I felt cheated about buying from Club Champions after hearing this ... I'm calling it SHAFTGATE!!!

[MaineMariner]

On 5/5/2021 at 10:27 AM, Adam C said:

As I remember CC used to just charge full retail for all the component pieces, however now it looks like they are creating their own new retail prices. $72 for a shaft that even if it wasn't a stock option would cost you $40.

$10 for a GP Tour Velvet 360 grip that again retails for $5.70?

 

 

This came up in a recent thread where a guy was questioning the cost of his build from CC. IIRC, it was Modus shafts in his case.

 

Those are the prices that really get me. Ignore the fact that the shaft and grips would be free from the OEM if you ordered directly from the website. Why is CC charging MORE than retail for their components? There's no reasonable explanation for it. I believe CC chimed in to explain that they are obligated to charge MSRP for components, not retail. But that's nonsense. You can't tell me that a major national chain has its hands tied when dealing with OEMs. They're basically feasting on consumer ignorance. Conveniently, us consumers have no way of knowing a manufacturer's MSRP.

 

Gah, it chafes me so much. I remember when the Modus guy, I built his EXACT set of clubs for like $500 less with 2 minutes worth of research. Drives me insane. 

[TwistedSister]

On 5/4/2021 at 11:23 PM, phizzy30 said:

Ouch.  I'm not going to talk bad about CC as they are a sponsor here, but their prices can get a bit steep.  Don't get me wrong they do a good job of fitting but that spec sheet can be had for a quite a bit less, you just have to know where to look. 

Well that is a matter of opinion.  A guy I play golf with went to CC and got "fitted".  Got the clubs in March and has played like Shite since.  His cap has gone up 4 points... A really good fitting.  Actually we have under/over pool going as to how long it will be before his previous irons are back in play.

[MelloYello]

36 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I think we always need to keep in mind that for lots of Club Champion customers, the (inflated) price is itself part of the appeal. As long as the buyer is convinced that he's getting extra-special, custom, precise, careful, exotic work done in return for the extra money then paying a lot just adds to the bragging rights. 

 

Having a $4,000 set of custom clubs instead of a $2,000 set of OEM ones implies that you've gone to every possible length to acquired the ultimate clubs. 

 

There are definitely luxury brands. When you find an $800 sweatshirt it's high price doesn't reflect utility, rather it's status as a luxury item. It's meant to project a clear message that says, "I have $800 to spend on casual wear."

 

Those things certainly exist, but the guy who's dropping thousands at CC isn't doing so in order to send a message to others. On the contrary, he presumes that he's actually getting some utility from the experience and product. 

 

These aren't wealthy people opting for the most expensive item in order to merely demonstrate their wealth. There are more expensive club options out there. There are luxury brands in golf that'll happily charge you $5k for a driver after all. 

 

There's nothing "ultimate" about a set of Mizuno JPX irons with PX shafts. These are just people too foolish to realize they're being taken for a ride. Kanye isn't being taken for a ride when he flaunts his $800 sweatshirt. He's just letting you know that he knows that you know $800 is nothing to him, LOL. 

Edited May 6, 2021 by MelloYello

[Krt22]

18 minutes ago, MaineMariner said:

 

This came up in a recent thread where a guy was questioning the cost of his build from CC. IIRC, it was Modus shafts in his case.

 

Those are the prices that really get me. Ignore the fact that the shaft and grips would be free from the OEM if you ordered directly from the website. Why is CC charging MORE than retail for their components? There's no reasonable explanation for it. I believe CC chimed in to explain that they are obligated to charge MSRP for components, not retail. But that's nonsense. You can't tell me that a major national chain has its hands tied when dealing with OEMs. They're basically feasting on consumer ignorance. Conveniently, us consumers have no way of knowing a manufacturer's MSRP.

 

Gah, it chafes me so much. I remember when the Modus guy, I built his EXACT set of clubs for like $500 less with 2 minutes worth of research. Drives me insane. 

It's a little known fact, but the gripping solution they use is infused with the tears of virgins, so they have to double charge on the components to bake in the cost of those.

 

 The other absurd part of their model is they claim the manufacturers force them to charge full retail for heads only, when we all know that itself includes a ton of built in profit.  With CCs double dip practice, their gross margin on a set of sticks is north of 200%

 

The only unsubstantiated part is if they are really buying heads only or getting full sets and selling off the shafts/grips (or reusing/reselling them). If that part is really true, that margin grows even higher

 

With that being said, it makes me want to start a small boutique club building business lol

[JeffreySpicoli]

1 hour ago, Pepperturbo said:

Yep.  That's what happens when someone doesn't want to find a real job, and requirements are based on fiction.  Every other woman on IG is a life coach. lol  Yet, they have no serious life experiences ... but that's another topic... 😛

 

Thank goodness we have real men like you, Pepper, with real jobs and real golf skills and the guts to tell it like it is. You’re a true treasure.

