Introduction
Costco is known for its high-quality, low-cost Kirkland Signature products ranging from food to clothing to housewares. In recent years, Kirkland has made a major splash in the golf world with its line of balls, gloves and clubs. The Kirkland Signature golf balls in particular have garnered a lot of attention for offering performance similar to the popular Titleist Pro V1 at a fraction of the price.
Building on the success of the golf balls, Kirkland expanded its golf lineup in 2019 with the introduction of a 3-piece wedge set. The Kirkland Signature wedges have been a massive hit with golfers looking for premium wedge design and materials at an affordable price point.
In this article, we‘ll take a deep dive into the Kirkland Signature wedges and the company behind them. Who makes Kirkland golf clubs? How do they achieve such impressive quality and performance at their prices? Are they too good to be true or one of the best kept secrets in golf? Let‘s find out.
Costco‘s Kirkland Signature Brand
Kirkland Signature is Costco‘s private label brand, first introduced in 1995. The brand spans a wide range of product categories including groceries, household items, clothing, vitamins and supplements, and now sporting goods.
Kirkland Signature products are designed to be equal to or better than national name brands in terms of quality while selling for significantly lower prices. Costco achieves this by partnering directly with manufacturers, cutting out distributors and middlemen, streamlining packaging, and leveraging its huge retail scale. This allows Costco to sell Kirkland products at very thin margins compared to regular retail markup.
The Kirkland Signature brand has been a huge success for Costco, accounting for roughly 30% of the company‘s total sales. Kirkland products consistently receive high ratings from consumer testing groups and have a very loyal following among Costco members.
Kirkland‘s Foray into Golf
Costco first got into the golf business in 2016 with the launch of the Kirkland Signature golf ball. The ball was originally a 4-piece urethane covered ball very similar in construction and performance to the popular Titleist Pro V1. It sold for just $30 per 2-dozen pack compared to $50 per dozen for the Pro V1.
The Kirkland ball was an immediate hit, selling out instantly both in-store and online. It received rave reviews from average golfers to pros for its long distance and short game spin and feel. Many golfers compared it favorably to balls costing more than double the price.
The success of the golf balls gave Costco the confidence to further expand the Kirkland golf line. They subsequently launched golf gloves in both Cabretta leather and synthetic models, golf towels, and hats.
But the biggest launch since the balls came in 2019 with the introduction of Kirkland Signature golf clubs, starting with the 3-piece wedge set. The initial release included a putter in early 2020 and there are rumors of more club offerings on the way.
The Kirkland Wedge Set
The Kirkland Signature wedge set consists of three wedges in a classic loft progression: a 52-degree gap wedge, 56-degree sand wedge, and 60-degree lob wedge. This three wedge setup is very common and covers the needs of most golfers.
Here are the key features and specifications of the wedges:
- Forged from soft 1025 carbon steel
- Aggressive milled face with precision grooves
- Teardrop head shape with rounded leading edge
- CNC milled sole grind with heel and toe relief
- KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 steel wedge shaft
- Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip
- Right hand only in regular or stiff flex
If those specs sound familiar, it‘s because they are nearly identical to the most popular premium wedge offerings from major golf manufacturers. Titleist Vokey, Callaway Mack Daddy, and Cleveland RTX wedges all boast similar constructions and profiles – and retail for $150-$200 per wedge!
But here‘s the kicker – the Kirkland wedge set sells for just $169.99. That‘s three wedges for less than the price of one of the big brand offerings. This continues Kirkland‘s trend of delivering premium quality and performance at a significantly lower price than comparable products.
Who Makes Kirkland Golf Clubs?
So how is Costco able to bring this level of quality at such a low price? The secret is its manufacturing partner – Southern California golf equipment company All American Golf.
Founded in 2017 by a group of golf industry veterans, All American Golf specializes in direct-to-consumer clubs that offer the same materials, designs and performance as big brand equipment without the retail markup. With decades of combined experience working with major manufacturers, All American‘s team knows how to design, source and assemble clubs on par with anything else on the market.
Costco tapped All American to produce the Kirkland clubs to their exacting specifications. The clubs are designed by Costco but fully built, assembled and quality controlled by All American in their Carlsbad, California facility – the heart of the golf equipment industry.
All American‘s direct-to-consumer, cut out the middleman approach is a perfect match for Costco‘s low-margin, high-value business model. The synergy allows both companies to deliver tour-level equipment to average golfers at a previously unheard of price.
Performance and Reviews
Of course, all the specs and manufacturing partnerships in the world don‘t matter if the clubs don‘t perform on the course. Fortunately for golfers and Costco, the Kirkland wedges have been very well received.
