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

[soregongolfer]

> @chisag said:

> > @"North Butte" said:

> > I spent a three-day weekend doing side by side comparisons of K3, K-Sig and AVX. The K3 spun back off greens a couple times after full short iron or wedge shots. It was blown around noticeably (compared to the other two balls) in a 10-15mph wind. The AVX was nigh immune to headwinds or crosswinds of that strength, the K-Sig was only slightly affected and the K3 was affected more than twice as much as K-Sig.

>

>

> ... I am with you. K3 just spins to much for me. Not that I notice ballooning or atrocious wind performance although certainly not as good in the wind as my gamer TP5x, but full shots spin back much more than any ball I play including TP5x, Z Star, Maxfli Tour X and K4. Perfect ball for my wife though, who needs more spin and added about 10yds to her tee shots now averaging around 210 up from 200.

>

> ... Speaking of Kirkland balls, I was shocked to see in my Costco magazine that only 7% of members played golf. So while us forum members are so very interested in Kirklands balls, 93% of Costco members are not. No wonder thy are not a priority for Costco.

>

 

How do they know 7% of their members are golfers. They've never asked me.

[BIG STU]

> @Myherobobhope said:

> > @Girevik said:

> > > @"Joe S" said:

> > > > @jpdx said:

> > > > > @"Joe S" said:

> > > > > **** included the Kirkland 3 piece in their 2019 Golf Ball Buyers Guide. https://****.com/most-wanted-golf-ball/ They basically came to the same conclusions that the posters on this forum have. That it has very high spin off the wedges and irons. Consequently it is significantly shorter on full iron shots. But still one of the longer balls off of the driver. It also had some consistency issues. They rated it in the "Good" (middle) category and say that is the number 2 ball for value.

> > > >

> > > > what was #1?

> > > >

> > >

> > > The Snell MTB-X was the number one Value Ball.

> >

> > At anywhere from double to triple the price of the Kirkland, depending on how many you order? Maybe it IS that much better, but I doubt my game is good enough to tell the difference. Now if someone can find a better ball in the $15/doz price range, then I'm all ears. Until then, I'd rather lose a $1 ball than a $2 or $3 ball.

>

> For me, my swing speed is high enough and spin is a big enough problem that I'm moving away from them... They certainly weren't my ONLY problem on the course, but they weren't helping... After digging through the results, I'm trying the MG C4 Tour. At $19.99 a dozen, I'm hoping they check off most of my boxes. I'm happily giving the 2 dozen Kirkland I have in my garage to my dad. I still think they are a great value ball and should work for most golfers... They might work better for me again once I get fit for a driver, but right now, I'd rather spend an extra $7 a dozen than $500 on a new driver!

 

That MG C-4 Tour is a good ball especially for the price

[jpdx]

> @soregongolfer said:

> > @chisag said:

> > > @"North Butte" said:

> > > I spent a three-day weekend doing side by side comparisons of K3, K-Sig and AVX. The K3 spun back off greens a couple times after full short iron or wedge shots. It was blown around noticeably (compared to the other two balls) in a 10-15mph wind. The AVX was nigh immune to headwinds or crosswinds of that strength, the K-Sig was only slightly affected and the K3 was affected more than twice as much as K-Sig.

> >

> >

> > ... I am with you. K3 just spins to much for me. Not that I notice ballooning or atrocious wind performance although certainly not as good in the wind as my gamer TP5x, but full shots spin back much more than any ball I play including TP5x, Z Star, Maxfli Tour X and K4. Perfect ball for my wife though, who needs more spin and added about 10yds to her tee shots now averaging around 210 up from 200.

> >

> > ... Speaking of Kirkland balls, I was shocked to see in my Costco magazine that only 7% of members played golf. So while us forum members are so very interested in Kirklands balls, 93% of Costco members are not. No wonder thy are not a priority for Costco.

> >

>

> How do they know 7% of their members are golfers. They've never asked me.

 

didn't ask me either.

[mokedaddy]

> @soregongolfer said:

> > ... Speaking of Kirkland balls, I was shocked to see in my Costco magazine that only 7% of members played golf. So while us forum members are so very interested in Kirklands balls, 93% of Costco members are not. No wonder thy are not a priority for Costco.

