Club Champion, Truespec, Cool Clubs...

BHenn

I recently had a friend go through a fitting at one of the above named locations and he absolutely loved the process. What floored me was the amount he spent on the club. He was fit into a SIM2, Ventus Blue 6x. They charged him $529.99 for the club head alone, $415 for the Ventus shaft, and $11 for a Tour Velvet. This was on top of the fitting fee of $150. This makes one club over $1k when it could be had for hundreds less on the TaylorMade website. He was also told it would take 6 weeks.

Is this a normal thing?

mljones99

BHenn yes, they order the components separately and then build to your exact spec. while you may be able to order it that way from TaylorMade for less, it's a crapshoot if you get the specs you actually ordered.

I did a Club Champion fitting a few years back and had my club guy order the clubs for me (some of the shafts were no up charge from the OEM but CC wanted $350 each for them) and then double check the specs before he sent them to me.

Moni_SLO

BHenn Common place and how these companies make a killing. I was shocked when I did TrueSpec that they didn't put your fitting fee into clubs if you ordered them but no go. Either way, I was up front with the guy that I wasn't ordering through him and was going to order on my own/through a friend. He didn't pressure me at all. He did try and tell me about all the cool stuff they do to pure the club and how their builders are top notch which I knew was all bullshit. After you get fit, before you commit to ordering anything, just get a complete list of what you were fit into, swing weights, lengths, etc. Then just take that to a local builder who is doing less volume and you'll likely get it done better and for cheaper (especially if that builder is a GolfWorks member/distributor which will mean more discounts). You should get all you need from the fitting spec sheets. Most people who get fit don't know that you can just do it all yourself for cheaper and fall for ordering through them.....usually because they all have a ton of money anyway haha

epyon

I was quoted 4600 on my new full bag of clubs, and that didn't even include my putter. This also included the previous gen of Titleist hybrids, so the price could have been even higher. I don't doubt that their club building is top notch, but its a bit of diminishing returns for me. I don't think I would notice if a shaft was spined, and that alone is 30 a club. I am trying to piece together the clubs myself, but in the back of my mind, I will always be unsure if the specs of the club truly match the specs on my fitting sheet. Cool clubs has a value called FM on their fitting sheet that is essentially the club frequency or flex. I don't know if an outside club builder can match that FM number because I don't know if its a proprietary system or not to the company. That number would help determine the amount that my shafts need to be tipped as there is not a specific value for tipping on the sheet, just the FM value. That being said, 4,600 was just way too much for me to drop on clubs. I did get a lot of useful data out of it that I can apply to my current clubs.

Jaybananapantsarthur

Frequency matching is not proprietary builder to builder. Machine tolerance maybe but not theory.

epyon

Jaybananapantsarthur Thats good to know. Is the FM number given on the spec sheet something another builder with an FM machine can match as well?

TFixer5

Agree on the costs of new clubs. I would say the Gap analysis TrueSpec did for me was worth it given they did all the work right on the spot.

Noyes26

I would just keep in mind that things like puring a shaft are very minute in todays equipment. If you are buying quality components you will see very little difference imo. I personally do not trust Club Champion. I know for a fact some of their clubs are not ordered as components but as full retail clubs and then built. I also hate that a lot of people come out of there fit into the same shafts over and over and over again. Next time you see someone with a Oban Devotion or Accra shaft on the course, I'd bet money they were fit at CC. Not that there is anything wrong with those shafts it just seems a bit lazy to me for the price you do end up paying there.

dphatt

A lot of interesting reading here. I will stay out of this conversation but I would love to hear more from you about this

DaHOF

dphatt I've heard a lot of horror stories with fitters named "Don". Stay away from those types is all I can say...

kyledrum2002

DaHOF haha!

mljones99

I too told the fitter I was not getting my clubs from them and he was totally cool with that. I was there for data. Overall I had a good experience but I did feel like my fitter had a bias towards Callaway. Callaway has always been a brand that I historically do really well in so I don't think I was short changed much but he steered me away from things I wanted to try, even if just for shits and giggles.

I'd love to get another super thorough fitting again since my game is much different now vs then but want it to be completely 100% unbiased too... or as unbiased as a human can be.

Moni_SLO

mljones99 Same with me. Also told the fitter my friend could get me a discount on Callaway or TM clubs so I'd honestly prefer to try those first to see if they work. Then see if others work remarkably better to see if it is worth the difference in cost. He was cool with it all. He understood that I was a golfer and was there for data and knew enough (or enough people) to get good shit on my own.

epyon

mljones99 I'm lucky my fitter was pretty brand agnostic. I was fit into 4 different brands. Callway driver, SIM2 fairway, Titleist hybrids, Ping or TM irons (probably going with the P770), and vokeys.

ckay

These vendors have their target market and I think that person is the one with money to spend, and little time and interest to find an alternative. It is the attorney, MD/DDS, executive that wants a new set of clubs built based on their fitting data and don't want to have to think about where to buy the stuff, and who can build it for them. I enjoy being somewhat in the know in the golf equipment world as it is part of my love affair for golf so their pricing model doesn't fit me. Others couldn't give a rat's ass.

I'll use this analogy, I get my cars serviced at the dealer. I know I am paying more for services and parts rendered. But bottom line is I can trust the work was done right, and the components used meet the OE standards.

Jaybananapantsarthur

epyon absolutely

mljones99

epyon my recommended set up (I went for a full bag fitting) was all Callaway except for the 3 and 5 wood.

epyon

mljones99 I've never really gamed Callway clubs so this is a first. The numbers were great, but lets see if the numbers translate to fairways hit 🤣 . What 3w and 5w were you fit into? I was fit into the sim2 3HL. Guess the extra launch helped.

mljones99

epyon Cobra F8 3 and 5 wood.

Callaway just seems to work for me from the Driver all the way down to wedges but the marketing usually turns me off so I usually go with the 2nd option.

conorgolf22

I’ve been there for 3 fittings (bought the product each time), but probably won’t spend another second, or dime) at CC.

Moni_SLO

My driver fitting was so inconsistent he told me to just save my money on a new driver or use it for lessons. Once I can get a consistent swing together for driver, then go get fit but it was a waste of time then. Thought it was hilarious he said that but I did really appreciate it. Also the Callaway Diablo Tour 3 wood I have in regular flex (stock shaft) outperformed every other 3 wood I tried. He told me to ride it to the grave. When the shaft breaks, get a new one but no need to change it since it was doing so well. Funny thing is, someone gave me that 3 wood years and years ago in a the parking lot after the round after I talked about replacing my then Orlimar 3 wood.

DaHOF

Moni_SLO There is only ONE rule when it comes to a 3 wood. If you find one that works for YOU, you never change it until it stops. If you hit a friend's 3 wood and it works, buy it off them. Not the same spec, but literally THAT particular 3 wood. It's science...

philipjunior

Moni_SLO I had a similar experience at Club Champion. My wife got me a full bag fitting last year. I went in thinking my irons were ok, but driver was $h*t. We started with the irons and was able to find a better fit. We moved to the driver and nothing made a major difference. He ultimately told me he could sell me a driver that would get a little bit more distance but my swing was so inconsistent it probably wasn't worth it. He did adjust my current driver some to help.

I ultimately did buy the irons through them, and they just ordered the full clubs with the appropriate shafts and grips from Mizuno and ensured the specs were correct when they came in. So they were willing to save the money as opposed to buying them all separately.

Club Champion seems to get hated on a lot across different boards, but I've been pleased with my experiences.