The post Sam’s Club is selling its own golf ball. Here’s what we know appeared first on Golf.

The post Sam’s Club is selling its own golf ball. Here’s what we know appeared first on Golf.

Watch out, Kirkland, Sam’s Club is gunning for the king of warehouse-club golf balls.

Word of the Sam’s Club Member’s Mark Pro Series 2 golf balls quickly spread around the golf-nerd sections of social media over the weekend.

The ball appears to be a challenger to Costco — Sam’s Club’s main rival in the wholesale buyer’s club space — and its popular Kirkland Signature line of golf balls.

Costco debuted a four-piece, urethane-covered Kirkland Signature golf ball in 2016 for $29.99 for two dozen. The retailer could not keep the balls on the shelves, and consumers were reselling them for huge markups on the secondary market.

The original “K-Sig” eventually garnered a lawsuit from Acushnet, the parent company of Titleist, contending the Kirkland ball violated 10 of the Pro V1’s patents. The suit was eventually settled out of court in 2018, and Costco briefly left the golf ball space, only to return in 2019.

Today, Kirkland balls are still a popular option for budget golfers seeking a urethane-covered ball for just $15 a dozen, but the balls don’t have the same fervor as the original model.

Now, Costco’s rival is entering the space with its new Member’s Mark golf balls. The balls are sold under the company’s house brand, which started selling gloves a few years ago.

On the Sam’s Club website, the golf ball is selling for $27.98 for two dozen (a notable $2 undercut of Costco’s price).

Gear

According to the listing on the website, the ball has a compression “around 90,” which puts it in the same category as the Titleist Pro V1, TaylorMade TP5 or Callaway Chrome Tour (note: not the “X” versions of these balls, which have a higher compression).

The website also says the cover of the three-piece ball is made from “blended urethane,” and it has an optimized dimple pattern to “generate a powerful flight in windy conditions.”

Walmart did not immediately respond to a GOLF email asking for more information on the ball.

In recent years, Costco has also entered the golf club market with a putter ($149.99), a set of wedges ($169.99 for three), a set of irons ($499.99) and a driver ($199.99).

We’ll have to wait and see if Sam’s Club plans to do the same with its Member’s Mark brand.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a True Spec fitting location near you.

The post Sam’s Club is selling its own golf ball. Here’s what we know appeared first on Golf.

The post TaylorMade suing Costco over iron technology dispute appeared first on Golf.

The post TaylorMade suing Costco over iron technology dispute appeared first on Golf.

The introduction of Costco’s much-anticipated Kirkland Signature Players Irons was a major step for the wholesaler, which appears intent on expanding its footprint in the golf equipment industry with new products designed to go head-to-head against the biggest brands.

But not all of Costco’s competitors are embracing the $499 offering that sold out within hours of its release last month. TaylorMade, in particular, alleges the iron’s design infringes on several patents tied to the company’s popular P790 iron that has a similar hollow-cavity design.

In response, TaylorMade is taking Costco and Southern California Design Company (SCDC) — the iron’s designer — to court.

In a complaint filed Wednesday in the Southern District Court of California, TaylorMade alleged Costco and SCDC infringed on five separate patents, all of them tied to the multi-material P790 design that TaylorMade says “revolutionized the filled-iron category” in 2017. TaylorMade fills the cavity of these irons with with a polymer named SpeedFoam, as referenced in the complaint.

Costco did not immediately reply to GOLF.com’s request for comment.

“The accused products copy many features and technologies from TaylorMade’s P790 irons and the asserted patents,” the complaint states. “Costco’s website notes that the accused products are ‘are built for distance and forgiveness with a stainless steel body, injected urethane insert, and an internal tungsten weight for optimal launch, forgiveness, and playability.’”

The complaint also claims Costco falsely advertised the inclusion of an injected urethane insert in its Players Iron set that is not housed inside the cavity.

