Club Champion Discount Deal or No Deal????

[casey_0507]

7 hours ago, straightshot7 said:

“Didn’t feel like a fitting but a demo try and see” — well said, that’s exactly what it is.

 

the business model is to have a nice looking facility and hit you with smoke and mirrors and make you believe you’re going to see some significant improvement with a $1,000 upgrade.

 

When their goal is to sell you clubs and shafts (especially ones with better margins), it can never be a true, unbiased fitting. 

yeah is did full bag but really only focused on driver and putter. 
 

for putter I did SAM with my putter, they recommended putters/specs, I tried those putters without specs that were recommended, said I like look/feel of putter X and that was that. If they really were finding performance benefits they would have at minimum hooked up selected putter to SAM to compare results/improvements. 
 

I'll also be honest, my swing sucked that day so I didn't make anything easy for the guy, but felt like minimal effort (this also was a discounted full bag fitting in 2022 so maybe they don't try as hard for those).

[taylorx300]

MattC555

shaft selection sounds important to you, try the Shaft Shack to test shafts. They can help. Also check out People’s Golf!

[straightshot7]

2 hours ago, casey_0507 said:

yeah is did full bag but really only focused on driver and putter. 
 

for putter I did SAM with my putter, they recommended putters/specs, I tried those putters without specs that were recommended, said I like look/feel of putter X and that was that. If they really were finding performance benefits they would have at minimum hooked up selected putter to SAM to compare results/improvements. 
 

I'll also be honest, my swing sucked that day so I didn't make anything easy for the guy, but felt like minimal effort (this also was a discounted full bag fitting in 2022 so maybe they don't try as hard for those).

Yeah I did a full bag fitting when it was on special for $100.

 

For that price it was worth it just to hit balls and try some things. But now reading about the D8 swing weight from the adapter it does seem pretty worthless lol.

 

It did reveal that I wasn't delofted as much as pros at impact with irons (i'm adding too much loft near impact because i'm releasing the club too soon instead of turning my body open) but I already pretty much knew that.

 

He determined I needed x-stiff shafts in irons and from there it was just trying different shafts and different heads which all have very similar results.

 

If you know what lie angle, shaft stiffness you need, and length of clubs, I'm not sure the value in just trying all of the top clubs. They are all going to perform well. At that point it's mostly just personal preference on head appearance.

 

Maybe there is some some certain shaft that works better for you, but there were at least 3 iron shafts that would work well for me and they were the same ones I would buy just from reading reviews.

 

For $100 (plus tip) it was fine. But I didn't buy anything nor would I ever do so.

[dcfball88]

On 11/15/2023 at 7:22 PM, ThatsTurrible said:

I had a terrible experience with a “Master Clubfitter” at my local CC. Went in for a retro fit on my irons and the guy didn’t spec check any of my gamers before the session (ie: lie angle, swing weight, shaft) and afterwards he literally recommended me the shafts I originally had in my TCBs, claiming I didn’t have the “real deal” version and was egging me to shell out $1000 for the installs. Shafts we’re Modus 130x fwiw

That’s turrible 

[gbh00]

On 11/16/2023 at 1:23 PM, PearSorbet17 said:

If you see anyone with an Oban shaft, you know that person got scammed by Club Champion. 

I totally get it. but I love my Oban kiyoshi wood shafts… I can’t beat them. never been to CC

Edited November 18, 2023 by gbh00

[T_Golf_23]

On 11/16/2023 at 9:27 AM, third-times-a-charm said:

Rules of CC;

 

1) Never buy anything from them.

 

2) Always go in with a pre-set fitting fee and dont plan on rolling it into anything - just get the best fitting fee you can and plan on paying only that.

 

3) Get your fitting recs and go to any number of high end custom builders and theyll build it for you at 50% the price - even boutique IG buildiers

 

4) Never get fit at CC because everything is like D8 swing weight and most of their fitters have biases for brands and etc

They always seem to leave out the fact that their irons swing weight 3 points higher because of the adaptors. 
 

find a regional Titelist fitting center and get fit there if you are fixed on the TSR driver head. 
 

