By Leonard Finkel
KBS Tour $ – Taper, the newest steel shaft in the KBS line, is now available at Club Champion. Head of research and development and longtime KBS designer Kim Braly wanted the KBS Tour $ – Taper to provide superior feel while maintaining shot work-ability for players seeking a mid-launch and low spin shaft.
The KBS Tour $ – Taper shares the same bend profile as the KBS TOUR with elongated step patterns for spin, generating a stable performance throughout the swing. KBS offers these shafts in 2 finishes: Black PVD and Classic KBS Chrome and are available in a variety of flexes and weights; R 110g, R+ 115g, S 120g, S+ 125g and X 130g. An innovation for the Tour $-Taper is their first 360° cured decal for a one of a kind look.
This shaft has already been adopted on Tour by some of the biggest names and will continue to grow as its performance and word spreads. Si Woo Kim won The Players with the shafts in his bag. Tour $-Taper also was used by Cameron Smith partnering with Jonas Blixt to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
KBS founder and designer Braly believes, “The stronger tip section stays straighter on the downswing and at impact for tighter dispersion.” He adds, “The KBS Tour changed the performance and feel of steel golf shafts on Tour when it was unveiled almost ten years ago, and the KBS Tour $-Taper will do the same for a new generation of golfers. The KBS Tour $-Taper is for the player looking for a straighter and stronger ball flight, with lower spin resulting in a tour caliber performance and feel.”
Mike Stachura of Golf Digest writes “The theory behind KBS Tour $-Taper steel iron shaft seems an obvious progression in how equipment design responds to the development of the golfer athlete: Elite players are stronger and more athletic than a generation ago so the ideal shaft shouldn’t be one created for players from the previous generation.”
Braly indicated testing with Tour players has reduced iron spin as much as 800 rpm, which could lead to added distance for golfers with high-swing speeds. Stachura concludes, “While its success has been at the high-speed elite level, the KBS Tour $-Taper is available in a range of weights and flexes that may appeal to better ball-strikers regardless of clubhead speed.”
Leonard Finkel is the author of The Secrets to the Game of Golf & Life and former editor in chief of Golf Journeys Magazine. His work has been featured in almost 200 publications including Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Golf Illustrated, Golf Tips and Player Magazine. He has written more than a dozen cover stories for Golf Today Magazine. He has written extensively about golf and travel and has added poker to his writing repertoire. Finkel also works as a marketing and public relations consultant. His specialty niche is writing advertorial copy. Prior to his career in golf, Finkel owned a chain of retail stores and a consulting and import company based in Asia. He attended the University of Utah.