We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Golftec vs Club Champion

Nippon Shafts
InTheRough

InTheRough

Course Botanist
Joined
Apr 17, 2015
Messages
5,174
Reaction score
2,933
Location
Tacoma WA
Handicap
GHIN 16.2
We've got both in Bellevue. Take your pick. Pros and cons. Or is it six of one and half dozen of the other?
 
Been to both. GolfTEC is okay for lessons, but for fitting, Club Champion and it’s not close.
 
I had one lesson at GolfTec. They took my swing, compared it to someone on tour, and then told me I had to make big changes. While I expect the idea of improving at golf, I'm in the 'swing your swing' camp and I was playing to a +2 at the time which meant I wasn't about to blow it up and start over. Never went back.

As JB mentioned, Club Champion is a fantastic location to get fit for clubs. 35k+ combinations, knowledgeable staff, and good people.
 
I’m glad someone else had the same GolfTec experience as I did, they ask you who’s swing on tour you like the most then show where you’re not doing it.

Pretty hard to swing like Ernie when you’re not over 6ft and been playing professionally forever.

I didn’t have a great CC experience either, mentioned that in another thread.

Still valuable for sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I went to GolfTec a few years ago for a SeeMore fitting or putting evaluation, I can’t quite remember the exact details anymore. They were an authorized SeeMore place. The guy tells me there’s not really a Seemore method, all putting is really the same. And besides, the best way to putt better is to get it closer to the hole, so let’s talk about a lesson package for short game and full swing. Eff that noise. I came home, wrote the President of Seemore an email letting him know his certified instructor said there’s nothing to their method and vowed never to step foot inside the place again.
 
Golftec provides swing lessons and club fitting and teaches a swing style/method of "stack & tilt" in their lessons if memory serves. Not for sure on the Stack & Tilt but have read that in the past. When I was researching Golftec I actually messaged them asking if their lessons were based on Stack & Tilt but never received any message or answer in return.
Club Champion doesn't "specialize" in swing lessons but is tops in the club fitting industry. My fitter at CC did not want to discuss swing tips, etc. Strictly fitting only.
 
Club Champion has MANY inherent advantages. They have way more interchangeable combinations. They perform a comprehensive fitting. Whether it is your putter, wedges, irons, hybrids, fairway clubs or driver they are set up and trained to explore all the options. Swing weight, lie angles, weight adjustments, even grips. They are trained and equipped to do it all. The human element seems to be the only piece that might let you down. But the system, setup and training all appear to be top drawer.
 
I have had a good experience at GOLFTEC. The coach I have had definitely worked on things specific to me. He looked at my swing and said here’s what your doing and here’s how we can fix it to your style. Definitely didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. I also think I got lucky with the coach I got. I’ve listened to other instructors while practicing and it definitely doesn’t jibe with my experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm just after a fitting. My swing is beyond hope. When it's on it's on. But I'm plagued with a bad back. So Club Champ looks like the way to go.

You know I'm looking at the Cobra Forged Tec, but also looking at the TM P790s, Srixon Z585s, Mizuno HMBs or JPX 919 Forged (if I can get graphite shafts). 6i - PW or GW. They're all in the same price range.
 
InTheRough said:
I'm just after a fitting. My swing is beyond hope. When it's on it's on. But I'm plagued with a bad back. So Club Champ looks like the way to go.

You know I'm looking at the Cobra Forged Tec, but also looking at the TM P790s, Srixon Z585s, Mizuno HMBs or JPX 919 Forged (if I can get graphite shafts). 6i - PW or GW. They're all in the same price range.
Click to expand...

You mentioned two of the 3 sets I’m thinking of as well, Mizuno MP-20/919 Tour for me and the Forged Tec are something else with looks.

I’ve also tried the Ping I210 a while ago and they felt and looked amazing.

I’d like to have a full fitting by CC just to see what they’d recommend for shafts (PGA/Dicks all managed to get the same 3 each time )


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've been fit by both and taken lessons thru Golftec. The fittings were equally meh, partly because how each of them did it and partly because I'm one of those who thinks (as a result) that golf club fitting is mostly snake oil unless your handicap is south of 5 or you're a physical outlier. I've posted the whys before so I won't go into all that. When it comes to lessons, Golftec can be amazing. The tech they use really helped me, probably more than the guy giving the lessons. If I was going to do lessons again it would be at Golftec.
 
