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

[misplacedtexan83]

I was at my club today.

 

A guy who ALWAYS plays ProV1 just picked up 10 doz of these balls.

 

Three other guys have switched from ProV1 to KSig.

 

And I found one in the desert, first one. One of the guys playing behind me found another one.

 

These balls will have legs. I think the used market and off brand (Snell, OnCore, Vice, maybe Srixon) companies will see a drop in their sales, and adjust accordingly.

 

Titleist? No shot. They won't move at all, if only because the market for golf balls at the course will always be their strong suit for sales, and there are not as many Costco consumers as there are golf ball snobs who will only play the "No. 1 ball in golf."

 

Yes but I love finding their balls in the woods.

[DavePelz4]

I found this and thought y'all would like it even though it's on another site.

 

You Sir could be the first poster in the history of the site to quote a post, quoting a post of your own post.

[Pryoritiesinc]

I found this and thought y'all would like it even though it's on another site.

 

You Sir could be the first poster in the history of the site to quote a post, quoting a post of your own post.

It was an important quote to a quote

[vartanick]

thank you guys for make me purchase 4 doz of kirkland

 

:yahoo:

 

from where? I need a dozen or two. :)

 

sorry, a week ago, but a lot of people are talking that they will be back by de 21 nov.

[ChipDriver]

I found this and thought y'all would like it even though it's on another site.

 

You Sir could be the first poster in the history of the site to quote a post, quoting a post of your own post.

It was an important quote to a quote

 

Can I quote you on that?

[cristphoto]

Wonder what the total sample size was for the head to head ball test? Does it say anywhere?

 

Six golfers each hit 12 shots each with driver, 6 iron and wedge (36 shots each golfer). Poor shots weren't counted and then the results were averaged.

[mjwidell]

 

Love living in Costco's home territory.

[chrisf60526]

No where to be found in the Chicago area yet. Looking forward] to trying these. Costco is the rare company that i have immense trust in,

[gibbiesmalls]

I was at my club today.

 

A guy who ALWAYS plays ProV1 just picked up 10 doz of these balls.

 

Three other guys have switched from ProV1 to KSig.

 

And I found one in the desert, first one. One of the guys playing behind me found another one.

 

These balls will have legs. I think the used market and off brand (Snell, OnCore, Vice, maybe Srixon) companies will see a drop in their sales, and adjust accordingly.

 

Titleist? No shot. They won't move at all, if only because the market for golf balls at the course will always be their strong suit for sales, and there are not as many Costco consumers as there are golf ball snobs who will only play the "No. 1 ball in golf."

 

Contradiction:

 

1. You and a few other folks have already made the switch from Titleist to Ksig

2. Titleist will not see a drop-off in sales.

 

edit: you didn't say you had switched, the point stands however.

[playa]

I found this and thought y'all would like it even though it's on another site.

If those figures are reliable the Kirkland is a no brainer. Might have to check out Costco in Oz, but I'm not confident.

[Hubijerk]

My late father for the last couple decades of his life drove Mercedes cars. He actually didn't like them particularly well and the maintenance cost drove his crazy. But he felt like once he had been driving a Mercedes he couldn't ever go back to driving a "lesser" car that he happened to like better and which would save him a bunch of money.

 

A lot of ProV1 players are like that. They've always figured that was the "best" ball and if it costs $4 a ball well that's just the cost of playing the "best". They don't think of themselves as the sort of person who would cheap out by switching to Bridgestone to save a few bucks a dozen.

 

I had exactly 1 Mercedes. Your Dad was right, it ranks up there among the worst vehicles I ever owned.

 

Yeah, some of them ProV1 players are bonkers. Have to admit though, It's fun taking their money with a Costco ball, Callaway shovels, and a 30 year old Ping putter.

 

I have owned a '84 S class Turbodiesel, a 2008 E350, and currently there's a 04 sl500 sitting in my garage... I have found spending more on maintenance and high quality parts and fluids, as well as being able to fix the smaller stuff on my own makes a difference. With that said my daily driver is a Toyota truck...

