Equipment

KBS TD, 1 One Step: Get to know the first KBS shaft for woods and new putter shaft

Published

2 years ago

Nov 19, 2021

KBS’ TD “Tour Driven” wood shaft is the company’s first entry into the driver/fairway wood market, and the line remains as relevant as it did at launch two years ago.

As a refresher, the TD Graphite wood shaft has been designed as a mid-launch/low-spin performance Graphite golf shaft that is designed to optimize the maximum performance and efficiency of spin and launch angles at various swing speeds.

The KBS TD Graphite wood shaft plays lighter and stiffer than other graphite wood shafts on the market in design for excellent performance and superior feel – aided by the new KBS Category Swing Speed System to fit shafts off swing speed alone instead of weight and flex.

KBS TD: The creation

The shaft is designed to fit the widest range of players, with the concept centered around the Kim Braly (KBS R&D and Tour Operations Director) Signature shaft geometry. The shaft features equal reduction in stiffness throughout the length of the shaft for an efficient engine while also loading and unloading for players at an incredibly efficient rate.

The TD driver shaft was designed with an El curve that applies the formulas from the KBS Tour iron shaft. The result is a driver shaft that produces a piercing ball flight, with a smooth, extremely stable feel as well as a tight dispersion.

Instead of then applying the standard R, S and X “flex” principles, Kim Braly developed a fitting matrix that could be applied to fit players into their flex profile.

To do this, Braly looked at swing speed as the baseline while assuming that all other variables the fitters address are neutral, including tempo, ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, angle of descent, distance and dispersion.

The result? The development of a matrix of weights and categories. 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 grams. And categories 1-5. The baseline swing speed chart is as follows:

If a player then wanted to know what category represented what flex, it would be the following:

The system, though, as with other KBS shafts, is not designed or fit to a “flex” but a flex profile.

Speaking on the new addition and the first foray into the driver/fairway wood market, Kim Braly, R&D and Tour Operations Director stated

“I’ve been asked the question of when we were going to enter the wood shaft market for many years and my answer was always not until we’re 100% happy with the product and we can make an even bigger impact with a full set of shafts throughout the bag.

We’ve worked tirelessly with our Tour players and R&D team to perfect our first wood shaft which has all the characteristics of a KBS shaft. We’ve designed it to offer optimized spin rate and launch, which equals more power and distance on every shot with the driver and fairway woods.”

KBS 1 One Step putter shaft

In addition to the TD Graphite wood shaft, KBS has also recently introduced its new 1 One Step putter shaft.

Weighing six grams more than conventional putters at 130g, the 1 One Step Putter Shaft is a single bend, straight tip model .370 in diameter that provides golfers with more flexibility in creating a pure amplified feel and reduced vibration at impact for more accurate and consistent putts.

On the 1 One Step putter shaft, Braly had this to say

“On average, around 45% of strokes per round involve your putter, so we wanted to create a shaft with varying putter head weights per stroke that puts more confidence in the hands of those who currently aren’t that confident on the greens.

“A lot of time and investment has gone into producing another putter shaft that can be played by a Tour pro or a higher handicapper. On the green it’s all about feel and the 1 One Step creates that pure feel, enabling a smooth stable stroke each and every time. The research we did saw many more putts holed, so I’m excited to see how golfers react to it.”

As the second putter shaft to be created by KBS, the 1 One Step shaft follows the popular CT Tour version launched in 2019 and comes in Chrome, Black Matte, and Black Gloss finishes.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

18 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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