Luchnia
You will never conquer golf.
Yesterday I had my iron fitting a CC. Here is how it went down. Bear with me on the length of this post as I am trying to be as short as possible, but give enough details for those that are interested.
The fitter was working with another man and came and introduced himself and told me where the restroom was and where I could get coffee, drinks, snacks, or whatever they had free from the snack area and that he was running behind. I told him take his time as I was in no hurry. They had some reading material and seats there while waiting with a comfortable couch and some chairs in the waiting area.
About 10 minutes after my appointment time, he came and out called me back to the fitting bay. They had a nice chair in the fitting bay to sit in the change your shoes and be comfortable. He allowed me to explain my game a bit and I really liked it that being a high capper did not bother him at all. He explained the entire process to me, how he would conduct it, and told me the basic 3 options available. The first was basically OEM, the second was a middle option, and finally the extreme high-end option (big money for the "playas"). He explained the ins and outs of the OEM option from more of a tolerance prospective and why one might not choose that option.
He was very thorough with his explanation which I appreciated. He left nothing for me to really question. He told me to get my 9 iron out and hit a few balls until I felt like I was ready. I probably hit about 4-5 shots and that was it. He then said to get the 6 iron and we would start. I started off and struck better than I had anticipated and maybe it was because I practiced some during the week with only the 6 iron.
He asked if I had a certain brand that I preferred and I told him I was brand agnostic and wanted what was best for my game. I also told him at my age this isn’t a career move simply wanting the best feedback and the best I can do for my game. I mentioned up front I wanted something that would be good for the long haul and easy on my body.
After about maybe 6-8 hits we deleted a couple that were off a bit (bad strikes) then used the better averages to see where I was hitting. My current 6 iron only goes around 148 average (This is one of the main reasons I wanted to get fitted). We look at the numbers and my swing speed at 80 average which I thought was more mid-70s, but my ball speed, smash factor, etc, needed to be much better.
Now he proceeds to tell me how he will move forward and what we need to target to get the best for me. He told me we would use one iron head while we test shafts in order that the head remains the same so we can determine what shaft really works for me. I thought this was a great approach and gets you a good feeling shaft first. He never rushed me nor made me feel uncomfortable. He would also acknowledge my good shots and sometimes ask did I think a certain shot was good by feel before deleting.
After watching me hit my 6 iron and knowing I don't care about brand, he grabs a Callaway Mavrik Max for the head we will use and says we will use that one throughout for testing shafts. I think the first shaft he attached was around 60 or 70 grams and I hit with that. I made sure I did not focus on the shaft brands or club head brand. I think it was about 6 hits with about 2 deleted and I got maybe 5-6 yards, but he was not happy with the height and dispersion. He knew exactly which shots to delete simply by the sound and each time I agreed he was spot on.
He brought out a KBS Tour 50G (middle of the road shaft) and I hit that really well. It felt like an extension of my arm and like I was hardly swinging anything. We tested a steel shaft and it felt horrible to me and I had to swing it almost 3 MPH faster to get results that were not close enough. I also hit a steel wound graphite shaft, but not good enough.
We went on to hit about 4 more shafts and not one felt like the KBS Tour 50. I would have never guessed that would be the shaft for me, but I do like light weight shafts and this one had a feel that was nice to me. I would say with each setup I would hit about 5-6 hits unless it completely felt horrible, then about 3 hits tops and only more when we felt the data was off.
Next, we moved to iron heads. We tried Srixon, Callaway, and a number of other top brands with not one getting close enough to the Mavrik Max to consider. I gained about 10 yards consistently and much improved ball speed at about 3 mph faster and nice smash factor. I cannot tell you why, but seemed my subconscious really like the appearance of this setup when looking down and striking the ball. See the chart below. I was very happy with these numbers and the setup was perfect for me. For me to hit a 6 iron that well and to be consistent is truly a value add in my book. I don't know how this compares to others my age, but I think it is ok.
As far as Trackman data, I had to ask for whatever data I wanted and he emailed it to me right away. I was not really concerned much about all the various data from each club and shaft combos I tested, I primarily wanted the differential data from my current 6 iron and the combo that I hit best out of the lot.
Now for the crying part – the price. Of course, they will ask you about what you want as far as build and they will set it up in a billing format. In other words, do you want puring, grips, etc. I felt they were at high retail for almost everything on the bill. The more I have thought through this the more I think the price is simply too high, but judge by your own experience when deciding.
An example is the charge for the KBS shafts is much higher than you can buy them online and in some cases get them pured and setup in the same clubheads. I can build this set myself for a little over half of what CC charges. The thing is everything on the bill is at high retail price which just seems odd to me for a major club fitter. I would think they would get reasonable discounts, but maybe not. That is something I think CC needs to work on in their business model. I know a small time club fitter in the local area that doesn't charge the high retail prices, so that does make you think.
Here is another example to share. They charge about 14.00 per grip, I can almost put two on for that price and I cannot believe they are not buying grips bulk and getting a super good price on them. I would wager these are marked up about 75% or more. I asked him if they would sell them grip-less since I grip my own clubs and he said no problem at all.
So, you do have options, you just have to ask. They have great perks, but for me, I would not benefit except for the warranty piece. I don’t need the free 3 hour sim time and the other perks so I have to determine if the warranty alone is worth the difference.
I told the fitter up front that any purchase I would go home and take time to decide so he would know I was not going to buy irons that day or even if I would buy from them at all. I think it is important to let them know were you stand on purchasing from them.