[playa]

I'm going to get a lot of free Ksigs. Prices will drop when they feel the pain which is forthcoming. Don't think they are not scrambling to prepare for market disruption - no pun intended. Same goes for used balls - which is what I normally buy AAAA+ ProV1x's. That market will eventually feel it too - as more people learn about just buying these new balls that perform as good as a ProV1 for a fraction of the cost. You can not compare luxury auto sales (which has social status and human psychology involved) to a premium golf ball - which has physical comparison stats and saving easy cash where it is not really noticed being the prime motivator. People are cheap and will save the easy bucks if there is no perceived difference other than price. Just my opinion. We'll see how it plays out. Downmarket balls will have to adjust as well - Mojo and supersoft etc.. Give it time.

 

IMO the KSig is like a generic premium ball. If what you think is true - the component market would be thriving.

 

It isn't.

 

It's niche at best.

 

I agree. IMO, the KSig won't affect the Titlist, Bridgestone, or Srixon premium ball market. I think it might lower the sells for Snell (and companies like them), and used/recycled golf balls.

Time will tell. I don't see it being the death of titleist, but I think they will take a small bite out of everyone if the quality is there.

[Chomper]

I was at my club today.

 

A guy who ALWAYS plays ProV1 just picked up 10 doz of these balls.

 

Three other guys have switched from ProV1 to KSig.

 

And I found one in the desert, first one. One of the guys playing behind me found another one.

 

These balls will have legs. I think the used market and off brand (Snell, OnCore, Vice, maybe Srixon) companies will see a drop in their sales, and adjust accordingly.

 

Titleist? No shot. They won't move at all, if only because the market for golf balls at the course will always be their strong suit for sales, and there are not as many Costco consumers as there are golf ball snobs who will only play the "No. 1 ball in golf."

 

Contradiction:

 

1. You and a few other folks have already made the switch from Titleist to Ksig

2. Titleist will not see a drop-off in sales.

 

edit: you didn't say you had switched, the point stands however.

I haven't switched, although I have played the KSig. I play all types of balls, usually ones I find. So, for me, there is no lost revenue for Titleist.

You are right re: the other golfers. However, I think that, overall, Titleist will not see a drop in sales - they are just too far ahead of their competition and have too much market share. The KSig ball sales will not significantly hurt their bottom line.

[gibbiesmalls]

I was at my club today.

 

A guy who ALWAYS plays ProV1 just picked up 10 doz of these balls.

 

Three other guys have switched from ProV1 to KSig.

 

And I found one in the desert, first one. One of the guys playing behind me found another one.

 

These balls will have legs. I think the used market and off brand (Snell, OnCore, Vice, maybe Srixon) companies will see a drop in their sales, and adjust accordingly.

 

Titleist? No shot. They won't move at all, if only because the market for golf balls at the course will always be their strong suit for sales, and there are not as many Costco consumers as there are golf ball snobs who will only play the "No. 1 ball in golf."

 

Contradiction:

 

1. You and a few other folks have already made the switch from Titleist to Ksig

2. Titleist will not see a drop-off in sales.

 

edit: you didn't say you had switched, the point stands however.

I haven't switched, although I have played the KSig. I play all types of balls, usually ones I find. So, for me, there is no lost revenue for Titleist.

You are right re: the other golfers. However, I think that, overall, Titleist will not see a drop in sales - they are just too far ahead of their competition and have too much market share. The KSig ball sales will not significantly hurt their bottom line.

I agree that they won't lose their market leading (best selling) position, but this thread and the other sites' thread show that it will take share from Titleist and every other manufacturer.

 

 

 

 

[Hubijerk]

I was at my club today.

 

A guy who ALWAYS plays ProV1 just picked up 10 doz of these balls.

 

Three other guys have switched from ProV1 to KSig.

 

And I found one in the desert, first one. One of the guys playing behind me found another one.

 

These balls will have legs. I think the used market and off brand (Snell, OnCore, Vice, maybe Srixon) companies will see a drop in their sales, and adjust accordingly.

