A new champion will arrive in Deerfield next month designed to make a better golfer out of anyone who wants to give the champ a chance.
Club Champion, the Highland Park headquartered fitters and makers of customized golf clubs, will open a facility in mid-January at the Cadwell Corners Shopping Center near the intersection of Lake Cook and Deerfield roads.
The company has put technology to work to design clubs suited to an individual’s swing, body, stance and other conditions.
“We hand build every club,” chairman Keith Bank said. “We build every club to give you the best possible fit for your swing.”
Potential customers should not walk into Club Champion when it opens in Deerfield expecting to walk out with a new set of clubs shortly thereafter.
“We’re not a pure retail shop,” Bank said. “You should expect to spend time with one of our fitters hitting a lot of balls and taking lots of swings.”
He welcomes people dropping by but suggests an appointment.
More than four years ago, Bank and his colleagues took control of EJL Custom Golf of Willowbrook, they turned it into a nationwide enterprise. It has grown from locations in Northfield and Willowbrook to spots in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and more. The Deerfield location will replace Northfield.
“It will be a draw for people from the northwest and far northern suburbs as well as those closer in,” Bank said of the Cadwell Corners location. ”It will be a new prototype store.”
A Club Champion fitter might take a well known club head like Titleist or Callaway and tailor it to one of hundreds of potential shafts to get it to the appropriate fit, according to Bank. A person could potentially spend between $2,500 and $4,500 on a 14-club set.
Most of the time, custom clubs will make a difference in a person’s score, performance on the course and enjoyment of the game, according to Mike Stachura, Golf Digest’s senior editor for equipment.
Golf Digest conducted a study of nine golfers who purchased clubs from Club Champion, according to Stachura. They ranged in skill levels from people who routinely shoot par to those who score around 90 most of the time.
“Eight of nine [golfers] showed improvement,” Stachura said. ”They hit the ball 21 yards further off the tee, 13 yards with their irons. Their scores improved almost two strokes, actually 1.7.”
Stachura does not downplay the expense but he sees benefits beyond improved play, including having more fun.
Improvement is more noticeable in average players than those who might be their club champion, according to Bank.
For Tim Gerdeman of Evanston, his new set of custom built clubs brought him back to his younger years as a golfer. He just turned 50.
“My swing speed slowed down with age like it does with anyone,” Gerdeman said. “They were able to increase my ball speed to what it was when I was younger by fitting the clubs. Since I got them seven weeks ago I’m getting more pars and birdies than I had all last summer.”
Northbrook’s Larry Oberman, who has purchased some woods from Club Champion but not a complete set, is happier with his improved accuracy than he is with more distance. He said he plays once or twice a week on average.
“I hit my tee shots straighter and on average longer,” he said. “I could already hit long. I like the accuracy. For golf enthusiasts, it’s a nice thing to do.”
Club Champion, which is Cadwell Corners fourth new tenant since Fresh Thyme Farmers Market announced plans to open early last year, will employ three people and add to Deerfield’s sales tax revenue base.