I had a great fitting at C.C. I chose them vs. golftec based on reviews and am not sorry. I'm very happy with my clubs. The only sour grapes for me are the fitter didn't recognize me when I returned to pick up my clubs and for 2,000.00, and since I told them when I would be picking them up, I thought that was the least I should expect. You also can't call the local fitter directly unless they happen to give you their private number, all calls go through Chicago. Finally, I asked to try out one driver when I picked up the irons and they had a bay open but wouldn't give me 5 minutes to swing it. I should add, I think they are offering a free fitting for purchases over 500.00 right now and if you miss that offer and you are a vet, they give you 50% off a fitting.
 
I've been fit at CC, and had an avoidance experience with GolfTec.

I was pair with a guy who was the director of instruction at a local GolfTec. The 18 hole conversation with him had me understanding that they were there (like others have alluded to) to change your swing. While my swing sure can use some refinements, I'm not looking to make a major change for a big cost, only then to be sold a new fitting package. The way he pushed the idea, really turned me off of GT.

My CC experience was ok at best. I went in for a full bag fitting, really with the intention of finding new shafts, and MAYBE changing heads. I explained to the fitter what I liked in terms of brands and profiles. I feel like I was completely ignored. He had me hitting everything in the shop. I was there for 4 hours BEFORE we even got to my driver - which was the club I was most interested in upgrading. I was exhausted by that time, and we rushed through 3 shafts and that was that.

The oddest thing for me is that the LM had me hitting hard fades on just about every shot. That is not my natural shot shape and I hadn't seen those on the course at all. I don't know if this is actually a thing, but I commented to my CC fitter that the other bays had Trackman set ups that were facing straight down the line, and his was pointed about 20° to the left. He told me it wasn't a big deal, and we continued.

He then told me that I needed to flatten my lie so that I would stop hitting such a strong fade, which then translated to a (miss) hook on the course. Again, I don't know if that's all in my head, but the whole experience sort of tarnished my thoughts on CC.
 
InTheRough said:
We've got both in Bellevue. Take your pick. Pros and cons. Or is it six of one and half dozen of the other?
Click to expand...

Two different business models. Club Champion is strictly fitting and to my knowledge doesn’t offer lessons.

that being said, avoid GolfTec like the plague. I’ve heard from multiple people they destroy your swing and make you worse. It’s like a scam to make you keep coming back to “fix” your swing.
 
CC has a ton of options, pretty much every conceivable combo. I won’t say I didn’t have a good experience with my fitting but it didn’t translate to the course. I play a fade and my miss is a big block/slice. Every shot I hit there showed as a draw or hook. I should’ve spoke up but my fitter kept bringing up that he was a pro/teacher and that it looked good to him.

I didn’t hit many combinations considering I was there for 4hrs. Everything he pushed was ultralight shafts. I don’t do well with that stuff but he’s the expert. We didn’t spend much time on fairway woods or hybrids. The putter fitting and adjustments he made have helped. We spent maybe 45 minutes on those clubs. The rest was irons and driver. He kept chasing ballspeed even after I told him I was after consistency not distance. He couldn’t really beat the driver I had at the time. I bought the irons he fit me into because I was more consistent with them on the monitor than what I was playing.

On the course they were horrible. I went back and told him I didn’t think the weight was right. Of course I hit them well again there. He made a lie adjustment and told me they should be good. I took them back out and they were worse than before. I couldn’t afford to keep taking off work to drive to 2.5hrs and hope he would get them right so I cut my losses and sold them.

Would I recommend them? I can’t say because I had another driver fitting at another place where I could actually see ball flight and it didn’t translate either. So for me I don’t think fittings are worth the time or money invested
 
Can't comment on Golftec, although I've talked to a few people who have gone in my area and have not liked the experience. I had a full bag fitting at CC back in December and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
 
LLIB said:
CC has a ton of options, pretty much every conceivable combo. I won’t say I didn’t have a good experience with my fitting but it didn’t translate to the course. I play a fade and my miss is a big block/slice. Every shot I hit there showed as a draw or hook. I should’ve spoke up but my fitter kept bringing up that he was a pro/teacher and that it looked good to him.

