In Episode 3 of the MyGolfSpy Spy vs. Spy Podcast, Owner Adam Beach and Editor Tony Covey discuss the reemergence of the Costco K-Sig 4-piece ball and Costco’s likely distribution plan moving forward. We also discuss Costco’s new 3-piece ball and what we’ve been told you can expect from a performance perspective.
Spoiler Alert: This time, you’ll probably going to get what you pay for.
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Joshua
3 years agoGot these balls decided to try them out today, they ARE JUNK. Hole one, hit one of these balls about 100 yards. I average 270 carry. What these felt like to me were rebranded driving range balls. Hole 2, I teed up a Callaway and what do you know, smashed it 270 with about 10 yards of roll.
STAY away from these balls.
Lee H
4 years agoKirkland Balls have been restocked. Bunch of pallets at my local store. Too bad it wasn’t the original though.
JD
5 years agoI just bought some of these balls and they are good for the price.
Yes they are shinney, yes they are a bit clicky, and yes they are not the same as the original. The thing that makes this a bit weird is why did they not get the new manufacturer to make this one a 4 piece ball also??? As a four-piece even with the less than great cover would be a better ball than the three piece. A bit disappointing as I was hoping the new runs would be close to the same as the old runs and that is not the case. Oh well I can use them during practice rounds etc and then pull out the Pro V1X on tournament etc rounds
Bill
5 years agoI have tried the 3 piece ball & I’m not impressed with the ball….I could putt with it, but it’s not good with the driver or irons…..
Wes Parkhurst
5 years ago3 piece K-sig is pretty good ball. Good distance on driver and ok spin around green. It is not nearly as good as 4 piece K-sig which is a very good ball. For medium to high handicapper, 3 piece K-sig is great ball and will save you money to spend after round is completed.
Fred
5 years agoInteresting. I wonder whose overruns they’re selling now?
Dave
5 years agoPlayed the 4 piece last year and really liked the ball but lack of availability sent me on a search for a new ball to play regularly so this spring I’ve got Snell, Vice, and OnCore in the bag ready to try (as soon as the snow melts)
Rich M
5 years agoPlayed a round with the 3-piece on Saturday my buddy played the 4-piece. We’re both in the single digit handicap, you could see his ball stopping much faster on the green. Distance wise he was on par with me when I usually out drive him. (It was a windy day) conclusion the ball it perfect for a higher handicap, straight as an arrow.
Steve S
5 years agoSimilar experience yesterday, except I played 2 balls; ksig 3 piece and TF gamer tour 3 piece . 10 to 15mph wind, 55F. both within 5 yards of each other. total distance the same as others I tried (I mixed in a few titliest NXT’s) Didn’t see much difference with the wind. I swing 90-93mph with my driver.
Caroline
5 years agoSteve would you agree that for the price the 3 piece is a great choice over any non=urethane ball on the market….that in it self should worry the OEM’s. Agree it is not the 4 piece when it comes to stopping power, but for us that cannot spin a ball on purpose the 3 piece does give us some stopping power over anything not urethane covered…
fozcycle
5 years agogreat discussion……and you absolutely made sure that it’s caveat emptor(let the buyer beware) on the kiss this time……the one main point that all should take away is this: Costco has zero golfball R&D. They simply put their brand on something that someone else developed and laid aside.
Wayne J Bosley
5 years agoHi Foz, i wouldn’t say laid aside,,,, that story was always odd to me and not truthful at all , the 4 piece was purpose designed and the company involved freaked out when they saw what this approach could do to the market as a whole and this “new” 3 piece is to me a work in progress but it is not bad at all , and what it isn’t this year it will probably be soon enough ,,,,, is this the beginning of the end to 2 piece surlyn balls? Cheers, Boz
B.Foster
5 years agoI received my 3piece KSIG and I’ll be honest, they suck! Its windy here in Texas and it performed terribly in the wind.
I game the Q Star Tours, Bridgestone and Chrome soft. Im not a scratch golfer by any means but I can get around the course without losing a ball, and honestly this ball sucks. I will be putting my extra dozen on ebay!
Caroline
5 years ago100% disagree, at less then $15 a dozen these balls are so much better then the HARD ROCK balls that sell for $20 a dozen or more and play as good or better then anything at $29 a dozen…PROV1 quality NO WAY, good as any tournament priced ball NO WAY…better then most less then Tour Quality balls would have to say big YES. Our foursome (14 to 30 handicap) just finished our 3rd round trying out the Kirkland 3 piece and for our games it is SUPER..now instead of running 20 yards through the green we are stopping short enough for the famous putt savers…..and they feel fantastic on short pitches.. ..I give in to you stronger 14 or less handicappers this may not be enough ball for you….
