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A Lawsuit Over Costco Golf Balls Shows Why We Can't Have Nice Things For Cheap (qz.com)

Posted by msmash on from the court-for-sport dept.

Ephrat Livni, writing for Quartz: Unless you're a golfer, you probably don't think about golf balls. But a new US lawsuit about these little-dimpled spheres has an economics lesson for all shoppers, showing why consumers have cause for concern when companies use court for sport. Costco, the wholesale membership club, rocked the golf world in 2016 when it started selling its Kirkland Signature (KS) golf balls at about $15 per dozen, a quarter to a third the price of popular top-ranked balls. Industry insiders called it a "miracle golf ball" for its great performance and low cost, and Costco sold out immediately. It's planning to release more in April. In response to the bargain ball's reception, however, Acushnet -- which makes the popular Titleist balls -- sent the membership club a threatening letter. It accused Costco of infringing on 11 patents and engaging in false advertising for claiming that KS balls meet or exceed the quality standards of leading national brands.

8 of 266 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Where's the news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    But she didn't.

  2. Dimpled by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

    I got your dimpled balls right here.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:Dimpled by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes, but I suspect you are not willing to let the Anonymous Cowards swing a 9-iron at them.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  3. Re:"Shows Why We Can't Have Nice Things For Cheap" by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Funny

    And the amateurs will do/buy anything to improve their game. I do some work at a country club and the schlock on sale to golfers makes global warming skeptics look like Einstein.

    So, Titleist are the Monster Cables of the golfing/country club set....?

    ;)

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  4. Re:Costco can hold their own by Nidi62 · · Score: 4, Funny

    it is the grass that suffers.

    Well, to be fair, every golfer should know to repair their divots.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  5. Re:"Shows Why We Can't Have Nice Things For Cheap" by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 5, Funny

    By both revenue and market cap, Costco is roughly 70-80x the size of the golf company. Costco's net income alone is higher than both Acushnet's revenue and their market cap. Costco has essentially unlimited resources available to fight any litigation, meaning this case will be decided on the merits if Costco wants it to be.

    I saw a documentary about 10 years ago. Apparently Costco has it's own law-school too.

  6. Re:Where's the news? by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sounds like they could, but couldn't sell, then Costco stole and sold on massive scale while providing inventors with nothing. Did I miss anything here?

    The inventors of what? The golf ball? Did Acushnet invent it? Seriously though, how can a golf ball have 11 patents on it?

    Well Apple have a patent on balls that have rounded corners. That's one of the 11.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  7. Re: Where's the news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    By all accounts so is her penis