Choosing the right shaft for your golf swing is vitally important if you want to improve and unlock lower scores.
Golfers who have tried fittings will understand that shaft selection is an important process in being fit for new clubs.
KBS Golf Shafts is one of the leading shaft brands, with millions of recreational golfers playing their products and many touring professionals as well.
The brand was created in 2008 by renowned handle designer Kim Braly, who worked closely with professionals and relied on their feedback to produce the highest quality handles available.
They focus on optimizing equipment performance by providing the most technologically advanced golf shafts on the market.
Golfshake sat down with Kim Braly to discuss the company’s past efforts and the exciting future that lies ahead.
Interview with Kim Braly
The GPS putter shaft has been incredibly popular since its launch, how much work did it take to create it?
With any KBS product, we conduct extensive testing and research for months, sometimes years, to ensure we provide the best performing golf shafts on the market. The KBS GPS is no exception. In releasing our first graphite putter shaft to the golfing community, we wanted to make sure it was right from the start. We began testing in late 2021 and continued research into 2022, finally falling in love with our final product in early 2023. The result spoke for itself with multiple victories around the world on professional circuits and record sales for a putter shaft.
KBS launches first graphite putter shaft
What was the thinking behind the number of colors offered?
The thought process was simple: everyone in golf loves custom products. Whether it’s custom stamping, laser engraving, grips, the choice is yours. The golf market is very hungry for personalized golf products. We wanted to offer a number of custom looks for this revolutionary upper to appeal to everyone’s color palette. We offer eight color options in matte or gloss, with more options to come. We’re launching five more color options before the end of the year and we couldn’t be more excited to launch them.
The TD Graphite driver shaft is a progression of the Tour hybrid shaft that is very popular among Tour players. Is the idea to put the driver shaft in the hands of many Tour players?
That’s certainly the idea. We are always looking for feedback from players on Tour and have already had success with players using the KBS TD on all professional tours. The biggest success is on the LPGA with the TD where we have seen women take this product with more success.
How Shafts Help – KBS TD Golf Shaft Review
There has been a real focus on graphite shafts lately with the PGI and PGH shafts. Do you think the stigma that they are only for women and senior golfers is disappearing?
We believe the stigma is disappearing. With the revolutionary KBS Graphite products we manufacture, we are catering to more golfers of all skill levels, ages and genders and finding that graphite can be just as amazing, and in some cases even better than steel. We are proud to know that KBS is bringing graphite to the masses by becoming such an important part of the KBS name and brand.
As the conversation heats up about the rollback of golf balls, do you think there is anything manufacturers or shaft builders like yourself can do to facilitate debate on the topic?
That’s a good question and a difficult question. Obviously I can only speak to the component aspect, but we believe that the shaft is the engine of the golf club and has contributed to the success of players’ performance and that the rollback option would suit us regardless of the decision. do.
Few golfers will think about having a compound wedge fitting and KBS offers four dedicated wedge shafts. How important is it for club golfers to personalize this aspect of their game?
This is vitally important. The club golfer very often has a stock wedge shaft that is far too heavy and stiff for their abilities. The wedge assembly process will result in a KBS shaft more suited to their swing, strength and abilities.
KBS now accommodates every club in the bag, was that your goal when you started?
The idea when we started expanding our original line was to create a complete iron shaft system that would cover every golfer. This idea has expanded recently to having a shaft for every golfer at every club. We are confident that our steel shaft range is very comprehensive, now we are making our graphite range just as strong.
In terms of business, KBS is a relatively new brand having been established in 2008, but since then you have been one of the fastest growing companies in the industry, offering the most advanced shaft technology in the industry. To what do you attribute this rapid growth?
We are humbled by the fact that these statements are true, but our success is simple, manufacturing the best golf shafts and products for all levels of golfers, from the Tour professional to the amateur and someone just starting out in the game. golf. Countless hours, days, months and years have gone into making this happen by such an incredible team that I should give credit for helping make KBS what it is today. We continually strive to make KBS the best golf brand in the world.
KBS works with all of the game’s makers. What input, if any, do they have in creating new trees?
We work closely with all the major OEMs on the planet and love our partnerships/collaborations with them, so they obviously have such an important input for us. The simple answer is, yes, they have a say in helping us provide the best shafts for their product to perform at its peak.
Have Tour players ever asked you to design a shaft they need and if so, have you ever released one to the mass market?
Yes! Our Tour team and I work tirelessly with players on every major tour around the world to provide them with the highest performance golf products. This happens more often than you think. Thanks to player feedback, we can adapt the products not only to their specific needs, but also to the needs of the general public who would like to play with the same performance shaft with the same or different weight and flex. The best example we have to answer your question is the KBS Tour V iron shaft design for a five-time major winner using the product to date, which was passed down to the current FedEx Cup champion. We install it worldwide and it is available. to all you golfers, pretty cool stuff.
Can you give us a preview of what’s next for KBS?
We have so many exciting things we’re working on and testing that it’s hard to sleep at night because of the excitement. Without giving too much away, we are working on a revolutionary product that scales for golfers and has never been seen before. We have so many exciting golf shafts and products coming in 2024 that fit in your entire golf bag. We also have some incredible partnerships coming to KBS that will excite the entire golf community.
For more information visit: www.kbsgolf Shafts.com
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KBS launches first graphite putter shaft