“The statement by Defendants that the accused products contain an ‘injected urethane insert’ is literally false, or in the alternative, is misleading and, on information and belief, has actually deceived or has a tendency to deceive consumers in a way that influences purchasing decisions,” the complaint states. “Defendants’ false statements are material to purchasing decisions because they falsely or misleadingly suggest that the accused products have features found on premium clubs such as the Taylor Made P790. Defendants’ false advertising has misled golf journalists and customers to believe the accused products are similar to or equivalent to the TaylorMade P790.”

The complaint included 11 exhibits to prove that Costco’s iron shares numerous design patents tied to the P790 cavity design, face construction and aperture into the enclosed cavity. TaylorMade is seeking “compensatory damages, including opportunity costs and enhanced damages in an amount to be proven at trial.”

In the complaint, TaylorMade also claims Southern California Design Company has done business under a trade name “Indi Golf,” and “has manufactured infringing products in, or imported infringing products into, the United States and has sold infringing products to Costco.” TaylorMade also states SCDC currently employs a former TaylorMade engineer who took part in the development of P790.

TaylorMade provided the following statement to GOLF.com Thursday:

“At TaylorMade, we are proud of our many innovations and technological advances that have shaped the industry. From the first metalwood in 1979, to movable weight technology (MWT) in 2004, Flight Control Technology in 2009 (FCT) and filled irons like our category-leading P790 irons, launched in 2017.

“Our P790 irons not only revolutionized the filled-iron category, but also invented a new category in Player’s Distance Irons. They quickly became iconic in the marketplace due to their superior technology and performance for all golfers, as well as their overall sales success.

“So, when another company seeks to imitate our products, we take it very seriously and take immediate action. Not only are we protecting our intellectual property, but we are also seeking to protect golfers who may be duped and misled into thinking cheaper imitations will perform at the same level as the original.

“Our P790 irons have been synonymous with distance and forgiveness for golfers of all levels and this is why we decided to file suit against an inferior imitation under the name Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons from Costco and Indi Golf.”

While this might be the first time Costco’s Kirkland Signature iron has faced a claim of patent infringement, TaylorMade’s P790 has been down this road before.

In September 2017, PXG founder Bob Parson filed a patent infringement lawsuit against TaylorMade alleging the P790 “[infringed] upon many PXG patents.” When PXG’s restraining order to halt the sales of P790 was denied, TaylorMade flipped the script and filed a similar suit claiming PXG had violated numerous TaylorMade patents. The two sides eventually reached a settlement in 2019.

The post TaylorMade suing Costco over iron technology dispute appeared first on Golf.

The post We robot-tested Costco’s Kirkland Signature driver. Here are 3 key takeaways appeared first on Golf.

The post We robot-tested Costco’s Kirkland Signature driver. Here are 3 key takeaways appeared first on Golf.

Everyone likes a deal. It doesn’t matter if you’re shopping for apples or an automobile, if you can get something of quality for less than it’s worth, you’re going to feel better about the purchase. Which brings us to Costco’s recently released Kirkland Signature driver.

At $199.99, the adjustable driver appears to be a certified deal based on the construction. It’s comprised of a titanium body and face, carbon composite crown and a four-way adjustable hosel — all materials and designs found on drivers boasting price tags over $450.

But how does it stack up next to the equipment blue-bloods? One month after Golf Laboratories’ swing robot put Costsco’s Kirkland Signature irons to the test in our latest round of robotic testing, we ran the Kirkland Signature driver through our testing to determine how it fared against ’24 offerings.

Below are 3 interesting insights from our robotic data.

Note: All drivers were tested on the swing robot at 95 mph using the same attack angle for an apples-to-apples comparison. We analyzed three points on the face — center, toe and heel — to determine distance loss and changes to launch and spin on off-center strikes.

1. No height issues

Across the three points we tested on the face (center, toe and heel), Costco’s Kirkland Signature driver recorded a 12.4-degree launch angle in the standard 10.5-degree setting. Compared to the 40-plus drivers tested — at lofts ranging from 8 to 12 degrees — only six recorded a higher launch angle, and four of those were 12-degree offerings.