> >

>

> How do they know 7% of their members are golfers. They've never asked me.

 

If your name is on a membership, rest assured they know everything about you.

 

[soregongolfer]

> @mokedaddy said:

> > @soregongolfer said:

> > > ... Speaking of Kirkland balls, I was shocked to see in my Costco magazine that only 7% of members played golf. So while us forum members are so very interested in Kirklands balls, 93% of Costco members are not. No wonder thy are not a priority for Costco.

> > >

> >

> > How do they know 7% of their members are golfers. They've never asked me.

>

> If your name is on a membership, rest assured they know everything about you.

>

 

It is and I've never received a questionaire from them lol. They know I buy a lot of dog food though.

[North Butte]

Perhaps you'd be surprised what Google, Costco, Apple, Amazon and a few other vendors can deduce about you. Especially if several of them put their heads together. Figuring out golfers vs. non-golfers would be easy as such things go.

[mokedaddy]

Data mining is the probably largest industry most people don’t know about.

[soregongolfer]

> @"North Butte" said:

> Perhaps you'd be surprised what Google, Costco, Apple, Amazon and a few other vendors can deduce about you. Especially if several of them put their heads together. Figuring out golfers vs. non-golfers would be easy as such things go.

 

I wouldn't be surprised at all with either Google or Amazon mining my data. They're internet based after all. Costco isn't and I've never received a questionaire from them. Sure they can track what I buy, but that doesn't give a clear picture. I could buy golf balls as gifts and not play at all. Would that alone make me a golfer per their data? Would they consider me a non-golfer because I don't purchase golf items at my local Costco (which stocks virtually nothing golf related)? Their number is an estimation at best.

[Hateto3Putt]

> @soregongolfer said:

> > @mokedaddy said:

> > > @soregongolfer said:

> > > > ... Speaking of Kirkland balls, I was shocked to see in my Costco magazine that only 7% of members played golf. So while us forum members are so very interested in Kirklands balls, 93% of Costco members are not. No wonder thy are not a priority for Costco.

> > > >

> > >

> > > How do they know 7% of their members are golfers. They've never asked me.

> >

> > If your name is on a membership, rest assured they know everything about you.

> >

>

> It is and I've never received a questionaire from them lol. They know I buy a lot of dog food though.

 

Ever buy a golf glove at Costco? Maybe a golf umbrella?

[mokedaddy]

> @soregongolfer said:

> I wouldn't be surprised at all with either Google or Amazon mining my data. They're internet based after all. Costco isn't and I've never received a questionaire from them. Sure they can track what I buy, but that doesn't give a clear picture. I could buy golf balls as gifts and not play at all. Would that alone make me a golfer per their data? Would they consider me a non-golfer because I don't purchase golf items at my local Costco (which stocks virtually nothing golf related)? Their number is an estimation at best.

 

You don’t think Costco buys that data from outside sources and profiles every one of their members?

 

 

[torbill]

> @mokedaddy said:

> > @soregongolfer said:

> > I wouldn't be surprised at all with either Google or Amazon mining my data. They're internet based after all. Costco isn't and I've never received a questionaire from them. Sure they can track what I buy, but that doesn't give a clear picture. I could buy golf balls as gifts and not play at all. Would that alone make me a golfer per their data? Would they consider me a non-golfer because I don't purchase golf items at my local Costco (which stocks virtually nothing golf related)? Their number is an estimation at best.

>

> You don’t think Costco buys that data from outside sources and profiles every one of their members?

>

>

Do you have evidence of this? Or are you imagining the possibility of it?

 

[mokedaddy]

Why would I need evidence? It’s not against the law.

[snagy2000]

I miss the good ol'days when all we talked about was wine, beef jerky, pot pies and occasionally golf balls...All this techie stuff is boring... #BigBrotherIsAlwaysWatching

[torbill]

> @mokedaddy said:

> Why would I need evidence? It’s not against the law.

 

So, what you are saying is that you have no evidence to support your speculation that Costco buys outside data and profiles everyone of its members, but it is OK to state it because you aren't breaking in any law. Fine, got it.

