job. 

Call Willowbrook, talk to Nick

[Guam135i]

On 3/28/2022 at 10:39 PM, RickyBobby_PR said:

Did you not notice this during the fitting?

Talk to club champion and have them look at the specs to make sure they were built to what you were fit too. Club champion can also do lie adjustments.

Theres never a guarantee that fitting makes a person better. It gives the golfer clubs that work with their swing that allows them the chance to make better swings because they aren’t trying to manipulate the club/swing to achieve a shot they are trying to execute. It’s also to optimize the ball flight so that the results of our bad swings isn’t as bad as what they were with the previous ones. 
 

I wish it was that easy but I live on Guam. If you are not a pro don't waste your time and money getting fitted I was doing good fitting myself. I could not say the same for the putter fitting. The putter has been much better. Club Champion is still out to sell you a new set of clubs pretending that it would help you. If you love nearby I guess it must be okay since they can tweak your clubs based on how it feels. Expensive lesson learned

[Golfspy_CG2]

17 hours ago, AzRoger said:

That makes sense although don't recall ever finding any retailers selling above the listed price whenever I've priced Ping clubs in the past.

True. It doesn’t usually happen on standard launches.
 

  But there were a few cases with other OEMs on limited releases where some retailers did sell above suggested retail.    But can’t say I recall it with PING 

[CFreddie]

Resurfacing this thread - looks like CC is running a pretty good promotion: full bag fitting (including putter) for $100 with "applicable" purchase (knowing they charge a premium on their custom builds).

 

If you are in the market and know you will buy clubs through them, could be a great deal!

[Bosox04]

There was a club pro at my course that knew my game that I trusted 100% to fit me. He was very familiar with my game and swing. He moved 4 hours away, and I’d go see him before I go to CC which is 10 minutes away.

[BCC]

I was a 2 handicap when I was younger - my handicap is a bit higher now that I'm older.  I went to club champion a little over a year ago to be fitted for a putter and a driver and had high hopes when they finally arrived.  I've since sold both the putter and the driver to golf club brokers in Georgia. In my case, going to club champion was an expensive mistake and not a professional fitting.

[Badams69]

44 minutes ago, BCC said:

I was a 2 handicap when I was younger - my handicap is a bit higher now that I'm older.  I went to club champion a little over a year ago to be fitted for a putter and a driver and had high hopes when they finally arrived.  I've since sold both the putter and the driver to golf club brokers in Georgia. In my case, going to club champion was an expensive mistake and not a professional fitting.

In my opinion this could be copied and pasted for most every "fitter" out there.  For a variety of reasons.  But mostly the case that most are under experienced, bust mostly  because they are dealing with humans. Humans swinging a golf club have major variations across multitudes of scenarios. The variables that can change how we swing a club are endless and the interactions with clubs the first time they are in someone's hand is about the last thing that is reliable.

How many times have you or I grabbed a buddies new club and hit it great ..... bought a club similar and the honeymoon phase was superb. THEN, it did what they all do.  thud!

Fact of the matter based on my own experience is that we adapt to our clubs and adjust to the different feeling of brand new clubs temporarily, and then revert to our defaults. 

I've been fitted 3 times and each were the worst sets of clubs I've ever owned.  Coincidence?  Don't think so.  Partly I think the whole fitting concept/industry is part money maker and part peer pressure to agree it works best.  It seems perfect and if done correctly it should be. 

But Club Champion nor any other one trip fitter, has a high probability of actually fitting someone into the "best" clubs.  Now ..... if it were multiple trials across multiple visits combined with on course play in between, the rate of success would rise exponentially. 

Sorry for the essay here, but I think someone would be just as likely to do well buying various used clubs and finding the parameters that work for them.  Shaft weights, flex material etc.  and not be afraid to buy and sell until you find it.  What little you would lose on the transactions would equal one fitting and might open your eyes to something you'd never have thought of or been shown in a fitting.  

Alternatively, one could go to PGA SUPERSTORE, GOLF GALAXY and a few others and narrow it down for free. Then find a true boutique fitter. If that is what you want.

I'll never use one of these chains myself. Unlikely to use another either ..... but if I were to do so, it would be with parameters set ahead of time, compromise of my terms and theirs.  

Thanks.

[Sinjin Todd]

I’ve gotten fit at club champion for most of my bag and they do a great job! Very thorough fitting process with lots of options and they are super patient and understanding


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