WHEN YOU NEED A PLACE TO HIT GOLF BALLS all winter, try the Mistwood Golf Dome on Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook. McWethy’s Sports Bar is open, but review the Covid restrictions before coming in. Mistwoodgolfdome.com Mistwood Pro Shop Sale Sat. 8-2  ______________________________________________________________________

ARE YOU READY FOR NEW GOLF EQUIPMENT ?

But before moving forward on new equipment, do you have questions about your current equipment.

So is it time for a full set of new sticks, some new clubs, or wait until next year, because the clubs you bought last year are still good enough.

There has been a change in the release dates of new clubs in 2020. Some of it could be pandemic related, some of it might be getting in on the record equipment sales that took place this past summer. The switching of the PGA Merchandise Show to a virtual format, might not be everyone’s cup of tea. As a result, club makers are changing release dates for new equipment. So it gives you the chance to have new clubs in your bag for Christmas, or during the days right after.

For those of you still wondering about club fitting, how the process works, and what it means when you go for a fitting.

Here are some of the answers you might need.

A great place to learn about the fitting process is Willowbrook Illinois based Club Champion. Now with several area locations in the windy city. But also with more locations across the country that any other fitting chain.

ARE YOU still asking about the fitting process, how it works, is it costly, does it mean I have to buy new clubs. Is the new greatest and latest clubs the best for me, are they that much better than what I bought last year, or two years ago.

First on the tee, is that Club Champion has experts that can answer your questions about the fitting process.

Second, just because you go through a fitting process, it doesn’t mean you have to buy new clubs.

If you choose to buy new clubs, you do not have to purchase an entire set of clubs all at once.

Club Champion fitters, can suggest, which older clubs should go first, such as should you get a new driver. But you can keep the irons you bought last year, because they are still good for another year or three.

With equipment companies coming out with the latest and greatest every year, it seems like you need new clubs every year. Because maybe it works for your budget, maybe it doesn’t. What about yardage, will you get longer with a new driver, fairway woods or irons. If so, how much distance is an improvement that you really need to spend for.

If your gaining on average a yard or two, then maybe your money should be spent somewhere else.

Ask yourself these questions. Would hitting one-club less make a difference on approach shots, because if it does. Maybe then you need new irons or a new driver.

So are you having issues getting out of bunkers, going over them around the green. What happens when need to get over a creek or pond in front of the green. So if this is your problem, maybe you need wedges. But what if your score suffers on the greens.

Club Champion in Willowbrook offers two ways to learn more about your putting.

First-off the SAM Putt lab, that will show you if your blade is too open, too closed so you keep pulling putts. To much loft or not enough loft, so your putts race past the cup, or never get there in the first place.

Do you know about toe hang ? Should the toe of your putter be raised or lowered. Gone are the days that putters are just about feel. You should not just pick a putter up off the rack, roll a few putts, and if they go in, think your on your way to much lower scores.

NAME RECOGNITION. Are you still playing clubs due to a company name, and or because they are in the bag of your favorite tour player.

Club Champion can determine if your brand, is right for you. Of if the companies woods are best fit for you, but maybe they’re wedges are not.

In my case, on multiple occasions Taylor Made clubs, that are good golf clubs, are the clubs that multiple fitters have said tested out the worst for me.

What I did learn on my recent trip to Club Champion, is that of the three putters I got in 2019. Perhaps none of them are what I should be using, based on my putting stroke.

During some recent putting testing, I made most of the putts I attempted. In spite of that, the fitters I spoke with suggested I could be better, if I made a change. Not to any one particular brand, but to a style that includes more weight. It was also suggested I could gain a lot by just adding a larger putter grip. Toss in a few more degrees of toe-hang, and some loft, and maybe then a few more made putts could be added to my score card. So without having to get a new putter, my fitter CJ Marshall made a slight adjustment right there in studio. Because of that in house equipment Club Champion has on location, it is not always necessary to send a club out for alterations, and have to wait days or weeks to get it back.

One major manufacturer just came out with some new irons. They take months to make and go for $500.00 per club. Would they be worth the investment ? For me, no. They did feel great in my stance. I did seem to be a little straighter. But they cost me the distance that I had gained in the new clubs I got this past July.

When it came to drivers, CJ showed me where I could make a change. But I didn’t need to go spend $500 on a new driver. After testing a new driver just released by a major manufacturer, I found the new driver didn’t have the distance of my current driver. But CJ noticed I was hitting my fairway woods really good. But the shaft in my driver was different from the ones in my 3 & 5 woods. So we tested my driver’s current shaft, against the brand ,model in my fairway woods. BINGO. If I would like to add more distance on my drives, I didn’t need a new driver. I could just put the same shaft already in my fairway woods, into my current driver, and gain 12-14 yards.

Club Champion can get you answers for your game, and the answer is not always buy new equipment. It might be a new grip, it might be new shaft. So don’t think new equipment is a must every year. Club Champion can provide you a list of answers about your equipment, because they have plenty of ways to figure out what’s best for your game. And how you can save strokes.

Currently Club Champion is running several holiday fitting specials. So now is the time to learn more about the clubs you have, and the ones you don’t. Better Fit-Better Scores. Several Chicago area locations including Willowbrook at 810 75th Street. Call (630)-654-8887, or visit ClubchampionGolf.