I didn’t hit many combinations considering I was there for 4hrs. Everything he pushed was ultralight shafts. I don’t do well with that stuff but he’s the expert. We didn’t spend much time on fairway woods or hybrids. The putter fitting and adjustments he made have helped. We spent maybe 45 minutes on those clubs. The rest was irons and driver. He kept chasing ballspeed even after I told him I was after consistency not distance. He couldn’t really beat the driver I had at the time. I bought the irons he fit me into because I was more consistent with them on the monitor than what I was playing.

On the course they were horrible. I went back and told him I didn’t think the weight was right. Of course I hit them well again there. He made a lie adjustment and told me they should be good. I took them back out and they were worse than before. I couldn’t afford to keep taking off work to drive to 2.5hrs and hope he would get them right so I cut my losses and sold them.

Would I recommend them? I can’t say because I had another driver fitting at another place where I could actually see ball flight and it didn’t translate either. So for me I don’t think fittings are worth the time or money invested
Click to expand...

Seeing the ball flight on a range is useless unless you're using premium golf balls. Range balls will not fly the same, so what you're saying is not what you're going to get on the course. CC uses TrackMan for their fittings, and TrackMan has a hard time indoors. Since it's a radar based system, weird things like the AC kicking on can alter the readings. For indoor fittings, the best and most accurate system is GC Quad.

As far as fittings being worth the time or money, I hate that you have yet to have an experience that translated to the course. I would say that though CC has some amazing club fitters and builders, it's not consistent from store to store. That's the biggest issue with having however many locations they do, you have some stores that are miles better than another, so the experience isn't the same. I would be on the phone with the fitter letting them know it's not working at all and asking what can be done to ensure you're seeing results. You should be seeing some results on the course. What wasn't translating to the course? What were your issues you were having? It seems a little odd that you were comfortable with them indoors and then outside they were horrible.
 
LLIB said:
CC has a ton of options, pretty much every conceivable combo. I won’t say I didn’t have a good experience with my fitting but it didn’t translate to the course. I play a fade and my miss is a big block/slice. Every shot I hit there showed as a draw or hook. I should’ve spoke up but my fitter kept bringing up that he was a pro/teacher and that it looked good to him.

I didn’t hit many combinations considering I was there for 4hrs. Everything he pushed was ultralight shafts. I don’t do well with that stuff but he’s the expert. We didn’t spend much time on fairway woods or hybrids. The putter fitting and adjustments he made have helped. We spent maybe 45 minutes on those clubs. The rest was irons and driver. He kept chasing ballspeed even after I told him I was after consistency not distance. He couldn’t really beat the driver I had at the time. I bought the irons he fit me into because I was more consistent with them on the monitor than what I was playing.

On the course they were horrible. I went back and told him I didn’t think the weight was right. Of course I hit them well again there. He made a lie adjustment and told me they should be good. I took them back out and they were worse than before. I couldn’t afford to keep taking off work to drive to 2.5hrs and hope he would get them right so I cut my losses and sold them.

Would I recommend them? I can’t say because I had another driver fitting at another place where I could actually see ball flight and it didn’t translate either. So for me I don’t think fittings are worth the time or money invested
Click to expand...
To me that is not acceptable and someone would be correcting that. CC stands by a motto and if it doesn't stack up, keep them accountable.
 
Summit said:
You should be seeing some results on the course. What wasn't translating to the course? What were your issues you were having? It seems a little odd that you were comfortable with them indoors and then outside they were horrible.
Click to expand...

I just couldn’t hit them at all. I had 5 rounds with them and I think I hit 2 solid shots. And those 2 were 2 clubs shorter than what I expected. As an example I was on a 145yd par three and I hit an 8i, which with my old clubs was plenty. I came up 5 yards short of the green. Grabbed a playing partner’s pitching wedge which had a lot heavier and stiffer shaft and should have been completely wrong for me and hit it higher with the same distance.

I was never comfortable with them inside either. I asked him several times about trying heavier shafts and maybe some different club heads and he just kept telling me that I was getting optimum numbers with that set up and he wouldn’t be able to do any better. I was told over and over to trust the fitter. So I did. The only thing it really accomplished was separating me from a pretty good chunk of cash
 
Luchnia said:
To me that is not acceptable and someone would be correcting that. CC stands by a motto and if it doesn't stack up, keep them accountable.
Click to expand...

