Club Champion
A golf-club fitting and custom-building company serving golfers through a nationwide network of specialty studios.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Club Champion is a United States-based golf-club fitting and custom-building company headquartered in Willowbrook, Illinois. Established in 2010, it developed from a small group of fitting studios into a national specialty-golf retail network with locations in major American golf markets. Its core proposition is individualized club fitting rather than conventional off-the-shelf equipment retail: golfers test different clubheads, shafts, and grips under the guidance of trained fitters, then select a combination intended to improve distance, accuracy, launch, and consistency. The business traces its operating philosophy to founder Nick Sherburne. Before creating Club Champion, Sherburne worked in golf-club repair and custom fitting, beginning in 1998 at EJL Golf. Exposure to launch-monitor technology, changing shaft designs, grip developments, and increasingly varied clubhead construction led him toward a more data-driven and component-focused fitting approach. Sherburne subsequently partnered with former chief executive Joe Lee and former chairman Keith Bank to launch Club Champion. Their concept was to bring a level of fitting and technical attention associated with tour professionals to ordinary amateur golfers. Club Champion presents itself as an equipment-neutral fitter. Rather than centering the business on a single manufacturer, its studios are designed to compare equipment from multiple brands and to identify the combination that best suits an individual golfer. According to the company's Wikipedia description, each location can provide access to more than 50,000 possible combinations of clubheads, shafts, and grips. The fitting process generally uses launch monitors and repeated testing to evaluate how a golfer delivers the club and how different components affect ball flight. The company serves players across skill levels, from recreational golfers seeking more forgiving equipment to experienced players pursuing precise adjustments. Its offering combines consultation, measurement, product comparison, and custom assembly. This differentiates Club Champion from general sporting-goods retailers, where equipment selection is often limited to standard stock configurations. The company's business model also reflects the increasing technical complexity of golf equipment: modern shafts, clubhead designs, loft settings, and grip choices can be mixed and matched, making fitting a service as well as a product transaction. In 2019, Club Champion was acquired by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based private-equity firm. The transaction provided an ownership and investment platform for the company's continued expansion. In January 2022, Club Champion acquired Tour Experience Golf, commonly known as TXG, a Canadian club fitter and builder. The transaction extended the company's presence beyond the United States and added TXG's fitting and content-oriented expertise to the broader organization. Club Champion has received recognition from golf-industry publications and research organizations. Golf Digest has included it among America's 100 Best Club Fitters, while Golf.com has placed it among its leading club fitters in North America. A 2018 Golf Datatech study ranked Club Champion first among specialty fitters by volume and second among fitters overall. The company remains an active specialist retailer and fitting service, with more than 100 locations reported in the reference material.
History
Club Champion was established in 2010 by Nick Sherburne as a three-studio golf-club fitting business. The company's origins lay in Sherburne's earlier experience with club repair and custom fitting. He began working in that field at EJL Golf in 1998, where he developed an interest in matching equipment components to the needs and swing characteristics of individual golfers. Sherburne's approach evolved as golf technology changed. Launch monitors made it easier to measure ball flight and club delivery, while new shaft materials and profiles, updated grip designs, and increasingly specialized clubheads created a much larger range of possible equipment combinations. Rather than treating fitting as a minor adjustment to a standard retail sale, Sherburne's concept emphasized testing, measurement, and custom assembly. The aim was to help golfers find equipment that could produce longer and more accurate shots, regardless of their playing level. Former chief executive Joe Lee and former chairman Keith Bank partnered with Sherburne to launch the brand. They supported the idea that amateur golfers should have access to a service traditionally associated with touring professionals and elite players. Club Champion consequently built its identity around manufacturer-neutral comparison. Its studios could test products from several equipment makers and combine clubheads, shafts, and grips instead of directing customers toward one house brand. The company expanded from its original three-studio base into a national network. Its locations were established in major golf markets throughout the United States, and the business became known for offering a large component inventory and technology-supported fitting sessions. The reference material describes access to more than 50,000 clubhead, shaft, and grip combinations at each location, illustrating the breadth of the assortment even though the precise inventory may vary by studio and time. Club Champion's service model joins retail and technical consultation. A customer can compare components, observe launch-monitor results, receive recommendations, and order equipment built to the selected specifications. This model positions the company between a traditional golf shop and a specialized performance service: the customer purchases equipment, but the principal value proposition is the fitting process used to determine the configuration. In 2019, Levine Leichtman Capital Partners acquired Club Champion. The private-equity transaction marked a change in ownership while preserving the company's focus on specialty fitting and national expansion. In January 2022, Club Champion acquired Tour Experience Golf, a Canadian club fitter and builder known as TXG. The acquisition expanded the company's operations beyond the United States for the first time and brought the two fitting businesses together under a broader platform. The company has received industry recognition during its expansion. Golf Digest has listed Club Champion among America's 100 Best Club Fitters, and Golf.com has included it among leading club fitters in North America. Golf Datatech's 2018 study placed Club Champion first among specialty fitters by volume and second among fitters overall. The business is described as having more than 100 locations nationwide and approximately 375 employees in the reference material, although these figures can change as the network develops. Club Champion remains an active golf-equipment fitting and custom-building brand focused on data-informed, multi-brand recommendations.
