Club Champion — Local services in Cary

Had a fitting with Joseph on Jan 18th. The fitting was a great experience. Joseph is very knowledgeable and quickly dialed in irons, wedges and a putter with shafts that got me distance and better dispersion. Since then it’s been a very frustrating experience. I have initiated all communication and have had none initiated by Club Champion or Joseph. Was fitted on 1/18 with no communication until I sent email to Joseph on 2/23 looking for update. Response on 2/24 was “waiting on a couple shafts but was going to reach out to Chicago to see if I couldn’t at least get my putter and wedges”. I immediately emailed back that I had a golf trip on 3/12 and really wanted clubs. No other communication until Joseph emailed on 3/3 stating “shafts wouldn’t be ready but should be arriving in Chicago around that time”. Emailed again on 3/15 looking for an update on 3/17 Joseph emailed back stating, “that all components had arrived from KBS and should be in line to be built, but no firm shipping date due to stringent QC process”. On 4/1 I sent yet another email for an update and on 4/3 Joseph emailed me back to “apologize for the bad news but KBS shafts had pushed back shaft delivery to 4/30”!!! The same shafts that we’re supposedly there and in build process on 3/17 and with no communication between 3/17 and 4/3 saying there had been a change or further delay in my order. I’ve now sent another email asking for discount, or at least my stock putter, or for order to stay active and I hold my $3K until clubs are finally delivered. I am almost 3 MONTHS into this process and don’t have a single club. I also began posting about my experience on multiple social media platforms yesterday. I was immediately blocked on their Twitter page and have had no communication with anyone from Club Champion other than Joseph. Again the fitting process is informative but after they get money it’s a different experience. You’re not required to buy clubs from them and they charge more for the installation of the “fitted shafts” but you’re better off to order clubs and shafts they fit you for elsewhere and pay for someone else to install them. Overall a VERY frustrating experience.

UPDATE: Got a call today from Rob Gallagher Club Champion East Coast General Manager. He had spoken to Joseph. We discussed the supply chain issue at great length and he informed me that they had some of the shafts in but not all of them but that he would green light the partial build of what irons could be built and my putter and when ready overnight mail free of charge to my address. I had also reached out to KBS who validated that the KBS Tour V shafts in steel are indeed back ordered and that this had been the case for several months. Perhaps Club Champion should flag these shafts so that if someone fits for them they can be made aware that these shafts will not be ready in the 6-8 weeks that they are marketing. KBS also informed me that they have been having operational weekly meetings with Club Champion and also they are now flying in shafts from their Taiwan factory to the California warehouse instead of boating them in an attempt to backfill delayed orders so perhaps there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll update when the partial order arrives....

UPDATE#2: 4/8/2021 a putter and 3-9 irons delivered today. Still awaiting PW and 3 wedges

UPDATE#3: 4/16/2021 really like the irons and I love the Phantom Scotty putter. Still no PW or wedges and no word on ETA of...

First, the fitter was extremely nice and very knowledgeable about the fitting process. However, the clubs that came in did not feel anywhere near the ones that we tested, and then when I took them to the course, they did not perform. The 3 wood I purchased felt like the head was twice as heavy as what I had tested and it took significant work to keep from topping the ball. The hybrid I received felt slightly closer to the one I had tested, but at address it sat with the face extremely open which I had not noticed in the fitting, and the results were a hard push/slice with most shots. I also purchased a premium shaft which worked well with my driver, but did not produce the increased distance or decreased dispersion that we saw in the fitting.

End result...I am not using all my old clubs and have traded in the clubs that I purchased at Club Champion for 10% of what I paid for them.

I did reach out to my fitter and he did respond that I had 30 days to bring them in and get adjustments made, but I live over an hour away from the store and just was not able to make the trip during the 30 day window.

That being said, here are some things about the fitting that I wish someone had told me before I went.

The fitting was very cookie cutter and not much different than fittings I have gotten at Golf Galaxy. They just have more premium options for you to purchase.

We started with irons which was a 6 iron fitting, which was an issue because I don't hit a 6 iron because I am not able to get the ball off the ground. This was one of the reasons I wanted to look at lofts of clubs, but it was not touched, and I just smacked 6 irons until we gave up and decided the irons I have were good enough for my game. I was really hoping to talk more about gapping and ways to get the longer irons to work for me, but it seemed like finding the best 6 iron was what it really was.

We went through the long game and found a hybrid and 3 wood that beat the 3 wood I had and my current hybrid. I was really confident about purchasing these clubs leaving the bay. However, the clubs that showed up were never even close to what I experienced in the testing bay.

I love my driver head, so we focused more on shafts for the driver. We found a shaft that consistently outperformed my current shaft, and once again I felt confident that I was making a good purchase. Of the purchases I made, at least this one was usable when it came in. I did not see the difference on the course that I saw in the bay, but while the wood and hybrid were unplayable, I still have this shaft in the bag.

Overall, I wish the experience had been a little more in depth than it was, other than the options available, it was pretty much the same as getting fit at Golf Galaxy. The fitter was very knowledgeable, and very responsive when I reached out to him about the problems with the clubs, but there wasn't really anything that I could do because I couldn't make it...

I’ve debated writing this review because I am not a fan of hurting a business off of one experience, but I have had multiple instances of issues now that need to be known.

One of the worst experiences I have had from a business before. The complete lack of communication and professionalism is absurd.

I went in a few weeks back wanting to get fitted for a full bag. The very first thing the club fitter said was “now we probably can’t do a full bag because you are gonna be too tired”…then why even have it as an offering if that is the case? I am a relatively newer golfer and as I started my swings, the club fitter literally called to the next bay and was showing the customer AND a fellow employee my swing and the spray chart of my balls and they proceed to smirk/talk back and forth….

Next the fitter essentially told me I wasn’t good enough for custom clubs and so he ordered me clubs that I literally could have bought online. Not only this, there were no shaft measurements or anything regarding my preferences/needs, the fitter just typed on his computer for about 15 minutes while I stood there. I paid and left the store with no idea when I would get my clubs because the fitter said “it’s up to the manufacturer”. I was going to get fitter for a putter as well, but I felt so uncomfortable in the store that I left and bought one with another company.

I was never even called when my clubs arrived, I had to call HQ and ask when they would arrive and they told me they were already at the store. Lol

Lastly, I took my driver back for the warranty because the shaft broke at the head. You would’ve thought I was a ghost the way the employee at the desk looked at me when I asked about the warranty. The employee asked me every question under the sun(basically an interrogation) about what happened to the club, and then proceeded to tell me what he thought I had done to the club to require the warranty. After discussions with the employee he told me, “ you don’t have to be here for this, we will send you an email”. Well, the email still hasn’t come, and I’ve had to call HQ 3 times in the last week to get updates on the tracking and status of my warranty. The last time I called, the customer service representative told me “ oh the shaft has made it to the store, but the head is still at our warehouse in Illinois.”

Long story short, If you are planning on getting fit for golf clubs, go LITERALLY ANYWHERE else. I would not recommend going to Club Champion to anybody, ever. The complete lack of communication, professional, and care from the club fitter was atrocious. Just go to your local golf...