That guarantee is what I kept hearing about but when I went back he didn’t seem all that interested in changing anything. When I played them again and the results were even worse I was over it. There wasn’t anything they could do to make it good considering I was going to have to keep driving 2.5 hours one way
 
LLIB said:
That guarantee is what I kept hearing about but when I went back he didn’t seem all that interested in changing anything. When I played them again and the results were even worse I was over it. There wasn’t anything they could do to make it good considering I was going to have to keep driving 2.5 hours one way
Click to expand...
Yep, driving that far and the results on the course with those clubs would make a difference for me too. Sad thing is that cost them your business. Even though it was the fitter, they still represent the company, and some fitters simply don't realize what problems they may be causing.

When I went to CC and got fit for irons, I knew the difference between the mat and the course and was curious if the fitter would comment about it, yet that is something very difficult to translate. I was fortunate to have a very good fitter.

I can go to my mat and hit nice shots for hours, yet I have never done the same on the course. There are so many factors that are different on the course than hitting off a flat mat inside a building.

I even notice my swing speeds on most days on the course are not the same as my inside off the mat swing speeds, so that tells me I reduce my swing speed slightly when I am on the course and I think that is because I am more target focused and have included all the outdoor elements in my vision of field.

BTW, one fitter I know fits you outside using mats, but you hit out off the mat on the driving range which adds naturalness to it. Not sure how much it helps, but the guys have an impeccable reputation for quality fitting.
 
my understanding is they focus on two different area. CC -- Fitting experiences (no swing comments). GT -- Swing Lessons. I've heard GolfTec's method is very strict to making you swing their swing, but effective and they have a lot of great technology. Sounds like if your new-ish to golf, or you want to totally rebuild your swing it might be good, but if your just looking for a tweak I don't think that is going to align with their offerings.

For fittings, CC is the gold standard, even if GolfTec offers much I wouldn't consider it too much. There really is not pressure to Buy from CC, and it makes for a good day.
 
Don't do a Golftec fitting. That's not what it's for. Been to Club Champion once but did not go thru a fitting.

FWIW, I did Golftec lessons for a year probably 12 years ago. You get out what you put in, but I kind of made it my own.

I stopped using the vest. I practiced a lot. The ability to review your swings as you practice is fantastic. I think it might be the most value there. One instructor told me that for any fundamental swing change, it's probably a 2-year thing. He wasn't trying to sell me, he was just being honest. It takes a long time to change your swing DNA.
 
Luchnia said:
I can go to my mat and hit nice shots for hours, yet I have never done the same on the course. There are so many factors that are different on the course than hitting off a flat mat inside a building.
Click to expand...

Those factors are many of the reasons why we fit indoors. There are plenty of mats out there that give very similar results and data numbers as hitting off turf. We need to eliminate as many variables as possible. Hitting outdoors can cause a lot of things to happen, even subconsciously. The golfer can be hitting and the wind causes the ball to stall a little, or move one direction. They may not take that into consideration and make an adjustment to see a specific flight. At that moment, we aren’t collecting good data. A good fitting with a knowledgeable fitter should translate to the course. There may be a break in period, especially if the fitted product is quite the change from the previous product. However, the golfer still needs to make the swing, pick the right club/shot and deliver in order for scores to drop.
 
LLIB said:
I just couldn’t hit them at all. I had 5 rounds with them and I think I hit 2 solid shots. And those 2 were 2 clubs shorter than what I expected. As an example I was on a 145yd par three and I hit an 8i, which with my old clubs was plenty. I came up 5 yards short of the green. Grabbed a playing partner’s pitching wedge which had a lot heavier and stiffer shaft and should have been completely wrong for me and hit it higher with the same distance.

I was never comfortable with them inside either. I asked him several times about trying heavier shafts and maybe some different club heads and he just kept telling me that I was getting optimum numbers with that set up and he wouldn’t be able to do any better. I was told over and over to trust the fitter. So I did. The only thing it really accomplished was separating me from a pretty good chunk of cash
Click to expand...

If you mentioned you weren’t comfortable with the setup, the fitter should be listening. That’s a sign of a bad fitter if they aren’t listening to their golfer. If you were never comfortable with the clubs indoors, the fitting should have never ended with them. I would be on the phone with management and/or corporate letting them know about your experience.

That’s one drawback to C.C., in my opinion. They have so many stores and customers that sometimes the ones that have the bad experience don’t always get the attention they deserve to make it a better experience. One bad experience from any of my golfers can take a toll on my business, so it’s in my best interest to never let someone have a bad experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top