KBS TOUR & KBS TOUR C-TAPER GOLF SHAFTS

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

Kim Braly

The KB in the KBS brand are the initial of Kim Braly, Kim started in golf shaft design at Royal Precision. He and his dad, Dr. Joe Braly, were the first to bring a trailer to PGA Tournament events.  Kim was part of the team that developed frequency matching, the Rifle shaft and the Project X shaft.  Royal Precision went bankrupt, the remains were acquired by True Temper.  The Project X brand name is still with us today, but it is now owned and made by True Temper.  This interview was shot in 2011 at the Byron Nelson Championship.  The C-Taper shaft had just been introduced.  Kim Braly actively works on the PGA Tour, getting feedback on his designs from the best golfers in the world.

KBS shafts are made by FST.  They recruited Kim a number of years ago to develop tour grade golf shafts. The first product was the KBS tour.  It was followed a few years later the the C-Taper.  Lets take a look at the profiles of these two shafts.

The custom fitter can get subflex models.  A 115 gram R+ and a 125g S+ fit between the 110g R, 120g S and the 130g X.  A knowledgeable fitter can also soft step or hard step to adjust flighting while maintaining weight.  Hard stepping means putting the 7i shaft into the 6i.  This slightly lowers the flighting while maintaining the 115 gram weight of the shaft.  The KBS Tour gives a good fitter a wide range of fitting options.  It is my preference in iron fitting with steel.