Kirkland Signature (Costco) golf balls (MERGED) (NO BST POSTS)

[ChipDriver]

So which manuf do you guys think will suffer most with Ksig's popularity?

 

ProV is untouchable imo. I think CS will lose alot of customers.

 

Honestly I don't think that any will suffer. Most People won't touch this ball since a) most people don't know that there's a Kirkland ball b) most people won't know what a urethane ball is and c) it's not going to be sold everywhere - online specifically on Costco.com and at Costco warehouses. Not enough exposure to the masses.

 

Edit: smell and vice balls have advertising on social media and large ads in publications like golf digest.

 

Oh that's right - Costco doesn't use social media or the internet. :)

 

They are a wall street traded company - their resources dwarf Snell and Vice. Their consumer-data is like Target and Walmart - they already know what you need simply buy what you click on and what you buy. They pay for that stuff. Their predictive analytics know who to actually target directly, and have that ACTIVE ability to mold consumer behavior (they can send you coupons and mailers and specials), as well as using PASSIVE social media too. You have to be a poor communist in America for less than a month to be someone who doesn't know about Costco. LOL

 

Heck - all they need to do is give a free sleeve of balls right next to the gross of Skittles or pallet of Fruit Rollups and all the Milennials will know! LOL

[North Butte]

There are Costco people and the rest of us. There are golfers and non-golfers. I'm not sure what the overlap of golfers and Costco people might be in terms of numbers but I could see these become very popular among that subgroup.

 

Millions of golfers either live, as I do, in a place which does not have Costco or they live near one but don't shop there. They aren't going to go online in droves to buy a store-brand discount golf ball from Costco's web site.

 

I don't think Titleist or Callaway worry any more about this ball than they do Dick's store brand or Volvik or Snell or Vice. There are always a couple dozen brands, store brands and no-names battling it out for the part of the golf ball market not owned by the big guys.

[Hateto3Putt]

Mine are "out for delivery".

 

Weather permitting, I'll tee one up tomorrow.

 

I shouldn't feel as excited as I do about a golf ball.

[bsawhney]

I have a feeling this is going to be good for consumers, could be wrong, but I think it is going to put pressure on prices for urethane balls from other brands.

[TravAz]

Will be interesting to see how the major golf pubs handle this in their yearly "hot list" or whatever. "Jim, our blind 80yo tester (36hc) said it went too far and spun a little too much around the green for his liking, so we cant reccomend the kirkland ball".

 

 

[Cwebb]

So it looks like the initial "view" is that these are basically a 4 piece ProV1 for less than half the price?

[dahack]

So what is the deal with 'Kirkland' anyway? What don't they just call it 'Costco' ?

 

The first store is in the city of Kirkland. Hence the name.

 

Close, Kirkland was the eighth warehouse. But when they started private label the headquarters was in Kirkland.

[North Butte]

They are a 4-piece urethane cover golf ball for about 1/3 the price of a ProV1. That's a lot of pieces for the dollar!

[IsleOfMan]

I usually load up on balls as Christmas gifts, and was about to have my mom order me 4 dozen Callaway Hex Pro logo overruns (which was also a previous Costco ball, but not the overruns) for the same price. Now I'm trying to decide between diving in head first for all Kirklands, or splitting it between the Hex Pro and Kirklands. Thoughts?

[jpdx]

So which manuf do you guys think will suffer most with Ksig's popularity?

 

ProV is untouchable imo. I think CS will lose alot of customers.

 

Honestly I don't think that any will suffer. Most People won't touch this ball since a) most people don't know that there's a Kirkland ball b) most people won't know what a urethane ball is and c) it's not going to be sold everywhere - online specifically on Costco.com and at Costco warehouses. Not enough exposure to the masses.

 

Edit: smell and vice balls have advertising on social media and large ads in publications like golf digest.

 

Oh that's right - Costco doesn't use social media or the internet. :)

 

They are a wall street traded company - their resources dwarf Snell and Vice. Their consumer-data is like Target and Walmart - they already know what you need simply buy what you click on and what you buy. They pay for that stuff. Their predictive analytics know who to actually target directly, and have that ACTIVE ability to mold consumer behavior (they can send you coupons and mailers and specials), as well as using PASSIVE social media too. You have to be a poor communist in America for less than a month to be someone who doesn't know about Costco. LOL

 

Heck - all they need to do is give a free sleeve of balls right next to the gross of Skittles or pallet of Fruit Rollups and all the Milennials will know! LOL

 

My experience is that although they are a large company with tons of resources, I still haven't seen the advertising that even a smaller company like Snell or Vice do. Yes any large company would have made a foolish decision to have 0 social media presence. Also the balls are not at every warehouse further shrinking the availability. What I meant is that I see Snell and Vice advertises and that the cross section of golfers who would geek out on a golf ball who also would play Kirkland balls who also have a Costco membership is quite slim imo. I think if anything, there would be a minimal impact.

