50 Words or Less
The Kirkland Signature Costco Driver is their latest foray into value-focused golf clubs. Its existence forces us to question how much a modern driver should cost. It also begs the question, “How much performance do you sacrifice when not playing one of the major manufacturer’s clubs?”
Introduction
It’s always been expensive to play golf, and the price of equipment has gone up every year. If you’re an avid reader of this website, you’re no stranger to drivers costing $600 or more. However, Costco has now produced one for $200. Their goal is to target the budget-focused customer. My goal was to see how much performance you can get for one-third the cost of many other drivers that also released this year.
Looks
The Kirkland Signature Costco Driver is reminiscent of several other major manufacturers, particularly Mizuno’s newest ST-X (review HERE) from the address position. From that top-down view, it has a premium feel. It’s simple and elegant, featuring a glossy black carbon composite crown with a singular alignment dot. It does present a slightly closed face and upright lie.
The titanium sole of the driver is a lot busier in design. It features black, grey, and silver V-shaped accents that hint at the potential speed the driver can provide. There’s a weight toward the back of the driver that also suggests some MOI and potential forgiveness. The sole’s lower construction is reminiscent of some other direct-to-consumer clubs as well, like the Sub 70 Pro driver (review HERE).
The headcover feels premium-ish. It showcases the Costco Kirkland Signature brand logo embossed on a mostly white headcover that has accents of black and red. The driver comes standard with a grey Lamkin Crossline 360 grip, and is only available in a right-handed model.
Feel & Sound
In the past, I’ve been able to review the Kirkland Signature KS1 Putter (review HERE) and one of the only faults I found with it was the feel. I expected the feel to be similarly lacking with the Kirkland Signature Costco Driver, and unfortunately, I was correct in that assumption. It’s a hard, harsh feel off of the face, especially if not hit directly in the center. As for the sound, it’s loud like an old-school PING driver. Not particularly pleasant.
Performance
While the feel of Costco’s putter wasn’t ideal, the performance of their wedges (review HERE) was better than expected. So, when it came time to test the Kirkland Signature Costco driver, I didn’t know what to expect. After extensive testing though, it became clear that you get what you pay for, and it doesn’t provide top-tier performance. The model I used featured a stiff 60-gram True Temper EvenFlow Riptide Graphite shaft, but it is also available in a regular flex.
The distance this club provided was lacking for me. That was a result of lower-than-average ball speed combined with high spin. For the drivers I have the most success with, I tend to carry in the 270s, total in the 290s, and spin in the low 2000 RPM range. However, this driver typically spun around 3000 RPM. Because it ballooned so dramatically, I lost nearly twenty yards compared to the drivers I tend to play.
Forgiveness also wasn’t the best, as strike location caused dramatic changes to both spin and ball speed numbers. To get lower spin results, I had to feel like I was dramatically shutting the driver’s face and hitting high-toe strikes. Meanwhile, even slightly heel strikes tended to spin up dramatically, and I occasionally saw spin numbers over 4000. On top of that, ball speeds were inconsistent, varying as much as 8 miles per hour.
With all of that said, I am not the target audience for this golf club. What this club was good at was launching high, spinning a bit more, and being draw-biased. Every shot I hit with this club was left of the center line during my testing. For the new, and/or budget-conscious golfers who would pick this up from Costco, this could be a great compliment to their swing. That’s because those kinds of golfers tend to struggle with pushes, slices, and getting the ball up in the air.
The Kirkland Signature Costco driver also offers a bit of adjustability. With the included wrench, you can unlock three different loft options. It starts at 10.5 degrees but can also be played at 11.5 or 9.5 degrees of loft. It also can be set to 10.5 with a draw setting as well. While it does have a single weight on the back, it can’t be moved.
Performance can’t be just measured on its own when the whole point of Costco is value. For the target audience – those looking to get their first-ever driver – it is of note that it’s a brand-new product for $400 less than others that were released this year. It does seem explicitly designed to help those who struggle with the most common misses in golf.
Conclusion
The Kirkland Signature Costco Driver encapsulates the expression “growing the game.” Being available at such a low price point in a store filled with people who may have never even thought about playing the game is exciting. This won’t be the best driver for nearly anyone. However, it will be the first driver for many, and the first “new driver” for many others, and that’s a beautiful thing.
Visit Costco HERE
Kirkland Signature Costco Driver Price & Specs
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15 Comments
Excellent review! Good to know that golfers can get a good club for a value price. That is a great way to grow the game (make it affordable for more people). Cheers, DREW
Maybe you’re not their target golfer, not everyone swings a club at 100mph+.
Thanks, Dan! — Couldn’t agree more. This is undoubtedly growing the game, I think something all of us can get behind… even if we don’t want to game the golf club ourselves! :)
Thanks for the review. In your opinion, would a higher handicap likely be better with a 2/3 year old “name” driver…. or, this one?
Hey Jerry,
Great question. I do think that for nearly every golfer a proper driver fitting at Club Champion (even as a higher handicap) would be the best thing for you. Having said that, in my estimation, a driver that’s a year or two old would usually be a better idea than the Costco driver for most.
Much easier and wiser to buy excellent shape 5 to 10 years back drivers for any handicap.
Sound does matter, loud is not where it’s at.
Golf can be much easier, if you follow the rules of throwing. It’s all about a simple circle.
Two matter of fact.
FWIW, YouTuber Let’s ply through said Mizuno tipped adapter shafts will fit
As I suspected and the writer above hints at, most people would be better off picking up a slightly used name brand driver over this one. I have been rocking used Taylormade drivers with 10.5 and R flex for years. I do have the advantage of being completely average in height and reach (and handicap). We appreciate the honest reviews on here.
Pat — you appreciate honest reviews, and I appreciate thoughtful comments like this! Thanks for reading!
I’m with Jerry Payne (above) as to whether a 2-3 year old major MFG driver is a better option. Consider a 3 year old Ping 410 from about $180+, Callaway Epic from about $145+, Taylormade Sim from about $140+ or Cobra from about $170+ AND all will feature adjustability. Or, look at Tour Edge, one of the better bargains in golf, where a very good used driver can be as low as $100! I also found a used PXG 0211 driver on ebay for about $130 including shipping. Those “old” drivers will do the same thing today as when they were new. I suspect the numbers will be at least equal to the Kirkland. Additionally, there is more “snob appeal” to a brand name over the Kirkland. Finally, and I don’t want to be a shill for PXG, but check out some of their online offerings. If you’re a “hero” there are some fantastic deals available. Full disclosure: I bought a PXG “Black Ops” based on the Plugged In review.
I think the review is missing the point of who the driver is really designed for. Super casual, or beginner golfers, who see value in a $200 driver and doesn’t really care, nor wants to wade into the used market. It’s the same strategy they’ve used for their putter and wedge sets (and irons too if you can find them). Also when you see the Callaway Edge sets being sold for a few hundred at the warehouses, it’s again geared to the casual golfer. Not the enthusiasts who hang out on sites like this.
For those looking for 2-3 year old clubs, Callaway Pre Owned has a number of sales during the year.
Solid review Drew – the target audience is most definitely the casual golfer who is looking for economical buy-ins….As others note, the value conscious golfers can find some great driver deals in the used market…still love seeing how Costco is rocking the status quo…
Thanks so much Willie! I’m glad you enjoyed it! What driver are you gaming these days?
When will it be available in the UK