Who makes Kirkland Signature Golf Clubs (KS1 putter, wedges, Players Distance irons, driver)?
Probable Strong but indirect evidence
Evidence points to
Southern California Design Company (SCDC)
Citable fact
As of July 5, 2026, evidence points to Southern California Design Company (SCDC) as the manufacturer of Kirkland Signature Golf Clubs (KS1 putter, wedges, Players Distance irons, driver), but no tier 1–3 source names the link directly.
Verified July 5, 2026
The common claim vs. the evidence
The common claim
What most answers say — and what the evidence supports
Top-ranking answers guess the big OEMs — that Callaway or TaylorMade quietly builds Kirkland clubs — but no tier 1-5 evidence supports either. The USGA conforming-club registry names Southern California Design Company of Carlsbad, California for the original Kirkland Signature wedges and SM Global, LLC (the Kirkland golf ball's manufacturer of record) for the newer wedge generations; TaylorMade, far from making the irons, sued Costco and SCDC in January 2024 alleging the Kirkland Signature Players irons infringe its P790 patents; and no registry, court record, or recall has ever linked Callaway to a Kirkland Signature club.
The receipts
Evidence & sources
Every source is graded on the six-tier rubric and archived, so the citation holds even if the original moves or paywalls. The tier badge grades the source; the status grades our confidence in the maker.
Tier 3
Archived registry entries (snapshot 2023-12-13): 'Kirkland Signature Wedge (Version 1)' in 52/56/60, RH and LH — Manufacturer: 'Southern California Design Company'; 'Kirkland Signature Wedge (Version 2)' in 52/56/60 — Manufacturer: 'SM Global, LLC', the same manufacturer of record the USGA ball list names for Kirkland golf balls. Registration naming of record, not a plant identification — and the registry names two different companies across wedge generations. The live database blocks automated access (Akamai 403); current entries need a browser check.
Tier 4
"[T]he manufacturer of the wedges is listed as Southern California Design Company, which is based in Carlsbad, Calif." Also documents the line's origin: "Back in June, Costco broke ground with its Kirkland Signature KS1 putter, the company's first release in the golf club space" ($139.99 in-store).
Tier 4
Reports TaylorMade's federal patent complaint over the Kirkland Signature Players Irons, quoting it directly: "SCDC designed and manufactures the accused products for Costco and sells the accused products to Costco." Also: "Based on the conforming list, SCDC can also be tied to the brand name Indi Golf." A plaintiff's allegation 'on information and belief', quoted by trade press — it names SCDC for the current irons but is not a court finding.
Tier 4
Documents the driver's "Monday debut on the USGA and R&A's conforming club list" (November 2023), 10.5 degrees, right-handed only — completing the club line — but names no registrant for the driver entry; driver-heads registry naming still needs a browser check of the USGA list.
Tier 6
"The new Kir[k]land Signature Forged wedges are listed by the USGA as being manufactured by SM Global/SM Parker Golf, a forging house in Qingdao, China. It's a larger manufacturer that makes components for several direct-to-consumer and boutique golf brands." Included as 2026 recency corroboration alongside the tier-3 registry anchor: the SM Global-to-SM Parker plant link is industry reporting, unverified by any tier 1-4 source (the same caveat as on the golf-balls record).
People also ask
Frequently asked
Who makes Kirkland Signature golf clubs?
Evidence points to Southern California Design Company (SCDC), a Carlsbad, California golf design firm: the USGA conforming-club registry named SCDC as manufacturer for the original Kirkland Signature wedges, and TaylorMade's 2024 federal complaint states that SCDC "designed and manufactures the accused products for Costco" — the Kirkland Signature Players irons. The registry entries for the newer wedge generations instead name SM Global, LLC, the same registrant as the Kirkland golf ball, so the company of record differs across the line and no tier 1-5 source establishes the physical factory behind any Kirkland club.
Are Kirkland golf clubs made by Callaway or TaylorMade?
No tier 1-5 evidence supports either claim. TaylorMade is Costco's courtroom adversary, not its supplier: it sued Costco and SCDC on January 31, 2024 (S.D. Cal. No. 3:24-cv-00212), alleging the Kirkland Signature Players irons copy its P790 patents. The Callaway rumor is often claimed on listicle sites without a source; Callaway club sets sold at Costco carry Callaway branding, and no registry, court record, or recall connects Callaway to any Kirkland Signature club.
Who made the Kirkland Signature KS1 putter?
The KS1 putter was Costco's first club (June 2020, $139.99 in-store, per Golf.com), and no conforming-list entry reviewed for this record names the putter's maker. SCDC is the company the registry named weeks later for the first Kirkland wedges, so putter-specific attributions beyond that remain unverified.
Did TaylorMade win its lawsuit against Costco over the Kirkland irons?
Not as of this record's last verification. TaylorMade filed on January 31, 2024 (S.D. Cal. No. 3:24-cv-00212); 2025 legal-press reporting described the case as paused while Costco appeals a ruling on its bid to compel arbitration, and the public docket showed no termination as of July 2026.
Are Kirkland Signature wedges and golf balls from the same company?
The registrations overlap: the newer Kirkland wedge generations and the Kirkland Performance+ golf ball both list SM Global, LLC as manufacturer of record on USGA conforming lists, and 2026 trade reporting ties the newest forged wedges to an affiliated SM Parker forging plant in Qingdao, China — though that plant-level detail is industry reporting, not registry fact. The original 2020 wedges were registered to Southern California Design Company instead.
Prefer the name brand? TaylorMade P790 Irons The closest name-brand equivalent to this Kirkland Signature product.
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