The Kirkland irons lawsuit is a patent infringement and false advertising case TaylorMade Golf filed against Costco on January 31, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. TaylorMade alleges Costco’s Kirkland Signature Players Irons copy five patents behind its P790 iron and that Costco falsely advertised the clubs as containing an injected urethane insert they do not actually have.1Golf Monthly. TaylorMade Takes Costco to Court Alleging Five Patent Infringements and False Advertising The case is currently paused while an appeal over whether the dispute should go to arbitration works through the courts.2Bloomberg Law. Taylor Made, Costco Golf Club Patent Suit Paused Pending Appeal
What TaylorMade Is Claiming
The complaint contains six counts. Five are patent infringement claims, and one is a false advertising claim under the Lanham Act.
The Five Patents
TaylorMade alleges willful infringement of five U.S. patents tied to the hollow-body, multi-material iron design it introduced with the P790 in 2017:
- U.S. Patent No. RE47,653, covering a hollow iron-type club head filled with a specific material.
- U.S. Patent No. 10,953,293, describing a golf club with a strike-plate face welded to the body, with one edge left unwelded to accommodate a slot design.
- U.S. Patent Nos. 11,351,426 and 11,420,097, related continuation patents covering aspects of the same face-and-body construction.
- U.S. Patent No. 11,559,727, covering an iron-type club head with an internal weight of a different density material combined with a filler substance.
Together these protect the P790’s hollow-body construction, its proprietary SpeedFoam polymer injected inside the cavity, its tungsten weighting, and its thin welded face insert.3GOLF.com. TaylorMade, Costco Headed to Court Over Iron Technology TaylorMade argues the Kirkland irons copy those features almost wholesale, and that the defendants knew about the patents before launch, making the infringement willful.4MyGolfSpy. TaylorMade Files Lawsuit Against Costco Over Kirkland Signature Irons
The False Advertising Count
The sixth count targets Costco’s product description. The Kirkland irons were marketed as containing an “injected urethane insert” alongside a stainless steel body and internal tungsten weight.3GOLF.com. TaylorMade, Costco Headed to Court Over Iron Technology TaylorMade’s complaint calls that claim “literally false, or in the alternative, is misleading,” because the product does not actually contain such an insert.1Golf Monthly. TaylorMade Takes Costco to Court Alleging Five Patent Infringements and False Advertising TaylorMade argues the statement matters because it leads consumers to believe the Kirkland clubs are equivalent to premium irons like the P790.5GOLF.com. TaylorMade, Costco Headed to Court Over Iron Technology
Who Is Being Sued
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the headline defendant, but the complaint also names Southern California Design Company (SCDC), a San Diego firm doing business as Indi Golf, which TaylorMade identifies as the designer and manufacturer of the Kirkland irons.4MyGolfSpy. TaylorMade Files Lawsuit Against Costco Over Kirkland Signature Irons SCDC has told the court it only produced “design, drawings for the clubs” rather than manufacturing the accused products.6Bloomberg Law. TaylorMade Golf’s Patent Suit Meritless, Club Designer Says TaylorMade filed an amended complaint in April 2024 that added SM Global, LLC as a further defendant.7CourtListener. Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. v. Costco Wholesale Corp.
One personnel detail figures into TaylorMade’s theory. Reports indicate a former TaylorMade engineer who worked on the original P790 moved to SCDC before the Kirkland irons were developed.8Today’s Golfer. Kirkland Signature Irons The complaint alleges Costco used that engineer’s expertise to develop the product.9Denver7. TaylorMade Accuses Costco of Stealing Its Golf Club Patents The engineer has not been publicly identified in available court filings or reporting.
What TaylorMade Wants
TaylorMade is seeking compensatory damages, including opportunity costs, and enhanced damages for willful infringement, both in amounts to be determined at trial.10GOLF.com. TaylorMade, Costco Headed to Court Over Iron Technology Federal patent law lets a court triple damages when infringement is found to be willful, which is why the “willful” label in the complaint matters.
Where the Case Stands
The lawsuit has not reached the merits. It has been consumed by a procedural fight over whether the dispute belongs in court or in arbitration.
In March 2024, Costco moved to compel arbitration and stay the claims.7CourtListener. Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. v. Costco Wholesale Corp. District Judge Andrew G. Schopler denied that motion, and Costco appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The district court then granted a joint motion staying the entire case while the appeal plays out.2Bloomberg Law. Taylor Made, Costco Golf Club Patent Suit Paused Pending Appeal
The appeal itself has hit a wrinkle. In April 2025, TaylorMade filed an unopposed motion asking the Federal Circuit to transfer the appeal to a different appellate court, arguing that the Federal Circuit lacks jurisdiction because the arbitration denial was not a “final decision” in a patent case and the appeal “centers on arbitration rather than patent claims.”11Bloomberg Law. TaylorMade Golf Wants Costco’s Arbitration Bid in Ninth Circuit The Federal Circuit had not ruled on the transfer request as of the most recent reporting. No trial date has been set.
Can You Still Buy the Kirkland Irons?
Yes. The stay pauses the case; it does not restrict sales. The Kirkland Signature Players Irons were restocked as recently as mid-2025 at $550 for the seven-piece set, offered in stiff and regular flex for right-handed players.12GolfWRX Forums. Costco Kirkland Signature Players Irons Back in Stock
The Titleist Precedent
This is not the first patent fight over a Kirkland Signature golf product. In 2017, Acushnet, the parent of Titleist, accused Costco of infringing 10 patents tied to its Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls with the Kirkland Signature four-piece golf ball, and also challenged Costco’s claim that the ball would “meet or exceed the quality standards of leading national brands.”13GolfWRX. Costco Files Complaint Against Acushnet in Kirkland Signature Golf Ball Dispute Costco preemptively filed for declaratory judgment in federal court in Seattle.14Golf Digest. The Messy Legal Tilt Between Titleist and Costco The parties settled out of court in 2018.15GOLF.com. Costco Kirkland Four-Piece Golf Ball Refund Whether the TaylorMade case follows the same quiet path or pushes toward trial depends first on what the appellate court does with arbitration.