Best Club Fitting Chicago Area

[Walkerdb7]

Sorry in advance if this is in the wrong spot of the forum?

 

Curious if anyone can recommend a best fitting experience in Chicago area?

 

Did club champion about 6-7 years ago and got fit into some expensive specs. Felt like I was being “sold”. Know a few other guys that had a similar experience. Live on the Naperville area, so closer is better... but I’ll drive 

[Ronnie Mundt]

Club Champion sucks. Just went through a nightmare with them. Stay away.

[Samurai Jack]

PGATSS in Downers Grove. Tour Van Experience with Danny.  Worth the fitting fee. Super knowledgeable fitter and won’t upsell you on anything that doesn’t fit you. Got me an extra 10-15 off my driver this year I didn’t even think was possible!!

 

I won’t waste my time writing about any Club Champion. As Ronnie said above, stay away. 

[Walkerdb7]

On 4/8/2021 at 11:48 PM, Samurai Jack said:

PGATSS in Downers Grove. Tour Van Experience with Danny.  Worth the fitting fee. Super knowledgeable fitter and won’t upsell you on anything that doesn’t fit you. Got me an extra 10-15 off my driver this year I didn’t even think was possible!!

 

I won’t waste my time writing about any Club Champion. As Ronnie said above, stay away. 

Seriously? That PGA SS is legit? I just assumed to stay away from there or GG, etc. Been to the Schaumburg store, not that one

 

Anyone do Mistwood?

Edited April 13, 2021 by Walkerdb7

[Walkerdb7]

Bump, anyone done Mistwood?

[Paintman]

My neighbor in Lowell, Indiana fits and builds clubs. He's 80, so it will be old school. I've seen his excellent work and his four car garage is like a golf museum and workshop.  We just met a few weeks ago and I have learned more about club building in that time, and he gave me some incredible tips with my swing. He still can play well too.

If you or anyone interested send me a personal message and I'll pass his name and number along.

[jonkevin]

On 4/8/2021 at 11:48 PM, Samurai Jack said:

PGATSS in Downers Grove. Tour Van Experience with Danny.  Worth the fitting fee. Super knowledgeable fitter and won’t upsell you on anything that doesn’t fit you. Got me an extra 10-15 off my driver this year I didn’t even think was possible!!

 

I won’t waste my time writing about any Club Champion. As Ronnie said above, stay away. 

I second Danny at the Downers Grove PGATSS. He’s fit me for my irons and 2 drivers (sim Max & TSi3). Went back to optimize settings after a few rounds for free.  I live 10 mins from the Schaumburg PGATSS but choose to drive 30 mins just to see Danny.  He knows his stuff and is a pleasure to just talk gear with. 

Edited April 22, 2021 by jonkevin

[klaw]

43 minutes ago, jonkevin said:

I second Danny at the Downers Grove PGATSS. He’s fit me for my irons and 2 drivers (sim Max & TSi3). Went back to optimize settings after a few rounds for free.  I live 10 mins from the Schaumburg PGATSS but choose to drive 30 mins just to see Danny.  He knows his stuff and is a pleasure to just talk gear with. 

They don't fit with a GC quad at PGATSS though? I am considering trying The Fitting Lab for my next fitting, anyone have any experience?

[jonkevin]

1 minute ago, klaw said:

They don't fit with a GC quad at PGATSS though? I am considering trying The Fitting Lab for my next fitting, anyone have any experience?

I believe Danny uses the GC quad in their Tour Van fitting bay

[jonkevin]

1 minute ago, jonkevin said:

I believe Danny uses the GC quad in their Tour Van fitting bay

 It is the GC quad

 

https://www.pgatoursuperstore.com/lessons-services-fittings-van/

[BleederFade]

Hate to revive an old thread but curious if anyone has recent experiences or recommendations with Chicagoland fitters? Haven’t stepped foot in a fitting bay in 6+ years and have an itch for new irons and possibly woods done the right way vs tinkering in the BST 

[hammergolf]

10 hours ago, BleederFade said:

Hate to revive an old thread but curious if anyone has recent experiences or recommendations with Chicagoland fitters? Haven’t stepped foot in a fitting bay in 6+ years and have an itch for new irons and possibly woods done the right way vs tinkering in the BST 

@eric61 may be able to help you.

[eric61]

15 hours ago, BleederFade said:

Hate to revive an old thread but curious if anyone has recent experiences or recommendations with Chicagoland fitters? Haven’t stepped foot in a fitting bay in 6+ years and have an itch for new irons and possibly woods done the right way vs tinkering in the BST 

Thanks for the tag here, @hammergolf!

 

I’m not here to try to convince anyone to pay Club Champion prices … in fact, I’d recommend against it … but I have had nothing but positive experiences with Drew Koch at their Willowbrook location. He’s a really good dude and a great fitter. He’s also extremely open-minded about what might work for somebody, and will bring outside-the-box suggestions if you let him. He fit my father-in-law into a set of Cobra hybrid irons that have honestly rejuvenated his game and love for golf at age 70. Drew writes for Plugged In Golf, so you could pop by there to check out his stuff and get a sense of him. 

 

If you go the OEM fitting route, Brad Nelson with Titleist is great. I’d seriously trust him to dial in my whole bag. I know folks are generally looking for brand-agnostic fittings, but he made me a believer — and Titleist’s lineup is diverse enough that there’s really something for everyone. Brad’s an old coach, and you’ll understand what I mean by that immediately when you meet him.
 

