By now you’ve probably heard (and possibly experienced) that Costco has an issue with its latest foray into the golf ball business. I predicted that the cover of the new Performance One ball would likely be its undoing, and while it pains me to admit I got the why part of it wrong (it was way thinner than I thought it would be), the cover is most definitely a problem.
We initially became suspicious when the cover of the first ball we cut peeled off far too easily. At the same time, social media and golf forums became saturated with photos of new Kirkland balls with covers split in various places. One user reported tearing 6 balls over the course of 18 holes. Comparisons were made to balata balls.
That ain’t good, and Costco not only knows it; it has already done something about it.
Yesterday afternoon, Costco responded to the problem by issuing full refunds (including shipping) to everyone who purchased the balls. Customers don’t need to request the refund specifically, and Costco isn’t asking that the balls be returned. That’s the absolute right and best way to handle the problem.
The cause of the problem appears to be twofold. First, there looks to be a bonding issue between the urethane cover and the casing layer. That separation would make the cover more prone to cutting and splitting, which is exactly what golfers experienced.
BUYER BEWARE: The NEW Kirkland 4-piece cover
Performance results will be released next week. pic.twitter.com/5yfu8jarNu
— MyGolfSpy (@MyGolfSpy) September 20, 2019
More pressing and likely more difficult to resolve is what appears to be a crosslinking problem. Keeping this really simple; crosslinking is a part of the process for constructing injected TPU golf ball covers. Among other things, it’s responsible for increasing cover durability, more specifically, thin cover durability. The problem for Costco and SM Parker (Costco’s supplier) is that Bridgestone and Callaway control most of the intellectual property around the crosslinking of urethane golf ball covers. Licensing that IP (assuming the option was even on the table) would push the cost of the ball past Costco’s $15 price point. The prevailing suspicion inside the industry is that the factory may have attempted to navigate around those patents and in doing so, produced a cover that doesn’t hold up.
Design flaws notwithstanding, fans of Costco are applauding the move (and loving their free golf balls), and while issuing refunds was obviously the right thing to do (and more than others have done with problematic ball batches), owning your mistakes and doing right by your customers is, to borrow from Chris Rock, what you’re supposed to do – even if not everyone does it.
Making it right is one thing, but it’s more than reasonable to wonder how a golf ball that doesn’t hold up to being hit with a golf club ever made it to consumers.
Every factory has Quality Control processes in place, and while some are no doubt better than others, it’s also glaringly obvious that those checks sometimes, maybe even often, fail. In the best of scenarios, direct to consumer and house brands have internal QC processes to validate the product they receive from their factories. In other cases – as is the case here – a critical piece of the quality control process was apparently left to the consumer.
That’s not cool.
I love a good deal as much as the next guy, but this issue and others in the direct to consumer space are enough to make one wonder if a good portion of the DTC market falls on the wrong side of the line between inexpensive and cheap. Is a discount ball really a bargain?
The answer is no doubt different for every golfer, and it may depend on exactly how one defines bargain, but if you’re serious enough about your game that you can assign a value (whether it’s in dollars, frustration, or pride) to every stroke saved or wasted on the course, it might be time to rerun the calculations to figure out what you’re saving and what you’re losing by playing a golf ball where quality control isn’t a more significant part of the equation.
Joey
1 year agoI finally had the chance to use my defective Costco balls.Played 16 holes after losing one on the 2nd hole.No marks from me on the cover but I have a slow swing speed.My buddy used his with a killer swing and never cut or tore the cover at all. On a good note, I was checking up on the greens with short irons and pitch shots ,and thats coming from with a sweeper swing.Must have gotten a good production lot.
Brad
1 year agoWhen will Callaway issue a refund for there out of whack Chrome Soft golf balls? Who cares about a 50 Million dollar investment!
Bob Ferguson
1 year agoI’ve played three rounds with the new balls and have found no problems…they spin well and also have good distance. I appreciated the refund…am now playing with free balls.
Regis
1 year agoMany years ago AE had a program that if you purchased a product on their card and it was lost or stolen AE would replace it. Some creative soul submitted a claim with receipts for the 5; dozen balls he lost over the course of a season. AE paid the claim and promptly changed the rules of the program
Mark Mckenna
1 year agoI just used the new 4 piece ball today. I’m a 7 handicap and I played the ball all 18 holes. The cover did not tear off or get gouged.I hit a thin pitching wedge and looked at the ball and it had a tiny line it but no tear.I see that same line on Titelist ,Taylormade and Bridgestone when I hit thin shots. The distance was good and it spun just fine. I’m assuming there is some quality control here with the factory but my 4 piece ball performed great. The more I play with them I’ll report more.
Those pics look pretty damning and I’m sure Costco realized there is a major problem. My experience was good but I’ll see what happens when I keep playing them. Great customer service to give a refund immediately.
Gunter Eisenberg
1 year agoCostco’s return policies are very very liberal and generous. I have a cousin who works in loss prevention since the early 90s (still does that job) and he told me he would buy a stereo or other electronics and would return it when an updated model is released, no questions asked. He bought a color tv when it had a CRT at the time over 20 years ago and kept trading it in at no cost which eventually became a 4K flatscreen today.
Karlton Uhm
1 year agoCostco always does the right thing. I know haters will laugh at those golfers buying golf balls at Costco with the ‘5-gallon jar of mayonaise’ but the Kirkland Signature is a premium Costco brand. It’s a great customer service and guarantees to buy anything at Costco.
Greg
1 year agoI have never used a Kirkland and your reports say that they are not far off at producing a decent golf ball.
We need them to keep trying as competition is good and will eventually bring better quality golf balls and lower price points.
We have already seen hat goes on in the golf ball industry with your previous reports on balls being out of balance.
Your accurate reporting of golf equipment is good for us all not just pro golfers who get to select and don’t pay. The consumer is sovereign and wants what the pay for. Kirkland have refunded money for goods not fit for purpose.
Good on them. I have bought stuff that was not fit for purpose and never saw one cent return.
Tony Perrault
1 year agoCostco takes back any product with which you are not completely satisfied. I returned some Puma golf shoes where the sole was separating in what appeared to be a flaw in construction. Sometimes I wonder how Costco stays in business with such a liberal return policy. Mistakes happen, and it’s nice to see businesses taking responsibility and doing the right thing by their customers. Costco’s actions mean that golfers will give the Kirkland Signature golf ball a chance the next time it comes out.
Separately, I now buy and use the Kirkland Signature golf glove that they sell in 3-packs. Costco used to sell the Callaway 3-packs. The Kirkland Signature golf glove is just as good as the Callaway glove it replaced. Costco got that one right.
Drew
1 year agoMade in China strikes again.
rick
1 year agoguess where your driver was made?
HardcoreLooper
1 year agoLooking at Costco’s historical performance, it looks like doing the right thing is also the right thing for the bottom line. They really make their money on the memberships, although I still wonder how that keeps them afloat with what must be razor-thin margins.
Rick Nguyen
1 year agoYou said it Tony. Costco absolutely did the right thing. And they did it quick! Not too many companies out there care about customer satisfaction the way they do. I’m sure they will be back with a better offering soon. Agree with you on the QA part. I’m sure that’s being addressed.
MIGregB
1 year agoBecause of the negative comments and feedback on MGS about the ball cover, I decided to return my 4 dozen last Monday before having put any into play. This morning I received the Costco email stating that they apologize for me having to return the balls AND they’re sending me a gift card equal to the original purchase price. So I returned them for refund (they acknowledged the refund) AND I’m getting the gift card. Costco is awesome!!!