Equipment
GolfWRX Exclusive: Costco Kirkland Signature wedge set coming soon (plus new balls for 2021)
For gear heads, there is always a small amount of cynicism when a new company enters the golf equipment game. These companies are typically small startups selling big promises—but in the case of Costco and its new Kirkland Signature three-piece wedge set, we have one of the biggest forces in retail disrupting the golf equipment space and offering golfers performance and value as they have never experienced before.
The Costco Kirkland Signature 3-piece wedge set
Just over a month ago, we were the first to report on the Kirkland Signature wedges on the USGA and R&A conforming clubs list. Since then, there has been a lot of speculation on how and when they would be released.
Once again, GolfWRX was granted an exclusive interview with Tim Farmer, Costco vice president and general merchandise manager, to discuss the new three-piece wedge set along with a number of other new products being introduced in the coming months and into 2021—but before we get into the details of the new wedges and more, its time for a refresher.
History of the Kirkland Signature brand, from Costco
“By taking the lead in sourcing and formulating new products, co-branding with premium national and international brands, and partnering with top manufacturers around the world, we’ve created an exclusive range of (Kirkland Signature) products that reflect our members’ tastes and exceed their expectations.”
Costco’s approach is to capitalize within a market where they believe an opportunity exists to be a price disruptor to other products currently available, and they are taking dead aim at golf.
The original golf breakthrough came with the introduction of the Kirkland Signature Tour Performance four-piece ball in late 2016. The story goes, Costco was approached by a manufacturer with its own IP on a golf ball design and the opportunity to produce a ball under the Kirkland brand. Independent testing conducted by a third party and Costco’s own internal testing proved the four-piece ball offered exceptional performance. The ball was then approved and shortly after arrived in warehouses.
“That’s when things went a little crazy,” says Farmer.
The price of $29.99 for two dozen four-piece urethane balls seemed too good to be true, but in the age of social media and launch monitors, golfers were buzzing, and the balls sold out almost immediately company-wide. Demand and buzz even created a secondary market where the golf balls were selling for 4-5 times their initial price including on eBay.
Costco was both shocked and excited, and the ball became the proof of concept that its own line of golf products could be in high demand by members.
The Kirkland Wedge set story
With the success of the golf balls, it was just a matter of time before Costco got into the club business, and its first product was the KS1 putter, which was a milled design with adjustable weights. Much like the golf balls, consumers were excited to test the new putter, and it quickly sold out across all locations and online—creating a rabid secondary market, much like the original ball.
The wedge shares a similar creative story to the putter in that Costco buyers approached a well-respected design firm, in this case, the Southern California Design company, to develop the wedges and work with a manufacturer for production. This isn’t SCD Co’s first time working in golf either—it had a hand in the (visual) creation of the Cobra AMP Cell irons, and another company Indi Golf and the StingRay wedges.
From concept to creation, the Costco team was deeply involved, and once prototypes were developed it was time for testing.
“The Kirkland Signature wedges have been independently tested and rate extreme high compared to other top brands in the industry” – Tim Farmer
This is a key to the Kirkland Signature promise – “To create products that meet or exceeds leading national brands,” and considering the more simplistic nature of wedge design relative to other clubs like drivers and fairway woods, that involves multi-material construction and other forgiveness mechanisms along with potentially expensive graphite shaft options. Wedges across the industry have fairly generic stock specs and shafts, which creates the potential for Costco to excel in the space.
The wedges won’t have multiple bounce or grind options like wedges from entrenched golf brands, but when you consider the vast majority of golfers have little understanding of those specs anyway and are mostly concerned in making sure they have a gap, sand, and lob wedge, these play the part extraordinarily well. The designers even made sure the soles feature both the loft and club designation (G) 52 degrees, (S) 56 degrees, and (L) 60 degrees.
The Kirkland Signature wedges have a traditionally shaped teardrop silhouette with moderately cambered soles and have milled groves to offer maximum spin and short game control.
Costco Kirkland Signature “Milled face Technology” wedge specs
Consistent with other packaged golf clubs, the specs reflect the greatest opportunity to offer a set of three wedges to the largest part of the golf consumer bell curve
- Construction: Cast from soft 8620 carbon steel, with milled faces to maximize spin
- Lofts & Lengths: 52°- 35.5″, 56°- 35.25″, 60° – 35″
- Shafts: True Temper Wedge shaft (Steel only)
- Grip: Proprietary Kirkland designed grip – Manufacturer undisclosed
- Right-hand only
PLEASE NOTE: We at GolfWRX are doing what we can to secure wedges for in-hand pictures!
Availability & price
According to Farmer, the wedge set will become available online and within the top 50 US (golf) sales stores in the first week of October, with plans to expand into more stores moving forward.
The price for the three-piece set will be $159.99, which prices each individual wedge at just over $53 a wedge—an absolutely unheard of price point for a brand new OEM wedge.
As a newcomer to the golf space, Costco and its buyers are constantly changing their outlooks for products, and I have been told they have forecasted for a higher demand for the wedges compared to the KS-1 putter (which we will talk about in a moment) meaning for those early adopters, it should be a little easier to get your hands on a set when they hit shelves—or in the case of Costco, the warehouse floor.
Other new products on the horizon
When I last spoke with Tim Farmer about the launch of the KS-1 putter, I asked about other potential new products, and although at the time he was vague in confirming anything beyond a potential replacement to the popular three-piece ball, in our most recent discussion he was able to confirm that a new three-piece ball design has been finalized and should be in warehouses towards the end of October and into early November this year and priced at $24.99.