It was my first CC fitting and it was a great experience and I highly recommend it, even for a high capper such as myself.
Hope this helps those of you going for a CC fitting.
The fitter was working with another man and came and introduced himself and told me where the restroom was and where I could get coffee, drinks, snacks, or whatever they had free from the snack area and that he was running behind. I told him take his time as I was in no hurry. They had some reading material and seats there while waiting with a comfortable couch and some chairs in the waiting area.
About 10 minutes after my appointment time, he came and out called me back to the fitting bay. They had a nice chair in the fitting bay to sit in the change your shoes and be comfortable. He allowed me to explain my game a bit and I really liked it that being a high capper did not bother him at all. He explained the entire process to me, how he would conduct it, and told me the basic 3 options available. The first was basically OEM, the second was a middle option, and finally the extreme high-end option (big money for the "playas"). He explained the ins and outs of the OEM option from more of a tolerance prospective and why one might not choose that option.
He was very thorough with his explanation which I appreciated. He left nothing for me to really question. He told me to get my 9 iron out and hit a few balls until I felt like I was ready. I probably hit about 4-5 shots and that was it. He then said to get the 6 iron and we would start. I started off and struck better than I had anticipated and maybe it was because I practiced some during the week with only the 6 iron.
He asked if I had a certain brand that I preferred and I told him I was brand agnostic and wanted what was best for my game. I also told him at my age this isn’t a career move simply wanting the best feedback and the best I can do for my game. I mentioned up front I wanted something that would be good for the long haul and easy on my body.
After about maybe 6-8 hits we deleted a couple that were off a bit (bad strikes) then used the better averages to see where I was hitting. My current 6 iron only goes around 148 average (This is one of the main reasons I wanted to get fitted). We look at the numbers and my swing speed at 80 average which I thought was more mid-70s, but my ball speed, smash factor, etc, needed to be much better.
Now he proceeds to tell me how he will move forward and what we need to target to get the best for me. He told me we would use one iron head while we test shafts in order that the head remains the same so we can determine what shaft really works for me. I thought this was a great approach and gets you a good feeling shaft first. He never rushed me nor made me feel uncomfortable. He would also acknowledge my good shots and sometimes ask did I think a certain shot was good by feel before deleting.
After watching me hit my 6 iron and knowing I don't care about brand, he grabs a Callaway Mavrik Max for the head we will use and says we will use that one throughout for testing shafts. I think the first shaft he attached was around 60 or 70 grams and I hit with that. I made sure I did not focus on the shaft brands or club head brand. I think it was about 6 hits with about 2 deleted and I got maybe 5-6 yards, but he was not happy with the height and dispersion. He knew exactly which shots to delete simply by the sound and each time I agreed he was spot on.
He brought out a KBS Tour 50G (middle of the road shaft) and I hit that really well. It felt like an extension of my arm and like I was hardly swinging anything. We tested a steel shaft and it felt horrible to me and I had to swing it almost 3 MPH faster to get results that were not close enough. I also hit a steel wound graphite shaft, but not good enough.
We went on to hit about 4 more shafts and not one felt like the KBS Tour 50. I would have never guessed that would be the shaft for me, but I do like light weight shafts and this one had a feel that was nice to me. I would say with each setup I would hit about 5-6 hits unless it completely felt horrible, then about 3 hits tops and only more when we felt the data was off.
Next, we moved to iron heads. We tried Srixon, Callaway, and a number of other top brands with not one getting close enough to the Mavrik Max to consider. I gained about 10 yards consistently and much improved ball speed at about 3 mph faster and nice smash factor. I cannot tell you why, but seemed my subconscious really like the appearance of this setup when looking down and striking the ball. See the chart below. I was very happy with these numbers and the setup was perfect for me. For me to hit a 6 iron that well and to be consistent is truly a value add in my book. I don't know how this compares to others my age, but I think it is ok.
As far as Trackman data, I had to ask for whatever data I wanted and he emailed it to me right away. I was not really concerned much about all the various data from each club and shaft combos I tested, I primarily wanted the differential data from my current 6 iron and the combo that I hit best out of the lot.
Now for the crying part – the price. Of course, they will ask you about what you want as far as build and they will set it up in a billing format. In other words, do you want puring, grips, etc. I felt they were at high retail for almost everything on the bill. The more I have thought through this the more I think the price is simply too high, but judge by your own experience when deciding.
An example is the charge for the KBS shafts is much higher than you can buy them online and in some cases get them pured and setup in the same clubheads. I can build this set myself for a little over half of what CC charges. The thing is everything on the bill is at high retail price which just seems odd to me for a major club fitter. I would think they would get reasonable discounts, but maybe not. That is something I think CC needs to work on in their business model. I know a small time club fitter in the local area that doesn't charge the high retail prices, so that does make you think.
Here is another example to share. They charge about 14.00 per grip, I can almost put two on for that price and I cannot believe they are not buying grips bulk and getting a super good price on them. I would wager these are marked up about 75% or more. I asked him if they would sell them grip-less since I grip my own clubs and he said no problem at all.
So, you do have options, you just have to ask. They have great perks, but for me, I would not benefit except for the warranty piece. I don’t need the free 3 hour sim time and the other perks so I have to determine if the warranty alone is worth the difference.
I told the fitter up front that any purchase I would go home and take time to decide so he would know I was not going to buy irons that day or even if I would buy from them at all. I think it is important to let them know were you stand on purchasing from them.
It was my first CC fitting and it was a great experience and I highly recommend it, even for a high capper such as myself.
Hope this helps those of you going for a CC fitting.