The wedges have earned high praise from nearly everyone who has tested them, from high handicappers to single digit players. Reviewers consistently comment on the buttery soft feel at impact, high spin rates on full and partial shots, and stable, workable head shape.
Here are a few choice quotes from reviews and forum posts:
"I was blown away by the feel and performance of these wedges. I‘ve played Vokeys for years but the Kirklands are every bit as good." – SingleDigitGolfer on GolfWRX
"The Kirkland wedges offer an exceptional amount of value for the money. They feel as soft as any wedge I‘ve tested and the spin and versatility around the green is top notch." – Joel Tadman, Today‘s Golfer
"I‘ve been playing the Kirkland wedges for a few months now and I can‘t tell any difference between them and the Titleist SM7s I gamed before. They perform great and you can‘t beat the price." – HackerDude27 on Reddit
The performance and feel of the Kirkland wedges has converted many loyal big brand users. Multiple head-to-head tests against wedges like the Vokey SM7 and SM8, Callaway Mack Daddy 4 and Jaws, and Cleveland RTX 4 have shown the Kirklands to be indistinguishable in feel and performance measures.
Data from fitter and launch monitor testing show the Kirkland wedges are right on par in terms of ball speed, spin rates, launch angle, and carry and roll distances when hit side-by-side with comparable premium brand wedges. All American Golf‘s state of the art forging and milling processes and quality control standards ensure consistent, high performance in every Kirkland wedge.
Value and the Kirkland Advantage
It‘s hard to overstate how disruptive the Kirkland wedges are from a value perspective. With the full set costing less than the price of a single wedge from most major manufacturers, Costco has completely upended the perceived value equation in the wedge category.
Consider that the #1 selling wedge models from Titleist, Callaway, and TaylorMade – the Vokey SM8, Jaws Full Toe, and Milled Grind 2 – all have a base MSRP of $179-$199 per wedge. The stock shaft and grip options are comparable to those on the Kirkland wedges. But to build a 3-wedge set with those big OEM models would run over $500 compared to under $170 for the Kirklands. That kind of price discrepancy for very similar performance is hard for consumers to ignore.
So why such a massive price difference? Are the big brands price gouging or is Costco selling the Kirkland wedges at a loss?
The truth is somewhere in between but leans much more heavily to the former. The major golf club manufacturers spend massive amounts on marketing, player sponsorships and endorsement deals, and traditional retail distribution. Some estimates peg the actual hard costs to produce a typical cast wedge around $20-25. The rest is margin that goes to all the middlemen and marketing budgets.
By partnering with All American Golf and its streamlined direct-to-consumer model, Costco is able to eliminate a lot of those costs and markups. This allows them to undercut the big brands‘ prices by a huge margin while still selling the wedge set at a reasonable profit. It‘s a win-win for Costco and for golfers.
The Mental Game
Golf is rife with marketing hype and it‘s well known that purchasing decisions are heavily influenced by brand perception. Major manufacturers pour millions into creating associations between their clubs and the best players in the world. For many golfers, there is comfort and a sense of elevated status that comes with gaming the same equipment as tour pros and major winners.
But Costco is flipping this notion on its head and making golfers question whether the price premiums on major brand clubs are really worth it. The Kirkland wedges prove that performance doesn‘t have to cost a fortune. With an increasing number of golfers putting Kirklands in play, the mental calculus is changing.
Expect to see more Kirkland clubs in bags at your local course, as word gets out about their exceptional performance-to-price ratio. While some purists and brand loyalists will still scoff at the Costco clubs, the secret is out. Golf is an expensive game but it doesn‘t have to be when it comes to buying your tools.
The Bottom Line
For golfers looking to upgrade their wedges without maxing out their credit cards, it‘s hard to go wrong with the Kirkland Signature set. By partnering with a direct-to-consumer manufacturer in All American Golf, Costco has managed to bring premium wedge materials, construction, feel and performance to the masses at an unbeatable price.
The Kirkland wedges‘ biggest weakness is their lack of loft and bounce options compared to major brands‘ full lines. The 52/56/60 loft matrix is very standard and will work for most golfers, but those who prefer more speciality grinds or different bounce angles may not find what they‘re looking for in the Kirkland set. The fact that they are only available in right handed models limits their reach as well.
But for the vast majority of golfers – especially those who aren‘t looking to spend over $500 on three clubs – the Kirkland wedges are one of the best kept secrets in the game. And their value only increases when you consider Costco‘s generous return policy, which lets you try the clubs risk-free and return them if you‘re not satisfied for any reason.
All things considered, the Kirkland Signature wedges are one of the strongest entries into the golf equipment market in recent years and a boon to golfers everywhere. Costco is proving that premium performance doesn‘t require a premium price tag. That‘s a win for the consumer and a wake up call for the industry incumbents.
