Driver Fitting - Wowzer $$$$

[Shilgy]

9 minutes ago, AtlantaGolf3 said:

I think at $360 you are paying for tipping, adaptor, and other services, etc. 

 

Those services are built into an MSRP. 
 

Keep in mind $360 is not what the building gets for the raw shaft. It is quite dramatically less than that. That’s with the expectation for the retailer to cover sales, hard, variable costs, etc. 

 

If the seller feels that their services warrant that and want to charge that said price, more power to them. Good for them! America!

 

I am just not going to be that guy. 
 

 

Not necessarily- there may be some that will include the adapter but not golfworks for instance.

 

https://www.golfworks.com/mitsubishi-diamana-tb-series-graphite-wood-shaft-70-s-flex/p/mr009370s/?gclid=CjwKCAjwuIWHBhBDEiwACXQYsTJTSCHVlkGBIVH9NbSicMLBGNHD_xuofohJbPOEl2ONrm-nKZVo4RoC0fAQAvD_BwE

[Shilgy]

9 minutes ago, AtlantaGolf3 said:

I think at $360 you are paying for tipping, adaptor, and other services, etc. 

 

Those services are built into an MSRP. 
 

Keep in mind $360 is not what the building gets for the raw shaft. It is quite dramatically less than that. That’s with the expectation for the retailer to cover sales, hard, variable costs, etc. 

 

If the seller feels that their services warrant that and want to charge that said price, more power to them. Good for them! America!

 

I am just not going to be that guy. 
 

 

Not necessarily- there may be some that will include the adapter but not golfworks for instance.

 

https://www.golfworks.com/mitsubishi-diamana-tb-series-graphite-wood-shaft-70-s-flex/p/mr009370s/?gclid=CjwKCAjwuIWHBhBDEiwACXQYsTJTSCHVlkGBIVH9NbSicMLBGNHD_xuofohJbPOEl2ONrm-nKZVo4RoC0fAQAvD_BwE

[deep18]

None of the fitting fee was credited and they’re charging $50 to ship. Sorry I don’t care how good the build is, that’s a ripoff.  Oh and they decided to charge $15 for a $9 grip, which is nice. 
 

 

And to be clear, I’m all for Cool Clubs, Club Champion, etc charging what they charge. Something is worth what someone else will pay, so good for them and good for whoever pays what they ask.  I wouldn’t tell someone how to spend their money, I just wouldn’t spend that much.  End of rant, Happy 4th everyone. 

Edited July 4, 2021 by deep18

[Double Dodger]

On 7/1/2021 at 9:30 PM, Yoshimonster said:

Appreciate everyone's perspective on this. 

I've decided to cancel the order and will try to build one on my own as I have the spec sheet from the fitting session. 

What I forgot to mention is that the shaft included the additional cost of puring and as someone mentioned here, also sprinkled with fairy dust.  😆  🤣

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puring a $400 shaft? OK….

[farmer]

It seems to me that in one of these fitting threads, a rep said that Ping does not sell components.  Everyone has to buy the whole club, but what CC does with the stock shafts is unknown.

Edited July 5, 2021 by farmer

[llewol007]

Golly gee, That my friend is like buying a car and losing a lot of the value when you drive off the lot. $1200 for a ping Driver that you probably would have gotten on here for $500 less. Oh well! Shafts are the most over priced things in the world. 

[Valtiel]

20 hours ago, llewol007 said:

Shafts are the most over priced things in the world. 

[Hack Daddy]

I can not fathom how people pay Club Champ prices. It's honestly one of the most lazy and ridiculous things known to man. 

[TLUBulldogGolf]

I'm going to go a bit against the grain here, though I agree with what others are saying when looking at the cost breakdown. I had my driver fit by a local guy that used to work for one of the well known 'boutique' fitters prior to opening his own shop, I will say I wasn't charged the egregious markups for components. It was not cheap and I could have put it together cheaper on my own (would have been out the fitting fee though), but it is the best driver I have ever played and I have been playing it for nearly 5 years now. 

[Kale_m]

Not sure how these places stay in buisness to be honest. 
 

they cater to the rich where money is no object 

 

same as a Lamborghini dealership 

[cristphoto]

If they tell you up front what the prices are then its a case of "let the buyer beware".  The one thing that blatantly sticks out to me is they keep the stock shaft.  No way. You paid list price which includes head, shaft, and grip.  I would want those and the upgrade shaft which they charged over list price for. Or if its a case of them ordering just a head (not all manufacturers allow this) then the list price should be adjusted to reflect this. Either way you are getting jammed. ☹️

 

I've posted a couple times on this forum that what works well for me (both performance and price wise) is to simply go to a manufacturers demo day and try out all the combinations. I'm hitting outdoors on grass and they have a trackman (or other) device to also show me numbers.  I'm assured its all fair as they aren't set up to sell you anything - just give you the chance to see what works well for you.  

