Kirkland Signature Players Irons

[Evendale_Rob]

Was just sitting here thinking the same thing. Might be a nice winter project. Have an Uncle who used to put together clubs using Golfsmith, will need to pick his brain a bit to see what's involved. 

Edited December 10, 2023 by Evendale_Rob
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[cnosil]

34 minutes ago, CFreddie said:

Btw, first time I’ve heard of SMT…this could be my next project!

I have played SMT drivers in the past.  They used to be big in the long driver world and  made shafts and clubheads.  The equipment in the early 2000s was top notch and if their newer equipment is of the same quality, it should be a nice set.

[BigBoiGolf]

1 hour ago, CFreddie said:

Btw, first time I’ve heard of SMT…this could be my next project!

Only downside I believe to SMT and these Kirkland irons is that they don't appear to be nickel-chrome plated.
431 stainless isn't bad for corrosion resistance, but the plating is just an extra layer of protection. In my experience, the most durable finish was QPQ Nitride, aka "Diamonized Black Metal".

[AZGolfNut2]

On 12/9/2023 at 2:00 PM, PeterHenric said:

even if I don’t like the irons, I will definitely be holding onto them just for silly collectors value. Looking at the specs that are on Costco’s website it is interesting that the pitching wedge is a 45 but the Costco wedges have the gap wedge being a 52. That is a pretty big gap if someone wanted to have a Costco bag from top to bottom.

That's my plan, to make a full Kirkland bag if for nothing but the novelty of it. And yeah I noticed the big gap between the PW and 52 as well, but the 52 & 56 both have 10° of bounce (which is high for a 52) so they can be bent to 50/8 and 55/9 for better gapping. 

[PeterHenric]

I have purchased and kept every golf product that Costco made. I actually do plan on having a top to bottom Kirkland bag just for fun. Guys like Rick Shiels could do a cool YouTube video on playing a round with only Costco gear.

1 hour ago, customgolfcenter said:

That's my plan, to make a full Kirkland bag if for nothing but the novelty of it. And yeah I noticed the big gap between the PW and 52 as well, but the 52 & 56 both have 10° of bounce (which is high for a 52) so they can be bent to 50/8 and 55/9 for better gapping. 

 

[AZGolfNut2]

8 hours ago, Jim418 said:

Tried to find reviews out there for the SMT 579's and there is nothing. Only thing I found was a post from last June on another golf forum where someone pointed out the striking similarity there. Like the finish on the SMT's a lot better.

There are a few reviews on the product pages on their website: https://www.smtgolf.com/smt-579-irons.html

6 hours ago, cnosil said:

I have played SMT drivers in the past.  They used to be big in the long driver world and  made shafts and clubheads.  The equipment in the early 2000s was top notch and if their newer equipment is of the same quality, it should be a nice set.

SMT used to create their own designs, and they were very well performing clubs - especially their drivers. But then the owner (Mike Tait) lost interest in the equipment business and instead moved into hosting charity golf events, and he sold off the equipment side of it to Diamond Tour. They have a bunch of new models but they are all open-foundry designs made by XIamen Jasde, none of them are original/unique designs. That's not to say they are bad clubs, just not the same company they used to be. 

[Byrnzee]

On 12/9/2023 at 6:51 AM, MattWillGolf said:

I was on the Costco website this morning. TheY have listed their Kirkland Signature  7 piece Players Iron Set. $499.99. 4-PW. Right hand only. Available in Regular or Stiff flex. I will be be curious to see reviews and what they may compare to. 

 

Not gonna lie I was pretty impressed by what I've seen. These look very similar to a P790 and I wouldn't hate trying them out sometime. I'm already seeing people reselling them online for 3x price... should have snagged a set when I had the chance! Interested to see how they compare to other DTC irons and even top of the line OEMs. 

[Shrek74]

And here we go....

[PeterHenric]

For anyone who was able to snag a set, have you got a shipping confirmation? I’m impatiently waiting. 
 

update: just got my shipping confirmation! I’m like a kid at Christmas

Edited December 11, 2023 by PeterHenric

[aevans17]

I have a shipping confirmation for both sets that I ordered. Will be trying one at home myself and sending the other to LetsPlayThru on youtube for review. 

SMT heads look different too me in that the lofts are different. If Costco made their own molds they likely worked with a design firm and built based off the open foundary design. This is common in the industry (just like what Good Good did with their putter.)