If you’re someone who struggles to get the ball airborne, having a driver with some built-in launch can be an added benefit. And speaking of added benefits, the driver recorded a sub-3,000 RPMs spin rate at an average swing speed. Those numbers are nearly identical to many of the 10.5-degree max forgiveness models that went through recent testing.

Adding a rear weight screw to the head helps increase the overall launch properties while increasing Moment of Inertia (MOI) at the same time. Exactly how much the screw helps improve ball speed retention is a topic we covered below.

2. Keeping up

Every golfer wants a driver with ball speed in the tank, but unless you’re a robot or have Calvin Peete’s accuracy, it’s important to weigh the off-speed numbers (heel and toe) more heavily than the geometric center strikes.

Of course, it’s natural to wonder how a driver performs when you catch it flush.

With Costco’s newest offering, a center strike at 95 mph produced a ball speed of 137.5 mph. Looking at the other 10.5-degree heads, only two drivers recorded a lower center strike ball speed number, and one delta was within the noise.

But that doesn’t mean the Kirkland is slow. The highest center strike ball speed recorded for a 10.5-degree head was 141.1 mph, meaning the Kirkland would finish roughly 10 yards behind the fastest driver in a head-to-head test. But if you take a look at the rest of the pack, the difference in speed ranges from 0.3 to 2.5 mph. Yes, it’s a slower driver, but it’s not in another zip code.

3. Coming up short

Costco’s driver produces high launch numbers, relatively low spin and isn’t too far behind the pack in terms of center strike ball speed. Similar to the Costco irons, the driver does a lot of things well — to a point.

For those who struggle with consistent toe misses, the Kirkland distance drop-off is notable. Comparing the carry distance on center strikes to 3/4-inch toe strikes, the driver saw carry distance drop by more than 15 yards. To put that number into perspective, only one driver we tested had a larger delta — and it was an 8-degree head with low launch and spin characteristics that generally wouldn’t perform well at 95 mph.

For golfers who miss in the heel, the driver finds itself in the middle of the pack with a delta of 10.5 yards on 3/4″ heel strikes. That’s the good news. The not-so-great news is that the number was near the bottom when looking strictly at 10.5-degree heads with similar max forgiveness properties.

The heel and toe numbers are a reminder that it’s important to know what you’re getting before a purchasing decision is made — even if you’re willing to overlook a driver’s shortcomings for $199.99.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post We robot-tested Costco’s Kirkland Signature driver. Here are 3 key takeaways appeared first on Golf.

The post We robot-tested Costco’s Kirkland Signature irons. Here are 3 things we learned appeared first on Golf.

The post We robot-tested Costco’s Kirkland Signature irons. Here are 3 things we learned appeared first on Golf.

For gearheads in the know, the recent release of Costco’s Kirkland Signature irons was highly anticipated. Best known for its $1.50 hot dogs and bulk goods that could feed a small army, the global retailer has continued to make inroads in the golf-equipment industry with strategic products — golf balls, putters and wedges — aimed at golfers on a budget.

Costco’s competitive pricing has led golfers in recent years to wonder about the quality of its tech — especially with the new Kirkland Signature forged irons coming in at $499, and adjustable drivers entering the space at only $199.

For our latest round of ClubTest robotic testing with Golf Laboratories’ swing robot, we put the Kirkland Signature irons to the test against all of the newest products for 2024. While we can’t mention the other 2024 brands and models by name — due to media embargoes — we can tell you how they stack up versus the newcomer.

(Note: All 7-irons were tested on the swing robot at 80 mph using the same attack angle for an apples-to-apples comparison. Three points on the face — center, toe and heel — were analyzed to determine distance loss and changes to launch and spin on off-center strikes.)

It’s a cheeseburger

I’ve used the term “cheeseburger” in the past to describe a club that falls right in the middle of the bell curve. When looking at the launch angle and spin rate of Costco’s Kirkland Signature irons, it’s most definitely a cheeseburger.