 

Titleist? No shot. They won't move at all, if only because the market for golf balls at the course will always be their strong suit for sales, and there are not as many Costco consumers as there are golf ball snobs who will only play the "No. 1 ball in golf."

 

Contradiction:

 

1. You and a few other folks have already made the switch from Titleist to Ksig

2. Titleist will not see a drop-off in sales.

 

edit: you didn't say you had switched, the point stands however.

I haven't switched, although I have played the KSig. I play all types of balls, usually ones I find. So, for me, there is no lost revenue for Titleist.

You are right re: the other golfers. However, I think that, overall, Titleist will not see a drop in sales - they are just too far ahead of their competition and have too much market share. The KSig ball sales will not significantly hurt their bottom line.

I agree that they won't lose their market leading (best selling) position, but this thread and the other sites' thread show that it will take share from Titleist and every other manufacturer.

 

 

I think the lost ball market will get hurt the most. I think that's a more overlapping market than those who buy new premiums. I think were in the beginning stages of a very strong golf market contraction, my local Golfsmith is in the midst of a fire sale as it's closing and the employees are officially in DGAF mode cause they're all about to lose their jobs.. The time is ripe for new and unusual partnerships to offer quality and value to the golfer... I also think golf is going to need to reach out to new sponsor mediums because I can't see golf equipment companies continuing to absorb the massive marketing costs that have been the rule for so long..

[MarkAJones]

So....

 

Having looked into the sourcing of these balls a little further, I have little sympathy for Titleist or their pricing structure, though I can feel for anyone who relies on selling them on.

 

The manufacturer in question produces five lines of ball, with the Ksig appearing to be a rebrand of their top line. The manufacturer blurb suggests you can order a run of any of their balls with free branding of your own choice, so basically it looks like Costco have ordered these and sent their stock Kirkland graphics over.

 

So, if Costco are banging them out for 15 bucks a box in the States, how much do you think they're buying them for? Peanuts most likely given the order quantities they probably shift. Which shows how overpriced the ProV1 is.

 

I regularly pick up ProV's on the course (I can visit some dark places on a bad day!) but I never play them as I'm scared I might fall in love with them and consequently, be forced into paying for these golden eggs. I don't want to do this as I'm still prone to losing a few on a bad day and even if I don't, it seems like the ProV's go into the shag bag after one round anyway.

 

As for Snell, that's a tougher one. Remember, it's not like he's started totally from scratch and ploughed millions into R&D that he needs to recover before making a dime. He had a pretty good grounding at TM and Titleist and whilst I wouldn't suggest for one moment that he has directly lifted any designs, you'd be naïve to think that some of what he was instrumental in at those companies hasn't leaked into his own balls. I'm not sure where Snell manufactures and how costs compare to the Kirkland balls but you'd have to think it can't be too much different.

 

In any case, although I'm no expert on the US market I'm not even sure that Snell has set themselves up as a ProV1 beater, they're just another brand in a list of many.

 

The simple fact is, the KSig effect is likely to be diluted across the whole market as it's price point cuts into all levels. If they'd gone in at $25 a box, it may have had a more serious impact on Titleist and the other big boys. As they've gone in so low though, it's possible everyone will feel it. It's probably going to be toughest on the used market more than anything.

 

Anyway, like I say, its hard to feel sympathy. golf is an expensive game and almost everything about can feel overpriced. I say all hail anyone that can deliver a quality product at knock down prices.

 

Next thing will be some Far East company buys the rights to some old Ping cast moulds and bangs them out at Costco for $299...

[J13]

I was at my club today.

 

A guy who ALWAYS plays ProV1 just picked up 10 doz of these balls.

 

Three other guys have switched from ProV1 to KSig.

 

And I found one in the desert, first one. One of the guys playing behind me found another one.

 

These balls will have legs. I think the used market and off brand (Snell, OnCore, Vice, maybe Srixon) companies will see a drop in their sales, and adjust accordingly.

 

Titleist? No shot. They won't move at all, if only because the market for golf balls at the course will always be their strong suit for sales, and there are not as many Costco consumers as there are golf ball snobs who will only play the "No. 1 ball in golf."