 

[mokedaddy]

> @torbill said:

> > @mokedaddy said:

> > Why would I need evidence? It’s not against the law.

>

> So, what you are saying is that you have no evidence to support your speculation that Costco buys outside data and profiles everyone of its members, but it is OK to state it because you aren't breaking in any law. Fine, got it.

>

 

I don’t think that is what I said at all.

 

 

[North Butte]

Costco says 7% of their customers are golfers. Do you think they just make that number up?

 

No, that information comes from somewhere and it’s not from your membership form.

 

Therefore they are gathering data to determine the characteristics of their customer, including the proportion of golfers. QED.

[Girevik]

Or maybe they just sent a survey to x% of customers and extrapolated the results. Not everything is a conspiracy.

[Twism86]

If I sneeze near my phone I see ads for cold medicine on Fb and Instagram.Costco knows if you read their circulate on the crapper or on the train. If you even look at the K3 online, they know.......

[mokedaddy]

No conspiracy needed. As a matter of fact it is done right out in the open, most people just don’t know.

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10625-businesses-collecting-data.html

[North Butte]

> @Girevik said:

> Or maybe they just sent a survey to x% of customers and extrapolated the results. Not everything is a conspiracy.

 

Nobody's talking about "conspiracy". Large businesses gather as much information as possible and collate it to target their desired customers.

 

For an outfit the size and reach of Costco, sending out a survey (either to a subset or the entire customer based) would be a ridiculously weak source of data. Not everyone would send it back, the people who do send back surveys are fundamentally different than those who don't and the answers someone gives on a survey are not necessarily consonant with their actual behavior.

 

Even without sharing data outside the organization, Costco knows every single detail (time, place, price, other items bought, the list goes on and on) of every single purchase of a customer base who tend to stay members for years on end. Then they add to that shared or purchased information from external sources. And they do it on a scale most people can't really relate to. They certainly don't need to send out surveys to know everything they need to know about customers. Estimating the proportion of golfers is a drop in the bucket.

[theunartist]

Kirkland was rated **#2 Value Ball 2019** on the latest "Golf Ball Buyer's Guide" by MGS however did you know MGS also said this about Kirkland 3pc ball,

> "While that’s perfectly fine for a **Mickey Mouse ball**, with the price holding at 2/$30, the next Costco Kirkland Signature Golf Ball is shaping up to be a hell of a lot less exciting and impactful than the original..." in **2017**.

Same author same ball but darn, such different results? Makes you wonder if this is the case of the Tail wagging the Dog... Fill in the blanks for article: ____/2018-costco-signature-golf-ball/

 

I play the Kirkland 3pc, for me it's shorter off the driver and longer through the irons, which I know is opposite the MGS test. But by shorter or longer, I'm talking about "pocket change", it doesn't really amount to more than a percentage or 2. With a well struck driver the Kirkland will not launch any higher than most urethane balls but I've found driver misses will often lead to ballooning and excessive spin. Irons are moderately longer through the bag and misses are not punished as much as driver misses. An all around good urethane ball for about as low as you can get, and the best part, if you're not all happy with the ball, Costco will accept returns and issue a refund. There's no ball out there with that kind of backing!!!

 

 

[theunartist]

> @"North Butte" said:

> Costco says 7% of their customers are golfers. Do you think they just make that number up?

>

> No, that information comes from somewhere and it’s not from your membership form.

>

> Therefore they are gathering data to determine the characteristics of their customer, including the proportion of golfers. QED.

 

Unless you're paying cash for every transaction you make, whether golf related, groceries, shoes, etc., you're tracked. Also, websites have ways of tracking what you look at and for how long. We're all in the system!!!

[North Butte]

> @theunartist said:

> > @"North Butte" said:

> > Costco says 7% of their customers are golfers. Do you think they just make that number up?

> >

> > No, that information comes from somewhere and it’s not from your membership form.

> >

> > Therefore they are gathering data to determine the characteristics of their customer, including the proportion of golfers. QED.

>

> Unless you're paying cash for every transaction you make, whether golf related, groceries, shoes, etc., you're tracked. Also, websites have ways of tracking what you look at and for how long. We're all in the system!!!

