I know I’m late to the party on this one, but as the self-proclaimed leading “Costco Golf independent golf review site”, it’s my duty to cover this news! Costco has been “in the golf game” for quite a few years now but they made their initial entry by way of a four-piece golf ball. The appeal of these balls was that they were considered a pretty solid product at an extremely affordable price point. People bought that ball up like crazy leading to a rapid sell out. With so much success, Costco would expand their product line to include more balls, wedges, putters, and gloves. Well, the time has finally come…Costco irons are almost here!
Around this time every year, internet golf sleuths start seeing pictures of new products hitting the USGA Conforming List. This is the “last step” before these products start showing up to the market and into your bags. Well, one day out of the clear blue, a certain photo started making the rounds on golf internet. It contained a single 4 iron head with a simple design and the unmistakable Kirkland Signature branding.
What We Know…or Don’t Know About the Costco Irons
There isn’t much info on the Costco irons to go along with the USGA Conforming List picture. We can do a lot of inferring, however, there is a little more info in USGA “Informational Club Database”. The club head features markings of “tungsten” (as seen in the picture) and “forged” on the hosel. We can only assume that tungsten is used to manage the weight and CG of the club as a more dense metal. Then some portion of the head is forged. Given that the Costco iron appears to be a hollow body (see the “cap” toward the toe of the club), it’s safe to say the head isn’t a single forging, but rather a piece or two are forged than bonded together.
“Club #” is listed as “SET” which just means the design is approved for a full set of clubs. I would also imagine this will be a 4-PW set based on the Costco pricing model. You probably shouldn’t expect a gap wedge option as the Kirkland Signature wedge set has you covered there. Of course, I could be wrong on that. One other technical point, the Costco irons meet the 2010 Groove Rules as well as the Pre-2010 rules, so check that off your list too!
There’s one major thing that really caught my attention on the database entry. It has long been speculated who produces Costco’s golf equipment, but as far as I’ve seen, no one’s known for sure. Well, the iron’s entry lists Indi Golf as the manufacturer. Indi Golf has a lot of “google overlap” with a company called Southern California Design Co – who is listed as the manufacturer of the Kirkland wedges on the USGA Conforming List.
Final Thoughts – The Costco Irons
Obviously it’s early days and we’re just working off some sparse information and a picture, but I’m sure the Costco irons are going to be fine. Not amazing, not terrible, but a solid option at an affordable price point. I think their total price is going to be the big determining factor in whether they’re actually worth the investment. If they come in too high, there are likely to be much better options on the market. That’s just a fact, don’t roast me over that take like everyone does with the golf ball! Like I said, I’m sure the clubs will be perfectly fine, but nothing earth shattering.
Of course, I’m still super curious and can’t wait to try them out for myself. Which shaft will they have? Will there be multiple flex options? What grips will they use? How will they be packaged?! I’m genuinely excited to try these irons and see the next step in the Costco golf journey!
Kirkland Signature 3-Piece Version 2 Ball Price Change!
As I was doing my deep research for this post, friend of the progremme, Frank, informed me of another Costco Golf update that I thought was worth sharing. The fan-favorite 3-Piece Version 2 golf ball is now listed for $34.99 for two dozen balls on the website. That’s a 40% price increase on the ball that’s always been perceived as such a great bang for your buck! I get taken to task for my generally neutral review of that golf ball all the time for some reason, but I wonder if that $10 jump in price affects the loyalists’ perceptions as much? I guess we’ll see!
it’s what i do… help the community!
Just checked the USGA website and it seems that the entry has been taken down. The club/set cannot be found (wedges are still there). Any idea as to what’s going on? Has Costco pulled them back?
Real interesting. I have no idea. No inside connections at Costco here. But I don’t know if things get pulled off the conforming list if the product gets cancelled. It still would have been accepted and “logged” in the conforming system. That said, I’m hardly an expert on the USGA procedural process, so maybe that is a possibility?
Costco could be releasing an update to the Kirkland balls soon. The Kirkland balls are currently out of stock on Costco’s website and on the USGA’s site there are images of another Kirkland ball with two chevrons ( < ) on each end of the alignment aid.
Interesting! I’ll keep my eyes peeled. HAVE to review them when they’re out!
Bought 2dozen 3 piece golf balls a few weeks ago. Made in Vietnam.
At least in Canada, the balls are $44.99 on their website, but $34.99 in the warehouse. Pro V1’s run $65-$70 here. So they’re still cost effective.
As of June 12, the new ball should be hitting Canadian warehouses “very soon” as well.
Costco should have bought up Hogan clubs and sold them in their stores
The word I’ve heard in regards to Hogan was that there was a big issue with the name ownership. While the club company owned “the IP” around the golf clubs, another company owns the name and licensed it for their use. This made basically any selling of the club business impossible apparently. Who knows the validity around it, but it wouldn’t surprise me.