 

Your opinion is that it won't disrupt Titleist but a known prov1 user bought ten dozen ksigs? Hmmm

[North Butte]

The stupid thing that keeps getting repeated up thread is that this ball will somehow force Titleist to lower their prices on the flagstick ProV1 range. Sure there may be 1% or even a couple percent of ProV1/ProV1x sales lost to a super cheap new substitute. That is not going to result in Titleist selling the remaining 99% of their ProV1's cheaper.

 

ProV1 is the sole brand that can charge top the top price in the market and still be the biggest seller year after year after year. Costco running off a huge batch of Korean balls to sell cheap to their members is not even a blip on Titleist's radar. The other brands duke it out with discounting, marketing, social media campaigns and whatever other gimmicks they can come up with to steal market share from each other in the non-ProV1 part of the market. Compared to all that jazz the two dozen for $30 Costco deal is a home run. But those brands are not playing the same game as Titleist.

[alexdub]

Like has been said before, the KSIG will not cause a Titleist price point shift on ProV line. Not even close to happening.

 

I could see a situation where the KSIG causes some shuffling among competitors in the $20-30 ball range, but certainly not on the premium end.

[augustgolf]

I view this discussion like supply & demand for gasoline.

 

Everyone here is commenting on how the Ksig is going to affect the US market.

 

While there is no doubt that we have led consumption of both (golf & petroleum) for years (just my opinion) the rest of the world is expanding & requiring more product.

 

I don't think Titleist will go under because of Ksig...but think back a few years-did anyone foresee Sears becoming a shadow of what it once was? Or Schlitz, or Golfsmith?

 

The point I'm trying to make is that we tend to have tunnel vision and disregard the bigger picture but the fact remains that a small disturbance has taken place & how the shock waves move out to change the landscape...no one can really say for sure.

 

It is refreshing, tho, to see an entity from outside the golf arena challenge the current undisputed market leader with a product such as the Ksig.

 

 

[North Butte]

There are small disturbances everywhere all the time. If every one of those led to shock waves changing the landscape, there would not be a landscape in the first place.

 

And BTW Costco is not likely trying to "challenge" Titleist. They are trying to sell a whole bunch of nice golf balls to their members at a super cheap price. And with any luck attract more members by doing so. It is not part of their business plan to "challenge" this or that brand of merchandise sold at golf courses.

[ltjackson]

You read it here first!

 

Ksig will make it's debut on the web.com tour this season.

[Geaux Gators]

Finally got to put the KSig to the test this past weekend and my local track and have to say I was pretty impressed with it's overall performance. I normally play the Srixon Z Star VX ball which I feel is just as good as any premium ball out there and fraction of the price. The KSig performed just as good as my Srixon and is a fraction of that price. Off the tee with driver I saw the same ball flight and same average distance. Really similar performance from long irons all the way to short irons. I compared my distances from this round via Game Golf tracking with my previous rounds with the Srixon Z Star VX and was in the same average range. From 110 yds and in with full wedge shots I was seeing one hop and stop but did manage to get her to spin back a foot on a couple of approaches. Around the greens the KSigs behaved no different than my current ball with a check up and a bit of roll out for higher pitches and good run out for the low bump and runs. Off the putter it felt firm like I’m used to.

Picture here is of my best shot of the day. This was the result from a high cut (I’m a lefty) from the left side of the fairway over trees and a blind shot to the green from 145yds out with an 8iron. One hop and stop about 6 feet from the pin. Sadly I missed the put for birdie. :(

 

All in all a great ball for an even greater price. Only stigma is shouting out “Kirkland” when a playing partner is asking what ball your playing.

 

Actually, rock bottom has xv in tour yellow for 45 for 3 dozen in the bulk ammo box. So you can get them for the same price but they come in a big ugly box with no sleeves and all number 7s

 

[fochs13]

Is there anyway to check online to see what stores have them in stock?

[J13]

Like has been said before, the KSIG will not cause a Titleist price point shift on ProV line. Not even close to happening.

 

I could see a situation where the KSIG causes some shuffling among competitors in the $20-30 ball range, but certainly not on the premium end.

