Let’s dive in.
When can I expect the Kirkland irons to show up? Will they offer different shaft (regular, senior, etc.) options?
We don’t have any inside info but, given how long they’ve been on the conforming list (and the fact that we’re rolling into the buying season), I suspect it won’t be long. I would hope they’d be offered in at least stiff and regular flex.
Lefties may get hosed.
We’ve been told Costco is serious about infiltrating the golf market. To an extent they already have with the ball, a really good value-priced glove, wedges and putters. Irons were the logical next step.
That said, a lot has changed in the golf market since COVID and Costco isn’t the only value option in town. For all the talk of the big brands raising prices (and they have), I can’t recall a time with so many competent low-priced options (New Level, Sub 70, PXG and, to an extent, Tour Edge) for golfers to choose from.
Costco has a loyal following and the irons will surely generate some interest but it’s unlikely they’ll be significantly less expensive than what’s already out there from more established brands.
Will TaylorMade come out with a higher-compression ball to compete with Pro V1x Left Dash?
Frankly, what TaylorMade will do with the golf ball is one of the more intriguing questions in the equipment space for 2023. It’s our opinion (and we’re alone by any means) that TaylorMade took a step back with the current TP5 series.
For my money, the previous generation was one of the best on the market while the current generation has a bit of an identity crisis with the two models being way too similar to one another.
FWIW: TaylorMade is doing some really cool visual stuff with PIX and Tour Response Stripe.
It hasn’t been talked about a bunch but the company has put a significant amount of horsepower behind its ball business: bought a factory, upgraded its outdoor testing capabilities and installed a state-of-the-art indoor test range.
The current generation is entering its third year on the market which is basically unheard of from a large OEM. Given everything going on behind the scenes, I think what comes next has the chance to be compelling—though I’d settle for more separation between the two balls. My hope is that would include something to compete directly with the Left Dash and, to an extent, the Chrome Soft X LS.
I don’t have Trackman money. Is there an accurate launch monitor out there for less than a thousand bucks?
A year or so ago, my answer would have been “no.” Gathering data with range balls is nearly pointless and, with nothing we’ve tested being able to accurately capture spin data in an indoor/limited-flight environment, I would have told you to save your money unless you were buying one largely for the gaming features offered by some.
What I didn’t anticipate is that the key to the whole thing would be the golf ball.
While no launch monitor is perfect, Titleist’s RCT family of golf balls has significantly improved the ability of partnering radar-based systems to capture spin data in limited-flight environments. In case you’re wondering, the current list of RCT-verified launch monitors includes TrackMan 4, Garmin Approach R10, Full Swing KIT, FlightScope X3 and FlightScope Mevo+.
Likewise, early reports are that the accuracy of Rapsodo’s MLM2’s radar/camera hybrid system is significantly improved when paired with the specially marked Callaway Chrome Soft X golf balls.
While more testing is necessary, I suspect we have reached the point where you can get a reasonably accurate launch monitor for under $1,000.
Why do BOA shoes have to always look so goober-ish and different? Could they not look very similar to laced shoes? FJ BOAs have the disc on back and wires (laces) still in the same spot on top while keeping the rest of the shoe the same.
First, the shoelace has been around for about 4,000 years (seriously, I Googled it). I suspect if situations were reversed and BOA was the established “technology” and laces were the hot new thing, in addition to being for suckers, laces would also look “goober-ish”.
More to the point, FootJoy is a BOA heritage partner. With that, they have exclusive rights to the heel placement of the BOA dial. For what it’s worth, research is ongoing at BOA and it’s entirely possible that placing the dial in other areas will offer a fit and performance advantage.
Are left-handed golfers at a disadvantage due to fewer options of golf products like putters/wedge lofts and grinds, etc?
I think the fair answer is that some left-handed golfers are at a disadvantage. While I think just about every lefty wishes Mizuno would make more stuff for them, by and large the stuff that’s designed for the middle of the fitting bell curve is available for lefties.
So, the average left-handed golfer isn’t short on options and any disadvantage is minimal.
Where things get dicey is on the extremes of the curves. For irons that’s usually blades (in that case, the industry might be doing you a favor by not making them). For metalwoods, it tends to be lofts on the end of the range so lefties sometimes miss out on 8-or 8.5-degree drivers, 13-degree 3-woods or something relatively obscure like a 9-wood.
If you’re a lefty looking to hit the ball lower or with cut spin, you absolutely have fewer options.
And, yeah, as you mentioned, some manufacturers skimp on wedge options for lefties. Again, that tends to be the more niche grinds but I doubt that makes it any easier to stomach.
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