 

I'd take free samples all day though.

[larciel]

I disagree that lack of advertising on Costco's end will not create strong demand for the ball. This is costco we're talking about. Vendors get in line for miles just to put their product in the costco, because it sells, and sells in QTYs. I didn't think much of Costco before but after seeing them negotiate with Amex and Visa/Citi and making switch this year. I'm a believer. Wow, costco is the super-power in retail sector and the brandname value of Costco (Kirkland) is FAR superior than many brands out there. I have heard of Vice and snell but never bothered to try them. but Kirkland, I bought on the firstday.

 

Having said that, I think snell and vice won't lose much customers. It's a niche product. Right off the bat, Callaway lose Hex ball that was selling in Costco. We shall see about others, but selling these balls online, even to general public (5% upcharge) will be huge.

[ChipDriver]

So which manuf do you guys think will suffer most with Ksig's popularity?

 

ProV is untouchable imo. I think CS will lose alot of customers.

 

Honestly I don't think that any will suffer. Most People won't touch this ball since a) most people don't know that there's a Kirkland ball b) most people won't know what a urethane ball is and c) it's not going to be sold everywhere - online specifically on Costco.com and at Costco warehouses. Not enough exposure to the masses.

 

Edit: smell and vice balls have advertising on social media and large ads in publications like golf digest.

 

Oh that's right - Costco doesn't use social media or the internet. :)

 

They are a wall street traded company - their resources dwarf Snell and Vice. Their consumer-data is like Target and Walmart - they already know what you need simply buy what you click on and what you buy. They pay for that stuff. Their predictive analytics know who to actually target directly, and have that ACTIVE ability to mold consumer behavior (they can send you coupons and mailers and specials), as well as using PASSIVE social media too. You have to be a poor communist in America for less than a month to be someone who doesn't know about Costco. LOL

 

Heck - all they need to do is give a free sleeve of balls right next to the gross of Skittles or pallet of Fruit Rollups and all the Milennials will know! LOL

 

My experience is that although they are a large company with tons of resources, I still haven't seen the advertising that even a smaller company like Snell or Vice do. Yes any large company would have made a foolish decision to have 0 social media presence. Also the balls are not at every warehouse further shrinking the availability. What I meant is that I see Snell and Vice advertises and that the cross section of golfers who would geek out on a golf ball who also would play Kirkland balls who also have a Costco membership is quite slim imo. I think if anything, there would be a minimal impact.

 

I'd take free samples all day though.

 

You could be right - and I hope so b/c I like companies like Snell.

 

BTW - GolfWRX IS social media. The ball has been available for 1 week - and people are rushing to order it. Watch any video or read about how Costco selects its Kirkland products - it's pretty interesting. They have a pretty great track record of selling out their inventories.

 

I am guessing that Kirkland isn't designed to compete with anyone VS making money/margin for Costco...I hope that makes sense. They put stuff on the shelves at something like 2% average margin (all margins are less than 15% on anything I believe), and derive a bulk of their revenue from annual memberships. Their predictions about what sells, tend to be skewed against a captured audience (members) and as their memberships grow, it tends to drive what goes on the shelves. They don't have a lot of selection - and they say something like only 1 out of 10 members (or something outstanding like that...) refuse to buy in bulk. It's an amazing science behind their stores and knowing their members.

 

In a **** example: it's like a country club that is brewing its own beer for its members...based on the size of their membership and understanding what they are asking for. It is not necessarily designed to compete with Budweiser or Coors. But it may be a reason why previous non-Costco members decide to join.

 

The X-factor is that Costco.com is available to anyone - not simply members per se. So as a non-member you can buy stuff online, but it costs a fraction more.

 

I agree with you that those that buy Vice/Snell/Kirkland are ok with non-OEM....generic (which is what Kirkland is), and I doubt it will matter to Titleist or Taylormade. But to a startup like Snell and Vice - it could be trouble. They are competing head to head against a behemoth who is selling golf balls as 1 of 10,000 other products - not just one. But if price is something that motivates those clients - then I think Kirkland has a better reputation than Vice and Snell - and Kirkland has much better resources than Vice and Snell to reach the public.

 

I hope you're right - and I am wrong. The world needs a "little guy". :)

 

But honestly - if the balls are equal - would most folks pay $30 for 2 dozen with a money back guarantee; or $31 for 1 dozen? Seems like a no brainer to me.

