My Club Champion fitting experience/review

[NNKboykin]

Good afternoon everyone. My favorite time of year is right around the corner, it’s time for Fall golf!

I wanted to tell everyone about my experience during my Club Champion fitting.

About a month ago I walked into a Club Champion shop here in Virginia after setting an appointment online. It was my first time ever in a CC. I didn’t know what to expect, I was initially thinking it would be like a boutique Golf Galaxy. Well, I was wrong.

Other than putters and maybe some wedges there were no fully assembled clubs around to grab and swing. Hundreds of detachable heads and different shafts were on shelves. It became immediately apparent that this was no Golf Galaxy. I was greeted by the fitter right away and escorted to the Trackman bay with my 6 iron. I was only there for an iron fitting and was told the 6i was all that I would need.

Honestly I really had no intention of purchasing irons even though my current gamers were Ping i5s and around 15 years old. I just was curious about the fitting process and exactly how much tech improvement I was missing out on playing my old Pings. The fitting was to cost $150 but if I made a purchase it would be $50.

 

The fitting:

After getting the baseline data from my Ping 6 iron my fitter quickly gathered a selection of shafts and a couple of different iron heads. He asked if I was brand loyal for any reason and I told him “no”. He said that’s great and asked that I keep an open mind. He recommended that I didn’t even look at the club head to see what it was and base my decisions off of data and feel. He did ask me what I was looking to improve about my iron game. I hadn’t taken the time to really think about that before walking in but I am glad he asked because it made me think. I play pretty well with my current Pings, I’m an 8 Hcp. but I sure would like to be able to work the ball left and right a little better. I told him that my issue was I can always hit the ball straight when I want to and I can draw and fade on command but my problem is I never know if it will be a 5 yard draw/fade or a 20 yard draw/fade. His questions really made me nail down what my issues were and what I wanted to improve. At this point I didn’t know if those unpredictable draw/fade distances were a swing issue or something that could be remediated with equipment or a combination.

I immediately felt at ease and that he had my best interest in mind.

He attached the first shaft to the first head and began the data collection. After about 5 shots with this first combo he changed out the shaft, then again, then again. I asked about this and my fitter told me that we need to get the shaft dialed in first and then we can focus on the correct head.

The issue I was having was getting the ball high enough in the air with this new 6 iron. I was apexing at around 39 feet and was told closer to 50 would be better. We finally settled on Nippon 950GH taper regulars. They were getting my apex to around 48 feet.

That’s when he started with the heads. We hit around 5-8 shots with each head, with some it was immediately apparent that they would not work and we were on to the next within 3 shots.

For the ones that felt good and produced good data we would try, switch heads, switch back and try again. The whole process was very thorough and took into account my feedback on feel, looks, and other intangibles.

 

When all was said and done I had produced approximately 110 golf shots with the following club heads:

Taylormade P790- felt great but was having the same trouble I was having with my Ping gamers. I couldn’t predict the draw/fade

Taylormade 7CB- I loved these clubs and were honestly surprised at the end that they weren’t the ones I chose.

Taylormade P7-TW. -This one was interesting. I am a 8 handicap but was striking the ball very well that day. He said maybe a blade would work for you. I hit it well but quickly told him that “I’m not that guy” I hit far too many off center shots during a round to even consider a blade. He laughed and went on about the fitting.

Ping i530

Ping i230- Both of these ended up being the first ones I hit. Maybe I wasn’t warmed up yet but they just felt and sounded dead. The distance was there, the control was there but I just didn’t like the sound and feel, so they were out.

Mizuno JPX 923 tour- I loved these irons and couldn’t tell the difference in feel/sound between these and the previously hit TaylorMade 7CBs

Titleist T100 and T150- I was surprised, but this is one that I had to ask to hit. Towards the end of the process I asked if we had hit any Titleist yet and he said no but if I wanted to give them a try he would set it up. 

He attached the T150 head and I went to work. Great feel and very good workability. They are definitely in the running

 

There were a couple more irons that were tried but I honestly don’t remember what they were. I do know they didn’t produce or feel good enough to commit to memory.

Based on the data we knocked out both Ping models, the P790s, and obviously the P7-TWs because again, I ain’t him.

 

I hit the three remaining clubs T150s, Mizunos, and 7CBs again and by this time I knew which club was which but felt I could make an honest assessment. At this point we even made some minor shaft changes just to see how it would affect these final 3 but ended up back at the Nippons.

 

There was virtually no feel difference between the three but narrowing it down to two I chose the Mizunos and the Titleist irons… This was tough. Both were beautiful and felt amazing. Honestly it came down to the workability. Distance and spin were identical but I could draw/fade the Mizunos on command without worry about a hook or slice.

 

It’s funny, when I walked in I had no intention of making the purchase that day. But it just seemed to me that after putting in all that work (the session was scheduled for an hour but when it was all said and done I had been there for 2 hours) it would be a shame not to get these clubs on order. 

My fitter took me back to his build station and showed me how he fine tunes swing weight on clubs and how he adjusts lie and loft. It was all very interesting.

