Equipment
Vega Looks to Capitalize on Golf’s Ultra-Premium Push
You know when an upscale steakhouse opens in your town, and no one wants to go because it’s too expensive? But then a ritzy Italian restaurant opens next door, and a high-end seafood restaurant opens next to that. Now the area is booming, and the original steakhouse’s prices don’t seem so outrageous anymore. Vega is that steakhouse in the ultra-premium golf equipment world, and it has its sights set on an uptick in reservations thanks to competitors with even higher-priced menus.
Vega got its start as the in-house brand for famed Japanese forging house, Kyoei, which has been manufacturing golf clubs for more than five decades. It was purchased by Professional Golf Europe (PGE) in 2012 with an agreement that PGE continue use the Kyoei factory to manufacture Vega’s one-piece irons. Its reputation is similar to Miura, a fellow Japanese golf equipment manufacturer. While Miura is significantly more popular than Vega in the U.S., it’s similarly perceived among its fans for its quality and attention to detail: particularly its one-piece irons.
“Up until this point, [Vega has] always been perceived as really expensive in the market.” “Now, all of the sudden, we’re half the price of some of the new brands.”
As in the restaurant example above, economics of the golf equipment industry have rapidly shifted in the last two years. Newcomer PXG stunned the industry with irons priced at more than $300 per club, two-to-three times the going rate. Even more stunning was the popularity of the clubs with golfers; PXG became dominant in the ultra-premium space. The industry took notice, and that’s what led things to where they are now. Titleist and Callaway have both made a push into the ultra-premium space with similarly priced products, while historically ultra-premium brand Miura is undergoing a rebrand and retooling its product line to enhance its appeal.
Despite the increased competition, the shift in the marketplace can be seen as an opportunity for Vega; not at the high end of the ultra-premium market that it once occupied, but in a new “affordable luxury” category that seems to be emerging. “Up until this point, [Vega has] always been perceived as really expensive in the market,” says Peter Lord, Director of Professional Golf Europe, the parent company that owns Vega. “Now, all of the sudden, we’re half the price of some of the new brands.”
Lord’s reference was to PXG, whose new 0311XF irons start at $350 per club, or $2800 for an eight-piece set. Golfers who want them in the company’s special dark finish will pay an extra $150 per club, raising the price to $4000 per set. Vega’s irons sell for around $2000 per set, depending on the model (Vega also sells a full line of metal woods, wedges and putters that the company plans to promote more aggressively going forward).
There are other reasons for Vega’s resurgence, particularly in North America. The first has to do with distribution. In 2016, Jennifer Gard of Eagle Golf Distributors purchased the rights to distribute Vega in North America. Gard, whose company also distributes Veylix shafts, felt that Vega was being undervalued by North American golfers due to a lack of retail presence and chatter. She didn’t see it as a product problem, although she and Lord recognized that there was an opportunity for Vega to add a new page to its menu, so to speak.
“All we’re doing is moving the balance point from old school, hand crafted to more of the tech side.”
Vega’s new Mizar irons and Alcor wedges are the first of the company’s new Star Line, which focuses on improved performance through multi-material constructions. It’s a completely new focus for the company, at least in irons, which had been focused almost entirely on one-piece forged designs.
The Mizar irons ($280 per club) are made from two main pieces: a forged club head that’s merged with a thinner, maraging forged club face. A tungsten weight is also used in the design of each iron to optimize the center of gravity of each club. It’s located inside the sole, and its location varies based on the club. Long irons have the tungsten weight in the heel, mid-irons have the weight in the middle of the club and short irons have the weight on the toe. “With Mizar and all future Star Line (clubs), all we’re doing is moving the balance point from old school, hand crafted to more of the tech side,” Lord says.
Vega will continue to offer what it’s calling its “Classic” VC line of one-piece irons, which are offered in a range of sizes to please traditionalists of all skills levels. They’ll maintain their traditional lofts, which is an area of sensitivity for many golfers.
The Mizar irons take a much more modern approach to distance. The stock pitching wedge loft is 42 degrees, which is 1-degree stronger than the 9-iron loft of Vega’s VM-01 and VM-02 muscleback irons. It’s not a total distance-first approach, however. Whereas many golf equipment manufacturers have focused on making the club faces as thin as possible in their distance-iron models to improve performance, Vega decided to make its Mizar iron faces thicker. They’re 3.5 millimeters in thickness, according to Lord, a design that maintains soft feel Vega is known for across the club face. “It’s less hot, but it still gives it forgiveness on off-center hits,” Lord says.
