There was a time when golfers didn’t view Kirkland Signature as a serious golf brand despite the fact that, in general, the brand has a reputation for delivering quality items at discounted prices. Even with that product pedigree, it took a while for golfers to warm to the idea of buying golf gear at Costco.
These days, that is not the case. Kirkland Signature gear is played by golfers worldwide. From the wedges to the driver and especially the ball that started it all, KSig, Costco golf gear is trusted by thousands of golfers.
Personally, I love their gloves and I was very impressed with their first putter offering.
I say “first” offering because today we welcome the arrival of the latest Kirkland Signature putter. This time around, the warehouse club designers have tapped into the computing power of artificial intelligence and developed a novel approach to boost MOI.
By using these advanced technologies, the designers created the new Kirkland Signature KSMZT zero-torque mallet putter.
“It looks like they just fed something into ChatGPT.”
That is almost exactly what I said when I first saw the photos of the prototype putters. I may have added the f-word here and there but that’s the overall vibe of my response.
Seriously, if a middle schooler took a five-minute break from the 6-7 nonsense, they could have designed these putters with a single prompt.
“Bruh, make a Kirkland Signature zero-torque putter and make it drip, no cap!”
Since I’m just a NPC that stopped listening to new music after My Chemical Romance, I don’t completely understand that sentence but I can tell that it hits different.
Did they really just use AI to design the putter?
As it turns out, this was fairly close to how the design process happened, at least for the initial permutations of the putter. I asked an engineer involved with the project, who requested to remain anonymous, if they simply used ChatGPT to make the putter. This was their response:
“BFFR right now. We ate and left no crumbs.”
To me, the utilization of ChatGPT makes sense. Costco needs to produce products with razor-thin margins to remain competitive. They don’t have the deep pockets of an OEM like Callaway to develop their own supercomputers with machine-learning algorithms.
They used the design tool that was most cost effective.
Rumor has it that the early designs were created with the free version. Later, they determined that upgrading to the $20 a month ChatGPT subscription made all the difference.
Tapping fluid science to increase MOI and eliminate torque
The key to any successful Kirkland Signature product is to keep the price low while making the quality comparable to those of higher-priced competitors.
This is why there are so many fans of the Kirkland Signature golf ball and the Kirkland Signature French Vodka. You can walk out of your local Costco with two dozen golf balls and 1.5 liters of vodka for less than $50. That’s a weekend plan if I ever saw one!
With the zero-torque putter market becoming more and more competitive, the cost-conscious engineers turned to a novel and inexpensive material to make their putters not only zero-torque but also one of the most stable on the market.
What was the miracle material that made the difference? Mayonnaise.
How does mayonnaise maximize MOI?
Do you remember when Tidal Wave bats were all the rage in over-40 recreational softball leagues? For the uninitiated, these bats had water inside that would flow from the handle to the barrel end when the batter took a swing.
This added mass and momentum to the batter’s swing, resulting in many undeserved dingers.
Because the putter head swings at a slower pace than a softball bat, the engineers needed to use a material with higher viscosity. Though not the first choice, it was determined that mayonnaise delivered the perfect combination of density and desirable fluid dynamics.
The science behind the surprise secret sauce
Injecting mayonnaise into a hollow putter head increases the putter’s moment of inertia (MOI) by redistributing mass toward the perimeter while simultaneously damping internal vibrations. Because mayonnaise has a higher density than air but remains semi-fluid, it can occupy internal cavities and effectively add mass without requiring rigid structural components. When the added mass is positioned away from the putter’s center of rotation, the polar moment of inertia increases, making the club more resistant to twisting on off-center impacts. This increased rotational stability can help maintain face angle at impact, reducing directional dispersion on mishits.
Additionally, the viscous nature of mayonnaise absorbs some impact energy and suppresses high-frequency vibrations, producing a softer feel and more desirable muted acoustic response. Our data indicates that this mayonnaise-assisted mass distribution system delivers MOI characteristics previously achievable only through extreme multi-material constructions, establishing a new benchmark for stability and feel in modern putter engineering.
-Dr. Anne E. Mulson, Ph.D
To simplify, the mayonnaise fills the empty space inside of the putter. Unlike injected foams or other rigid polymers, the mayonnaise retains some of its ability to move.
When you take your backswing, the mayonnaise gently oozes toward the rear and the perimeter of the head, eliminating torque and stabilizing the moving putter head. When you return to the impact position, the mayonnaise flows forward maintaining torque elimination and improving both feel and end-over-end roll characteristics.
The Kirkland Signature price advantage
By using mayonnaise rather than a more typical (and expensive) weight distribution material such as tungsten or steel, Costco was able to set the MSRP for the KSMZT mallet at $66.99.
The putter is also environmentally friendly. The mayonnaise is biodegradable and the body of the putter is made from recycled aluminum cans. Normally, this thin aluminum would collapse after striking a golf ball but the slightly pressurized internal mayonnaise component provides the necessary support to strengthen the face.
Overall, the putter is very inexpensive to manufacture. Most of the materials cost comes from the Kirkland Signature-branded SuperStroke grip. While they explored less expensive grip options, the consensus of the design team was that SuperStroke grips felt nice and gave the putters rizz.
Multi-packs available
Unlike the original KS1 putter, the KSMZT will also be sold in a multi-pack option. Costco understands that many golfers require more than one putter to make it through a golf season. If your putters tend to run out of birdies or go for spontaneous swims in ponds, the multi-pack option is for you.
Big names already using the Kirkland Signature KSMZT putter
You may be feeling skeptical about the performance enhancement properties of mayonnaise. Would hearing that a few well-known names play the KSMZT putter ease your mind?
Here is a photo of Adam Scott playing the new mallet preparing for the big April tournament in Augusta, Ga.
The super-talented Nelly trusts the new mayonnaise-based technology enough to play the putter during a recent round in Monterey.
With that kind of star power, I fully expect the KSMZT to be the “It” putter of 2026.
Can mayonnaise deliver flavorful putts?
Rumored KSMZT Mini Mallet
Personally, I didn’t have “learn about a putter filled with mayonnaise” on my April 1 day planner. I have to admit that I am intrigued by the concept. Could something so far from the accepted norm be the next big innovation in putter design?
It wasn’t that long ago when many of the most popular mallet putters in play today would have been branded as unplayable by the golfing populace. Time has shown us that what we see as odd today may be the accepted norm tomorrow.
Just like joggers, jorts, Nickelback, and changing your shoes in the parking lot, mayonnaise-injected putters may become so commonplace that we wonder how we ever got along without them.
I’m excited to see where this goes but I must leave you with one cautionary tale.
Although the mayonnaise is food grade, putting the contents of your putter on your at-the-turn hotdog will decrease the putter’s inertial characteristics. You will also then need to refrigerate your putter after opening.
Find out more about the new mayonnaise-dampening technologies at mayo-putter.com.
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