PGAPappas Guest Review: Club Champion Putter Fitting

The winner of my Club Champion Putter Fitting and custom built putter giveaway in April had as great a fitting experience as I think anyone can have.  And the results he's been experiencing with his new putter have been legitimately game changing.

Chris (@CDelpra7 on X) was fit at the Club Champion studio in Warrensville Heights, Ohio and he was like the proverbial kid in a candy store.  Chris and his fitter Mike absolutely geeked out on all things putter fitting and as Chris is about to tell you the entire experience was incredibly educational and rewarding.

Here's Chris' Club Champion putter fitting review and also the putter Chris wound up being fit best for.

The Club Champion Fitting

I've always thought putting was about skill, confidence, and feel and I've spent years trying different putters hoping to find one that would magically help me start making more putts.  Some were good and some not so good but I never understood why.

 

 

But that changed when I went through my Club Champion putter fitting.  I thought it would help me choose a better putter but I didn't expect to learn so much about my putting stroke and all the science involved in how a putter works and performs.  And by the end of my fitting not only was I hitting putts in the cup with unbelievable consistency, but I also learned a lot about lie angle, loft, launch conditions, swing path, and why certain putter designs worked better for me than others.

 

I've always thought it a putter looks good at address everything is fine but Mike was showing me if my toe or heel was elevated and how that changed my impact positions when I was hitting putts.  And seeing the numbers made me realize how even small differences in how I set up with different putters affected my face position and if my putts started on line.

 

I also had no idea how important it was get my ball launching correctly for a true roll and how effective loft affects driving the ball into the turf or skidding and bouncing it before it gets rolling.  Mike got me into a setup that got my launch conditions perfect for my swing and algo got my ball rolling a lot sooner and almost immediately.

 

 

And all the data Mike showed me and talked to me about showed me what was actually happening with my stroke instead of just what I thought was happening.  Mike told me I have one of most straight back and straight through swings he's ever seen but I always thought I had an arc.  And getting into the right putter for my swing also helped me start to deliver the putter more consistently into the ball.

 

As I tested different putters Mike showed me how each head design interacted with my stroke.  And we got to a group of three zero-torque putters that let me return the face to impact more naturally and I didn't have to manipulate anything in my entire swing like I was doing with my old putter.  And the putter I would up with I would have never even looked at if not for Mike and Club Champion.

 

My new putter felt like it worked naturally and effortlessly with me instead of against me or having to figure things out.  The putter I wound up with was the zero-torque Scotty Cameron Phantom 11R OC.  And my fitting showed me and helped me understand my own stroke and Mike matched me with a putter to the way I naturally swing it.

The Club Champion Results

After my last 72 holes with my new putter I've got to say what an experience, it was even better than I could have imagined.  The putter fitting was a fun process for sure and I didn't expect the particular type of putters would be the way for me.

 

But after playing the last 72 holes with my new 11R there was so much I noticed right away.  Lag putting was an easy first thing I noticed.  On far putts or medium putts I'm now leaving myself tap-ins.  And my confidence from 6-8 feet is through the roof.  I'm definitely saving more pars and bogeys than ever.  And I'm not afraid to chase my birdie putts over the hole a bit.  Which on a side note I've definitely been making more of those!

 

No one is immune from the occasional three putt but overall I feel so much more dangerous on the greens and my playing partners and the Dirty Birdies league players have definitely noticed.  Thanks Pete for all you do and I'm so grateful for this whole experience.

Thanks for the great Club Champion Putter Fitting review Chris.  It was exciting to hear how deep you went with Mike in your fitting and even more exciting to hear how your putting game has transformed.  You literally embody "Better Fit, Lower Scores."

We'll continue with more PGAPappas guest reviews in the coming weeks.  And cheers to more great golf for us throughout the season.