Kirkland Signature Wedges? Posted by Josh Babbitt July 28, 2020 177 Comments Presented with no commentary. Leave your comment below. Follow, Like & Share
Post of the day right here.
I was wondering where that went. But then realized, it’s probably for the best.
I am pretty much to the point where if I see anything anywhere that says “COVID,” “Corona,” etc., I scroll on by, and I am not referring to here on this forum.
I get what You are saying but some on here are not going at it quite the same way. Just like "the bomb" golf balls serve their purpose.
As a "golf site" I would think all would be included not just "As golfers that take clubs, fitting, and performance to a higher level (being THPers)".
So are you saying this site is really for "higher level golfers"?
I think the name of the golf website paints a pretty good picture.
Every golfer is included, minus a**holes
With that said, it would be foolish to not educate and share like we do every single day and have for 12 years on performance, technology and fitting.
Not to speak for @JB, as this is not my site, I can safely say THP is for any golfer of any interest level.
If you want hackers, hipsters, and knuckleheads, I strongly encourage you to join us over at GolfUnfiltered.com.
Is there any possibility to get an inside scoop on the wedges?
What if you hit them better than what’s in the bag now?
No offense to Costco, but I highly doubt that’s possible.
Here’s the rub. The OG Ksig ball isn’t a copy of the Prov1. It’s a Nassau Quattro (if I remember correctly). Which is a legit brand in Europe. Whether it was old stock or a new run labeled as Ksig I don’t know. And on that note, every ball manufacturer has spent years trying to chase the Prov1. Now we’re at a point where most have a comparable model.
In terms of the putter, almost every putter company has an Anser like model. That’s been going on for decades. Costco was very late to that party.
I don’t know a lot about Vokey wedges. So I cannot speak to that. Most wedges share some design similarities.
Their gallery shows Amp Cells and Indi Stingray wedges. Do you know what level of involvement they had in either?
Stingray, quite a bit. Amp Cells, I am not entire sure, I would say moderate.
I understand totally what you are saying, and they are fair points for sure. But we can’t ignore that there was a lawsuit pending between Costco and Acushnet that our very own @Molten gave a good bit of detail about in another thread. Certainly, Titleist feels like they are being copied to some degree.
Historically, as technology gets older it becomes more accessible and prevalent. Just look at iPhones and TVs and cars and a million other products. What irks me a bit with this is that Costco is effectively bringing sand to the beach with these releases, with the only "improvement" being their unique ability to put "Kirkland Signature" on it and leverage their brand loyalty to move the product, where there are still plenty of last-generation options available from traditional golf channels. Costco’s entry into the golf market added literally nothing to golf or its evolution, and perhaps even hindered it, albeit in a very small way, thus far.
You can search high and low, scour the internet for days, and pay people to help looking, but you won’t find anything much more accurate than that.
Some people just wanna hate.
I would have to re-read up on the lawsuit. I thought the main issue was their advertising that the ball was better than leading brands. Don’t remember the exact wording. But, maybe that was only part of it. I’m no lawyer, but I do know that companies sue one another all the time.
I think one thing Costco did was make some big waves in the ball market. Opened a lot of eyes to some of the cheaper brands out there. I would bet money that Snell, Cut, Vice, and countless other brands have gained a lot of attention as an after effect of the splash the OG Ksig made. I’d say that’s a pretty significant evolution. Options are great and having cheaper equipment available for those who can’t afford top of the line equipment is great. $50/dozen is a lot of money for golf balls. $160 for a wedge is a lot of money. I see nothing wrong with someone wanting to save money.
I guess I don’t see how it’s hindered the game. The game is more about those who play it than it is equipment manufacturers.
Patent infringement was part of the suit, but at the core of the legal battle was Costco’s performance claim where the Kirkland Signature ball was guaranteed to “meet or exceed the quality standards of leading national brands.” Acushnet contended that their own testing proved that claim to be false.
If the Costco ball did indeed violate patents, Titleist was justified in taking legal action. Patents are the result of money and hard work, and manufacturers have a right to recoup those R&D costs. Having said that, I never understood why, at least to my knowledge, there was no legal action taken against Nassau, who designed and manufactured the K-Sig ball that started it all.
i completely disagree with your argument that Costco’s private labeling wedges or golf balls somehow hinders equipment evolution. It is completely irrelevant. Manufacturers large and small will not stop innovating because of Costco. Assuming no patents are violated, Costco will sell a few clubs – possibly at a loss, the product will phase out in short time, and Titleist, Cleveland, Callaway, TaylorMade and all the others will continue looking for the "It" factor to bring more golfers to their brands.
FWIW, those AMP Cell irons were possibly my favorite iron of all time. I’m not talking looks etc, but play/performance. They kicked ass.
Interesting. They have the Cobra LTD driver listed under their Work section. Wonder what their involvement was in that design.
They have patents for just about everything except wedges.
Is every house brand/knockoff on the conforming list?
If someone goes to Costco, and takes up golf because they can snag clubs there, or think that it is a good option for their bag, then good for them.
For their Tour Staff, of course.
Costco is watching… Next release for all the customers that bladed these wedges! Lol
I seriously think they look awesome… Of it were any other logo
Mmkay, thanks?
Dude….Costco eliminated the samples because of Covid.
If the price is right, Im there. For those who are saying never, just keep in mind that the same handful of foundires make all of the clubheads in the world, so odds are that these are made in the same foundries that your current wedges were.
Dave
On the one hand, Costco gets accused of having no R&D investment in their Kirkland-branded golf offerings, but ARE the ones accused of copying other people’s designs. I am sure once Costco let’s it be known what they are in the market for they are approached and pitched by more than one manufacturer who produces that type of product. I doubt Costco has the expertise to dictate the specifications of any of these golf products. I also doubt Costco is going out to anyone and telling them to specifically copy anyone else’s products. Let’s face it; products are being copied all the time in China and elsewhere or the exact same product is being sold out the back door under different names after being produced using utilizing the same tooling bought and paid for by an OEM. I believe Costco is approached by people who are already doing one or the other and possibly presenting it to them as being without copyright/patent encumbrances.
No hot dog?
Not since they stopped offering chopped onions and sauerkraut as condiments because of COVID. It may only be $1.50, but I still have standards.
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