Kirkland (Costco) Premium Golf Ball

[jsgolfer]

Got my email from Costco for my order.  The website is extremely slow right now.  But I'm still showing the golf balls as being available.

[rmenary]

I got a call back from Costco. Guy said you are the 40th person that I have talked to about these balls. He said yes, the reason the site is so bogged down is 100% the balls. 

[jsgolfer]

28 minutes ago, rmenary said:

I got a call back from Costco. Guy said you are the 40th person that I have talked to about these balls. He said yes, the reason the site is so bogged down is 100% the balls. 

Did you try the workaround I mentioned.  You can order the balls that way and not wait for the site to come up, as the balls still show as out-of-stock.

[Blackjack Don]

This should be a case study for Harvard Business School and Golf Crap Marketing Inc.

 

[rmenary]

Out of stock again.

 

[cnl390]

I did the workaround and got order my order confirmation @ 12:10 Central Time

[Club Rat]

Quote

Costco Tight-Lipped About Its Wildly Popular Golf Balls

As reported by Forbes this week, Costco's Kirkland Signature golf balls have become a hot commodity at the wholesale club. The first run of the four-piece, urethane-covered balls, which retail for about $30 for a 24 pack (or about $15 per dozen), already have sold out, though the store says more balls should be available by Dec. 20. Yep, just in time for Christmas.
What's the appeal? The affordability, for one, but the balls also appear to perform, with some golfers comparing them to premium priced Tour models (most of which typically retail in the $40-$48/dozen range).

Costco has been reluctant to discuss the balls and why they can't keep them in stock. When reached by GOLF.com Wednesday, a Costco media relations representative said the company "cannot comment on the Kirkland Signature golf ball at this time." There is a note on the Costco site from company president and CEO Craig Jelinek that reads, "All Kirkland Signature products must be equal to or better than the national brands and must offer a savings to our members."

With that mission in mind perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that the "K-Sig," as some devotees call the ball, would perform well in comparison to big-name brands. But at a price that's about a third of some competitive models, you have to wonder how Costco has done it.

At least part of the answer could lie in another case study: Snell Golf. Like Costco, Snell is a successful newcomer to the ball market that offers a Tour quality multilayer model at a value price (six dozen of Snell's well received My Tour Ball balls cost $157.99, which equates to about $26/dozen). The Massachusetts-based ball maker is able to cut prices relative to national brands by selling direct to customers online and not spending on advertising, marketing or Tour player contracts. Obviously Costco is also cutting costs by buying and selling in bulk, and not supporting the product with any advertising.

But where did the design come from and how does a big box store without any material engineers or resident ball engineers create a Tour model that actually performs? They buy it -- in this case from a ball manufacturer in South Korea called Nassau Golf Co LTD. Though we haven't been able to reach anyone at Nassau, the Costco site (which states clearly that product details come directly from the manufacturer) describes the four-piece construction as consisting of a large, soft core, speed boosting outer core, super fast mantle, and soft urethane cover. The design as described aligns perfectly with what could be considered a generic Tour ball construction that, if properly manufactured, should perform well.

Of course there's only one sure-fire way to know if the K-Sig is right for your game: Wait until they're back on the shelves and go pick up a box for yourself.

K-Sig 

[StevenR84]

It feels like there might be some cancelled orders the way this went down. They seem unprepared for it and I'm not really sure how.

[dennyjones]

I think their website crashed.   I was on their website at 11 am EST and the balls weren't available.  At 11:45, the balls were available for a short time.  I put 1 in the cart and it still sits there almost 2 hours later with the message that "Shipping service currently unavailable".   It took me almost 2 hours once the item was in the cart and I still can't check out.  

[StevenR84]

7 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

I think their website crashed.   I was on their website at 11 am EST and the balls weren't available.  At 11:45, the balls were available for a short time.  I put 1 in the cart and it still sits there almost 2 hours later with the message that "Shipping service currently unavailable".   It took me almost 2 hours once the item was in the cart and I still can't check out.  

It was an utter disaster. Even other areas of the site slowed down immensely. I know a few people that encountered your particular situation. It seemed the best way was to circumvent and go through the wishlist. They have now removed them from the site.

[Club Rat]

Wonder if this is the K-Sig ball?  http://www.nassaugolf.co.za/golf-balls/nassau-if-pro-cyber/if-pro-cyber-doorsnede/
 

Quote

"IF Pro Cyber doorsnede"

The thinnest cover is not enough, it also needs optimum flight and accurate control.
1. CORE - Produces maximum responsive power by using Neodymium catalyst BR: maximizing the COR
Gives great feel off the clubface by using a unique SOFT CORE Produces maximum initial velocity through the LARGER CORE

2. MANTLE - Maximum responsive power and carry distance from the high performance Ionomer cover.
Large unique responsive core gives maximum velocity.
Soft feel core and unique thin cover gives greater feel and control off the clubface.
Maximum distance by minimizing DRIVER SPIN through unique ball construction

3. COVER - Newly developed epochal cover material for superior spin, soft feel and maximum overall carry.
New high elastic cover material gives great durability with maximum performance.
Ultra thin injection molded cover, just 1mm, achieves optimum carry distance from high performance large core.

4. DIMPLE - New computer designed 332 dual dimple pattern gives positive driver trajectory and carry distance whilst maximizing short iron spin rate with reduced roll.

 

[jsgolfer]

1 hour ago, rmenary said:

Out of stock again.

 

oops, not available anymore.  .

[dennyjones]

when their website was back up and running, my order was canceled because they were sold out, even though I had 1 in the cart.   Darn...

[StevenR84]

They even took them off the site for a short while. You could search for them and they would show up, but when you went to click on them, it would say that product isn't there. They probably had to do that because of the backdoor way to order them.

[HitAndGiggle]

Just glancing at this thread I chuckle and think, "These things must be the shizzle." I don't know much about this ball. I did see a review that had it going further off the driver and spinning more off the wedges than the Pro V1. That was interesting.

[Strat-Pack Rick]

Im not breaking 80 YET !! But I have to say that the chrome soft ball is great. Also when I hit a terrible shot, I know without a doubt it wasnt the balls fault. Piece of mind is worth an extra dollar. After all the equipment we buy going cheap on the ball is weird. Plus hitting an expensive ball over a water hazard will make you focus a bit more maybe.

[chilepepper]

Well.........id like to try some but it seems like quite the cluster ****. Snell has been pretty reliable at a good price

[jsgolfer]

3 hours ago, Strat-Pack Rick said:

Im not breaking 80 YET !! But I have to say that the chrome soft ball is great. Also when I hit a terrible shot, I know without a doubt it wasnt the balls fault. Piece of mind is worth an extra dollar. After all the equipment we buy going cheap on the ball is weird. Plus hitting an expensive ball over a water hazard will make you focus a bit more maybe.

The Kirkland ball is cheap in price only, the ball is a great, I certainly haven't noticed any poor quality balls yet.  

However, if you need confidence of an expensive ball to get over a water hazard, have at it. I'll play the Kirkland and have extra money to buy more beer.