Costco’s Kirkland Golf Ball Is Suddenly Amazing Again, According to Experts

The once-famous budget-friendly golf ball has been discreetly upgraded with impressive results. Here’s how you spot the new version.

A close-up of the corner of a box of Kirkland signature golf ballsBen Bowers for Gear Patrol

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When Costco first introduced the Kirkland Signature golf ball nearly a decade ago, it quickly became an overnight sensation.

That’s because it performed just as well, if not better, in some areas than premium balls like the perennially lauded and expensive Titleist Pro-V1 while costing substantially less.

Back in 2016, the thorough golf product testing experts at MyGolfSpy didn’t mince words about their conclusion. They rated the Kirkland ball a 10 out of 10 while ruling that “The Tour Performance lives up to the Kirkland name—to perform just as good, if not better than the leading brand.

But not long after that breakout debut, subtle changes to the ball’s design began to erode its performance. Despite the lingering hype, savvy golfers began noticing inconsistencies. The original magic had faded.

Now, early results from a new round of independent testing from MyGolfSpy suggest the Kirkland ball might be back. And it didn’t come with a press release or flashy marketing campaign—just another quiet change to the SKU.

How to Spot the Update

Ben Bowers for Gear Patrol

Casual buyers might not even notice the difference on shelves. There’s no version number or rebrand to help distinguish the latest iteration.

However, MyGolfSpy has dubbed the quiet update “v3.5” based on internal changes to the core and cover.

Visually, the ball is nearly identical to the underwhelming previous version. But there is at least one definitive way to tell if you’ve purchased the new version.

MyGolfSpy calls out a subtle cue. “You’ll know it by the fact that it has hollow arrows on its side stamp, compared to smaller, line arrows with the original 3.0.”

Impressive Results

A close-up for the three ball sleeves of Costco's Kirkland Signature Golf BallBen Bowers for Gear Patrol

In head-to-head testing against the Titleist Pro V1—arguably the most trusted and respected ball in golf—the new Kirkland surprised MyGolfSpy testers.

“What we found was a combination of curious and quasi-jaw-dropping. In short, COSTCO’s new Performance+ ball corrects many of the shortcomings of its previous version.” They added, “The newest Kirkland Performance+ golf ball appears to be the best ball Kirkland has released since the 2016 original.”

“What we found was a combination of curious and quasi-jaw-dropping.”

– Tony Covey, Editor of MyGolfSpy.com


If you want to know all the nitty gritty details about how the new ball excels, head over to MyGolfSpy and read their team’s thorough testing and comparison against the Pro V1.

Players who’ve picked up sleeves of the new ball have noticed a difference, too, according to early Reddit threads on the topic.

“I have been playing the new ball for a little while now and can confirm durability is way better and spin is much better off the tee. For the price you simply can’t go wrong.” user u/shawnewoods shared.

“I played with the new Kirkland friday. It’s a much better ball then the previous one.”

– Reddit u/FailedLoser21

His take was echoed by others like u/FailedLoser21. “I played with the new Kirkland friday. It’s a much better ball then the previous one. I even noticed more backspin then normal around the greens with it also.”

The positive comments lead another user u/badluck_bryan77 to sharing a pro tip for anyone who might still have sleeves of the previous version sitting around somewhere.

“Time to take advantage of that return policy and upgrade all the balls I had waiting in the lurch.”

Pricing and Availability

A Kirkland Signature Golf Ball sitting in grass with the label facing in frontBen Bowers for Gear Patrol

Like everything at Costco, the value proposition is what makes this golf ball truly compelling.

A two-dozen pack of Kirkland Signature Performance+ balls retails for $34.99, making each ball just $1.46, compared to roughly $5 per ball for the Titleist Pro V1.

They’re available now on shelves at Costco warehouses and on Costco.com, though as word spreads about the ball’s resurgence, don’t be surprised if they sell out quickly.

If you’ve been waiting for the Kirkland golf ball to return to form, this just might be the moment. The hype is no longer just nostalgia—this time, the numbers back it up.