The average launch (18.8 degrees) and spin rate (5,764 RPMs) landed the iron right in the middle of the pack, which means it doesn’t favor someone who launches or spins the ball too high or low.

With plenty of game-improvement and players-distance irons near the Kirkland on the launch and spin charts, it’s safe to say the iron benefits a wide range of player types.

Off-speed pitch

Taking the sub-$500 price tag into account, Kirkland held its own in the ball speed battle. On center strikes, the ball speed (111.6 mph) was closer to the bottom than the middle of the pack. To put that number into perspective, several irons boasting similar performance characteristics topped 116 mph. But when you drop down to the middle of the pack, the average is around 114 mph. So we’re talking a difference of 7-8 yards on the best strikes.

But what about mishits? On 3/4-inch toe and heel strikes, the Kirkland lost 11.3 yards on toe misses and 10 yards on heel misses. The tight delta means the Kirklands don’t favor a golfer who misses it in one specific location. In fact, the 1.3-yard delta between heel and toe misses was the tightest we saw during robotic testing.

Some heel and toe deltas from competitors were upward of 11 yards on similar game-improvement and players-distance models. The Kirklands don’t retain ball speed exceptionally well in one location, but they won’t hurt you all that much, either. It’s further confirmation that the addition of tungsten in the head and a weight screw in the toe isn’t just for show.

Carrying cost

Taking the ball speed on geometric center strikes into account, Kirkland wound up averaging a carry distance of 155.4 yards. That’s 15 yards shorter than the longest iron we tested, and just over 6 yards longer than the shortest carry distance recorded.

That said, the irons sitting below Kirkland on the carry distance chart are better-player cavity-back models and blades with weaker lofts. It’s fair to say Kirkland is the shortest players-distance/game-improvement model that went through our robotic testing.

Does that matter to someone who’s plunking down $499 for a set of irons at Costco? That’s ultimately up to the golfer making the purchasing decision.

For the moment, Costco’s Kirkland Signature irons remain sold out and are currently going for $750-$900 on the secondary market, making them a similar buy to the other brands in the marketplace.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post We robot-tested Costco’s Kirkland Signature irons. Here are 3 things we learned appeared first on Golf.

The post Costco Kirkland Signature driver hits USGA conforming club list. Are store shelves next? appeared first on Golf.

The post Costco Kirkland Signature driver hits USGA conforming club list. Are store shelves next? appeared first on Golf.

After Costco found success in the golf space with products like Kirkland Signature golf balls (now available in yellow), three-piece wedge sets, gloves and even a putter, it appears that after much speculation the warehouse-club retailer is ready to officially unveil a Kirkland Signature driver.

The Kirkland driver’s Monday debut on the USGA and R&A’s conforming club list isn’t a guarantee that it will end up at retail, but it is an indication that it’s likely to soon make its way onto store shelves.

Major OEMs typically ensure prototypes that have a chance of ending up on the PGA or LPGA tours are approved for play in case a player takes a liking to it, but given Costco has no intention of this driver ending up in the hands of tour professionals, the club could be in stores sooner rather than later.

The Kirkland Signature driver back story

After the success of the Kirkland Signature wedges followed by the KS putter, the internet has been full of rumors about what golf clubs might be coming next from Costco and when they would arrive.

As early as Jan. 1, 2023, Kirkland irons were spotted on the conforming list, but shortly after disappeared and there were no further updates. Gen 2 wedges also have appeared on the list, meaning Costco went as far as to produce prototypes of irons and wedges and have them tested but not make them available at retail.

Then, in August, images leaked from a Costco manager’s sales meeting, including slides depicting yellow Kirkland Signature golf balls, irons and a driver arriving in stores with an ETA of Nov. 1.

The balls have since become available, and the driver (priced at $199 on the presentation slide) is now on the conforming list. The clock is officially ticking.

