Equipment
WRX Spotlight: KBS TD driver shaft
The skinny: For the first time ever, KBS is adding a driver/wood shaft to the KBS product line (read our full launch story here). The KBS TD is a lighter and stiffer driver/wood shaft with characteristics of the original KBS feel. It is the perfect complement to their already proven performance-driven line of golf shafts. According to founder Kim Braly, “TD is the culmination of my years of shaft design being put into the most exciting club in your bag. The KBS TD will change the way you look at driver shafts.”
Our take on KBS TD shafts
The TD series is really a shaft connoisseurs dream; allowing not only a range of weights (40 to 80 grams) and stiffness 1-5 (yes numbers, not letters) but also up to four inches of tipping. This is an important nuance because with the right equipment and expertise, shafts can be very specifically matched to players.
For testing, KBS provided three shafts. To help me, I enlisted the help of my friend (and world-class fitter) Lyndon Wilson. Lyndon, owner of Golf Studio 360 at Orange County National in Orlando, Florida, is a world class fitter and builder with a resume that includes working with a wealth of PGA Tour players. Together with a FlightScope and Digiflex 2.0.
The first thing that struck us was the quality of the product: the shafts had tight specs on frequency and weight (no surprise here!). However what was really cool was Lyndon’s ability to move frequency slightly to really create shafts that would be tailored to my game. Based on our relationship, which includes playing a lot of golf together, he made up two shafts
- 50g, category 2 tipped an inch to play 6.0 to test in my driver at 45 inches
- 69g, category 2, not tipped and playing 5.5 for my 3 wood to test at 43.5 inches
Side note: watching Lyndon work, it is clear that these shafts, in the right hands, offer fitters a tremendous opportunity to perfectly fit each and every player.
But there’s still the big (and most important) question: how did it work? As one would expect, this is where KBS shines; performance.
In my opinion, KBS has hit another home run: producing a high-quality product that maximizes feel and consistency.
For more on the KBS TD shafts, check out Ryan Barath’s launch story.
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Whats in the Bag
Xander Schauffele WITB 2024 (May)
- Xander Schauffele what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship.
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees @10.1)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 70 TX (45.5 inches)
3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 80 TX
Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Mizuno MP-20 (3), Callaway Apex TCB ’24 (4-10)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid X100 (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-10)
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10S), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-10S @57), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-K @61)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: Odyssey Toulon Design Las Vegas Prototype 7CH
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Align
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Check out more in-hand photos of Xander Schauffele’s clubs in the forums.
More Xander Schauffele WITBs
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2023 (August)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2022 (July)
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2022 Scottish Open
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2022 Travelers Championship
- Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele’s winning WITBs: 2022 Zurich Classic
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2022 (January)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2021 (October)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2021 (September)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2021 (May)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2021 Masters
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2020 (October)
- Xander Schauffele WITB: 2020 Tour Championship
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2020 Olympics
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2020
- Xander Schauffele WITB: 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: Sentry Tournament of Champions
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2018
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2017 Tour Championship
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2017
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Whats in the Bag
Cam Smith WITB 2024 (May)
- Cam Smith what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X
3-wood: Ping Max G430 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 7 X
7-wood: Titleist TS2 (21 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: UST Mamiya Elements Proto 8F5
Irons: Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi (2, 3), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X Custom Series
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46-10F, 52-08F, 56-08M, 60-04T)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130X (46, 52, 56, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Tack
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Cam Smith’s gear here.
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Whats in the Bag
Patrick Reed WITB 2024 (May)
- Patrick Reed what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G400 (8.5 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI 70 Tour X
3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125MSI 80 Tour X
Hybrid: Callaway Apex Pro (18 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila RIP Phenom Hybrid 100 TX
Irons: Titleist 716 TMB (2), Grindworks PR-202 (4), Grindworks PR-101A (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50-10 Mid), Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (56-08M @55), SM10 (60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Odyssey White Hot RX Pt Customs No. 2
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
More photos of Patrick Reed’s WITB in the forums.
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Pingback: KBS testing new TD “Tour Driven” Prototype graphite shafts on tour – GolfWRX
Fraser
Nov 2, 2019 at 3:46 am
That is THE most uninformative, worst written piece I have ever seen on this website. I would know more about the shaft by just looking at the picture than by reading what was wrote. No talk of what the shaft is like other than it “maximizes feel and consistency”. Gee thanks. The author should be embarrassed.
Ben Alberstadt
Nov 2, 2019 at 3:09 pm
I’m sorry you feel that way. Please read our launch feature linked multiple times in the article for more nuanced information. The WRX Spotlight Series complements the features; no article therein is expected to contain the information included in our launch stories.