 

[MattC555]

On 11/17/2023 at 8:25 AM, taylorx300 said:

MattC555

shaft selection sounds important to you, try the Shaft Shack to test shafts. They can help. Also check out People’s Golf!

 

I hadn't heard of shaft shack.  I'll check them out.  I ended up getting sick and had to cancel my fitting.  While sick I may or may not have bought a TSR3 off of the classifieds......

 

I still may go for a CC driver fitting to figure out what shaft I want.  The TSR3 is coming with a Tensei black 1k 65x shaft, which I am excited to compare to my Ventus Black 6x. 

[redlegged]

On 11/16/2023 at 12:29 PM, MattC555 said:

For those saying don’t get fit at Club Champion, what is your alternative?  Around our parts it’s them, big box, mom and pop, and demo days.  Nobody comes close to their selection of driver shafts.  

For me, the simple answer is golfwrx and the BST forum, which has been a double-edged sword since running across it back in the spring. 

Caution: the following long winded ramblings is the result of a sleepless night with bronchitis. 
 

I have been fit numerous times for various clubs at 5 shops. I’ve had 3 fittings at 2 different CC locations and they rank as 1a, 1b, and 1c in my list of worst fitting experiences. I have also been fit multiple times and had great experiences at a private club in TN (Spring Creek Ranch), a local shop in Louisville (wish I could remember the name because they were awesome), and Dicks. I would say my experience at CC was basically the same as at Dicks, just more shafts and heads to choose from. Actually, I had a better experience at Dicks. Neither shop had an actual fitter, just shaft swappers. At least the guy at Dicks freely admitted to being nothing more than a shaft swapper, while all the CC guys were trying to channel their inner Ian Fraser but were really just pretentious jerks with the “don’t-question-the-professional” attitude. I will give CC credit for one thing, I now have  a much greater appreciation for actual professional club fitters. 
 

There seems to be a really high percentage of people that leave a CC fitting disappointed, saying they weren’t swinging very good that day or something similar.  I know this is common with any fitter and not just CC but it sure seems to be a bigger problem at CC. My theory (based on my experiences) is most golfers are not all that athletic and don’t have great hand eye coordination, so they are far more affected by a change in length, lie, swingweight, total weight, etc. When almost every shaft and head combination results in entirely different specs, the only way you find a good combination is by pure luck.  IMO, If a fitter is not even willing to acknowledge the nuances involved then the whole process is a sham. 
 

I'm not necessarily condemning CC. I think it can be a great tool for a lot of golfers. I just think they should do a better job of explaining that there are far too many variables involved in a fitting to accomplish in an hour and a half. I fully realize it is designed to cycle through as many golfers as possible, as quickly as possible, for the highest price possible. I can’t speak for anyone else but I would be willingly to pay a much higher price for a fitting that considered more of the nuances of an individual’s swing and specs and  not just throwing together shaft and head combinations hoping to be able to yell “Yahtzee” before the clock expires. Considering how much money I used to spend on clubs every 2 or 3 years, the cost of a really good fitting would be worth every penny. Now I spend in one year what I used to spend in 2 or 3. Instead of getting fit, I just buy stuff off BST with the intent of reselling if I don’t like it but end up keeping most of it whether I like it or not. 

As a side note, there are certainly some CC fitters that are awesome. Also, I had a great experience with their customer service rep. Unfortunately, that didn’t trickle down to the fitter. 
 

To make a short story long, if you can get a cheap fitting from CC, do it. Maybe you luck up and get a good fitter. Just remember, be open-mined but don’t be afraid to speak up and most of all, keep your expectations low and you’re never disappointed. 

[MattC555]

2 hours ago, redlegged said:

For me, the simple answer is golfwrx and the BST forum, which has been a double-edged sword since running across it back in the spring. 

Caution: the following long winded ramblings is the result of a sleepless night with bronchitis. 
 