Bozzman
4 years agoUm….2 piece balls are what you are looking for in the wind not 3 piece balls, let alone a urethane covered ball that is MEANT to spin more. 4 piece balls are meant to spin slightly less than 3 piece balls off the tee in general. But if you’re looking for topflight performance… well you know where to get them i’m sure
KM
5 years agoNothing quite like the old Spaulding DOT wound ball, these balls now are all made of plastic!
Caroline
5 years agoKirkland 3 piece form China, I bet they get all the want of them and are making a buck or two on them. Spending a few hours reading through tons of manufactures in China I found a few that made golf balls and one had a 3 piece urethane covered ball at .57 cents each if you bought 10,000 or more??
P.J.
5 years agoThe 3-Piece Urethane balls are still in stock on Cosco’s website, so I ordered them. My guess is these are repackaged Maxfli U3 balls… I may have some of those laying around and will have to see how they compare on my simulator and against the original Kirkland’s 4-Piece balls. Should be interesting….
Thanks to MGS for keeping us informed about these intriguing balls.
Michael
5 years agoBought two dozen @$23 each. Shipping was $9.99. With shipping and tax came to over $61. Hope this 3 piece is as good as the original.
cxx
5 years agoYou’ll be surprised when you get 4 dozen. Otherwise you paid 2x the price.
Bill
5 years agoSame price I paid & yes that is for 4 dozen, I have 3 dozen for sale at $10/dozens plus shipping…
The ball sucks, I’ll try them when it warms up…
peter
5 years agoyou bought FOUR DOZEN FOR 61$.. EACH BOX COMES WITH TWO DOZEN.. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU POST..
mackdaddy
5 years agoOk different subject: I read in Golf Magazine that Jack Nicklaus golf company bought the magazine. That was no big deal to me BUT it said it was adding it to it’s existing golf portfolio which included Miura golf now that did shock me. When did they take over Miura? Are they going to grow the footprint of the company with more clubs? When did this happen? Tony tested them years back if I remember right, does he have any info regarding Miura?
Tim
5 years agothanks for the update. Now some observations and maybe connecting the dots. Interesting that Costco’s 4 piece ball was made at the same plant that Taylormade used, Nassau. Dean Snell former Director R&D Golf at Taylormade and THE developer of the PROV1 now has a 4 piece ball called MTB RED. Maybe all those old cores are another Snell project that TM passed on and as you say we’re used under the Costco name. Either way Snell has a great new product, along with an updated MTB Black (3 piece) that out performed the PROV1 again, doing his own R&D, and for the price the best ball out there.
Steve
5 years agoGentlemen,
You’re really over looking a very good ball by MG golf.
Their ball, the MG Tour, meets or exceeds the same spec’s as the Pro V1.
At $19.95/doz. you get an outstanding tour clone!
SLM
Gorden
5 years agoWhen I use a yellow ball (today) I use the MG C-4 in yellow..play a lot of 2, 4, even 6 man scrambles sometimes twice a week at the old men’s club. Is it as good as a PROV1…heck no, but it is ok off the tee and is better then a topflite into the greens, and and and they are cheap to leave in the lake…
Anonymous
5 years agoBoth 3 and 4-piece were available on Costco.com just last week
Bill
5 years agoI check every day & never find the 4 piece ball….
Jose
5 years agoI also remember Dunlop 65’s, Penfold, Slazenger, Dynamax.
KK
5 years agogreat podcast on Costco Kirkland golf ball. Thank you for sharing.
Jamie
5 years agoInstead of speculating, why don’t you run the 3 layer ball through a similar test as to the 4 piece and remove all doubt?
Tony Covey
5 years agoInstead of posting essentially the same comment under multiple, IDs, why don’t you chill and wait for an answer?
We have every intent of testing the 3-piece ball and while that will give us baseline ball speed, launch, and spin for comparison, it won’t tell us how the ball will perform in the wind.
We’ve discussed this ball with multiple sources – including one who told us he nearly started a ball business with the same ball (which is manufactured by Fantom in China). The cutaway is telling – it’s a thicker cover, which generally means the material isn’t as soft or as durable as what you get with most tour balls.
The expectation based on what we know is that it’s not expected to perform well in the wind, whether or not the average golfer will care, let alone even notice, is a whole other thing.
