Equipment

Club Champion Master Club Builders discuss the craft

Published

4 years ago

Dec 28, 2021

At Club Champion headquarters in Willowbrook, Illinois, club builders are often responsible for meticulously assembling more than 100 clubs per day.

And while this is an impressive number to the layman — as is the 50,000 possible club combinations Club Champion can craft — we wanted to know more about what the process actually entails — and further, learn more about the men epoxying shafts to heads, installing grips, bending, grinding, SST PUREing, and stamping.

Many Paths

The master builders of Club Champion we spoke to took different paths to the Willowbrook headquarters and their expertise in the unique blend of art and science. Company founder and 25-year club building veteran Nick Sherburne had one of the most unique roads in of the builders we spoke with. “I’m a bigger guy who needed to alter my clubs but I didn’t have the money for the options that were available at the time.” Through an initial process of trial and error, Sherburne honed his skills, eventually linking up with Everett Lokenvitz and securing a PCS (Professional Clubmakers Society) Class A certification.”

Master Club Fitter & Builder Ryan Bulkema of Oak Lawn, Illinois, has been building golf clubs for 16 years. He began his journey in big box world. “Very early on, I found myself gravitating to the club tech area and on frequent occasions,” he said, learning the intricacies of “cutting off grips, regripping, pulling shafts, bending loft and lie, and even basic club assembly.”

Alex Buckridge, who has been a master builder at Club Champion for four-and-a-half years, specializes in club stamping and paint fills. He got his start in the industry the same way many golf business lifers do: working at a golf club as a caddie and bag room attendant.

The Fitting Process

In addition to being curious about their paths to the profession, we wanted to know what the club building process at Club Champion looks like. Alex told us “I could tell you…but then I’d have to kill you.” But fortunately, others were willing to give us a peek behind the curtain, demystifying a process few outside the industry — and the GolfWRX forums — understand.

The builders we spoke to broke down the Club Champion builders process

Builders being by hand-picking weight-sorted products to make sure they’re using consistent, quality parts to start
After initial item inspection, builders dive into the build sheet
SST PUREing shafts to make sure they can be installed in the optimal position is next
Shaft tipping (if needed) and preparation is next
Club builders fit the shafts into heads, measure on the club ruler to the intended length, and cut the shafts if needed
Club builders debur the edge and put the grip on the shaft with the appropriate tape for the build. “Grip before glue” to ensure a perfect swingweight
Once grips are installed, a builder puts the head on to dry weight the swingweight
This allows a club builder to map out the set or individual club and determine if any weight needs to be added. if not, s/he adjusts accordingly to the fitted specs using lead, tungsten, rat glue, weights that come with some heads, etc
Once swingweight is good to go, the proper ferrule is added and the club is glued using a 24 hour epoxy
When the club is dry, the ferrule is turned to ensure a clean look
Any bending of the club is done on a Mitchell digital loft and lie machine
Shining up, stickers
A final full QC process

Common Misconceptions

Digging deeper, Club Champion builders said there are no shortage of misconceptions about their craft.
Chief among these, according to Sherburne is the idea that off-the-rack clubs are consistently build and match the specs shown online.

And in terms of specs, Sherbune cautions, “not all loft and lie machines measure the same, which is why having properly calibrated machinery is important to performance. At CC, we make sure all machines are calibrated to match, from stores to build facilities, so there are no discrepancies.”

Additionally, Sherburne emphasized how every piece of a club build affects other elements. He offered this example: “Swingweight changes flex: A heavier shaft plays looser, and if the swingweight is light, the shaft will play stiffer.”
Tolerances are also important to keep in mind when thinking about the build your golf clubs. Club Champion builders work within one inch of loft and lie, 1/8 inch length, and one swing weight point. Other builders aim for 2-3 degrees loft and lie, 1/2 inch length, and minimal swing weight tolerances.