 

You realize every year Titleist loses more market share right? Callaway Chrome Soft is the top selling ball in big box stores like DSG. 5 years ago if someone were to say Callaway would sell more then Titleist at big box golf sites people would have laughed myself included. My point is things change and all signs point to Titleist heading in the wrong direction in terms of ball sales. IPO offering shows Fila wants to dump stock and get some type of return and the opening was very disappointing. I currently play the Prov1x and think it's an amazing ball but there are just too many options out there nowadays to remain at the $50 price point. Look for them this year to keep the ball the same price but run more of the $39.99 promotion. They have stock holders to appease now, whole different ball game.

[DavePelz4]

Like has been said before, the KSIG will not cause a Titleist price point shift on ProV line. Not even close to happening.

 

I could see a situation where the KSIG causes some shuffling among competitors in the $20-30 ball range, but certainly not on the premium end.

 

You realize every year Titleist loses more market share right? Callaway Chrome Soft is the top selling ball in big box stores like DSG. 5 years ago if someone were to say Callaway would sell more then Titleist at big box golf sites people would have laughed myself included. My point is things change and all signs point to Titleist heading in the wrong direction in terms of ball sales. IPO offering shows Fila wants to dump stock and get some type of return and the opening was very disappointing. I currently play the Prov1x and think it's an amazing ball but there are just too many options out there nowadays to remain at the $50 price point. Look for them this year to keep the ball the same price but run more of the $39.99 promotion. They have stock holders to appease now, whole different ball game.

 

Great comment on the stock holders. When you're private you don't have to show your books to the world, don't have to detail margins, etc. Now, you'll see exactly where the revenue is coming from, where the margins are strong and the cost of endorsements which will probably be detailed as marketing expense. Costco has a very small investment in marketing costs on this ball and that is ultimately reflected in the price point.

[Mathwiz]

J13 makes a lot of sense. There is a lot more in play here than just a company entering the golf ball business with a product that competes on a excellent level with "the king of the hill" at one third the cost.

 

As far as I am concerned, a golf ball is a disposable item, much like a soft drink. If I can buy a 24 pack of the "non national advertised brand" that tastes the same and cost the same as a 6 pack of the national brand, I drink my savings, then dispose of the remains. In this case, a 5 gal bucket in my garage.

 

I've played enough golf in my time to realize there are a lot of golfers that feel the need to impress others with what is written on the cover of the ball as opposed to playing the ball best suited for their game.

 

I'm one of those guys that has absolutely zero problem saying "That one is mine......the Kirkland".

[Dpavs]

Costco won't raise prices. This a clear win for them. What will be interesting is to see how the other premium ball manufacturers like Titleist are affected in 6-12 months and if they bend to the will of Costco's price point - thereby having to lowering the prices of their stock to stay competitive. If Costco takes a large market share just by word of mouth - which means they have no ad budget - which is a huge cost to the big players - and they seem poised to do so - what happens to prices of Brand name high end golf balls? What happens to low end balls? Since you can get a premium ball now for about a buck - do the prices of all balls go down too?

 

You vastly overestimate the importance of Costco People to the larger world of golf. If cheap Korean urethane balls were going to affect Titleist's bottom line it would have done so years ago. It isn't like there were people buying ProV1's at Costco before the K-sig came out.

 

Which previously launched cheap 4 piece Korean ball that performs as well as the KSig were you referring to?

Also I kind of get what you are saying but with a large differential in price but a small differential in performance, I think that a fair percentage of golfing world will gravitate towards the much less costly solution. That's kind of economics 101 right?

[Dpavs]

I was watching a Titleist ball ad yesterday I found it interesting that they are no longer are just talking about how well their golf balls perform but are now touting how they control the manufacturing process to ensure consistency ball after ball. I think this is indicative of their recognition that the gap in ball performance has pretty much evaporated and now they need a new angle so as to keep as much market share as they can.

[Girevik]

All this technical stuff is great, but what I really what to know is where I can get a "I'd rather be driving a Kirkland" bumper sticker.