A goal for most golfers is to hit the ball longer and straighter.

And now a shop in East Memphis offers nearly 50,000 ways to help get it done. That’s how many combinations of club shafts and golf heads Club Champion provides anyone aspiring to lower his or her handicap.

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Club Champion, a kind of tailor for golfers’ swings, just opened for business at 6450 Poplar. That’s near the back of a shopping center in the shadow of the green-glass towers that house International Paper Co. headquarters.

It’s the Chicago-based chain’s second shop in Tennessee and 76th nationwide.

The space comprises: Two hitting bays, each outfitted with the TrackMan golf radar; a putting surface featuring a small, robotic-looking machine called SAM PuttLab, which analyzes putting strokes; a wall mounted with scores of different club shafts; a small workshop for minor jobs like attaching new grips to clubs; a lounge area; and reception desk.

“The fitting part is really important,” Matt DiGiovanni said Monday, Jan. 11. He’s a master club fitter and club builder for Club Champion. He traveled to Memphis temporarily to help open the shop.

“We’re getting the right set-up for your swing, whether it’s shaft weight, flex, profile, different heads, what looks good and sounds good to you,” DiGiovanni said. “And from that we take all those specs and (determine) what works best for you.”

The brand of clubs, the types of shafts and other specifications are conveyed to Club Champion’s headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Willowbrook. There, 20 club-fitters “build,” or assemble, the clubs.

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Club Champion carries all the major brands, and generally charges no more or less for the clubs than other golf retailers, DiGiovanni indicated. The golfers pay a fee for the club-fitting.

Any perception that only pro-level golfers should be custom-fitted for clubs is wrong, Club Champion founder Nick Sherburne said in a news release.

“Many players think they aren’t good enough to be custom fit, but we’ve participated in multiple third-party studies that showed higher handicappers saw the biggest gains,” said Sherburne. “Some of these golfers shaved as many as 10 strokes per round.”

Fittings for: Every club in the bag is $350 (taking 3.5 hours); driver/fairway woods/hybrids is $150 (1.5 hours); driver-only is $150 (1.5 hours); irons is $150 (1.5 hours); fairway woods/hybrids is $100 (1 hour); and putter is $100 (1 hour).

For a limited time, the Memphis store will offer half-off fitting fees with an equipment purchase of $500 or more. Putter fittings are half-off with the purchase of a new putter.

The shop is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit clubchampiongolf.com or call (888) 340-7820.