I have been fit numerous times for various clubs at 5 shops. I’ve had 3 fittings at 2 different CC locations and they rank as 1a, 1b, and 1c in my list of worst fitting experiences. I have also been fit multiple times and had great experiences at a private club in TN (Spring Creek Ranch), a local shop in Louisville (wish I could remember the name because they were awesome), and Dicks. I would say my experience at CC was basically the same as at Dicks, just more shafts and heads to choose from. Actually, I had a better experience at Dicks. Neither shop had an actual fitter, just shaft swappers. At least the guy at Dicks freely admitted to being nothing more than a shaft swapper, while all the CC guys were trying to channel their inner Ian Fraser but were really just pretentious jerks with the “don’t-question-the-professional” attitude. I will give CC credit for one thing, I now have  a much greater appreciation for actual professional club fitters. 
 

There seems to be a really high percentage of people that leave a CC fitting disappointed, saying they weren’t swinging very good that day or something similar.  I know this is common with any fitter and not just CC but it sure seems to be a bigger problem at CC. My theory (based on my experiences) is most golfers are not all that athletic and don’t have great hand eye coordination, so they are far more affected by a change in length, lie, swingweight, total weight, etc. When almost every shaft and head combination results in entirely different specs, the only way you find a good combination is by pure luck.  IMO, If a fitter is not even willing to acknowledge the nuances involved then the whole process is a sham. 
 

I'm not necessarily condemning CC. I think it can be a great tool for a lot of golfers. I just think they should do a better job of explaining that there are far too many variables involved in a fitting to accomplish in an hour and a half. I fully realize it is designed to cycle through as many golfers as possible, as quickly as possible, for the highest price possible. I can’t speak for anyone else but I would be willingly to pay a much higher price for a fitting that considered more of the nuances of an individual’s swing and specs and  not just throwing together shaft and head combinations hoping to be able to yell “Yahtzee” before the clock expires. Considering how much money I used to spend on clubs every 2 or 3 years, the cost of a really good fitting would be worth every penny. Now I spend in one year what I used to spend in 2 or 3. Instead of getting fit, I just buy stuff off BST with the intent of reselling if I don’t like it but end up keeping most of it whether I like it or not. 

As a side note, there are certainly some CC fitters that are awesome. Also, I had a great experience with their customer service rep. Unfortunately, that didn’t trickle down to the fitter. 
 

To make a short story long, if you can get a cheap fitting from CC, do it. Maybe you luck up and get a good fitter. Just remember, be open-mined but don’t be afraid to speak up and most of all, keep your expectations low and you’re never disappointed. 

 

I appreciate the insight.  At my level, and experience with golf equipment, I'm more or less just after selection.  I'll basically have a list of shafts and heads with me that I'll want to get numbers on.  I wish I could just rent their booth for an hour or two and just do my own thing.  I know the numbers and feel I'm after.  The fitter is just there to switch shafts for me.  😅 

 

Driver is the only club in my bag I haven't done a real fitting for.  I've just done what you do - buy, try, and sell.  That works, but it takes time and limits the amount of options. 

[MattC555]

I went to the fitting and it was a positive experience.  The fitter offered his knowledge and at that same time had no problem indulging me.  I hit over a dozen shafts, they had everything I wanted to test, and the Trackman was reading accurately.  I was fit into a Stealth 2 plus with a Ventus Black 6X TR, but had similar numbers with G430 LS, TSR3, PXG whatever, and Paradym TD. 

 

The stealth total was a bit over $1150, so if I was going new the deal would have been ok with the 20% off gift cards and $125 off the fitting cost.  Since I already have the TSR3 I'm just going to hunt down a used Ventus Black 6X TR for it. 

 

Cost analysis:

 

I have $375 in the TSR, and figure another $225 for a shaft.  So, I'll come out to ~$775(with fitting fee) vs $825 at CC(reduced fitting fee and 20% off, plus tax).  So, I saved a bit of coin but I'm getting things used.  Appreciate the advice from all here and those who messaged me.  Cheers 🍻  

[dwboston]

On 11/18/2023 at 5:06 AM, gbh00 said:

I totally get it. but I love my Oban kiyoshi wood shafts… I can’t beat them. never been to CC

 

Same here - Oban Devotion in the driver and I've never had a club fitting at CC.  I got a free Titleist fitting at Pinehurst last year as part of the package we got, and the Devotion worked best for me.

 

Only time I've been to a CC was for a discounted putter fitting several years ago, which I only did to get the SAM PuttLab data/report.