 

 

[Hack Daddy]

5 hours ago, cristphoto said:

If they tell you up front what the prices are then its a case of "let the buyer beware".  The one thing that blatantly sticks out to me is they keep the stock shaft.  No way. You paid list price which includes head, shaft, and grip.  I would want those and the upgrade shaft which they charged over list price for. Or if its a case of them ordering just a head (not all manufacturers allow this) then the list price should be adjusted to reflect this. Either way you are getting jammed. ☹️

 

I've posted a couple times on this forum that what works well for me (both performance and price wise) is to simply go to a manufacturers demo day and try out all the combinations. I'm hitting outdoors on grass and they have a trackman (or other) device to also show me numbers.  I'm assured its all fair as they aren't set up to sell you anything - just give you the chance to see what works well for you.  

 

 

 

Not to mention, a lot of club pros now have trackman/grass range. Schedule a lesson, but try different equipment that the pro is sponsored by, or has access to. 

[Tdsjfb]

OT: Hyperinflation-like gouging from ludicrous money printing well under way. Not going to end well for the 99%.

Edited July 11, 2021 by Tdsjfb

[Double Dodger]

On 7/1/2021 at 10:48 PM, tatertot said:

Good to hear you made the right choice ...

 

Honest questions ... what's best case scenerio for ROI on a $1,300 driver? Assuming you're not playing total junk with the wrong flex, wrong length and gripless shaft you might get, what - 3 extra yards a drive and 1 extra fairway a round?

 

well since you asked…

My $1300 would go like this:

1. driver head I liked off that site. 

 

2. about 8 high end shafts to try off that site. 
 

3. what I don’t get along with back on that site. 

[lefthack]

$150 for a fitting seems legit. The quoted price on the club is just nuts. 

[Fairway14]

On 7/6/2021 at 9:45 AM, Kale_m said:

Not sure how these places stay in buisness to be honest. 
 

 

Mostly the fit shop customer base is naive consumers who don't know much about the game of golf but want to hit better shots. Consequently, this consumer is vulnerable to predatory fitters/sellers.

[khalespace]

On 7/1/2021 at 4:46 PM, Yoshimonster said:

I went in for a driver fitting for the first time in my life.

Loved the process and fully satisfied with the experience at the Club Fitter known nationally that starts with C. 

I'm just more curious about the whole economics for the fitter and the buyer.

 

I came out 1.3K poorer.  Here is the breakdown.

- $499.99 for the Driver (Ping G425 Max)

- $475.00 for the Shaft (Diamana TB 60 S)

- $15 Grip (CP2 Pro)

- $150 Fitting Fee

- $50 Shipping

- $95.29 Tax

Grand Total: $1,290.28

 

Wowzer.  😢

 

I'll be getting the driver in 6-8 weeks.  (That's a good chunk of this season)

 

Question:

Isn't $499 the cost of the head, shaft and the grip for G425 Max?  Does the club fitter keep the original shaft and the grip??  Can I request these original part to be sent to me? Or maybe this just isn't how this works.  Someone please enlighten me.

 

P.S. Don't tell my wife. Thanks.

 

UPDATE

As recommended by some members of this community, I reached out to Will People and placed an order for the same set up.  Below is the price comparison. 

 

TL;DR

I've saved a total of $362.08.

 

$ Savings by Part

Driver: $99.99

Shaft: $115.00 (Note: I'm not getting the shaft Pured but Peoples golf offers it for $35)

Grip: $15.00

Shipping: $36.80 (Note:  Savings on this is even after selecting 2-day shipment from Peoples Golf)

Tax: $95.29

Total: $362.08 (~32% savings vs. the premium club fitter)

 

Other Observations and Benefits ordering through The Peoples Clubs:

- People golf offers a free hot melting on new clubs. So, yep.  I'm getting my head hot melted for better feel and to dampen that Ping 425 Max head sound. (Huge win!!!)

- Grips are included

- Turnaround time is 2 weeks vs. 6-8 weeks.

 

In conclusion, here are my final thoughts having gone through this experience.

 

1. A consistent enough player will hugely benefit from a good fitting. $150 I spent at C* premium club fitter was 100% worth it. 

2. The premium club fitters serve the premium consumer segment who are less price sensitive.

3. Great experience with Will Peoples and they seem to offer one of the most competitive prices with added benefits.  (Free hotmelt, grip and a quick service)

4. Dear my golf buddies... get ready to be WOWED!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost like this is a big reason I have not had driver fitting. I don't mind paying $150 for fitting and then somewhere $500 for a driver. I definitely don't want to pay $1300. 

 

I plan to go to Roger Dunn where they have around 20 used Taylormade Sim2 drivers (for $350 to $390) in a bin and try various lofts and shafts on their launch monitor. I may lose 5 yards compared to a fitted driver but I could save $900.