Edited May 6, 2021 by JeffreySpicoli

[Pepperturbo]

2 minutes ago, JeffreySpicoli said:

Thank goodness we have real men like you, Pepper, with real jobs and real golf skills and the guts to tell it like it is. You’re a true treasure.

LOL - real, yes.  Treasure - not even close.  Just a hardworking man from a different time.

[Krt22]

6 minutes ago, JeffreySpicoli said:

Thank goodness we have real men like you, Pepper, with real jobs and real golf skills and the guts to tell it like it is. You’re a true treasure.

A GolfWRX hall of fame needs to be formed. It will be opened to induct a single member and then be closed. That sole member will undoubtedly be Pepperturbo.

[brew4eagle]

3 hours ago, dhacker56 said:

Well that is a matter of opinion.  A guy I play golf with went to CC and got "fitted".  Got the clubs in March and has played like Shite since.  His cap has gone up 4 points... A really good fitting.  Actually we have under/over pool going as to how long it will be before his previous irons are back in play.

Does getting fit guarantee better scores though?

[TwistedSister]

1 minute ago, brew4eagle said:

Does getting fit guarantee better scores though?

Not talking scores I am talking the way he hits the irons.  I have played with and against him for 5 years. This is the worst I have ever seen him hit irons..

[phizzy30]

4 hours ago, dhacker56 said:

Well that is a matter of opinion.  A guy I play golf with went to CC and got "fitted".  Got the clubs in March and has played like Shite since.  His cap has gone up 4 points... A really good fitting.  Actually we have under/over pool going as to how long it will be before his previous irons are back in play.

I should've posted IMO.  My bad. 

[Valtiel]

On 5/5/2021 at 9:22 AM, North Butte said:

Your goal was to have the fitter identify a set of clubs that work well for you. You're basically paying him for his knowledge and advice then buying your clubs retail.

 

The prototypical Club Champion customer has a different goal. They want Club Champion to CREATE for them a better set of clubs than they could purchase at retail. They don't want to spend the same $2,000 on a bag of clubs that anyone can buy off the rack. They want to spend $4,000 on a bag of clubs that Club Champion has added $2,000 worth of value to by also [whatever you call it that they are supposedly doing to justify the price]. 

 

You either buy into the value-added proposition or you don't. Nothing wrong with paying for a pure fitting with Club Champion if that's the best place you know to get fitted. But that's not the core of their business. The fitting is the thing that gets people in the door, the value-added is the thing that pays the bills.

 

I'll bet your local fitter did not have nearly as luxurious and impressive showroom and fitting studio as Club Champion usually does. There's not that much revenue in just getting paid for 2-3 hours of time fitting someone into a retail set of clubs.

I think that is understood/accepted to a point, but the problem is with the fact that going item by item you quickly see how the proposition falls apart. Charging you double for things like grips and shafts adds zero value, it is just padding their profit margin, and in a way that feels very disingenuous. IMO it will rapidly become an outdated business model as the more disposable income generation stops playing and the more tech savvy internet generation with far less of that income takes its place. 

CC could charge exactly what they do now by simply charging a lot more for their fitting/services and I think they would have a better reputation. But luring you in with this "half off fitting" deal while charging insane amounts for components feels disingenuous and scammy. If they want to sell a premium experience, then that is what they should be charging you for, not this astronomical hard goods markup. 

[larciel]

Their super expensive sales scheme works for some people. I have few friends who paid over $8k at cc.

 

I view it as same as some (and increasing)# of people believing that an invisible piece of coin can cost more than $60k and it will increase to $1mil.

 

Whatever works for him. Kudos to that guy. 

[TwistedSister]

13 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

I should've posted IMO.  My bad. 

thanx for your opinion.  My post is fact.

[jeffrey r]

I've bought shafts from CC previously (note the Accra shafts in my sig, which I frankly do really like and have no issue with), but likely won't again.  There was a purpose and a convenience in this one instance, and I am fine with how it all went down. 

 

Not getting into the general muck and mire, but as to the question of whether they will return your pulls to you, they absolutely do and will.  That is talking about re-shafting existing clubs, whether irons or woods.  I've always gotten my previous shafts back.  I think the worst of the issues come with how they handle new clubs and builds.  YMMV.