The last product confirmation from Tim is a completely new Kirkland Signature four-piece urethane performance ball with the current timeline having them arriving online starting in early 2021 and priced at $29.99. Unreal value in the golf ball market.
We would not be performing our journalistic duty if we didn’t remind you that it was just over a year ago when Costco initially launched its second-generation four-piece ball that struggled with quality control and was quickly pulled. Those customers who did purchase them were refunded immediately—which is another shining example of Costco’s commitment to customer service and standing behind all of its products.
With that in the rearview mirror, Tim told me they are very excited about the new four-piece urethane ball and are looking forward to getting it into golfers’ hands.
Last but not least, for those still interested in getting their hands on a KS1 Putter, Tim was excited to inform me that stores, which previously carried them, as well as the online store, should be getting a restock around the middle of October.
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Equipment
A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic
Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.
Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.
We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.
Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).
See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here
Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge
Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.
View this post on Instagram
A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.
See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here
Turning Back the clock
Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.
But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.
For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.
Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.
The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.
The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.
Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter
Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.
Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.
View this post on Instagram
It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.
If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.
Brilliant.
See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here
Stricker’s unrecognizable putter
Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.
Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.
View this post on Instagram
Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates
Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.
Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.
It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.
Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines
Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.
Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.
FitzMagic teams back up
Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.
See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here
And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.
We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!
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Whats in the Bag
Alejandro Tosti WITB 2024 (April)
- Alejandro Tosti what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Rescue (22 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 100
Irons: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID, 58-10 MID, 60-06 LOW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100, S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
Check out more in-hand photos of Alejandro Tosti’s WITB in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)
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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype
Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.
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Pingback: Top 21 Kirkland Golf Clubs Latest 2022 - Blog - G?i Qu?n áo ?i M?
EdR
Nov 5, 2020 at 11:33 am
Costco is discriminating against left handers!!
None available for us!
Matt Derian
Oct 6, 2020 at 4:24 pm
Any sightings yet?
John M
Sep 8, 2020 at 4:00 pm
Just ordered Kirkland putter weights off Costco site. Hurry! Make sure you hit refresh
Dave
Sep 8, 2020 at 5:25 pm
You are the man! I check every morning. I just got one. Thank you!
Jason
Sep 6, 2020 at 12:56 am
Current balls are rubbish. Hope the new ones are better
StanL
Sep 2, 2020 at 7:23 pm
So, how do we know which costco stores are the top 50 in golf equipment to be able to purchase in store? Their website leaves a bit to be desired
Tom Davis
Sep 2, 2020 at 12:02 pm
At least the 54 and 60 degree clubs HAVE to have some bounce. Has Costco published what the bounce of those clubs will be?
Bob
Oct 24, 2020 at 7:38 pm
10 degrees on the 52 and 56 8 degrees on the 60 is what is on the box. In stock at La Quinta Costco
jim
Sep 2, 2020 at 10:27 am
LOVE THIS QUOTE. “Wedges across the industry have fairly generic stock specs and shafts, which creates the potential for Costco to excel in the space.”
Jack Nash
Sep 2, 2020 at 10:25 am
Play the 3 piece ball and it’s great.
Howard Hayden
Sep 2, 2020 at 10:20 am
Are quoted prices for the new balls for a dozen or two dozen?
Tom Davis
Sep 2, 2020 at 11:57 am
Two dozen
Jarnio Bubly
Sep 1, 2020 at 7:52 pm
If one of these kids signs with Costco Kirkland and wins with a freshly developed full set of these at the extremely lower price points I wonder how it’d change the equipment industry?
Gianni's Dad
Sep 1, 2020 at 8:06 pm
Spieth ditches the 009 for the ksig1 lol
Dave Sims
Aug 31, 2020 at 10:59 pm
C’mon for real? You can get like new Cleveland’s and Vokey’s for $49 on eBay. Who gonna buy wedges with a big Costco Sig brand writing on the back. They look like Kmart clubs, anybody for some KSig Vodka to match you 60*?
sinkster
Sep 1, 2020 at 11:00 am
Careful with Ebay as at that price point most certainly fakes.
Brian
Sep 1, 2020 at 6:15 pm
Chinese counterfeits, perhaps.
Sam Snead
Sep 1, 2020 at 8:04 pm
There are probably a hand full of contract manufacturers who make irons and wedges in China for 90% of the golf industry. These CMs make the top tier to bottom and possibly heads that are later turned into fakes. Basically if a company provides tooling and/or drawings they will make it. The same concept as Endo making all the heady forgings. Price is dictated by the amount of quality, materials and marketing.
That being said, if I we’re saving money on a wedge I’d go used or get some Wilson harmonized. Anyone who says groves wear out hasn’t looked at photos of Gene Sarazen’s or Seve’s club faces
Annsguy
Aug 31, 2020 at 10:02 pm
This should make for some fun debate in the morning.
Mashed Potato
Aug 31, 2020 at 4:18 pm
Is it true that they only come in packs of 10?
Matt Smith
Aug 31, 2020 at 2:08 pm
Has several key similarities to Vokey wedges
jgpl001
Sep 1, 2020 at 5:26 am
Yes, it comes in 52, 56 and 60 deg lofts, it has grooves and a true temper shaft and a grip…..end of..
GMac
Aug 31, 2020 at 1:59 pm
I just purchased the Kirkland putter this past Friday online. Currently in stock. No weight kit available.