The Alcor wedges ($260 per club) are a one-piece forged design, but like the Mizar irons they have channels cut into their forged bodies that helped designers alter center of gravity for better performance. With the wedges, the aim was to push the weight higher and toward the center of the club to improve spin and feel.
Lord called Alcor “the first of a long-term strategy with wedges.” He also hinted that Vega will expand the Mizar iron lineup with a both larger and smaller model, although he says golfers shouldn’t expect to see them in stores for at least 18 months.
Discussion: See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Mizar irons and Alcor wedges in our forum.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Streelman WITB 2024 (April)
- Kevin Streelman what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
5-wood: Ping G (17.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 10 X
Irons: Wilson Staff Model CB (4-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Wilson Staff Model (48-08, 54-08), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-L @59)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (48), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (54, 58)
Putter: Scotty Cameron TourType SSS TG6
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Streelman’s clubs here.
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Equipment
Choose Your Driver: Which 2012 driver was your favorite?
The year was 2012. Gangnam Style ruled supreme, its infectious beats and ludicrous horse-riding dance moves hypnotizing us with their stupidity. Everyone was talking about the Mayan calendar, convinced that the end of days was near. Superheroes soared on the silver screen, with the Avengers assembling in epic fashion. Katniss Everdeen survived The Hunger Games. And the memes! The memes abounded. Grumpy Cat triumphed. We kept calm and carried on.
In much the same way that automotive enthusiasts love classic cars, we at GolfWRX love taking a backward glance at some of the iconic designs of years past. Heck, we love taking iconic designs to the tee box in the present!
In that spirit, GolfWRX has been running a series inspired by arguably the greatest fighting game franchise of all time: Mortal Kombat. It’s not “choose your fighter” but rather “choose your driver.”
Check out some of the standout combatants of 2012 below.
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Nike VRS
Often harshly critiqued during its years releasing golf equipment (right, Phil Mickelson?), Nike’s tenure in the club-and-ball business gets a gloss of nostalgic varnish, with many of its iron and putter designs continuing to attract admirers. Among the company’s driver offerings, the 2012 VRS — or VR_S, if you will — drew high marks for its shaping and toned-down appearance. The multi-thickness, NexCOR face was no joke either.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Callaway RAZR Fit
Callaway’s first foray into moveable weight technology (married with its OptiFit hosel) did not disappoint. With a carbon fiber crown, aerodynamic attention to detail, and variable and hyperbolic face technologies, this club foreshadowed the tech-loaded, “story in every surface” Callaway drivers of the present, AI-informed design age.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Cleveland Classic 310
Truly a design that came out of left field. Cleveland said, “Give me a persimmon driver, but make it titanium…in 460cc.” Our 2012 reviewer, JokerUsn wrote, “I don’t need to elaborate on all the aesthetics of this club. You’ve seen tons of pics. You’ve all probably seen a bunch in the store and held them up close and gotten drool on them. From a playing perspective, the color is not distracting. It’s dark enough to stay unobtrusive in bright sunlight…Even my playing partners, who aren’t into clubs at all…commented on it saying it looks cool.” Long live!
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Titleist 910
While there’s no disputing Titleist’s “Titleist Speed” era of drivers perform better than its 2010s offerings, sentimentality abounds, and there was something classically Titleist about these clubs, right down to the alignment aid, and the look is somewhere between 983 times and the present TS age. Representing a resurgence after a disappointing stretch of offerings (907, 909), The 910D2 was a fairly broadly appealing driver with its classic look at address and classic Titleist face shape.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
TaylorMade RocketBallz
The white crown. The name. You either loved ‘em or you hated ‘em. TaylorMade’s 2012 offering from its RocketBallz Period boasted speed-enhancing aerodynamics and an Inverted Cone Technology in the club’s titanium face. Technology aside, it’s impossible to overstate what a departure from the norm a white-headed driver was in the world of golf equipment.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Ping i20
Long a quietly assertive player in the driver space, Ping’s i20 was more broadly appealing than the G20, despite being a lower-launch, lower-spin club. Ping drivers didn’t always have looks that golfer’s considered traditional or classic, but the i20 driver bucked that trend. Combining the classic look with Ping’s engineering created a driver that better players really gravitated toward. The i20 offered players lower launch and lower spin for more penetrating ball flight while the rear 20g tungsten weights kept the head stable. Sound and feel were great also, being one of the more muted driver sounds Ping had created up to that time.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
GolfWRXers, let us know in the comments who “your fighter” is and why!