Mike
5 years agoUm….. Tony…….perhaps an anger management class would be appropriate…..YOU are the one who needs to chill…..relax with the odd commentary others post—you have done this too long to have such thin skin
Dave
5 years agoCostco sells all types off golf balls . They also sell all kinds off golf shirts. And umbrellas,golf carts, putters, three pack wedges, bags and what ever else associated with golf. Are their balls better ? The cost is so that must make the ball better.
Steve S
5 years agoJust listened to the podcast, nice job guys. Don’t think you’ll ever put to bed all the myths but it was a good shot at it. The one thing that seems strange to me was the whole “loss leader” discussion. Since they only seem to be available on line the use as a loss leader has to be almost non-existent. People don’t normally go to the website for one thing then impulse buy other stuff. Few folks are going to sign up as a member only just to get golf balls.(they’ll get their friends to get them). If Costco’s purpose was to loss leader them then they should have them in the stores ONLY. Or at least that is what one would think.
Larry
5 years agoThat sounds correct…..Golf balls do not cost as much to make as the big names want you to believe…just search companies that make golf balls in China, South Korea etc….you will find .50 cents a ball is not unheard of..anyone with the money to buy 20,000 golf balls or more can start up their own on line golf ball company, then again you know Titlist will sue you and the problem becomes can you afford to fight the suit? Most can not, but thank goodness Costco can and is….both 3 and 4 piece balls are well worth the money, have tried both…..NO they are not ProV1 quality, but if your less then a Pro golfer they do just fine…
Dave R.
5 years agoIt kills me to read the comments of amateurs who still stubbornly play Pro V1’s and pay nearly $50/dozen for them. They must have no clue that there are a bunch of balls out there that go farther and spin as well for less than half the price, and the original Kirkland is only one of them.
Pingjeff
5 years agoFWIW, some people may play a particular ball because it performs best for THEIR swing. Not all balls are the same for all players. Consistency can be a huge factor in the way a ball plays for a particular player. Case in point: my instructor, a PGA Professional is on the TM staff. He heard about the K-Sig. and ask me if I had any. I gave him a couple sleeves, and he was very impressed with the ball and how it performed. He asked me to get him a quantity of them. Flash forward: after playing them for awhile he noticed an inconsistency in balls from the same box. It happened enough that he found couldn’t rely on them to perform as well every time as the TMs he was playing. He gave them up.
Thats the Pro side. One of his students is an amateur who played in the Masters a few years ago. There are amateurs who looks for particular performance in the ball they play, that they don’t get from other balls. It’s asinine and pompous to think that amateurs won’t benefit from the performance of a particular ball. Furthermore the Pro V1s you think amateurs shouldn’t play, are always available. K-Sigs are only available when Costco wants them to be (if you listened to, and believe the comments in the podcast). What should an amateur do? Should he quit playing when they aren’t available? Should he play something else until they are? If he competes, should he play a ball that doesn’t suit him, just because it’s cheaper? Pompous asses shouldn’t be so quick to criticize other players’ equipment choices.
alex
5 years agoReading some of the reviews on golfwrx, kirkland, etc. there seems to be more positive feedback for the 3 piece than your take– it is softer than the 4 piece. Distance appears to be the same (including some who put it on trackman). Some have compared it to a Project a or Qstar tour, while others compare to Wilson Duo or Titleist Trusoft.
Buzz
5 years agoThese guys clearly have some sort of agenda, an agenda against Costco. No testing whatsoever but go out and say all kinds of negative things about the 3-piece ball…”heard” this, “heard” that….accuse Costco of trying to trick people into thinking the 3-piece ball is as good as the 4-piece ball…..either that or the consumer is too dumb to discern the difference, take your choice!
Disappointing.
Tony Covey
5 years agoGo ahead, finish your thought…what possible reason would we have for an anti-Costco agenda?
“Heard this, Heard that” as you put it isn’t the same thing as talking to sources inside Costco, well-positioned industry insiders and guys who work with the same factories Costo uses, and who are familiar with what these products are.
That said, what’s transpired with the USGA list is borderline unethical. Here’s just some of it:
Manufacturer changed from Costco to SM Global (the importer)
Spin designation of 3-piece changed from M-M to M-H
Construction designation of 4-piece changed
New 4-piece added and then removed
3-Piece added (never materialized)
More 3-piece balls added
All of it reeks of a company that has but the most minimal understanding of the products it’s selling.
Also worth a mention, the new balls are produced a different factory, which is odd to say the least.