Edited October 24, 2021 by khalespace

[woodriff]

Anytime I do this I try to pay for the fitting only. Make note of the shaft, profile etc. IMO many heads are the same, differing in loft. 
Tons of options for the OP in this thread. 
Also, I’ll hit everything in the used barrel and make some notes on shafts. 
Ive talked to many good golfers and they’ll check the used barrel for anything they can hit, all manufacturers.

Thats a lot of money, far too much. 
 

[JCAG]

On 7/4/2021 at 9:39 PM, farmer said:

It seems to me that in one of these fitting threads, a rep said that Ping does not sell components.  Everyone has to buy the whole club, but what CC does with the stock shafts is unknown.

Very few of the large golf companies sell heads alone and those that do have set very high standards for those they sell to. Some cutter/gluer in his cellar will not get a whiff of them. Best some will do is  the club(s) uncut and ungripped.

[Jtgavigan]

My SIM cracked in the weight track and a new SIM2 is on the way. Felt like I had been fighting the SIM. I am trying to play a draw after many years of a hold off fade. I find I strike my irons better that way and want to play one ball flight most of the time. The SIM family is more fade biased. I have been building my own stuff for 19 years. I had been doing mostly component stuff (Snake Eyes and now Maltby) and then buying used stuff as the component wood heads just don't suit me. Had never been fit, but knew what I liked to see. I wanted to go try some drivers and shafts to see what was out there.

 

I debated on club champion (fitting only) as there is a highly regarded guy there, PGA SS (afraid I was only going to get stock shafts and limited X flex options), and a local fitter who TXG had mentioned. I chose the local fitter.

 

I told him what I was looking to do and why I was there. I also explained that I have been building my own equipment for 19 years and been a sub 5 handicap for probably 35. We tried a ton of shafts in a SIM2 because that would be my cheapest option and we couldn't get anything to work. I actually had to tell him we needed to move on as I could tell he was really trying to make a SIM2 work. Ended up in a TSI3. He sold me the head and adapter ($549, just like anywhere else, as I believe they are bound to sell at a certain price, shaft or no, just speculation there).  He told me to use the Xcaliber shaft I have for now. We discussed some different options on how to set things up and some things he didn't like in my current setup and how he would change them. He told me to come back in a few weeks to test against the HZRDOUS Smoke IM10 that performed best at no charge. I could then decide to buy the shaft. He charged me the $100 fitting fee (spent well more than an hour with me). I gladly paid for club, adapter, and his time.

 

I easily could have paid the fitting fee and then left and bought a used driver and popped my shaft on there. However,  he took the risk of opening his shop, has bills to pay, and a family to feed. So, I chose to buy new from him. I could find that shaft at Golfworks or somewhere used for less. However,  if I choose that shaft, I will get it from him, again for the reasons above. Also, he quoted me market price for the shaft, not $150 over market.

 

I can only imagine the investment he has made - GC Quad and projection system, monitors, hundreds of shafts on the wall, tons of club heads, the time to put the universal adapters on, the equipment and supplies he has bought, plus the time they have spent marketing everything. As a small business owner myself, I treated him as if I would have wanted someone to treat me. 

 

I played it yesterday and hit 9 of 11 fairways with it. Hit it every bit as long as my SIM. Straight to nice draw all except the one I tried to kill on a wide open par 5.

 

If I had gone to CC, would have been $175 fitting fee and would have bought my stuff elsewhere. Just be smart, and remember the local guys took a big risk to start their business. No dog in the hunt, just wanted to relay my experience. 

[KMo23]

On 7/6/2021 at 2:05 AM, Hack Daddy said:

I can not fathom how people pay Club Champ prices. It's honestly one of the most lazy and ridiculous things known to man. 

This thread is about Cool Clubs

[gsrjc]

3 hours ago, KMo23 said:

This thread is about Cool Clubs

Didn’t think there was another place that did the same as club champion with regards to costs of items as most people are always complaining about club champion. This is interesting to hear about cool clubs so how come people go to these types of places if people are able to get the same components for cheaper. I don’t get it. 

[Billfitz]

I can see places charging for a fitting if you don't buy clubs. They're entitled to be paid for their services. But if you buy clubs from them then the fitting should be no extra charge. It's not like they don't make a profit on the club sale. As for buying raw heads, just about every maker offers a wide enough choice of shafts that at least one of them will have specs that are close enough to ideal to work for you. Still, you can find raw heads. eBay is the best source for them, usually sold by pro shops who pulled a shaft off a club for a customer, leaving them with a head.

[Ger21]

9 hours ago, Billfitz said:

They're entitled to be paid for their services. But if you buy clubs from them then the fitting should be no extra charge. It's not like they don't make a profit on the club sale.

They're entitled to be paid for their service, but if you buy something, their time and service should be free?

