Are lower end golf brands finally catching up?

[jsgolfer]

I used Powerbilt clubs back in the early 80's.

[WUTiger]

I used Powerbilt clubs back in the early 80's.

Powerbilt clubs were made by the Hillerich & Bradsbury company in Louisville, KY. H&B; makes Louisville Slugger bats and baseball gloves. H&B; started making golf clubs in 1916, and eventually created a separate Powerbilt division. During the 1960s up to the 1980s I saw a lot of PowerBilt golf clubs, especially in drivers and woods.

In 8th grade, I weighed about 110 lbs., and bought a used set of Powerbilt women's 1, 3, 4 and 5W from the club  pro for $15. Because of my size, they worked quite well.

Later in HS, I got some Wilson Staff 1, 2, 3, 4W set that I used until my early 20s when I switched to stiff shafts overall.

The PowerBilt woods such as the Citations were good solid clubs, and held their own against MacGregor and Wilson. Fuzzy Zoeller still played Powerbilt clubs into the early 2000s.

GolfWRX website had an interview circa 2007 with the Powerbilt president, but I couldn't tell from text what PB's longterm plans are in golf.

[inthehole]

Dunlap must have more of a presence in the UK - Lee Westwood's shirts always have the Dunalp logo.   I have never seen a new Dunlap golf club in the USA.    I've played their budget LOCO golf balls - actually better than most budget balls I've played.

[SavvySwede]

Dunlap must have more of a presence in the UK - Lee Westwood's shirts always have the Dunalp logo.   I have never seen a new Dunlap golf club in the USA.    I've played their budget LOCO golf balls - actually better than most budget balls I've played.

I cracked a new LOCO once during a regular round, warm weather. Put a great swing on it and it just dropped like a rock about 70 yards short of where it should have gone.

I think Dunlops best strategy to get back into higher end golf products would be to start in the shaft business. They still make a lot of high quality tennis rackets so I would figure their graphite R&D; is still cutting edge.

[Hammer 4]

Dunlap must have more of a presence in the UK - Lee Westwood's shirts always have the Dunalp logo.   I have never seen a new Dunlap golf club in the USA.    I've played their budget LOCO golf balls - actually better than most budget balls I've played.

They have a HUGE following all over the world for their Motorcycle road racing tires, or tyre's as they say abroad..I use but tons of their tires, but I seriously doubt I'd buy any of their golf stuff..

[95124hacker]

XXIO is the 2nd most popular brand in Japan (so I've read), and is owned by Dunlop.

Lately, I've been exploring the Japanese OEM's and have assembled my own Japanese bag.  Once I receive all the clubs I've ordered, I'll post a WITB photo.

[jsgolfer]

XXIO is the 2nd most popular brand in Japan (so I've read), and is owned by Dunlop.

Lately, I've been exploring the Japanese OEM's and have assembled my own Japanese bag.  Once I receive all the clubs I've ordered, I'll post a WITB photo.

Not sure the XXIO are lower end, the driver on TGW is $599.

[Mahonie]

Srixon took over the management of Dunlop UK in Japan in the 1960s.

[JoePete]

The problem for most brands is that they are bought and sold by parent companies, which most often, have little understanding of quality golf equipment. That's how you see Dunlop, Spalding, Ram and others rise and fall. Even Titleist, while its ball line has always been strong has seen fluctuations in its equipment. I think the major distinguishing factor when comparing low and high end isn't research and development - Sorry golf equipment has not changed that much (even though it seems like it has) and if there was ever some break through that did make a change, the USGA would be all over it. No, the real difference is in quality and the consistency that comes from it. The top manufacturers build to rather tight tolerances. Whether you are talking a well matched set of irons of a dozen golf balls that all fly the same way, that kind of precision requires money and that is why two clubs looking very similar can be priced so differently. Even when the components in two different clubs come from the same factory (in China) how they are finished and assembled have a huge impact.