Again, he never pressured me. He did go over the shaft “Pureing” process with me and even though I wasn’t entirely convinced that it would make a difference in my game, what would it hurt right… besides my wallet.

 

So… 1 week later I got a text that my new irons were ready to be picked up. I have played two rounds with my new Mizuno JPX 923 tours and I absolutely love them. The workability is amazing, and I haven’t over drawn or faded the ball once. I have had a few less than stellar contact shots but I can hardly blame the clubs for that right? I haven’t dialed in my carry distances yet but I am scheduled to go back to the Trackman bay and get that done this week. After that is done and I have played some more rounds I may do a review of these JPX 923 tours if anyone is interested.

 

It is so amazing what 15 years of technology advancement can do. I would have never been able to play an iron with this workability 15 years ago. My Apex has gone up on every club allowing soft landing on the greens and based off of my 9 iron work at the range the distance difference between the Mizunos and my old Pings is about +10 yards. I can’t wait to get these things dialed in. .

I hope this helps anyone who is wondering if a club fitting would benefit you.

[Tango_Bogey]

4 minutes ago, NNKboykin said:

Good afternoon everyone. My favorite time of year is right around the corner, it’s time for Fall golf!

I wanted to tell everyone about my experience during my Club Champion fitting.

About a month ago I walked into a Club Champion shop here in Virginia after setting an appointment online. It was my first time ever in a CC. I didn’t know what to expect, I was initially thinking it would be like a boutique Golf Galaxy. Well, I was wrong.

Other than putters and maybe some wedges there were no fully assembled clubs around to grab and swing. Hundreds of detachable heads and different shafts were on shelves. It became immediately apparent that this was no Golf Galaxy. I was greeted by the fitter right away and escorted to the Trackman bay with my 6 iron. I was only there for an iron fitting and was told the 6i was all that I would need.

Honestly I really had no intention of purchasing irons even though my current gamers were Ping i5s and around 15 years old. I just was curious about the fitting process and exactly how much tech improvement I was missing out on playing my old Pings. The fitting was to cost $150 but if I made a purchase it would be $50.

 

The fitting:

After getting the baseline data from my Ping 6 iron my fitter quickly gathered a selection of shafts and a couple of different iron heads. He asked if I was brand loyal for any reason and I told him “no”. He said that’s great and asked that I keep an open mind. He recommended that I didn’t even look at the club head to see what it was and base my decisions off of data and feel. He did ask me what I was looking to improve about my iron game. I hadn’t taken the time to really think about that before walking in but I am glad he asked because it made me think. I play pretty well with my current Pings, I’m an 8 Hcp. but I sure would like to be able to work the ball left and right a little better. I told him that my issue was I can always hit the ball straight when I want to and I can draw and fade on command but my problem is I never know if it will be a 5 yard draw/fade or a 20 yard draw/fade. His questions really made me nail down what my issues were and what I wanted to improve. At this point I didn’t know if those unpredictable draw/fade distances were a swing issue or something that could be remediated with equipment or a combination.

I immediately felt at ease and that he had my best interest in mind.

He attached the first shaft to the first head and began the data collection. After about 5 shots with this first combo he changed out the shaft, then again, then again. I asked about this and my fitter told me that we need to get the shaft dialed in first and then we can focus on the correct head.

The issue I was having was getting the ball high enough in the air with this new 6 iron. I was apexing at around 39 feet and was told closer to 50 would be better. We finally settled on Nippon 950GH taper regulars. They were getting my apex to around 48 feet.

That’s when he started with the heads. We hit around 5-8 shots with each head, with some it was immediately apparent that they would not work and we were on to the next within 3 shots.

For the ones that felt good and produced good data we would try, switch heads, switch back and try again. The whole process was very thorough and took into account my feedback on feel, looks, and other intangibles.

 

When all was said and done I had produced approximately 110 golf shots with the following club heads:

Taylormade P790- felt great but was having the same trouble I was having with my Ping gamers. I couldn’t predict the draw/fade

Taylormade 7CB- I loved these clubs and were honestly surprised at the end that they weren’t the ones I chose.

Taylormade P7-TW. -This one was interesting. I am a 8 handicap but was striking the ball very well that day. He said maybe a blade would work for you. I hit it well but quickly told him that “I’m not that guy” I hit far too many off center shots during a round to even consider a blade. He laughed and went on about the fitting.

Ping i530

Ping i230- Both of these ended up being the first ones I hit. Maybe I wasn’t warmed up yet but they just felt and sounded dead. The distance was there, the control was there but I just didn’t like the sound and feel, so they were out.

Mizuno JPX 923 tour- I loved these irons and couldn’t tell the difference in feel/sound between these and the previously hit TaylorMade 7CBs

Titleist T100 and T150- I was surprised, but this is one that I had to ask to hit. Towards the end of the process I asked if we had hit any Titleist yet and he said no but if I wanted to give them a try he would set it up. 

He attached the T150 head and I went to work. Great feel and very good workability. They are definitely in the running

 

There were a couple more irons that were tried but I honestly don’t remember what they were. I do know they didn’t produce or feel good enough to commit to memory.

