Is it the player, or the club? Can a professional club fitting save your game?
I was skeptical, believing the fault is with the player, not the club. But with Club Champion offering a free fitting, I decided to see if a new driver would make a difference.
I opted for a driver fitting only. I’ve been disappointed with my driving inconsistencies for a long time — since I quit using my Callaway Big Bertha with a steel Memphis 10 shaft in 1996. Since then, I’ve had several graphite drivers from Callaway, TaylorMade and Cobra with mixed success.
For me the only things more unreliable than my graphite drivers are the results I get from simulators. On the course, you hit a drive on a 400-yard hole and have 150 left. So your drive is 250, right? Maybe not.
My 250-yard drives on golf courses often turn out to be 220 on simulators. And simulators, I’m told, don’t lie. It’s demoralizing.
I got the same disappointing results during my early work on the simulator at Club Champion. But gradually, working with club fitter Jeremy Wright, I worked my way through an array of shafts and club heads, improving my results in club speed, launch rate, spin rate, accuracy, and yes, distance.
Wright knows his business. Eventually, he found a combination that helped me hit accurate drives of 240-250 yards at a favorable trajectory.
Not bad for a 61-year-old never-has-been with no remaining rotator cuffs. I felt better about my golf game than I had since the Big Bertha days.
OK, here’s the catch. The cost for the $175 fitting, the new Cobra club head and the Nemesys 55 R shaft I was hitting would be $1,245.20, more than double the price of the top-line drivers on the market.
Turns out, customers pay retail for the basic name-brand club, plus the shaft that will be replaced. Typically, and in my case, the boutique shaft chosen for me was not one that comes as an option with a standard club off the rack or ordered online from major brands.
Club fitters such as Club Champion find the best equipment fit for customers. The company has a huge array of club heads and shaft suppliers. I was impressed.
If you go to Club Champion or a similar club fitter, you’ll probably get a great fit and leave with an ideal set of clubs for your swing.
But you’ll pay for the retail price on the club, plus the price of a specialty shaft. Given my experience and accounts I’ve heard about from others, you’ll play double or more what you’d pay for the best clubs sold by Golf Galaxy or PGA Tour Superstore.
Another option is to take the simulator results and find a private club maker to make your new clubs. Keep in mind that getting the same boutique shaft might be difficult. Perhaps, you’ll get lucky and find a shaft on the mainstream market that approximates the boutique shaft.
A club maker friend, told me he thought he could make a club with the same Cobra head and a similar shaft for under $500.
I was left with a choice — pay $1,245.20 for a club I’m confident would improve my game significantly, or take my chances with my own club maker for less than half the price.
My guess is many players would gladly pay Club Champion an extra $600 or $700 for a driver providing 30 additional yards and better accuracy. Maybe that’s why Club Champions are spread across the country. Seems like a small price for a much more enjoyable golf game. The price likely would go up another few thousand dollars for a full set of clubs.
Do I pay the Club Champion price or take my chances trying to get a similar club built somewhere else? It’s a tough choice I still haven’t made.