 

A fitting is an independent service, separate from the purchase of the club.

[Billfitz]

2 hours ago, Ger21 said:

They're entitled to be paid for their service, but if you buy something, their time and service should be free?

Their time and service should be paid for by the profit they make on the sale. This business of charging for fitting began when internet sales took off. When that happened it wasn't long before people took advantage of free fittings and then bought the clubs on line for a lower price. Charging for fittings addressed that issue.

 

Quote

A fitting is an independent service, separate from the purchase of the club.

It is now, for the reason stated above, but it doesn't have to be. Places that make their money selling clubs would have greater sales volume if they waived fitting fees with a sale. Places that make their money doing fittings are losing money on sales to internet sellers. It all comes down to philosophy, do you use fitting tools to make more money on sales, or do you use them make money on fitting?

[TheInfidel]

Do fitters in the US still charge the fitting fee if you order the club or clubs?  

In the UK it's common place to wave the fee if you're paying full retail for the clubs and getting custom specs.  

 

I've been fitted for irons, wedges and driver shafts, every time the fitting fee is waved.  The same shop does stuff for mini tour guys so it's not a am show.  

[Billfitz]

In the US at least it seems to mirror what's happened here with respect to auto diagnostics. Auto diagnostic tools that plug in to the car were originally intended to make it easier for mechanics to diagnose and fix problems, cutting down on the time and cost of diagnosis, which should have been reflected in a commensurate reduction in labor costs. It hasn't worked out that way. It's commonplace for dealer repair shops to do a diagnostic check, which takes all of thirty seconds, charging from $100 to $200 on top of the actual parts and labor to do the repairs, if there are any. If there's nothing found you still pay the diagnostic fee. Backyard mechanics like myself get around this by spending the equivalent of one diagnostic fee on our own diagnostic tool. Mine has paid for itself ten times over. 😁

[mikewohlwend]

On 7/4/2021 at 1:05 PM, drumdude96 said:

 

We're talking about the other fitting place with the initials "CC".  And the cost of that build definitely is a joke.  Especially charging $475 for a $360 shaft.  

 

On 7/4/2021 at 6:00 PM, AtlantaGolf3 said:

I think at $360 you are paying for tipping, adaptor, and other services, etc. 

 

Those services are built into an MSRP. 
 

Keep in mind $360 is not what the building gets for the raw shaft. It is quite dramatically less than that. That’s with the expectation for the retailer to cover sales, hard, variable costs, etc. 

 

If the seller feels that their services warrant that and want to charge that said price, more power to them. Good for them! America!

 

I am just not going to be that guy. 
 

 

 

I agree with this.  The MSRP price of the shaft doesn't include the prep to install the shaft.

 

On 7/4/2021 at 7:40 PM, deep18 said:

None of the fitting fee was credited and they’re charging $50 to ship. Sorry I don’t care how good the build is, that’s a ripoff.  Oh and they decided to charge $15 for a $9 grip, which is nice. 
 

 

And to be clear, I’m all for Cool Clubs, Club Champion, etc charging what they charge. Something is worth what someone else will pay, so good for them and good for whoever pays what they ask.  I wouldn’t tell someone how to spend their money, I just wouldn’t spend that much.  End of rant, Happy 4th everyone. 

 

That price includes installation.

 

3 hours ago, Ger21 said:

They're entitled to be paid for their service, but if you buy something, their time and service should be free?

 

A fitting is an independent service, separate from the purchase of the club.

 

I agree that you should have to pay for the fitting even if you buy something.

[JCAG]

As an earlier poster said:

 

I can only imagine the investment he has made - GC Quad and projection system, monitors, hundreds of shafts on the wall, tons of club heads, the time to put the universal adapters on, the equipment and supplies he has bought, plus the time they have spent marketing everything. As a small business owner myself, I treated him as if I would have wanted someone to treat me.

 

Most of those on here pissing and moaning about price overlook this. Some say pay for it with a fitting alone fee. Maybe at a $350 fitting fee.

 

[Jtgavigan]

On 10/26/2021 at 1:57 PM, JCAG said:

As an earlier poster said:

 

I can only imagine the investment he has made - GC Quad and projection system, monitors, hundreds of shafts on the wall, tons of club heads, the time to put the universal adapters on, the equipment and supplies he has bought, plus the time they have spent marketing everything. As a small business owner myself, I treated him as if I would have wanted someone to treat me.

 

Most of those on here pissing and moaning about price overlook this. Some say pay for it with a fitting alone fee. Maybe at a $350 fitting fee.

 

 

As a business owner myself, that is why I gladly paid the fitting fee plus the club. His time is money and he spent the time with me. Why should we cut out his profit when HE is the one who made the investment to provide a legit service? That was me who said the above. Glad someone agrees with me at least. Maybe not everyone, but someone.