- 2022
Acquisition of Tour Experience Golf
[1]Club Champion acquired Canadian fitter and builder Tour Experience Golf, extending its operating footprint beyond the United States.
- 2019
Acquisition by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners
[1]Levine Leichtman Capital Partners acquired the privately held golf-fitting company.
- 2018
Golf Datatech ranking
[1]A Golf Datatech study ranked Club Champion first among specialty fitters by volume and second among fitters overall.
- 2010
Club Champion was established
[1]Nick Sherburne, Joe Lee, and Keith Bank launched Club Champion as a three-studio golf-club fitting business.
- 1998
Nick Sherburne began working in golf-club repair and fitting
[1]Sherburne's work at EJL Golf provided the professional foundation for the fitting philosophy that later shaped Club Champion.
Products and positioning
Specialty golf retailer and equipment-neutral, data-driven club-fitting service
Service · 2010
Custom golf-club fitting
Club Champion's central offering is an individualized fitting session using launch-monitor data, component testing, and fitter recommendations. Customers compare equipment configurations intended to match their swing and performance goals. The process is designed to serve golfers across skill levels and emphasizes measurable differences in distance, accuracy, launch, and consistency rather than a one-size-fits-all specification.
Golf equipment · 2010
Custom-built golf clubs
The company sells and builds golf clubs configured from a broad selection of clubheads, shafts, and grips. Customers can combine components from different manufacturers when the fitting indicates that a mixed configuration is appropriate. The service is aimed at golfers who want equipment assembled to specific measurements and performance requirements rather than a standard retail specification.
Golf equipment · 2010
Golf equipment components
Club Champion's component assortment includes clubheads, shafts, and grips. Its reported access to more than 50,000 combinations gives fitters a wide range of options for adjusting launch, spin, feel, forgiveness, trajectory, and overall club performance. Availability is subject to the inventory and manufacturer offerings at a particular location.
Brand decisions
2022
Acquisition of Tour Experience GolfM&ABackground
Tour Experience Golf was a Canadian club fitter and builder whose capabilities complemented Club Champion's multi-brand fitting and custom-build model.
Action taken
Club Champion acquired Tour Experience Golf, also known as TXG.
Aftermath
The integration expanded Club Champion's fitting activities beyond the United States for the first time.
2019
Sale to Levine Leichtman Capital PartnersM&ABackground
Club Champion had expanded from its original three studios into a growing specialty fitting network and required an ownership platform suited to continued development.
Action taken
Levine Leichtman Capital Partners acquired Club Champion. Kirkland & Ellis advised LLCP, while North Point Advisors advised the sellers.
Aftermath
Club Champion continued operating as an active golf-fitting business and subsequently expanded through the acquisition of Tour Experience Golf.
Recent events
- 2022
Club Champion acquired Tour Experience Golf[1]
M&A
Club Champion acquired Canadian custom club fitter and builder Tour Experience Golf, expanding its fitting activities beyond the United States.
- 2019
Levine Leichtman Capital Partners acquired Club Champion[1]
M&A
The Los Angeles-based private-equity firm acquired Club Champion, adding the golf-club fitting company to its investment portfolio.
- 2018
Golf Datatech ranked Club Champion highly among specialty fitters[1]
Other
A Golf Datatech study ranked Club Champion first among specialty fitters by volume and second among fitters overall.
Club Champion received recognition in Golf Digest's club-fitter rankings[1]
Other
Golf Digest has recognized Club Champion among America's 100 Best Club Fitters and reported performance improvements among customers in its evaluation.
Sources3 sources
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