COSTCO Suspends Production of Kirkland Signature Golf Balls

News broke on Tuesday that the biggest story in golf equipment -- possibly EVER -- may be coming to an end. Costco has officially suspended the production of their Kirkland Signature golf balls, according to multiple reports. Long story short, Costco suggests that they cannot keep up with the demand for these golf balls and has instead retreated to the comfort of what they know best: selling gallons of mayonnaise and pallets of breakfast cereal.

Kirkland Signature Golf Ball Story -- Nutshell

If you don't know the story by now, then you've been living in a cave on Mars with your fingers in your ears. The Kirkland Signature golf ball -- lovingly referred to as "K-Sigs" on social media -- is a four-piece, urethane cover golf ball that performs pretty similar if not better than the Titleist Pro-V1... depending on who you believe.

At a price point of only $15/dozen, golfers of the world went all Lennie from Of Mice and Men and purchased the entire stock Costco had to offer, ruining a beautiful thing in the process.

I've spoken about this golf ball multiple times on the podcast, wrapped in the opinion that average golfers won't be able to tell the difference between a K-Sig and their current gamer. I still hold that opinion, as do others with whom I've spoken, but the phenomenon surrounding its production and story remains intriguing.

Where did they come from?

There is still no concrete confirmation on where these golf balls originated. Mike Stachura of Golf Digest strongly insinuated that the K-Sigs were manufactured by the same Korean company that makes the Nassau Quattro (which wouldn't be much of a stretch since Nassau was listed as its manufacturer on the USGA conforming list) adding to the mystery surrounding the ball. He also suggested there could be other similar balls of different names that are similar if not identical to the Costco offering, making this story even weirder.

Regardless of its origin, the real story is how golfers inhaled these golf balls to a point where Costco -- a worldwide leader that specializes in selling products in bulk -- couldn't keep them in stock. They would literally sell out in minutes.

What does this mean for the K-Sig's future?

Hard to tell this early in the game, but signs are pointing toward an indefinite suspension of production if not a complete abandoning of the product altogether.

The main reason: cost. If the K-Sig is confirmed to be the Nassau Quattro or a similar ball, its manufacturer isn't going to continuously provide Costco with more inventory to be sold at a cheaper price. Doing so would artificially create its own competitor, thus cannibalizing the same ball under a different, more expensive name.

It just doesn't make good business sense, which makes me question the rationale behind stamping "Kirkland" on the golf ball in the first place.

Are there any alternatives?

You could certainly dish out some extra cash and buy the Nassau Quattro or any other four-piece ball if you are a performance-based consumer.

Otherwise, Costco still sells the fantastic Callaway Hex Soft golf ball, which, at $59.99 for four dozen, is practically the same price as the Kirklands.

Of course, if you really want a dozen K-Sigs, you can find them on eBay for prices upwards of $10 per sleeve. Because people are savages.