[jpdx]

So which manuf do you guys think will suffer most with Ksig's popularity?

 

ProV is untouchable imo. I think CS will lose alot of customers.

 

Honestly I don't think that any will suffer. Most People won't touch this ball since a) most people don't know that there's a Kirkland ball b) most people won't know what a urethane ball is and c) it's not going to be sold everywhere - online specifically on Costco.com and at Costco warehouses. Not enough exposure to the masses.

 

Edit: smell and vice balls have advertising on social media and large ads in publications like golf digest.

 

Oh that's right - Costco doesn't use social media or the internet. :)

 

They are a wall street traded company - their resources dwarf Snell and Vice. Their consumer-data is like Target and Walmart - they already know what you need simply buy what you click on and what you buy. They pay for that stuff. Their predictive analytics know who to actually target directly, and have that ACTIVE ability to mold consumer behavior (they can send you coupons and mailers and specials), as well as using PASSIVE social media too. You have to be a poor communist in America for less than a month to be someone who doesn't know about Costco. LOL

 

Heck - all they need to do is give a free sleeve of balls right next to the gross of Skittles or pallet of Fruit Rollups and all the Milennials will know! LOL

 

My experience is that although they are a large company with tons of resources, I still haven't seen the advertising that even a smaller company like Snell or Vice do. Yes any large company would have made a foolish decision to have 0 social media presence. Also the balls are not at every warehouse further shrinking the availability. What I meant is that I see Snell and Vice advertises and that the cross section of golfers who would geek out on a golf ball who also would play Kirkland balls who also have a Costco membership is quite slim imo. I think if anything, there would be a minimal impact.

 

I'd take free samples all day though.

 

You could be right - and I hope so b/c I like companies like Snell.

 

BTW - GolfWRX IS social media. The ball has been available for 1 week - and people are rushing to order it. Watch any video or read about how Costco selects its Kirkland products - it's pretty interesting. They have a pretty great track record of selling out their inventories.

 

I am guessing that Kirkland isn't designed to compete with anyone VS making money/margin for Costco...I hope that makes sense. They put stuff on the shelves at something like 2% average margin (all margins are less than 15% on anything I believe), and derive a bulk of their revenue from annual memberships. Their predictions about what sells, tend to be skewed against a captured audience (members) and as their memberships grow, it tends to drive what goes on the shelves. They don't have a lot of selection - and they say something like only 1 out of 10 members (or something outstanding like that...) refuse to buy in bulk. It's an amazing science behind their stores and knowing their members.

 

In a **** example: it's like a country club that is brewing its own beer for its members...based on the size of their membership and understanding what they are asking for. It is not necessarily designed to compete with Budweiser or Coors. But it may be a reason why previous non-Costco members decide to join.

 

The X-factor is that Costco.com is available to anyone - not simply members per se. So as a non-member you can buy stuff online, but it costs a fraction more.

 

I agree with you that those that buy Vice/Snell/Kirkland are ok with non-OEM....generic (which is what Kirkland is), and I doubt it will matter to Titleist or Taylormade. But to a startup like Snell and Vice - it could be trouble. They are competing head to head against a behemoth who is selling golf balls as 1 of 10,000 other products - not just one. But if price is something that motivates those clients - then I think Kirkland has a better reputation than Vice and Snell - and Kirkland has much better resources than Vice and Snell to reach the public.

 

I hope you're right - and I am wrong. The world needs a "little guy". :)

 

But honestly - if the balls are equal - would most folks pay $30 for 2 dozen with a money back guarantee; or $31 for 1 dozen? Seems like a no brainer to me.

 

first bold: golf wrx probably represents a very small minority of total golfers and we're more in tune with equipment in general (I consider golf balls equipment) that will rush out to buy these. none of my friends who are avid golfer or once a year golfers so far didn't know that Costco was going to have a Kirkland golf ball, they now do because I told them...haha. most have said they still aren't going to buy and sticking to their brands or continue to pick up lost balls on the course.

 

second bold: yes. definitely x-factor. but it assumes the masses know about these golf balls. in time I think it could be trouble for smaller golf ball companies, but in the short term - minimal impact

 

third bold: absolute no brainer and that's why I picked some up! lol

[Ryan5508]

I think it will definitely hurt snell and vice.

 

I generally play snell get sums since they are a great ball for the price. But I would rather play the pro v1s and other tour balls I find. So getting a tour type ball for $0.50 less per ball is a no brainer switch for me. Not to mention I can drive 3 minutes away to costco and have them helps.

 

I have gotten 4 co workers to switch to snells and they will more then likely switch to kirkland balls when I do.

