- Updated: March 27, 2024
Kirkland Signature Player's Irons Review
Do $499 Irons From Costco Perform?
Ryan Heiman
Founder and head author at Independent Golf Reviews
I played the Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons for 5 rounds this winter. I hopped on the Costco deal as soon as they came out so we could share insights into one of the most talked about golf releases of 2023. These irons sold out in hours because of their price: $499. Their specs say player’s distance irons with looks that mimic a bunch of other brands. So are they worth it?
This is the definitive Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons Review for 2023.
Costco Golf Clubs?
When you think of Costco you probably think of 100 rolls of toilet paper, rotisserie chicken, cheap gas and warehouse savings, but golf? Since Costco has already rocked the golf world with golf balls, gloves, wedges and putters, it is no surprise that they now make irons. 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 are the Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons about price or performance?
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P-790 Clone?
The moment the internet saw the Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons the repeated comment is that they look like TaylorMade P-790 Irons. Above you can see the comparison pictures. Yes there are lots of similarities, but no they are not made in the same factory, nor are they the same club in terms of feel or performance. Yes, they are both forged, they both have a polymer insert with tungsten weighting. They both are player’s distance irons, but they are not the same on the course.
Player’s Distance?
The Player’s Distance category of irons has been one of the newest and most popular segment of irons on the market over the last few years. It used to be blades, cavity backs, game improvement and super game improvement. Now the player’s distance category tries to blend looks of blades, forgiveness of game improvement and distance of super game improvement. As some of us age and lose speed/distance, we still want to game nice looking clubs, but need a little extra pop. The forged hollow body irons with jacked lofts tend to help. The Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons are in that category. Not the longest, nor the shortest, they have good launch and solid distance. They have strong lofts with very clean chrome looks. They are 100% player’s distance irons.
$499 Performance?
The Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons are $499. Can you get the same performance as other irons at 1/3 the price? I played 5 rounds with them this winter here in AZ. The courses are in pristine shape and my iron game has been sharp so these got the best testing conditions. The basic conclusion is that these clubs got game. They hit very consistent solid distances, they offer moderate spin and pretty good feel. If you have Taylormade P-790 irons you aren’t going to replace them with these, but if your play 10 year old irons, these are one cheap upgrade. There are other DTC irons in this market sector as well that are similar in cost too so you don’t have to wait for Kirkland to restock to upgrade your irons. I don’t know why people are buying them off Ebay for $800 or more.
Limited Options/Quality Build
The Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons come stock with True Temper 115 Elevate shafts in stiff or regular, right hand only. They have Lamkin Crossline grips in standard size. That is it, 4-PW. Your options are pretty limited, but to be honest, those specs fit 80% of the golfing market. Like all golf clubs you can take them apart and rebuild them to specific specs, but it kind of defeats the $499 price. However with the stock specs from the store, they are really well built. The packaging is highest quality with foam inserts nicely protecting the clubs for shipping. Every club was aligned and had consistent weight and details. So $499 doesn’t mean poor quality from Kirkland.
Kirkland Signature Player’s 8 Iron Stats
Data from Flightscope MEVO+ 2023 Launch Monitor
➜ Spin: 6692 rpms
➜ Launch Angle: 30.8*
➜ Dispersion: 2.5 yds
➜ Club Head Speed: 91.5 mph
➜ Ball Speed: 117.1 mph
➜ Total Distance: 152.7 yds
➜ Carry Distance: 149.2 yds
Summary
It is hard to go wrong with a $499 upgrade to your bag if you are gaming older irons. The Kirkland Signature Player’s Irons won’t be replacing my “gamers”, but they also weren’t a big drop off in performance. I wasn’t wowed by these irons, but they are all-around good performing, nice feeling, forgiving and long irons. At $499 it is hard to beat what they offer at that price. I don’t know when Costco will be restocking these irons, but I’m sure that we’ll see them again in 2024. If you want a $499 upgrade 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. Now you can get a $5 rotisserie chicken, 10lbs bag of chips and your next set of irons all during one trip to Costco.
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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