[jdowning111]

Anyone considered taking CC to the better business bureau or even law enforcement? Keeping the OEM shafts that one PAYS FOR sounds illegal to me. I walked into a CC once and they gave me the spiel and I shook my head said I’m not an idiot you guys are out of your minds and walked out.

[JeffreySpicoli]

10 minutes ago, jdowning111 said:

Anyone considered taking CC to the better business bureau or even law enforcement? Keeping the OEM shafts that one PAYS FOR sounds illegal to me. I walked into a CC once and they gave me the spiel and I shook my head said I’m not an idiot you guys are out of your minds and walked out.

Law enforcement?

 

You’re buying a custom club. No laws are being broken if you don’t get the stock shaft.

 

Now you’ve every right to stomp your feet and gnash your teeth as you throw a fit wrapped in righteous indignation. But law enforcement? That’s funny stuff.

[jdowning111]

To clarify..when one buys a club they pay for the OEM club and then pays for the custom shaft on top of it. The OEM clubs includes the shaft yet you only get the head? This is pretty cut and dry IMO

[cristphoto]

1 hour ago, jdowning111 said:

To clarify..when one buys a club they pay for the OEM club and then pays for the custom shaft on top of it. The OEM clubs includes the shaft yet you only get the head? This is pretty cut and dry IMO

 

Why not just order the club with the desired shaft then?  Or does CC deliberately steer you away from shafts they know are supplied by different vendors thus allowing for the "double charge". 

[ducky50]

I recently went to CC here in Pittsburgh and had a good experience while I admire those on here that can change shafts and heads on their own I am not one of them.  CC did not pressure me at all the irons we tried really didn't make a big enough difference however the the clubs I did purchase I do feel they will help me enjoy the game more and isn't that the bottom line

[Shilgy]

2 hours ago, jdowning111 said:

To clarify..when one buys a club they pay for the OEM club and then pays for the custom shaft on top of it. The OEM clubs includes the shaft yet you only get the head? This is pretty cut and dry IMO

I would say incorrect. If you bought the club from the manufacturer and took it to CC for a different shaft you would be entitled to the stock shaft. 
 You are agreeing to purchase the club(s) with a chosen shaft from CC. How they accomplish the build has nothing to do with your sale price.

[JeffreySpicoli]

2 hours ago, jdowning111 said:

To clarify..when one buys a club they pay for the OEM club and then pays for the custom shaft on top of it. The OEM clubs includes the shaft yet you only get the head? This is pretty cut and dry IMO

Wrong. Look at a CC invoice. That’s not what you’re buying. You’re quite confused.

[2bGood]

My only comment is calling it ShaftGate is a major missed opportunity. Call it getting Shafted or CC Shafts You etc.

[jdowning111]

12 minutes ago, JeffreySpicoli said:

Wrong. Look at a CC invoice. That’s not what you’re buying. You’re quite confused.

Bet you’ve used them too…a fool and his money are soon parted ..

[JeffreySpicoli]

11 minutes ago, jdowning111 said:

Bet you’ve used them too…a fool and his money are soon parted ..

Wrong again. If I were you, I’d be careful using the fool word. You’ve already made one of yourself in this thread.

[jdowning111]

Difference is I don’t worry about what people think lol and that’s a saying ….

[rx1232]

I recently got fitted at CC.  Didn't order the irons right away but did check the price. Price per iron (sim2max) was on par with what I saw for retail and I got custom shafts that don't cost anything extra (KBS tour 100). I guess they won't give me the OEM shaft but not really sure what I would do with it anyway.

 

The fitting was a bit on the expensive side but in Seattle it seems that they all are (and with limited places to get fitted) .

[larciel]

I don't care if they keep the oem shaft that came with it but what I have a huge problem with is when they charge extra for FREE oem shafts. $72 for a project x ? Wtf??

[wolvverine]

Amazing how many people fit into the Oban Kiyoshi line when they get fit at CC 🧐

[J13]

1 hour ago, wolvverine said:

Amazing how many people fit into the Oban Kiyoshi line when they get fit at CC 🧐

 

 

Oban still in business?  I haven't heard that name in years and I have my own shop.  No one and I mean NO ONE has asked for or mention Oban to me in years.  Innovation for them stopped years ago and they slowly faded.  I know Victor left and started VA composites.

[MK7Golf21]

13 minutes ago, J13 said:

 

 

Oban still in business?  I haven't heard that name in years and I have my own shop.  No one and I mean NO ONE has asked for or mention Oban to me in years.  Innovation for them stopped years ago and they slowly faded.  I know Victor left and started VA composites.

 

Oban is a chicago based company and CC being based in Chicago before they branched out, pushed their shafts alot.