[ChipDriver]

JPDX et. al:

 

My point is that the demand for balls is probably already pre-determined by Costco to sell to its existing membership - not to non members. GolfWRXers would be a bonus - no matter how big a market. The benefits they have is 1) captive audience; 2) Kirkland brand reputation (more profit margin for Costco vs a Cally ball for example). It is a supplemental product. If it fails - it is one of 5,000 products that failed to make money for Costco. They can absorb the loss and still be a wall street killer. In theory Kirkland golf balls cost as much as Kirkland Chocolate Almonds...and the risk is spread out over 5,000 other products.

 

That's a different business model than Snell or Vice - who ostensibly don't have any members or captive audience. They are doing the hardest thing in retail to do: introduce a new product to the public and that product is their mainstay. They are looking at 1% of the market (based on GolfWRXer's estimates). If they fail - they don't have any fallback or other income streams to support them.

 

Again I hope you're right - and I'm wrong.

[jpdx]

JPDX et. al:

 

My point is that the demand for balls is probably already pre-determined by Costco to sell to its existing membership - not to non members. GolfWRXers would be a bonus - no matter how big a market. The benefits they have is 1) captive audience; 2) Kirkland brand reputation (more profit margin for Costco vs a Cally ball for example). It is a supplemental product. If it fails - it is one of 5,000 products that failed to make money for Costco. They can absorb the loss and still be a wall street killer. In theory Kirkland golf balls cost as much as Kirkland Chocolate Almonds...and the risk is spread out over 5,000 other products.

 

That's a different business model than Snell or Vice - who ostensibly don't have any members or captive audience. They are doing the hardest thing in retail to do: introduce a new product to the public and that product is their mainstay. They are looking at 1% of the market (based on GolfWRXer's estimates). If they fail - they don't have any fallback or other income streams to support them.

 

Again I hope you're right - and I'm wrong.

 

I agree. but back on topic. mines still on "order received" lol looking forward to my shipment. but it'll have to wait to get out on the course.

[Nessism]

If people are buying Kirkland balls that means they are not buying something else, so it's inevitable that some ball companies will be affected. I suspect the typical person that would purchase a Kirkland ball, other than GolfWRX'ers, are the type of folk that purchase value oriented balls like Noodles and the like. It's interesting that Costco chose to target the urethane ball market considering the demographic. I doubt Titleist ball users would "stoop" to using a Kirkland anything, so the ProV1 market share should be safe...for now.

[jnorm007]

I don't think this is going to effect any companies, other than the companies that currently sell golf balls at Costco. Callaway will lose its Costco business, and the normal person that goes to Costco to buy golf balls will now just buy the Kirkland ball.. I do not see people flocking to Costco for this new Kirkland ball. IF you went there before for your balls, you will still go there, but now you will buy Kirkland instead of Callaway. Maybe their market increases by 10%, due to WRX type golfers or people in the "know" going to pick up a 4 piece ball for this price, but Id say that's about as far as it goes.

[North Butte]

Like I said, there are Costco people and the rest of us.

[J_Birdie]

This ball is visually ethereal in person. Absolutely beautiful. Felt guilty even putting such a gorgeous ball.

[larciel]

This ball is visually ethereal in person. Absolutely beautiful. Felt guilty even putting such a gorgeous ball.

 

on top of your admiration of the ball, have you guys noticed the strong chemical smell with the ball when opening the box? coming from industrial town, I kinda dig it. :taunt:

[Hateto3Putt]

 

 

[dixiethunder]

This ball is visually ethereal in person. Absolutely beautiful. Felt guilty even putting such a gorgeous ball.

 

on top of your admiration of the ball, have you guys noticed the strong chemical smell with the ball when opening the box? coming from industrial town, I kinda dig it. :taunt:

 

 

YES! Mine just arrived and its definitely a strong smell. Other than that feels like you would expect, a couple of rolls on the carpet confirm it feels good on the putter, look forward to putting it into play this weekend

[Ping Zings]

Played 18 today with the new K-sig. I have to say it acted like a ProV1x with all the clubs and felt great off the putter. :D

[tombong]

Kirkland ball has great bite to them while chipping. Have yet to hit full shots but so far so good!

[SoCalTitleist]

Nothing at my local SoCal Costco yet . Still have a big pellet of cally softs .

[vartanick]

any bad thing about the ball yet?

[ChipDriver]

any bad thing about the ball yet?

 

There isn't enough ball speed IMO.

 

Just kidding - I mean they aren't traveling fast enough to my doorstep. :)

[J_Birdie]

any bad thing about the ball yet?

 

The packaging isn't very snazzy.

[baseballfrk8998]

Ordered 2 dozen tonight after stopping by my local Costco and only finding the Callaway balls.

 

I'll report back soon!