I’ve had a positive experience with Chris Kibble at Cantigny. They don’t have an enormous selection at Cantigny, but it’s decent, covers the bases, and Chris has a sharp eye. He also won’t try to convince you to spend money you don’t need to spend. (Plus he won’t nickel and dime you. Swapped a couple weights with me for free, and did some custom grind work to a wedge, as part of the cost of the fitting rather than charging extra, for example. I appreciated that — it’s the sort of thing that makes me want to go back to them, and I have, for lessons with Tina, but that’s not what you asked about!)

 

Back to the OEM route, to be honest the folks at PXG’s West Chicago location have always been solid, every time I’ve popped in there. Knowledgeable about their product, good with the data, not super pushy on sales. It’s just always a good time dropping in there.
 

Tour Edge does fittings Tuesday through Thursday if you schedule ahead of time, and they’re in our neck of the woods. I’ve been interested in going out there to try the new lineup, but haven’t had time yet. I did meet one of their fitters at the Chicago Golf Show and he was nice, let me hit their stuff there, encouraged me to come in. Definitely seemed knowledgeable, in just the few minutes we were chatting. It left me with a positive impression about a brand I hadn’t really given much thought to.

 

Wilson has been at some demo day type stuff, and they have some local people, no surprise since they’re based in Chicago. I can’t remember her name, but one of them is a relatively young woman — she’s the one you want to work with. She’s VERY sharp. I wish I remembered her name, I’m sorry about that.

 

If you want to do a putter fitting, you’ve gotta go to Bettinardi’s Studio B in Oak Brook. Kid in a candy shop type experience.

 

Lots of good fitters in the area! Tons of places I haven’t tried yet, too, so I’ll be reading along to see who others recommend. It just depends what you’re looking for and if you’re willing to go the OEM route.

[gmyers22]

Golf Academy at Terra Cotta. Mike Haase is excellent and they have a wonderful facility. 
NW Burbs.

[BleederFade]

On 11/12/2024 at 12:21 AM, eric61 said:

Thanks for the tag here, @hammergolf!

 

I’m not here to try to convince anyone to pay Club Champion prices … in fact, I’d recommend against it … but I have had nothing but positive experiences with Drew Koch at their Willowbrook location. He’s a really good dude and a great fitter. He’s also extremely open-minded about what might work for somebody, and will bring outside-the-box suggestions if you let him. He fit my father-in-law into a set of Cobra hybrid irons that have honestly rejuvenated his game and love for golf at age 70. Drew writes for Plugged In Golf, so you could pop by there to check out his stuff and get a sense of him. 

 

If you go the OEM fitting route, Brad Nelson with Titleist is great. I’d seriously trust him to dial in my whole bag. I know folks are generally looking for brand-agnostic fittings, but he made me a believer — and Titleist’s lineup is diverse enough that there’s really something for everyone. Brad’s an old coach, and you’ll understand what I mean by that immediately when you meet him.
 

I’ve had a positive experience with Chris Kibble at Cantigny. They don’t have an enormous selection at Cantigny, but it’s decent, covers the bases, and Chris has a sharp eye. He also won’t try to convince you to spend money you don’t need to spend. (Plus he won’t nickel and dime you. Swapped a couple weights with me for free, and did some custom grind work to a wedge, as part of the cost of the fitting rather than charging extra, for example. I appreciated that — it’s the sort of thing that makes me want to go back to them, and I have, for lessons with Tina, but that’s not what you asked about!)

 

Back to the OEM route, to be honest the folks at PXG’s West Chicago location have always been solid, every time I’ve popped in there. Knowledgeable about their product, good with the data, not super pushy on sales. It’s just always a good time dropping in there.
 

Tour Edge does fittings Tuesday through Thursday if you schedule ahead of time, and they’re in our neck of the woods. I’ve been interested in going out there to try the new lineup, but haven’t had time yet. I did meet one of their fitters at the Chicago Golf Show and he was nice, let me hit their stuff there, encouraged me to come in. Definitely seemed knowledgeable, in just the few minutes we were chatting. It left me with a positive impression about a brand I hadn’t really given much thought to.

 

Wilson has been at some demo day type stuff, and they have some local people, no surprise since they’re based in Chicago. I can’t remember her name, but one of them is a relatively young woman — she’s the one you want to work with. She’s VERY sharp. I wish I remembered her name, I’m sorry about that.

 

If you want to do a putter fitting, you’ve gotta go to Bettinardi’s Studio B in Oak Brook. Kid in a candy shop type experience.

 

Lots of good fitters in the area! Tons of places I haven’t tried yet, too, so I’ll be reading along to see who others recommend. It just depends what you’re looking for and if you’re willing to go the OEM route.

Appreciate your insights. Super helpful. I’d want to stay brand agnostic with the irons as there’s a couple models I want to check out.
 

But for the woods I will have to connect with Brad, old coaches are always fun for fittings. They have a unique understanding of swing mechanics and add a different layer to the experience.

[JJgolfwrx]

On 4/8/2021 at 10:41 PM, Walkerdb7 said:

Sorry in advance if this is in the wrong spot of the forum?

 

Curious if anyone can recommend a best fitting experience in Chicago area?

 

Did club champion about 6-7 years ago and got fit into some expensive specs. Felt like I was being “sold”. Know a few other guys that had a similar experience. Live on the Naperville area, so closer is better... but I’ll drive 

Go with Danny best fitter that I know of in Illinois

[taylorx300]

Danny at the Lincoln Park location is very good! No commission at PGA store so you get a unbiased fitting.

Heard very good things about Steve at the Vernon Hills location as well.

 

Truly believe the fitters experience and knowledge is more important than the facility they work in.