I have the equipment to build clubs and will put in an order to build an SMT Gap wedge to go with my sets once they get here. If I can get the SMT heads rush delivered I'll send it to LetsPlayThru to review and compare. 

[fixyurdivot]

On 12/9/2023 at 1:23 PM, customgolfcenter said:

For anyone who missed out on these, I just wanted to point at that all they've done is use an open-foundry design which is the same one used by SMT for their SMT 579 irons, and you can buy a set of those 4-PW heads for $200 or $400 fully assembled. If you buy the heads, you can pair them up with shafts & grips of your liking and build them to your exact specs for quite a bit less than $500. So, these Kirkland irons really aren't that great of a "value" after all, and certainly nothing new or groundbreaking in terms of design.  

     

Interesting info, thanks for sharing.  I know this sounds crazy but I simply cannot get past the "Kirkland" logo.  I've managed to do so on my gloves... but this is a bridge too far .  Interested to hear from those who try them.  For $500 and a complete money back guarantee, hard to go wrong.

[aevans17]

22 minutes ago, aevans17 said:

I have a shipping confirmation for both sets that I ordered. Will be trying one at home myself and sending the other to LetsPlayThru on youtube for review. 

SMT heads look different too me in that the lofts are different. If Costco made their own molds they likely worked with a design firm and built based off the open foundary design. This is common in the industry (just like what Good Good did with their putter.)

I have the equipment to build clubs and will put in an order to build an SMT Gap wedge to go with my sets once they get here. If I can get the SMT heads rush delivered I'll send it to LetsPlayThru to review and compare. 

Soonest I can get SMT stuff is 2 day delivery likely shipping Tuesday EOD at the earliest so won't be able to get the wedge to LetsPlayThru for the review. Will post once I have the wedge and the Costco irons to compare the images. 

[PeterHenric]

The SMT heads do have a different line on the back of the club. The Ksig ones look a little more rounded. Someone over on another forum actually received his set today and posted in-hand pics. They are pretty.

[PeterHenric]

59 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Interesting info, thanks for sharing.  I know this sounds crazy but I simply cannot get past the "Kirkland" logo.  I've managed to do so on my gloves... but this is a bridge too far . 

I’ve never understood this mindset. They look one way in the bag but when you are actually hitting them, you don’t see the logo. I’d understand if you wanted to put them on display in your office or something but in the bag, it doesn’t matter what the logo looks like.

[fixyurdivot]

45 minutes ago, PeterHenric said:

I’ve never understood this mindset. They look one way in the bag but when you are actually hitting them, you don’t see the logo. I’d understand if you wanted to put them on display in your office or something but in the bag, it doesn’t matter what the logo looks like.

I said it sounds crazy 

[aevans17]

2 hours ago, PeterHenric said:

The SMT heads do have a different line on the back of the club. The Ksig ones look a little more rounded. Someone over on another forum actually received his set today and posted in-hand pics. They are pretty.

Yes AND SMT's have different offsets, hosel diameter, material, finish, tooling lines around the hosel, etc.... They are similar but definitely not the same. 

[AZGolfNut2]

14 hours ago, aevans17 said:

Yes AND SMT's have different offsets, hosel diameter, material, finish, tooling lines around the hosel, etc.... They are similar but definitely not the same. 

As mentioned in that forum, they likely used the Justin as the base for the design and slightly tweaked it to what they wanted and had their own molds made - which would explain the very slight variations from one head to the next. Heck, even the SMT is every so slightly different from the Justin design shown on the Chinese website (although the specs look to be identical). 

[AZGolfNut2]

18 hours ago, aevans17 said:

Soonest I can get SMT stuff is 2 day delivery likely shipping Tuesday EOD at the earliest so won't be able to get the wedge to LetsPlayThru for the review. Will post once I have the wedge and the Costco irons to compare the images. 

Looking forward to a side-by-side comparison! I'm sure there will be some minor differences, but I'm still convinced it's based off the same design. Same 431 stainless body with forged face, nearly 100% identical shape (albeit slight differences in contours of lines, screw size, etc), very similar specs (all within 1° loft and 1mm offset), it's just way too similar to not be based on that design IMHO. 

[aevans17]

2 hours ago, customgolfcenter said:

Looking forward to a side-by-side comparison! I'm sure there will be some minor differences, but I'm still convinced it's based off the same design. Same 431 stainless body with forged face, nearly 100% identical shape (albeit slight differences in contours of lines, screw size, etc), very similar specs (all within 1° loft and 1mm offset), it's just way too similar to not be based on that design IMHO. 