There definitely will be a segment of consumers who see Kirkland Signature and don’t look hard enough to distinguish between the 3-piece and the 4-piece. That’s not on Costco, but that doesn’t mean it’s not valid to point out.
As we said, try the ball for yourself, and let us know what you think.
Anonymous
5 years agoThe skin on that 3 piece is sooooo thick!
Frank marlovits
5 years agoI got a dozen Kirkland sig golf balls from my brother in law.was anxious to see if it was a true performance ball.No surprise they weren’t.C operable to a srixondistance ball.get what you pay for.Teed up my e6 brig and was thirty yds beyond both balls.Then teed up a pro vi and got 5 more yds.Gonna stay away from gimmicks and stick to tried and true.
Kevin
5 years ago“Teed up my e6 Bridgestone and was 30 yards beyond both balls.” That is funny!! Going to say you finally hit one near the center of the club face.
cxx
5 years agoMaybe a urethane ball doesn’t suit your game.
Bill Wardwell
5 years agoI was not at all impressed with the initial run. My 72 yr old swing speed of 87 mph found no advantages over the Pro V1x I normally play. ALSO: I found the “hot” ball (advertised as being illegal for USGA play) offered by MG Golf for swing speeds under 90 mph to be a bummer. It was NOT longer than the Pro V1x and, in fact, was 5 to 10 yds shorter despite “not being in compliance with USGA regs”. Sticking with the Pro V1x.
Steve S
5 years agoI agree with Bill. I found that they were no better than the ProV1x or the 5 piece Taylormade(can’t remember the name). Distance, spin, etc. were all the same. The Kirkland’s were VASTLY SUPERIOR in one aspect…PRICE. Which was the point after all.
Alex Fong
5 years agoIf u expected the K Sig to outperform the Pro V1, then u did not read the tests correctly. Although they were not exactly identical in the performance data, they are so close that they would play identically except for driver distance. If you have the speed and contact to carry a Pro V1 249 yds, then u will see about 10 yds more with K Sig. It takes about 110 mph to carry 250 yds. 90 gets u about 200. For you, and me, the K Sig will give equal performance for 1/3 the cost. The only drawback is a bit less durability and branding, if that’s important to you.
Anonymous
5 years agoIt was good while it lasted.
Rene
5 years agoGood work and thanks for the info.
Anonymous
5 years agoIs the podcast posted on ITunes? I cant find it there.
Drew Isaacman
5 years agoThe old 4-piece ball had a definite seam on the cover. The new 3-piece ball looks like it does not. True?
SImms
5 years agoHold that kirkland 4 piece up against a Taylormade LDP red…look similar…a 10 year old golf ball cover pattern with an updated softer core…..
McaseyM
5 years agosometimes it amazes me that people are getting pissed that the K-Sig balls aren’t the same as last year’s. They buy in bulk when they can and when the sell them out, they move on to find something new and hopefully comparable. They were never a part of the manufacturing, so they will not be the same as last time. They got a smoking deal, moved on it, turned out to be awesome for golfers, but now that they can’t land those same ones, they try to fill the void with something else.
it happens with most of their products, and that’s why they only carry certain things at great deals for a short time
Anonymous
5 years agoWhat’s messed up is Kirkland won’t distinguish the two when buying them now. So I’ll just play the last two dozen original 4 piece and consider it a fun fad.
Anonymous
5 years agothe box says “Three-Piece” or “Four-Piece” and the price is different.
Anonymous
5 years agook but there is/has been a big re-sale market. How is the ball itself ID’d differently?
ben
5 years ago4 Piece says tour performance, 3 piece says performance+ The print is much finer on the 4 piece as well. The 3 piece looks a bit blurry.
Anonymous
5 years ago4pc is labeled tour performance/ 3pc is labeled performance plus or performance +
rick hammel
5 years agoThat’s like saying BMW’s are a fad because they don’t distinguish between their models. SMGDH. You can’t read the difference between “3 piece and 4 piece?” One box is black, one is silver. There’s diagrams showing the construction. Golf might be over your head if you can’t distinguish between the two balls.
Simms
5 years agoJust in from playing both of them in a scramble today….4 piece is the same as the ones I had in my bag, 3 piece is better then I would have thought….why would anyone buy a ball for more then $12 a dozen of this quality with a urethane to boot…..any ball less then the majors top pro balls are defiantly out classed here…..
Anonymous
5 years agoIf only we could get them in Costco here in Canada
Loopy
5 years agoI think you can only get them on their website, not in stores/warehouses.