What we know about the Kirkland Signature driver

At the moment, there isn’t much to glean from a technology standpoint beyond the fact that the driver will be available in 10.5 degrees and, based on the sample submitted sample to the USGA, will come only in a right-handed model.

We do know the Kirkland Signature driver will follow the industry trend by making the club’s loft adjustable, and if I were a betting man, I would say that it will offer 1.5 degrees of loft in either direction allowing it to go up as far as 12 degrees and as low as 9 degree — but I’m only speculating. If the sales presentation was accurate, we can also assume the club will cost about $200.

We will have to wait and see what shaft and flex options will be available, and what manufacturer might be producing them. My sense is we’re not going to have to wait much longer to find out.

The post Costco Kirkland Signature driver hits USGA conforming club list. Are store shelves next? appeared first on Golf.

The post Costco is updating one of its most popular clubs just in time for golf season appeared first on Golf.

The post Costco is updating one of its most popular clubs just in time for golf season appeared first on Golf.

Although they don’t exclusively sell golf equipment, Costco and its Kirkland Signature brand is still one of the biggest and most recognizable brands in golf. They have had great success with their golf ball, golf gloves and putter, and have even teased releasing a Kirkland Signature hollow-body iron set.

With the first generation Kirkland wedge set coming up on three years in the market, it should be no surprise that the product team at Costco would be looking to upgrade the wedges based on consumer buying habits.

The USGA website clearly labels these wedges as ”(Version 2)”, and based on the full list of submissions, the new wedges will also come in a three-piece set featuring lofts of 52, 56, and 60 degrees.

From the image and description, the wedges will continue to feature milled faces to maximize spin, and it also looks like they have modernized the sole grind.

Digging a bit deeper

Based on the USGA conforming list, the new Kirkland wedges are produced by SM Global LLC, which is a logistics company based out of Korea. From SM Global’s website:

Started in California in 1989, SM Global aims to provide the best service at the best price in the global consumer goods distribution market. SM Global has professional experience and global network in manufacturing, distribution and logistics for 30 years in the global consumer goods market. Based on this, we provide planning, sourcing, distribution, packaging, and logistics services for various consumer goods.

Gear

SM Global appears to be a large partner of Costco and also helps with their other golf products including the popular 3-piece golf ball, gloves and current wedge set.

When looking a little bit deeper online, one of SM Global’s biggest product suppliers is QINGDAO SM PARKER GOLF CO., LTD, which is the manufacturer of the Kirkland golf balls, and based on their export records, they also make golf balls for the DTC brand Cut.

When you put all of this together, it shows that Costco has built a solid relationship with SM Global, and in turn SM Parker to manage logistics and help produce a number of their golf products. This further investment into golf equipment and the desire to upgrade products like wedges only means good things for consumers looking to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to gear.

No word on a release date or price yet, but with the golf season kicking off I would expect to see these wedges in Costco warehouses soon.

The post Costco is updating one of its most popular clubs just in time for golf season appeared first on Golf.

The post You can get these Japanese-forged irons at Costco for an unreal deal appeared first on Golf.

The post You can get these Japanese-forged irons at Costco for an unreal deal appeared first on Golf.

After spotting Kirkland irons on the USGA conforming clubs list just a few weeks ago, I like many golfers have continued to keep myself updated on Costco’s golf-related inventory.

Beyond the regular Kirkland gloves, putters and assortment of package sets, the one new standout available online from Costco are premium forged irons from Japanese manufacturer Honma, which include their TW757VX and TW757P models.

Both iron sets come in a stock configuration of 5-iron to pitching wedge with the TW757 VX irons coming with Nippon modus 105 steel shafts in stiff, and the TW757 P irons coming with Honma’s proprietary Vizard 757 graphite shaft in regular flex.

Considering these irons retail for just under $1,300 in steel, and $1,400 in graphite, these prices through Costco for current inline forged irons from Japan are one heck of a deal.

Gear

Honma historically has sold its clubs through custom-fitting centers, so how did its wares land on Costco’s shelves? According to a Honma representative, the sets Costco is selling came from a retailer who sold them to Costco without Honma’s knowledge, and the manufacturer has not made any changes to its retail strategy.