Alex Buckridge spelled out another major difference between off-the-rack manufacturing and how Club Champion operates. “Most off-the-rack clubs are built in an assembly line style, with much looser tolerances. In this scenario, maybe one person cuts, one grips, one glues, and so on. For some manufacturers, machines complete portions of the process. With a professionally built club like those we create, one person is doing the build from start to finish. We’re following much tighter tolerances and can offer a much wider range of custom options.” Sherburne added, “The tolerances for mass-produced clubs are all over the place, which is why a professionally hand-built club is key.”

No Comparison

In terms of the abundance of custom offerings, Club Champion is the summit of the mountain.

Regarding the aforementioned, Sherburne said, “If you’re comparing us to the few other brand-agnostic fitters out there, it comes down to our desire to go above and beyond. More brands, more model options, more training, tighter tolerances, tougher QC processes, the Perfect Fit Guarantee, more attention to detail. The list goes on and on. The moral of the story is we can create essentially anything and that’s key to finding the ideal performance for so many different types of golfers.”

And certainly, there’s no comparison to OEM fittings and what’s available at big box retail, in terms of availability, customization, and the ability to dial in specs.

And while everyone we spoke with at Club Champion agreed home club building is a great hobby, Ryan summed up the need for professional club building best, “I see club building as an art form, with an almost infinite number of possible options. I have the ability to achieve a much higher degree of change, within a much tighter tolerance, with a high attention to detail. If you expect the best performance out of something, you don’t tend to DIY it unless you’re an expert in that field. Golf clubs are no different.”

For More

You can read more about Club Champion in our other features below and check out ClubChampionGolf.com.

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19 Comments

Mike yass

Jun 8, 2022 at 1:19 pm

Nothing in here about the employees building the cubs in a 90 degree building with no air conditioning. Weird

Reply Report comment
Connor Stremke

Jan 1, 2022 at 1:47 pm

Club Champion approves of this message*

Also, fuck club champion

Reply Report comment
Pm

Dec 31, 2021 at 2:28 am

Reading all these comments and all the other bad ones in the Forums, sounds like CC is struggling and is on a campaign to try to do more sales through this type of hype advertising, but obviously it’s not going to work. Not that any of the other fitting places like TrueSpec or CoolClubs are any better, they all try to upsell you and that’s that. Clowns. Make sure people aren’t paying for SST Pure, that is a sure waste of money

Reply Report comment
TP

Dec 30, 2021 at 11:20 pm

Club Champion is the biggest rip off. “Grip before glue”?? WTH. Anyone who has a clue what they’re doing wou never do this. A- use a swingweight scale that allows for a grip to be placed under the shaft for a dry fit. B- having a grip on shaft before gluing gives the air in the shaft nowhere tango after you glue it up and increases the possibility of the shaft creeping up. Also for what they charge 1/8″ and 1° loft and kie variance is atrocious. I have all my personal clubs within 0.2 swingweight and 1/32″ and 0.25° loft and lie and I’m doing it from my house. Ridiculous. Do yourself a favor and get a set blueprinted out or spec’d out by someone who takes their time and has tighter tolerances

Reply Report comment
Internet Police

Dec 30, 2021 at 7:30 pm

Not concerned much with safety. No gloves with solvent, no gloves with the grinding / buffing wheel. Sparks flying all over bare skin while cutting shafts. It’s laughable. But hey, they’ll spine your shafts for you…. What a joke, Club Chumpion”.

Reply Report comment
Jim Thomson

Dec 30, 2021 at 10:20 am

What a waste of digital space. Club building is not rocket science. I’ve been a hobbyist club builder for over 40 years and I’ll put my ability up against any CC “specialist” as would many experienced DIYers. BTW, does anyone proofread this stuff? Interesting that CC works to one inch of loft and lie. No wonder you found their “process” so amazing.

Reply Report comment
- Kevin S
  
  Dec 30, 2021 at 4:51 pm
  
  I thought the same thing, Jim Thompson. I read, “Club Champion builders work within one inch of loft and lie, 1/8 inch length, and one swing weight point. Other builders aim for 2-3 degrees loft and lie, 1/2 inch length, and minimal swing weight tolerances.” Whaaa?? I’m a simple hobbyist, too, but if I was simply “aiming for 2-3 degrees on loft and lie,” as Sherburne tries to disparage me and everyone else, I wouldn’t even be attempting it.
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom

Dec 30, 2021 at 6:41 am

Did a CC fitting…. Ordered the irons to the exact specs they fit me for, on my own, not through them as their prices are ridiculous. I have never hit an iron worse in my life and I am a plus handicap.

