three targeted performance options. The
C-Taper is designed to
produce low trajectory
and spin, and the KBS Tour
low-mid trajectory and a
low-mid amount of spin. As
for the Tour 90, it is geared for
those golfers wanting mid-high
trajectory and generous spin.
Company technicians say that
KBS Tour shafts offer progressive
weight and flex, meaning that as shaft
weight increases, the shaft flex stiffens in a corresponding fashion. And the
system works in five-gram increments, from 95
grams with the Tour 90 regular flex to 130 grams
with the C-Taper extra stiff. According to Braly,
who is not only head of R&D at KBS but also
director of tour operations, that ensures players
are better fit with shaft weights and flexes, for
improved performance and consistency.
Another critical feature, he adds, is what he
calls “maximum energy transfer.” That comes
from the step/taper sections of each shaft, with
step length and diameter decreasing proportionately in wall thickness from butt to tip so that
energy may flow more rapidly and easily to the
club head, for greater feel and distance. l
FOR MORE INFO KBS
KBS Tour’s C-Taper
and Tour 90
KBS Shafts
Offer Options
BY JOHN STEINBREDER
Introduced in 2008, KBS Tour quickly established a presence on the professional tours.
According to company officials, its steel shafts
have recorded more than 50 wins in that time
and are now used by more than 110 players on
those circuits. At the same time, KBS has made
inroads in recreational golf, based largely on
the strength of its three primary products – KBS
Tour, KBS Tour 90 and KBS C-Taper.
Those shafts are the brainchild of noted
designer Kim Braly. A golf industry veteran of
more than 30 years, he has created a number
of popular products in his career, among them
Rifle and Project X shafts for Royal Precision.
And his mandate in this case was to develop a
premium, high-performance line of steel shafts
for the FST shaft company. First put into play
four years ago, they carried the brand name
KBS (for Kim Braly Signature) Tour.