Honma entered the North American market in a big way in 2019. At the time, the company signed Justin Rose to an equipment deal and he went on to win with the clubs in the bag. Although the official agreement with Rose was voided a few months later, it was still a high watermark for the company that has since struggled to gain more traction with golfers outside of Japan.

Whether this is simply a result of offloading excess inventory, or an attempt to expose more golfers to the brand, one way or the other it’s a great deal if you’re in the market for some forged irons.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.

The post You can get these Japanese-forged irons at Costco for an unreal deal appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘We got duped’: How this premium putter landed on Costco’s shelves without consent appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘We got duped’: How this premium putter landed on Costco’s shelves without consent appeared first on Golf.

Bettinardi Golf sells high-end putters in nearly 50 countries around the globe, but despite the company’s best efforts South America always represented a glaring hole on its distribution list. Sky-high import taxes in countries like Brazil made it difficult to access that economy.

“With the likes of Joaquin Niemann, who’s from Chile, that golf market has exploded,” Sam Bettinardi, the company’s president, told GOLF.com Tuesday. “Argentina is another strong golf market. We were looking for a true distributor to get our product in the right accounts in South America like they have in Japan, Korea, Thailand and the UK. We’ve been doing this for 10 years.”

As Bettinardi continued the search for a suitable distributor, one finally came to the fore that seemed to check all the boxes. The contact had all the right connections in South America and shared with Bettinardi a long-term business plan that eventually led to a distribution deal.

Everything appeared to be going smoothly until three months ago when Bettinardi started hearing rumblings of its Studio Stock putters, which retail for $449, selling on Costco’s website for $359. Several weeks ago, Bettinardi Queen B putters also surfaced on the wholesaler’s site, and a video on Instagram went viral highlighting the discounted putters.

“It was alarming to me because we don’t have an account with Costco,” Bettinardi said. “I was just going to let it go, but there was talk on social media plus the video and some retailers calling me. I felt it was in the best interest of our brand to let our partners and customers know that this was not intentional.”

After conducting some research, Bettinardi was able to pinpoint who was selling its putters wholesale: the South American distributor. When confronted by Bettinardi, the distributor pleaded ignorance and blamed his network of sellers who were supposed to be selling the putters only in other South American countries, Bettinardi said.

“They just blamed the person they sold the product to, which I don’t think is what happened,” Bettinardi said. “I think they just went right to Costco instead of trying to grow our brand in South America, which has been a challenging market to begin with.”

Last week, Bettinardi released a statement about the situation that received considerable blowback from many social-media commenters who wondered why the putter manufacturer had a problem with the wholesaler selling their putters.

“I didn’t think this was going to blow up like it did,” Bettinardi said. “I couldn’t believe all the comments on social media, but I guess this is the internet, so you gotta expect everything, right?”

While the statement might read as if Bettinardi has beef with Costco (which did not immediately reply to GOLF.com’s request for comment), the real issue, Bettinardi said, lies with the distributor who violated the agreement that stated he’d sell Bettinardi putters only in South America.

In the end, Bettinardi said, the distributor sold putters back to the same country where they were initially manufactured.

“The reason for the statement is because we have a lot of retailers around the country that sell our product at MSRP, which is $430 on the Queen B and $449 on the Studio Stock,” Bettinardi said. “All distributors sign contracts where they’re supposed to sell in that country only. We already have retailers who sell our putters in America. That wasn’t part of the agreement with this distributor.

“We could’ve probably done more research, but the person we sold to seemed legit and had the right connections. He shared with us his business plan, but it was probably all fake. So we got duped.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, Costco no longer was selling Bettinardi putters on its website, and Bettinardi confirmed they were actively working with the wholesaler to come up with a solution for the remaining putters.

Want to overhaul your bag? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.

The post ‘We got duped’: How this premium putter landed on Costco’s shelves without consent appeared first on Golf.