Agreed!!!! (All these look very similar to one another.) Cobra Forged Tec, Ping 525, Srixon Zx4, Takoma 101, and Tour Edge C723.
 

Edited December 12, 2023 by aevans17

[AZGolfNut2]

What are each of those pics? 

[aevans17]

1 hour ago, aevans17 said:

Agreed!!!! Cobra Forged Tec, Ping 525, Srixon Zx4, Takoma 101, and Tour Edge C723.
 

 Tokomo 101

 cobra forged tec

 srixon zx4

 ping i525

 tour edge C723

 

[AZGolfNut2]

Well now it shows the models! It didn't when you first posted that.

[aevans17]

10 minutes ago, customgolfcenter said:

Well now it shows the models! It didn't when you first posted that.

I just went back and re-added the names by the pictures. My first post was supposed to say... (All of these clubs look very similar to the Kirklands but I forgot to type the last part.) I'm too excited and keep hitting submit reply before I proof read my work!

[PeterHenric]

7 pretty little ladies, all in a row.

There is significantly less offset on these compared to my Stealths.

Loaded and ready for Hawaii. Will report back.

[BigBoiGolf]

On 12/11/2023 at 11:22 PM, aevans17 said:

Yes AND SMT's have different offsets, hosel diameter, material, finish, tooling lines around the hosel, etc.... They are similar but definitely not the same. 

This doesn't mean anything. The default bore diameter for 355 irons is 9mm. If you go to 10mm, it's a "universal bore" for 370 and 355.

The neck lines are purely decorative and are offered from the OEM/ODM as a finishing option. Nobody actually puts these intot he 3D cad model, just like they don't with face end milling patterns.

The material finish is RAW. The head material is 431 stainless steel, which is a common cheaper per lb of material item. The OEM/ODMs offer different metals for different baseline pricing, such as SAE 1020/S20, SAE 1025/S25, etc. With regards to the finishing options, the OEM/ODMs offer standard options such as

• Nickel Chrome Electroplating
• Nickel Electroplating
• QPQ Salt-Bath Nitride AKA Diamonized Black Metal
• Raw (None)
• Physical Vapor Deposition (Generally used for 'Copper' like colors or Mizuno Blue)

With regards to surface pre-coat finishing, they generally offer

• Quartz bead blast
• Brushed
• Satin
• Polished

Xiamen-Jasde golf produces clubs for Sub70, Yes!, and Mazel

Example pictures of the finishes are attached for you, feel free to ask any questions as I am in the process of designing my own irons and putter.

Edited December 13, 2023 by BigBoiGolf

[TheBrud]

On 12/11/2023 at 5:43 PM, fixyurdivot said:

Interesting info, thanks for sharing.  I know this sounds crazy but I simply cannot get past the "Kirkland" logo.  I've managed to do so on my gloves... but this is a bridge too far .  Interested to hear from those who try them.  For $500 and a complete money back guarantee, hard to go wrong.

Crazy that a golf company like Kirkland Signature is also a warehouse store.  I hated looking down and seeing the Kirkland logo on my golf ball for a few weeks, but I love it now.  

I was waiting on this iron set to drop for a while, but I was a tad too slow. I'm looking forward to seeing some reviews on here because I'd be happy to have them in my bag.  

[aevans17]

Got my irons today. They look great as @PeterHenric said earlier. Won't bore you with more pictures of the irons, but will add some to compare to the clubs I have on hand. 
1st photo is K-Sig 4 iron, 2020 Cobra MIM 4 Iron, and 2022 Cobra Forged Tec One Length 4 Iron. The K-Sig is much closer in overall profile (offset, sole width, blade length, head shape) to the Cobra MIM then the Forged Tec. 
 

Edited December 14, 2023 by aevans17

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 minute ago, aevans17 said:

Got my irons today. They look great as @PeterHenric said earlier. Won't bore you with more pictures of the irons, but will add some to compare to the clubs I have on hand. 
1st photo is K-Sig 4 iron, 2020 Cobra MIM 4 Iron, and 2022 Cobra Forged Tec One Length 4 Iron. The K-Sig is much closer in overall profile (offset, sole width, blade length, head shape) to the Cobra MIM then the Forged Tec. 
 

They look good thanks for sharing!

[aevans17]

K Sig 7 iron also closer to Cobra MIM then 2018 Forged Tec Black 7 Iron

 

[aevans17]

And finally PW at address. Not sure if this is just me being used to One Length, but the PW felt more game improvement then the 4 iron.