Equipment

KBS GPS Graphite putter shaft review: Club Junkie Reviews

Published

5 months ago

Dec 22, 2023

KBS is known mostly as a steel shaft company, but it has been increasing its graphite options recently. There was once just the KBS TD wood shaft, and now you can get a graphite KBS model in every club in your bag. Legendary shaft designer Kim Braly hasn’t taken any breaks and has put a lot of time and engineering into this putter shaft.

The “GPS” name stands for Graphite Putter Shaft, and that is exactly what it is. KBS built the GPS from premium composite materials and fibers to dial in the feel and stability. Golfers can get the GPS shaft in a plethora of colors, both matte and gloss finishes, and two tip sizes.

Installation is easy and straightforward like a traditional steel shaft. Pick the correct tip size, sand the paint off the tip, and then use standard club epoxy to glue the shaft into the hosel.

The GPS is only offered as a straight shaft, no bends, so your putter will have to have a hosel where the shaft sits inside of it. Something like an L neck, plumbers neck, or center shaft will be the most common hosel for this shaft. Most slant or flow necks won’t work since the shaft has to slide over a post, and the GPS is not engineered for that style hosel.

Once on the course, you will notice that the GPS has a stiffer feel than a traditional, stock steel shaft from just taking a few practice swings. While the GPS is stiff, it isn’t crazy stout like some other high-end putter shafts, enabling the shaft to still provide good feel.

The stiffer feel and low torque on the GPS can be felt on short and long putts immediately as you have a feel where the head is through the whole stroke. A 30-foot or a 3-foot putt have the same feeling of face awareness, and I never felt like the face was anything but square.

While no club, shaft, or grip can guarantee you make more putts, I do feel like the stability of the GPS helps me get the ball started on my intended line more often. I still have to read the putt correctly and hit it with the right speed, but I feel like the shaft can help reduce one putting factor for me.

There is also some added stability on those toe and heel mishits that we all encounter. While most mallet putters help keep the putter face square on those misses, the GPS adds something to it. My miss is typically the toe. I did feel like the face doesn’t want to swing open as much compared to the stock shaft. Feel is sorted a touch as the GPS will absorb some of the vibration on impact.

I have the GPS in a TaylorMade Spider X Tour Proto with the fully milled face, and you can instantly tell a slight softness as the ball leaves the face compared to the stock KBS steel shaft that was in it. The sound also feels a bit more muted and the pitch lowered just a slight bit for a more solid sound.

If you are looking to upgrade your putter shaft for some added stability and a different feel, then the KBS GPS putter shaft is worth trying. While it may not make the putts for you, it can help keep the putter pointed at your target; that should help you make putts.

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Equipment

Michael Block spotted with full set of TaylorMade “Proto” irons at Valhalla

Published

4 hours ago

May 14, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

On Monday at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, Block had a full set of TaylorMade “Proto” irons in the bag.

Block is the first player of many on the PGA TOUR to bag a set of the mysterious “Proto” irons. Rory McIlroy first switched into a “Proto” 4-iron at the Valero Texas Open, and Collin Morikawa followed suit at the 2024 RBC Heritage. Block isn’t using just the 4-iron, though, he’s using a full set to go along with a TaylorMade Stealth UDI driving iron.

Speaking with GolfWRX.com on Monday at the PGA Championship, Block revealed the full backstory.

“I hit a couple super “Proto” irons when I was at the Kingdom (TaylorMade’s fitting facility in Southern California) a couple months ago, and it was a 9-iron that didn’t have any badges or anything on it,” Block said. “I had no idea what it was … It was very similar to what I was using back then, you know, my old MCs, and very similar from the top. I hit it and absolutely loved it. For me to even think about switching irons from the last 11-12 years is crazy.

“I got this set about two weeks ago, and I’m working my way into them. I hit them more solid; it comes off the face more solid. Much higher. I think they’re still slightly too upright for me, so they’re being bent a degree flatter, because they’re going a little too high for me and drawing a little too much. When that starts to happen, I start to drop the club under and compensate too much, so I’m getting them flattened slightly, and I’m going to test them on the range again, and hopefully have them in play on Thursday…

“They go further, and they go higher … that combination is kind of a no-brainer. If I can take a 5-iron from 204 rather than a 4-iron, it’s good on me. It’s going to help me out for sure, especially at a major with the pin locations. Having that height coming in, that descent angle is going to be huge.”

With such new irons in the bag, after using the same irons for over a decade, surely you’d think there will be a bit of a learning curve. Block, however, is finding immediate comfort with the new “Proto” irons.

Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.

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Whats in the Bag

WITB Time Machine: Rory McIlroy’s winning WITB, 2014 PGA Championship

Published

6 hours ago

May 14, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Rory McIlroy outlasted Phil Mickelson at the 2014 PGA Championship. It’s even harder to believe McIlroy hasn’t hoisted a major trophy since his 2014 victory at Valhalla.

After a slow start to his final round, McIlroy tallied an eagle and two birdies on the back nine and his fourth major championship. Take a look at the clubs he played a decade ago in Kentucky.

Driver: Nike VR_S Covert 2.0 Tour (8.5 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XTS 70X

3-wood: Nike VR_S Covert 2.0 Tour (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Rombax Pro 95 X

5-wood: Nike VR_S Covert 2.0 Tour (19 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Rombax Pro 95 X

Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s clubs from 2014 here.

Irons: Nike VR Pro Blade (4-9) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X 7.0

Wedges: Nike VR Forged (46, 52, 56, 60 degrees) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X 6.5

Putter: Nike Method 006 Buy here.

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

Ball: Nike RZN Black

Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s clubs from 2014 here.

WITB Time Machine is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.

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