A New Kirkland Signature Performance Plus Golf Ball
Before I even start this review, I’m almost dreading writing it because of how seemingly polarizing the topic of the Costco golf ball seems to be. Man, for a fairly neutral and innocent review, I got FLAMED for my review of the last version of this ball. Well, I’m back for more to talk about the latest version of the Kirkland Signature Performance Plus golf ball. This time around, I picked up a box of the new yellow option of the 3-piece ball and put it through its paces to see if the ball seems any different. Don’t worry, the Costco ball is still available in white if that’s more your speed. Both colors are currently available at the price point of $34.99 for two dozen.
How Does it Feel?
Costco continues to promote the Kirkland Signature Performance Plus golf ball as a low compression ball that feels soft with high ball speeds and good durability. In my opinion, this latest “batch” of the ball seems to feel a good bit better. It’s definitely softer, but responsive enough for good control. The biggest difference I felt like I noticed was the ball felt more consistent throughout the bag and was a little more pure. I still don’t think the K-Sig 3-piece has a comparable feel to better premium balls, but at its price point, it’s not bad. I do think players with higher swing speeds could find themselves preferring something else when it comes to feel. But feel is always somewhat subjective, so only one way to find out…
Off the Tee
I can’t tell you exactly what changed with the Kirkland Signature Performance Plus golf ball, but I found this iteration of the 3-piece to be much better off of the tee. My distance and control were considerably better with this ball when directly compared to the previous version. Is it the 338-dimple pattern that “enhances the aerodynamics” of the ball for a more penetrating flight? Or did something change with the “speed boosting mantle”? No idea, but this new version of the Costco ball was quite a bit better off of the tee in my opinion.
I still won’t tell you that it compares to my premium Bridgestone ball of choice, but many of the factors that I felt could be better definitely seem to be improved. A big one being the consistency and response I mentioned in the section above. And again, a consistent theme you’ll see throughout this review, I would argue the players that this ball is better suited for are those with more moderate swing speeds.
On the Approach
That consistency I keep talking about was most noticeable to me in the approach portion of the game. Long irons through full wedges had a consistent feel and flight with this Kirkland Signature Performance Plus ball. I felt like the previous version of the ball that I tried could get a little squirrely. This impacted flighting and shaping quite a bit in addition to holding lines. With the new Costco ball, I found it to be plenty reliable from club to club on approach shots. I’d say the biggest factor here is how it spins with “your shot” and if you get along with the feel.
Around the Green
Like the previous version of the Kirkland Signature 3-piece ball, the Performance Plus has enough response for good feedback, but it doesn’t feel too firm around/on the green. I don’t personally feel that the Costco ball has the same level of “bite” that a premium ball with a better cover does, but a good wedge player will still be able to stop the ball well enough. I would give the K-Sig Performance Plus a satisfactory rating around the green in both feel and performance, but it doesn’t blow me away.
Final Thoughts – The New Kirkland Signature Performance Plus Golf Ball
I’ll be honest. I don’t really know if the yellow Kirkland Signature Performance Plus golf ball is any different. I’m purely going off of what I’ve been told and heard, and maybe it’s just some placebo effect. However, I will say that I felt like I had a much better playing experience with this iteration. Maybe it’s just the yellow cover! (I’m kidding…) I will also acknowledge a durability “improvement”. That might be a stretch, but Costco claims the ball is more durable and I didn’t experience any scuffing issues like I had previously. As far as I could tell, the cover held up better.
My closing comments that I’d like to make exceptionally clear: I don’t think the 3-piece K-Sig is a bad ball. It’s perfectly fine and a solid deal at $1.46 a ball. I do NOT, however, think it’s better than pretty much any more expensive premium ball. That’s ok. The key with the K-Sig is really what you perceive the value to be. If you aren’t looking to pay $60 a dozen because the differences don’t warrant the price tag, it’s a solid substitute. So before you come at me for this review, trust me, I get it! I 100% understand the value of this golf ball and wouldn’t begrudge anyone of that. If you love the K-Sig, that’s great!
For us mortals playing weekends, what is high speed vs medium speed swing?, can you mention speed swing in terms of mph with the driver?
It’s sort of subjective, but I’d say “high swing speed” is roughly 105+ mph with the driver. One might argue that’s sort of a borderline speed, but it’s a decent start. Medium bieng somewhere in the 95-105 mph range.
Took 3 Costco yellow balls , used them extensively for 3 weeks. Probably 10 rounds at least. I found the durability was outstanding. I went in there sort of against the Kirkland ball for some odd reason. Figuring it would be more like a pinnacle or top flite or whatever. But nope , as good as any ball I used. Normally I use Titleist avx. These balls as good. Plus the neon color is very
Easy to find.
Yeah, I found this one to deliver quite a bit better over time than the previous batch.
It sounds as if you were embarrassed to review the current model and had to apologize for even writing it. That’s sad, because golf should be fun and enjoyable for anyone who wants to pick up the game. Cost is always going to be an issue for the casual player, so sharing information about a quality option shouldn’t make you feel guilty. After all, the average score is still way above a regular golfer will admit, and isn’t about to spend $60 a dozen for a box of balls no matter who plays them.
I wouldn’t say embarrassed by any means. It’s more that experience has told me that people will come to the comments and freak out about any opinions I post about Costco golf equipment…be it glowing, critical, or neutral. It’s the oddest thing in my opinion. It’s clear a lot of people reading the Costco golf content on the website don’t really absorb much of the other content to get the whole “vibe” of the content here.
I will say this it has some great characteristics of a premium golf ball. Unfortunately for me it’s lastation is a bout 3-5 holes. Control around the greens is very consistent I play on fast greens. I didn’t notice any loss of distance with my irons but I did with my driver on miss hits it was much shorter spinny. I have fairly new wedges and when I hit a few stopped nicely no yanking it back 20ft
Difference in spin in prov 1 and the Kirk performance ball currently
Are you asking?
This ball will fit my budget so that’s a big plus for me. Plus, I hate spending anytime looking for golf balls. I’ll give it a courtesy once over and then reach for a new ball. So, the price of these 24 golf balls will work for me!
I suppose it will be hard to determine how many strokes a person could lose using a Korkland versus a TP5, for instance. I use the TP5 yellow and the Truvis yellow…..I found they have the best feel for my swing speed (95mph) ….. I do NOT lile the feel of a ProV1 or a TP5x or Chromesoft X LS, too hard. But, as much as I like the TP5 and Truvis, it’s hard to accept $50/box cost. So, I LOVE the price point of a Kirkland, but at what cost. I MAY be willing to pay 3x the cost of a ball if I may save 4-5 strokes using a premium ball……any thoughts on this?
I just bought the Kirkland yellow golf balls today. I don’t think you mention anything about putting = what’s the feedback on Putting? I have experimented with different balls over the last couple of years, & I’ve circle back to the Callaway Supersoft balls = not into $5 balls. I’m almost 64, so swing speed is average. Thanks
Yeah, weird, I usually do comment about putting in that last section, but for some reason I didn’t!
I felt like they were pretty “middle ground” – not super soft, not firm and clicky. Maybe on the firmer side of medium? I can’t tell you it’s the best ball I’ve ever rolled on a green (note: that’s according to my hands, it’s very subjective), but far from the worst.
The K‐Sig v3 IS, IN FACT, a more durable version than the v2. All of the positives of the v2 are present in the v3. It’s not the Pro V1, but what $34.99 for TWO DOZEN golf ball is???