- Updated: January 11, 2024
Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver Review
Does a $199 Driver Perform as Well as a $600 Driver?
Ryan Heiman
Founder and head author at Independent Golf Reviews
I used the Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver off the tee for 4 rounds this winter. I hopped on the Costco deal as soon as they came out so I could share insights into the 2nd most talked about golf release of 2024. The driver sold out in hours because of its price: $199. It comes with limited options, which by the time I ordered it meant I got a regular flex driver, but still walked away impressed by a Costco $199 driver.
This is the definitive Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver Review for 2024.
More Costco Golf Clubs?
When you think of Costco you probably think of large quantity items, food samples, rotisserie chicken, cheap food court, bargain gas, and warehouse savings, but golf? Since Costco has already rocked the golf world with golf balls, gloves, wedges, putters, and irons it is no surprise that they needed to make a driver. (all that is left is fairway woods and hybrid.) The OG Kirland Golf Balls were some of the best performing golf balls on the market at the time, but that design has not been copied since. Their other products have since relied on price. So is the Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver about price or performance?
$199 Driver?
When I started reviewing golf clubs 13 years ago, every OEM made a $399+ driver and a $199 driver. The differences usually centered around technology, adjustability and premium upgrades. I remember testing some of the $199 drivers and if it was the right fit, getting just as good, if not better results. Those days are long gone. The $199 driver now is left for clearance racks of 3 year old drivers. So can a brand new $199 Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver keep up with the $600 new releases from Major OEMs? Remember the same Costco model that helps you save $$ on 100 rolls of toilet paper is applied to the driver. Large exclusive runs with limited selections mean roughly the same product at a lower price point. They make their profit on memberships and quantity, not much on each individual sale.
Driver Distances?
In 2023 the distance between the longest driver and the shortest driver was 15.4 yards (according to our friends at MyGolfSpy) So that roughly means a 1 club difference on approach shots if you have the best club for your swing or not. That is 5 steps between the best and the worst. How much is that worth to you? Maybe a better question is your 5 year old or older driver giving up overall distance to new drivers? Forgiveness and adjustability might be factors you are missing in your old driver. But $600 is a lot to spend on a new driver. The Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver gets you out the door for $199 and offers modern forgiveness, adjustability and distance.
$199 Performance?
The Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver is $199. Can you get the same performance as other drivers at 1/3 the price? I played 4 rounds with it this winter here in AZ. The courses are in pristine shape but my driver swing on the course is off a touch. However, I was impressed immediately on the range to watch high towering bombs roll up near my gamer. While I wasn’t able to beat a properly fit club, this wasn’t that far behind. For any price conscious golfer, this is going to be hard to beat from a dollar-for-yards comparison. It launch a little too high, spun too much and was a little more inconsistent, but certainly didn’t ruin my scores. I still found the same number of fairways, I still had approach shots on par 4s, even had a look at 2nd shots into the greens on par 5s. In a blind test I wouldn’t be disappointed with this driver in the bag.
Limited Options/Quality Build
The Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver come stock with a Project X EvenFlow Riptide 60 gram shaft in stiff or regular flex. By the time I bought mine, there was only R flex left. Surprisingly this shaft is pretty stable in R flex so I didn’t feel I was missing out on too much control. A few times the extra flex was noticed, but honestly impressed by this shaft stability. The head comes stock at 10.5* and is adjustable a degree and a half each way. I went down to 9.0 which is my normal loft. It helped reduce the closed look of the face. The weight being low and back is all about forgiveness. It has a carbon crown to keep weight low and the sounds it pretty good. The Lamkin Crossline grip comes in standard size only. Your options are pretty limited, but to be honest, those specs probably fit 80% of the golfing market. Since the hosel is adjustable you could install a new shaft to better fit your needs, but suddenly the $199 driver becomes more expensive. The packaging is high quality foam inserts in the box along with a well done headcover.
Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver Stats
Data from Flightscope MEVO+ 2023 Launch Monitor
➜ Spin: 2658 rpms
➜ Launch Angle: 14.8*
➜ Dispersion: 7.2 yds
➜ Club Head Speed: 101.5 mph
➜ Ball Speed: 149.6 mph
➜ Total Distance: 279.7 yds
➜ Carry Distance: 259.1 yds
Summary
It is hard to go wrong with a $199 upgrade to your bag if you are gaming an older driver. The Kirkland Signature Adjustable Driver won’t be replacing my “gamer”, but it wasn’t a big drop off in performance either. It is better than expected from a $199 driver. Costco recently restocked these drivers (and irons) so you can get either flex shaft to fit your needs. Even if they sell out again, I’m sure that we’ll see them again in 2024. If you want a $199 upgrade to your driver you won’t be disappointed, but much like the other Kirkland golf balls, gloves and clubs, they are not going to top any performance charts either. They are aimed at price conscious consumers like everything else they sell in their warehouse stores.
For more information: Costco Website
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About The Author
Ryan Heiman – Founder and Head Author of Independent Golf Reviews
Ryan has over 10 years of experience testing and writing golf reviews of nearly every brand out there.
HCP: 3
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