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/29/24): Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Krank Formula fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft.
From the seller: (@well01): “Krank formula fire 10.5 degree with AUtoflex SF505. $560 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Francisco
Jul 1, 2017 at 12:39 am
Without doubt, one of the most versatile irons i have ever played. I play 6 hp and my last irons were Bridgestone j15 mb
jc
Jun 19, 2017 at 5:05 pm
how long before they are in the used club rack at roger dunn? in the mean time, I will keep hitting my pings rather than sell my house for a set of irons.
Bert
Jun 17, 2017 at 12:05 pm
Are these as ugly as the PXG irons? Maybe no, they look better to me. I’m not saying I like the look, but better than some club-head with a bunch of set screws.
Who cares if the club-head housing is forged, the face is all that strikes the ball and the face is forged. Ok I guess I’m confused. If the club-head is solid, then forging is great, but if hollow, who cares. I can’t see where being a forged head matters for these designs. Just more marketing gimmicks to lead you to believe these over the top priced irons are great.
Tom54
Jun 16, 2017 at 1:57 pm
The way I look at it go ahead and bring another premium club to the market. Will just be another one that I could care less about. That is one ugly club.
Gorden
Jun 16, 2017 at 8:07 pm
AGREE WITH YOU, IT IS AMAZING HOW MANY SETS OF PXG IRONS ARE FOR SALE ON EBAY, IF THEY ARE ALL THAT WHY WOULD SO MANY BE GETTING RID OF THEM…IF YOUR AN AVERAGE GOLFER EVEN A 15 HANDICAP OR MORE THE ONLY REASON TO EVER BUY NEW CLUBS IS YOU WANT THEM OR YOU WORE YOUR OLD ONES OUT AFTER 10 YEARS.
Duk Koo Kim
Jun 16, 2017 at 4:54 am
They look like golf’s version of the Edsel! Horrendous!
H
Jun 16, 2017 at 3:13 am
They used to be cool, but not any more
RG
Jun 16, 2017 at 2:24 am
Those irons make the Adams XTDs look good! Absolutely hideous clubs! If I see you playing those I am going to point and laugh out loud!
Ibo
Jun 16, 2017 at 10:36 am
Same here, ridiculous! xD
chinchbugs
Jun 15, 2017 at 5:13 pm
I can’t shank them till I have tested them….oh wait! Yes I can! Shank.
jgpl001
Jun 15, 2017 at 4:21 pm
Unbelievably UGLY
I don’t care how exclusive they are I wouldn’t pay one dollar for them
O
Jun 15, 2017 at 12:57 pm
Besotted gearheads must feel so inadequate, impotent, deflated, ashamed of their standard clubs which are being obsoleted semi-annually… and now the best technology is going into the ultra premium clubs. How can they live with themselves and their low class crap clubs?!!
Brandon
Jun 15, 2017 at 12:38 pm
TaylorMade has already ruined the golf industry.
Dat
Jun 15, 2017 at 9:01 am
Hideously bad. This ultra expensive push in the industry is exactly what will make the industry fail.
Cory
Jun 15, 2017 at 10:11 am
You don’t understand economics or how supply and demand work do you?
ROY
Jun 15, 2017 at 11:16 am
WHy will it make the industry fail – that like saying that Ferrari will make the auto industry fail. As long as the ultra priced items supplement the market and do not replace other areas of the market (which is what they are doing) then you should be fine.
Adam Crawford
Jun 15, 2017 at 3:03 pm
Exactly. These brands we’re hearing about that are the “Ultra-Premium” have been around for decades, quietly occupying a small niche market. Zak’s analogy is perfect. Casual golfers didn’t know they existed because the major marketing push has always grouping a few club makers into a category ($1k-1,500 for irons). But the fascinating thing about PXG is that they opened the flood gates and made people realize this market existed. These companies won’t have anything to do with the success or failure of the industry. They operate independently and don’t have to stock the shelves of 500 retailers so they don’t have capital tied up in inventory (which is where a lot of companies struggle with the bottom line), which means they basically produce them on demand.
doesnotno
Jun 15, 2017 at 8:48 am
Mizar irons, $280 each. Sweet.