Based on the data we knocked out both Ping models, the P790s, and obviously the P7-TWs because again, I ain’t him.

 

I hit the three remaining clubs T150s, Mizunos, and 7CBs again and by this time I knew which club was which but felt I could make an honest assessment. At this point we even made some minor shaft changes just to see how it would affect these final 3 but ended up back at the Nippons.

 

There was virtually no feel difference between the three but narrowing it down to two I chose the Mizunos and the Titleist irons… This was tough. Both were beautiful and felt amazing. Honestly it came down to the workability. Distance and spin were identical but I could draw/fade the Mizunos on command without worry about a hook or slice.

 

It’s funny, when I walked in I had no intention of making the purchase that day. But it just seemed to me that after putting in all that work (the session was scheduled for an hour but when it was all said and done I had been there for 2 hours) it would be a shame not to get these clubs on order. 

My fitter took me back to his build station and showed me how he fine tunes swing weight on clubs and how he adjusts lie and loft. It was all very interesting.

Again, he never pressured me. He did go over the shaft “Pureing” process with me and even though I wasn’t entirely convinced that it would make a difference in my game, what would it hurt right… besides my wallet.

 

So… 1 week later I got a text that my new irons were ready to be picked up. I have played two rounds with my new Mizuno JPX 923 tours and I absolutely love them. The workability is amazing, and I haven’t over drawn or faded the ball once. I have had a few less than stellar contact shots but I can hardly blame the clubs for that right? I haven’t dialed in my carry distances yet but I am scheduled to go back to the Trackman bay and get that done this week. After that is done and I have played some more rounds I may do a review of these JPX 923 tours if anyone is interested.

 

It is so amazing what 15 years of technology advancement can do. I would have never been able to play an iron with this workability 15 years ago. My Apex has gone up on every club allowing soft landing on the greens and based off of my 9 iron work at the range the distance difference between the Mizunos and my old Pings is about +10 yards. I can’t wait to get these things dialed in. .

I hope this helps anyone who is wondering if a club fitting would benefit you.

@NNKboykin, I really appreciate you sharing (very timely if I must say). I just popped over to Club Champion last week and was intrigued by the process. May I ask, did they have you trial upgraded and stock shaft options? The only feedback I have received is they tend to favor upgraded shaft options. Would love to hear your shaft selection process. 

I have yet to go in for a fitting, but it is definitely on my to-do list. They even said they would offer a two-day fitting to test the irons and confirm the very next day. 

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Would love to get feedback from the group! 

[NNKboykin]

Yes. They spend just as much time on the shaft as they did the heads. I can tell you I was playing the stock Ping shaft in stiff flex. Once the fitter realized that my issue was getting the ball high enough at the Apex he had me hit regular shafts. We went through several iterations of that regular shaft, different swing weights until we found one that gave me the flight I needed. If I had to break it down, I would say 40% of the time was spent finding the right shaft and 60% the right head.

[BillyEnforcee]

Good run down. I went there 3 years ago and had a very similar experience. Regarding "stock" vs upgrade. I recall being asked if I had a budget. I just stated I do but I don't. I would like to see what's the best for me and if it happens to be expensive I wanted to compare side by side with a lower end. I ended up going with what felt the best and had the best numbers which happened to be a healthy upgrade. 

Also since everything is built I believe everything, like everything is an upgrade. I think the most basic of basic grips still costs $10-11 ea. No "stock" grips that come "included" I believe the same is true regarding shafts if you Happened to be fit for stock shafts.

[chipgreen72]

Well I now have much higher standards for a club fitter thank you. I am taking the plunge this winter and getting fitted for a new set. I will be using this as advice to make sure I get the best experience possible. Thanks for sharing.

[RyanGi]

I’ve been fitted at CC twice. First for irons, and the experience was so good that I went back to have a Driver/Wood fitting. Also a great experience. 

I went in intentionally brand agnostic. I don’t care what it is, if it helps me. For me, we sorted out the heads pretty quickly both times…the shafts took longer, but I’m really glad we did. It made such a difference in the end result.

I didn’t buy from them, because I feel (and have been told repeatedly) they are at the highest end of the spectrum and nothing gets thrown in for free. 

However, I did get ALL my data and can reference all of it through the TrackMan app. What this helped me do is compare other shafts to their super high end suggestions. In fairness, I did buy the shafts they recommended for the irons (MMTs), but put them on a comparable (but much more reasonable) head. The data from my launch monitor has been very very close to what I was fit for. 

I used the data for the different Woods shafts to find a more mainstream (and less expensive) shaft with all the same qualities. Shafts are a little easier to go laterally with, I think, since mfgs present several more specs for shafts than for heads…so they’re easier to compare. 

For me, the overall experience was great at CC. I payed full fair for the fitting, which I’m fine with because what I really wanted was the data across multiple configurations…and I got that! It’s more expensive, for sure, but it was a better and more professional experience than other fittings. Of all the things I’m going to go cheap on, it’s not going to be a fitting…not that I plan to do them very often!

Edited September 7 by RyanGi