Driver Fitting at Club Champion

[txgolfer45]

Had a good fitting session.  Found a good combination of head and shaft.  Results were good ball speed, launch angle, low spin and about 10 yds increased distance with tighter dispersion.  Bad news, cost is around $900.  Good news, current driver also had good ball speed, launch angle and low spin.  

 

Current driver- Ping G15 9 degree with Aldila Serrano R shaft 

Proposed driver - Callaway Epic Flash 10.5 degree with Accra FX2.0 shaft (not sure exact specs, waiting on email?

I like the 10 more yds and tighter dispersion.  May search for a used head and then reshaft.

[ShawnSum]

55 minutes ago, txgolfer45 said:

Bad news, cost is around $900.

Excuse my ignorance, but are you telling me it cost nearly an extra $400 on top of the base driver price to get fit there, and then swap out a shaft that suits you better??

I've heard nothing but good things about Club Champion and even considered going there as I just bought new irons recently but dear god that's WAY out of my budget. I went to a Golf Central and got no charge for the fitting process, no charge for customization which included shaft selection, shafts cut down to my spec, grips of my choice, and lie angle adjusted.

I know I didn't go through an in-depth fitting session compared to Club Champion but dear lord...$400 extra for one club? Why?

[txgolfer45]

12 minutes ago, ShawnSum said:

Excuse my ignorance, but are you telling me it cost nearly an extra $400 on top of the base driver price to get fit there, and then swap out a shaft that suits you better??

I've heard nothing but good things about Club Champion and even considered going there as I just bought new irons recently but dear god that's WAY out of my budget. I went to a Golf Central and got no charge for the fitting process, no charge for customization which included shaft selection, shafts cut down to my spec, grips of my choice, and lie angle adjusted.

I know I didn't go through an in-depth fitting session compared to Club Champion but dear lord...$400 extra for one club? Why?

The Accra shaft is a premium aftermarket shaft.  It costs $300 to $335, i think.  Im looking for a similar shaft that is offered by Callaway that will cost a whole lot less.  

The fitting fee is separate from the clubs and not applied against club purchases.  I do wonder if they push you towards a premium shaft when a lesser expensive shaft might get similar results in hopes you bite on the expensive option.

[billchao]

48 minutes ago, txgolfer45 said:

I do wonder if they push you towards a premium shaft when a lesser expensive shaft might get similar results in hopes you bite on the expensive option.

You aren't forced to make the purchase through them so it's not like they have a whole lot of extra incentive to upsell you. The thing with Club Champion as I understand it is they don't like stock shafts from OEMs so they don't fit with them at all.

[Adam C]

I am not going to get into the many reasons I don't like Club Champion, but will instead just remind you of this. As billchao states, you don't have to buy the club they suggest. You pay for the fitting. Whether you buy what they recommend is up to you as is whether you buy it from them. I will say they always seem to lean towards shafts that are super expensive and or unavailable as either stock or upgrade options from OEMs. I am sure that is just coincidence!

Will let you in on another little secret. You can very easily take those shaft specs and find a different shaft with the same weight, balance point, profile and get the same results out of it and only have to maybe pay $100 shaft upgrade charge or maybe none depending on the stock options.

Final word. Go to Club Champion if you want to try all the different combinations of heads and shafts but know what you're looking for going into it, and put little stock in what they tell you. And don't buy the clubs from them unless you are trying to just burn money.

[txgolfer45]

The fitter made a recommendation for one of the shafts offered through Callaway  with no upcharge.  I bought a Callaway Epic Flash 10.5 with a Project X Evenflow green 55 shaft.  Took it on the course today. Improved dispersion, better trajectory, longer carry and overall distance.  Plus, the ball flight is straight or slight draw.  Very pleased with the results.

Edited August 11, 2019 by txgolfer45

[txgolfer45]

Took my new driver out on the course this weekend.  It gave much improved dispersion and goes straight or slight draw thus eliminating going right.  Gotta live that.  Launches higher than my old driver which i was looking for.  Overall, very happy.  

[StueyB1960]

In my opinion the reason that Club Champion is pushing these aftermarket shafts is this. Club Champion is receiving a kick back from the shaft companies. Now this is only my opinion. Sorry if I stepped on anybody's toes.

[boogielicious]

8 hours ago, StueyB1960 said:

In my opinion the reason that Club Champion is pushing these aftermarket shafts is this. Club Champion is receiving a kick back from the shaft companies. Now this is only my opinion. Sorry if I stepped on anybody's toes.

It could be more of them getting a higher margin on them, which is kind of a kickback. The OEM shafts are made from the same companies, but the aftermarket may give them more $ per shaft.

[Buckeyebowman]

Absolutely. What does a full spectrum GM dealer really want to sell? The high priced models because there is more profit in them. So, they want to sell the Caddies and the GMC Yukons. A guy I know bought a GMC Denali p/up that set him back $70K! 

I once worked with a guy who wondered why GM would price Cadillacs at a level where he couldn't afford one! His ill logic was absolutely stunning! He felt that Caddies should be priced where everybody could afford one! I told him that GM didn't care whether or not he could afford one, since there were plenty of people who could, and they make bigger money selling higher priced vehicles. He persisted, saying that if GM sold more Caddies at a cheaper price they would make more money!

Exasperated, I told him that he sounded like the butcher who lost a Nickel on every pound of meat he sold, but could make it up by doing more volume!

Edited August 17, 2019 by Buckeyebowman

[Sean_D]

Check out Callaway Pre-Owned. I just bought a Rogue Sub-Zero in my shaft for $230 in like new condition. From what I understand there is not much difference between Rogue and Epic Flash (certainly not as much as there was between Epic and Rogue).

[txgolfer45]

6 minutes ago, Sean_D said:

Check out Callaway Pre-Owned. I just bought a Rogue Sub-Zero in my shaft for $230 in like new condition. From what I understand there is not much difference between Rogue and Epic Flash (certainly not as much as there was between Epic and Rogue).

Thanks.  I was able to find an Epic Flash at a good price.  Has worked out wonderfully on the course.

[pganapathy]

On 8/17/2019 at 7:20 AM, Buckeyebowman said:

Absolutely. What does a full spectrum GM dealer really want to sell? The high priced models because there is more profit in them. So, they want to sell the Caddies and the GMC Yukons. A guy I know bought a GMC Denali p/up that set him back $70K! 

I once worked with a guy who wondered why GM would price Cadillacs at a level where he couldn't afford one! His ill logic was absolutely stunning! He felt that Caddies should be priced where everybody could afford one! I told him that GM didn't care whether or not he could afford one, since there were plenty of people who could, and they make bigger money selling higher priced vehicles. He persisted, saying that if GM sold more Caddies at a cheaper price they would make more money!

Exasperated, I told him that he sounded like the butcher who lost a Nickel on every pound of meat he sold, but could make it up by doing more volume!

This is an age-old debate of high volume/low margin vs high margin/low volume.  As a company you pick one of these options and go with it.  It is very difficult to manage both.  Which is why many companies have different brands catering to the different strategies.  For example Toyota/Lexus or VW/Audi