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.

• What really happens during a putter fitting?
• What to expect during a club fitting
• Addressing club fitting’s biggest myth: It’s only for good players
• Club fitting 101: How to prepare for a fitting