 

I doubt he could get by with it nowadays but my late father had no credit cards, paid with cash for literally anything that could be paid for with cash, did not have a mobile phone and never read or typed anything on the Internet in his entire life. He was probably as "not in the system" as it's possible to be.

 

Yet still...

He and I have the same initials and lived in the same town so somehow I still get junk mail solicitations with my address but his name, for products that only he would ever be interested in. Looks like he was just enough "in the system" to get lumped in together with me as one composite "target". It still happens and he's been dead for many years.

[chisag]

> @Girevik said:

> Or maybe they just sent a survey to x% of customers and extrapolated the results. Not everything is a conspiracy.

 

... Exactly. It was a member poll asking members what was their favorite activity. It did not say how many contributed to these numbers. I just found it interesting.

 

21% Running, walking, hiking

20% Water activities

12% Biking

10% Gardening

7% Golf and Racket sports

 

 

[torbill]

> @chisag said:

> > @Girevik said:

> > Or maybe they just sent a survey to x% of customers and extrapolated the results. Not everything is a conspiracy.

>

> ... Exactly. It was a member poll asking members what was their favorite activity. It did not say how many contributed to these numbers. I just found it interesting.

>

> 21% Running, walking, hiking

> 20% Water activities

> 12% Biking

> 10% Gardening

> 7% Golf and Racket sports

>

>

 

I would have guessed that it was a simple survey.

 

OTOH Costco, more than most, needs to have a good view of its customer interests, as it stocks so few SKU#. I am guessing that, however they do it, it is more about aggregate data than detailed personal data. The reason I say this is that I don’t ever recall Costco targeting my individual preferences when I use their web site or when I am in the store or when I get mailings from them.

 

 

[soregongolfer]

> @Hateto3Putt said:

> > @soregongolfer said:

> > > @mokedaddy said:

> > > > @soregongolfer said:

> > > > > ... Speaking of Kirkland balls, I was shocked to see in my Costco magazine that only 7% of members played golf. So while us forum members are so very interested in Kirklands balls, 93% of Costco members are not. No wonder thy are not a priority for Costco.

> > > > >

> > > >

> > > > How do they know 7% of their members are golfers. They've never asked me.

> > >

> > > If your name is on a membership, rest assured they know everything about you.

> > >

> >

> > It is and I've never received a questionaire from them lol. They know I buy a lot of dog food though.

>

> Ever buy a golf glove at Costco? Maybe a golf umbrella?

 

Of course. It doesn't prove I'm a golfer as I mentioned earlier. I buy my dad a case of his favorite beer on his birthday. I don't drink myself. Does buying him beer make me a beer drinker? Of course not. Whatever numbers they get are estimations. Also, it turns out the 7% number came from a questionaire.

[soregongolfer]

> @"North Butte" said:

> Costco says 7% of their customers are golfers. Do you think they just make that number up?

>

> No, that information comes from somewhere and it’s not from your membership form.

>

> Therefore they are gathering data to determine the characteristics of their customer, including the proportion of golfers. QED.

 

Apparently it came from a survey that I didn't receive as I have already stated.

[DavePelz4]

> @snagy2000 said:

> I miss the good ol'days when all we talked about was wine, beef jerky, pot pies and occasionally golf balls...All this techie stuff is boring... #BigBrotherIsAlwaysWatching

 

I was SHOCKED to see the Chef's Cut jerky is no longer stocked in our Costco. Although the KS jerky was pretty solid.

 

You're welcome Snagy.

[Girevik]

Here's the article in the online magazine: http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201905/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=2&folio=30#pg33

 

The subtitle is "Costo members **share** what gets them out" (emphasis mine). In the lower right hand corner there's a comment to watch for the poll on Facebook. No data mining here, just a simple online poll users can fill out for fun.

 

I have no doubt they have access to plenty of data, and 100% know what's been bought with each membership card, but they wouldn't put the results of data mining in a magazine for all the world to see.

 

Oh, and it's been far too long since I've had a Costco pot pie.

[adklee]

> @Girevik said:

> Oh, and it's been far too long since I've had a Costco pot pie.

 

Mmm....pot pie. Dang it, it's not even close to lunch time yet. (PST)