Reply Report comment
leezer99

Dec 30, 2021 at 6:12 am

Had a fitting at CC just a couple of weeks ago. I could have gotten better results going to my local shop and hitting random clubs on their LM. Sent in a complaint and they offered to redo the fitting at another location but I really don’t see the point.

Reply Report comment
geohogan

Dec 30, 2021 at 6:02 am

So much made of loft /lie machines, when key to fitting
IMO, is height of hands from the ground the same for all clubs.
ie butt end of clubs, height from ground is the suited to golfer and the same for all clubs. Exact degrees of lie angle is irrelevant.

Reply Report comment
Ts

Dec 30, 2021 at 2:55 am

What no Frequency, or MOI match options? What about checking for CG strike locations dependent on which shaft will be installed, other than the completely useless and pointless SST pure? What happens when the CG locations are changes in the heads? They measure for that?

Reply Report comment
- leezer99
  
  Dec 30, 2021 at 6:05 am
  
  If having your shafts pured was necessary they’d offer it on the PGA Tour trucks. Guess what… they don’t.
  
  Reply Report comment
andrew

Dec 29, 2021 at 4:41 pm

How much did they pay for this ad?

Reply Report comment
Golf Nobel

Dec 29, 2021 at 8:25 am

Influence on CG is pretty null as you can easily find here on the forum tech pages.
Adding tip weights even up to 8-10 grams is required when you replace shafts as every model has a different weight distribution and is required if you want to match a specific SW.
Even Ping or other factories do that, you should know it if you have ever pulled a shaft.
Also, majority of the golfers (everyone is not a Tour level player) cannot spot any differences in 2-3 SW points range or minor changes in flexes like few cpm…

Reply Report comment
- Eric Spaulding
  
  Dec 29, 2021 at 11:07 am
  
  “Influence on CG is null”?? Really? Tell that to the manufacturers who spend millions of marketing dollars boasting about their “movable weight systems” on driver heads. I guess Ping is wasting their time caring so much about this exact issue with irons.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Golf Nobel
    
    Dec 31, 2021 at 5:58 am
    
    I’m talking about irons where there’s no horizontal gear effect, drivers are another story.
    Go study mate.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Eric Spaulding
      
      Jan 2, 2022 at 1:33 am
      
      “Mate”,
      Your original comment said nothing about gear effect; you said “influence on CG is null”.
      Sorry, but adding weight to one end of an object changes CG whether it’s on a driver, iron, feather, or army tank.
      And regardless, I’ll go with option (b): Ping engineers know more than you and I both
      
      Reply Report comment
Jack H.

Dec 28, 2021 at 4:32 pm

When I had my fitting there the guy who was helping me bragged that the same people who were going to build my clubs also build all the fitting shafts. I had 4 separate adapters break free and even had one head fly off because they used such little glue. Mind you I swing a driver 98-100 mph max so we are not talking long drive or even PGA Tour speed here. After that disaster of a fitting I politely declined ever buying anything from their “master” club fitters.

Reply Report comment
Eric Spaulding

Dec 28, 2021 at 12:20 pm

Hilarious. All that talk about tolerances, weight-sorting components, etc, and then they slap an 8 gram slug of lead in the hosel to get the swing weights in a set to match up. At least Ping (an engineering company to begin with) cares enough to use toe weights to keep the CG of an iron where it should be

Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Tour Edge unveils all-new Exotics mini driver

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game.

The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag.

At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.

The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.

“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley

In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.

To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.

“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod

An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.

Pricing & Availability

The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026.

Equipment

Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:

“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.

My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”

Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.

From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo. 4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades. 5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft. Standard Length, Lie and Lofts. These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me. Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules