GolfTEC vs. Club Champion Club Fitting: Head-to-Head Comparison

I went to Club Champion for the fairway woods and hybrid fitting, then did an iron fitting at GolfTEC. To compare the two experiences, I'm breaking them down into five categories: fitter qualifications, equipment availability, price of fitting, price of equipment, and the overall experience. Here are the winners in each category, and why.

My Club Champion fitter was a certified Master Club Fitter, and my GolfTEC fitter was not. I didn’t know how much of a difference this would make until I actually experienced both. 

The Master Club Fitter from Club Champion reacted to the data of every head and shaft combination I hit, fine-tuning one spec at a time to find what fit me best. It felt like we were constantly making progress towards a shared goal throughout the fitting.

On the other hand, I didn’t have the same satisfaction at GolfTEC. The fitter pulled a handful of heads and shafts before I even hit a shot, and pretty much stuck to that menu throughout the fitting. I didn’t really get the sense the fitter was reacting to my shot data, nor was I convinced he and I were looking at the same data as indicators of a club’s success. I was more focused on spin and dispersion while my fitter seemed more fixated on distance.

Point, Club Champion.

It’s disappointing to go to a club-fitting and not get the chance to test a specific club you’ve had your eye on. As a lefty, this is simply part of my reality, and it happened at both stores.

At Club Champion, I asked to test the new woods from Srixon and PXG, but they weren’t available. I was also a little bummed that my woods fitting didn’t actually come with the chance to hit 5-woods, just 3-woods. Considering the fact that I typically play with just a 5-wood and a hybrid, and no 3-wood, this was disappointing.

At GolfTEC, I wanted to demo Cobra’s one-length irons, considering one of my main goals was consistency, and that’s what they’re marketed for. I also asked about Srixon and PXG irons. None of these were available. There were also certain shaft-head combinations that weren’t available. We found that a lighter shaft worked best with one of the Callaway iron heads, and I asked to try that shaft in the Cobra head I liked, but that wasn’t an option.

To only highlight these shortcomings would be misleading. Both places had ample options to test, and I left both fittings feeling great about the clubs I was able to test. The main takeaway, however, is that no matter where you get fit, if there are any particular clubs you’re dead set on trying, ask your fitter in advance of your appointment if they’re available.

This category was close, but at Club Champion, I could test the shaft that fit me best with any club head that was available, which gives Club Champion the edge.

Wherever you get your fitting done, there are likely to be price breaks when you purchase clubs, or discounts on fittings from time to time. I actually booked my GolfTEC fitting during a promotional period, and saved $55, bringing the cost of an iron fitting to $95, as opposed to the advertised price of $150.

Overall, GolfTEC fittings are more affordable than Club Champion. Here’s a complete price comparison between GolfTEC and Club Champion fittings.

As you can see, GolfTEC’s fitting offerings are more straightforward. For $150, you can get fit for one specific part of your bag, or for $300, you can get fit for the whole bag.

At Club Champion, you have more fitting options. For example, the woods and hybrids fitting I had at Club Champion isn’t available at GolfTEC. Club Champion also offers a Long Game fitting, which adds a driver fitting to the woods and hybrids option.

Dollar-for-dollar, GolfTEC fitting prices are typically a little more affordable than Club Champion, with the exception of a wedge fitting.

I left my GolfTEC iron fitting with a detailed breakdown of the exact cost, to the penny, of the build for the irons I was fit into, and I was pleasantly surprised that the total was under $1,000. The shafts weren’t a crippling up-charge, and I was actually fit into an iron set from the previous release cycle, which saved almost 50 percent compared to the just-as-good heads from this year.

At Club Champion, I didn’t get a build sheet with prices, and maybe it’s a good thing. The first thing I did during my Club Champion fitting was get fit into a $200 shaft. After that, I pinpointed two heads that were ideal for my game, totalling $600. When you start adding those together, you’re looking at about $1,000 for just two clubs. 

Since I didn’t get a build sheet, I don’t know Club Champion’s exact price to build these clubs, instead I’m using retail prices. You may not pay full retail price for a club head when it’s paired with an aftermarket shaft, since that retail price already includes a shaft. Either way, it’s expensive.

Because retailers prices are dictated by the manufacturers, there's a good chance that for a specific build, prices at GolfTEC and Club Champion would be similar, if not identical. The difference is that at Club Champion, I was instantly fit into a top-dollar aftermarket shaft, without knowing the cost. At GolfTEC, the cost of each club was displayed right on the screen with my shot data.

Overall, I had a better club fitting experience at Club Champion. A lot of that had to do with the expertise of the fitter, who used data to tweak one element at a time until we found the best setup for my goals. My biggest takeaway from this experiment is that working with a certified Master Club Fitter really makes a difference.

If you’re looking for a club fitting, you’re taking an important first step in playing the best equipment for your game. Getting fit at either Club Champin or GolfTEC is a step in the right direction.

However, upgrading your golf equipment is never an inexpensive endeavor, and trying to save a few dollars on your club fitting may not be the best strategy. If you’re on a budget, ask your fitter about prices of each build to keep an idea of not only what performs the best, but what performs best for the money.