Anonymous
5 years agoI’m playing the 3 piece cant complain
shortside
5 years agoSimply put. They lost me and my Costco membership. Too much of a hassle to buy. I actually have other things to do besides chasing down a golf ball that’s out of stock.
That said they did get me to look harder at the newer entries. I’ve tried a handful of them and been impressed. Vice ProSoft & Cut Grey leading the way in my bag for now. Though I must add Vice has regular availability issues with lime green on their site at the volume rate.
Gorden
5 years agoI liked the 4 piece Kirkland, and when I ran out of them I bought 6 dozen Cut 4 piece….the Kirkland was a better ball as far as short game spin for me, but the Cut ball holds up better and driver distance is the same…My wife is using the Kirkland 3 piece and says it works great for her, she has used the Callaway Supersoft a couple years now and says the Kirkland 3 piece chips and putts much better..(it is the Urethane cover dear)
Bobby
5 years agoI picked up 4 dozen the other day on their website, the 4-layer version. Got them the other day in the mail. I have to say to the touch they feel exactly like a ProV1. Tacky and soft. Can’t wait to take them out and hit them around the course. I think these are the 2017 version that you guys tested last year. I will say that I feel lucky to get some!
Kenny B
5 years agoLast week I played the new 3-piece ball alongside the original KSig 4-piece ball. The new ball felt softer (I would put it in the Wilson Duo category), had less spin, and didn’t fly as far for me as the old ball. It is a tough little sucker though!! I could play 3 rounds with the 3-piece ball and it would look better than the original KSig after one round!
Johnny Penso
5 years agoI’m sorry but I find that hard to believe. 3 rounds with one ball? Who can keep from losing a ball for 3 rounds?…lol. What is this magic?
Anonymous
5 years agoLove the 4 piece
Bill
5 years agoI like the 4 piece as well as much as the ProV1x, then after the price difference the Ksig is fantastic, at least 3 dozen for the price od 1 !
Haven’t tried the 3 piece no rush when the 4 piece is so good.
Anonymous
5 years agoill test some if you wanna send me some in perth haha
D.A.
5 years agoList of golf balls available for play in the early 70s….Titleist, Spalding & Spalding Top Flight, Wilson, Hogan, Acushnet (Club Special) Maxfli (Blue Max) If there were more my memory fails me. 2018 the list can be mind boggling. No doubt the Kirkland Balls are good enough for a 68 year old with a 10 Hcap at my club if I pick the low compression ball. No doubt Kirkland Balls gotta be much better than the 70s list. Kirkland will have a tough time replacing the Srixon Soft Feel that I hit. I will try one out when I find one on the course. Hmmmm that old Club Special was a good ball! Good video fellas. Keep up the good work!!
Boyo
5 years agoYou forgot the old Kro-Flite’s!
Bob Pegram
5 years agoAnd also forgot the Ram surlyn covered golf balls (as well as the Jack Nicklaus balls, the Spalding Dots, Royal balls, etc.).
James
5 years agoSorry, you won’t find one on the course. They go so straight they are never lost. You’ll just have to man up and buy a dozen.
Mike
5 years agoYou forgot the Penfold Aces, had Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs.
Made in England so maybe you did not get them in the USA.
Max
5 years agoFrom what I heard (perhaps Im wrong) the first round of Costco balls that everyone fell in love with were actually Taylor Made balls that were made at the factory, but were rejected by Taylor Made for quality reasons (similar to clothes at TJ Maxx. To most people, theres no difference but the Brand didnt want to seel them at retail). Costco got a deal on a “lot” of balls from the manufacturer, slapped the Kirkland name on them, and sold them in their stores.
However, that also meant that the first issue of Kirkland balls was going to be lightning in a bottle, unless Costco got lucky with another ball manufacturer and got a nother “lot” of overruns, irregulars, etc. If they’re paying a manufacturer to produce balls and trying to charge Costco prices, I doubt very seriously that they’re going to be as good as that first batch
El
5 years agowere rejected by Taylor Made for quality reasons
So the K-Sig to ProV testing originally done here was bunk?
Many, many people have played the ball. Some like it – some don’t.
But there has been NO HINT of it being less than a quality product.
No way in the world Costco’s going to risk their reputation by selling reject ANYTHINGS to make a few dollars.
Daniel B
5 years agoI love the 4 piece, but I found the new 3 piece to be very clicky, good distance, but not a fan around and on the green. #ksig4life