KBS TD Driver Golf Shaft Review

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KBS TD Driver Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas 
Golf Digest Certified America’s 100 Best Club Fitter

KBS has completed their matrix of carbon fiber shafts with a driver shaft. There are 15 models from 40 grams to 80 grams. The shafts are labeled with a weigh and a category. The category is stiffness. KBS has done a very good job of maintaining this stiffness rating across weights.

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Russ

KBS MAX Iron Shaft Review

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KBS MAX Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas 
Golf Digest Certified America’s 100 Best Club Fitter

KBS continues to make graphite iron shafts. KBS started with a very popular Hybrid shaft. The KBS TGI iron shaft launched the following year and again was very successful on the professional tours. I noted in the review otf the TGI shaft that it was as stiff as the stiffest of the KBS steel shafts albeit 20 grams lighter. The KBS MAX is targeted to the recreational golfer.

If you do not follow my YouTube Channel, Devoted Golfer, you may have missed this video. We shot the 2019 KBS presentation to golf club fitters at the PGA Merchandise show. It covers the entire product line. After the slide show, Kim Braly comes to the podium and talks about tour acceptance of 2018 KBS shafts and the new 2019 shafts. The discussion about KBS graphite iron shafts starts at 19:25. The audio dropouts remove professional player names.You will hear Kim Braly talk about the target golfer for the KBS MAX.

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Russ

KBS $-Taper Lite Golf Shaft Review

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KBS $-Taper Lite Iron Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas 
Golf Digest Certified America’s 100 Best Club Fitter

Following the success of the KBS C-Taper Lite, KBS now offers a Lite version of the $-Taper. It comes in three weights, 95, 100 and 105. The profiles are nearly identical to the $-Taper. The three weights offered are less than the $-Taper 110 gram R. The $-Taper Lite weights, in my experience, are a perfect fit for the recreational golfer.

If you do not follow my YouTube Channel, Devoted Golfer, you may have missed this video. We shot the 2019 KBS presentation to golf club fitters at the PGA Merchandise show. It covers the entire product line. After the slide show, Kim Braly comes to the podium and talks about tour acceptance of 2018 KBS shafts and the new 2019 shafts.

As you can see in this table, the weighs of the $-Taper Lite extend the weight range of the $-Taper.   This is different than the C-Taper Lite and the C-Taper where there is an overlap with the C-Taper R and R+.

To continue reading this section of the review, you must be registered at a higher level membership.
Russ

KBS TCI Graphite Iron Shaft Review

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KBS TCI Graphite Iron Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Golf Center at the Highlands, Carrollton Texas

Following the success of the KBS Carbon Fiber Hybrid shaft released in 2017, KBS has created light weight parallel iron shafts. Rather than me explaining the shaft, listen to Kim Braly at the PGA 2018 merchandise show discuss its development and pre release testing.

The shaft does not have a flex designation on its label. The number is the 6 iron swing speed which is your first cut and fitting the shafts. Lets take a look at the profile and data. 

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Russ

KBS $-Taper Golf Shaft Review

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KBS $-Taper Golf Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Golf Center at the Highlands, Carrollton Texas

STaper Image

Before the KBS $-Taper became available to the public, it had two tour wins. Cameron Smith at the Zurich Classic and Si Woo Kim at the Players. The release to club builders was delayed as KBS tried to new label application process. Eventually, they gave up and cut it loose with the current label process.

This shaft used a different step design from prior KBS shafts. The steps are longer, almost to the point of being hard to see. The discussion of the $-Taper starts at the 8:45 mark in this video shot at the 2017 PGA Merchandise show. Kim describes his objective for this shaft, a variation of the KBS tour that reduces spin. As soon as I finish writing this review I will put tips on the review samples to test the shaft. 

As I measured the $-Taper I had an expectation of what I expected to see, that was not the case.

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Russ

Do not assume you will react to this profile exactly as I did. We are all different and react to shafts and heads uniquely. I must play the 110 gram R flex because I cannot effectively swing a heavier shaft. However, 10 yards is something I need at my age and getting it without adding to roll out is something I will gladly put in my bag. Find a fitter that has added he KBS $-Taper to his fitting cart and test them yourself.

To continue reading this section of the review, you must be registered at a higher level membership.
Russ