KBS C-Taper Iron Shafts - THP Preview

[TC]

To me, from what I've read and the pros that play them on tour, they seem like they'd cater to the guy who swings at 85-90% with a smooth transition.

Maybe. I really don't know. We see a guy like Steve Stricker using them but the fact is, I think he's always traditionally played X flex shafts. You wouldn't expect that, but that's the case. I think a lot of golfers could benefit from the CT's but a guy who naturally has a lower ball flight, probably wouldn't benefit a lot from these. They do flight the ball low, that's a fact.

 

[Doug the lefty]

Maybe. I really don't know. We see a guy like Steve Stricker using them but the fact is, I think he's always traditionally played X flex shafts. You wouldn't expect that, but that's the case. I think a lot of golfers could benefit from the CT's but a guy who naturally has a lower ball flight, probably wouldn't benefit a lot from these. They do flight the ball low, that's a fact.

Significantly lower than the Tours in your RXT's? The reason I ask is that I am curing my 'flipping' problem with my swing and I am still launching the ball waaaaay to high with my Tour 90's.

 

[BeanieTX]

Significantly lower than the Tours in your RXT's? The reason I ask is that I am curing my 'flipping' problem with my swing and I am still launching the ball waaaaay to high with my Tour 90's.

I too am a little "flippy", always have been. I can literally bring rain when I hit anything with more loft than a 6i. And when I get on Bent Grass greens, I have spun balls off the front edge while landing them on the back fringe...this is why the C-Tapers are intriguing me so much

 

[rocketmangolf]

sounds ideal. Playing links golf so anything to keep the ball down!!

 

[royalwulff]

I am so looking forward to this review. I don't know if these would be for me but we shall see.

 

[TC]

Significantly lower than the Tours in your RXT's? The reason I ask is that I am curing my 'flipping' problem with my swing and I am still launching the ball waaaaay to high with my Tour 90's.

Doug, I've always said that it's difficult to see a difference in ball flight with the naked eye, but I could easily tell a difference in ball flight between the Tours and the C-T's. For me, yes, the C-T's offer a significantly lower ball flight, but in a good way.

 

[Doug the lefty]

Doug, I've always said that it's difficult to see a difference in ball flight with the naked eye, but I could easily tell a difference in ball flight between the Tours and the C-T's. For me, yes, the C-T's offer a significantly lower ball flight, but in a good way.

Thanks, TC. Definitely intrigued by these.

 

[BeanieTX]

opcorn:

lol

 

[BeanieTX]

rut roh....

 

[BeanieTX]

Msg'd the guy who used to work on all my clubs in HS, he's available to build it tomorrow! Dropping my 6i and C-Taper S+ off with him tonight and going to have my Dad pick it up on Friday and deliver it to me on Saturday. That means range time on Sunday for me!

Say bye-bye to the PX!!

 

[royalwulff]

Msg'd the guy who used to work on all my clubs in HS, he's available to build it tomorrow! Dropping my 6i and C-Taper S+ off with him tonight and going to have my Dad pick it up on Friday and deliver it to me on Saturday. That means range time on Sunday for me!

Say bye-bye to the PX!!

Keep us posted on how it works out for you.

 

[TC]

Beanie, the review is complete, emailed to THP HQ and should be published on site soon. Man, I had way too many words in that sucker. I could go on and on and on about these shafts. Can't wait to hear your thoughts, you're going to love that shaft.

 

[JB]

It will be up next week. It is really a well written and thorough review and I think everybody will enjoy it.

 

[BeanieTX]

I'm sure I am! I got to hit the S, S+, and X at a local golf shop here. They we VERY smooth! The LM clocked my 6i at 95-101 so I went with the S+. I thought it was a lil high, but the SS for my driver was dead on around 114, so I went with it. My builder and I are meeting in the morning...I'm real excited to get this back!

Thx for all your work with these reviews, I'm sure a ton of time is spent and I hope you know it's appreciated

 

[BeanieTX]

It will be up next week. It is really a well written and thorough review and I think everybody will enjoy it.

That's great news, thx JB!

 

[TC]

I'm sure I am! I got to hit the S, S+, and X at a local golf shop here. They we VERY smooth! The LM clocked my 6i at 95-101 so I went with the S+. I thought it was a lil high, but the SS for my driver was dead on around 114, so I went with it. My builder and I are meeting in the morning...I'm real excited to get this back!

Thx for all your work with these reviews, I'm sure a ton of time is spent and I hope you know it's appreciated

Thanks dude, that's awesome of you to say that. The best part about equipment reviews is when others start testing and offering input as well. I look forward to your input too buddy.

 

[biggsy]

Beanie, the review is complete, emailed to THP HQ and should be published on site soon. Man, I had way too many words in that sucker. I could go on and on and on about these shafts. Can't wait to hear your thoughts, you're going to love that shaft.

It will be up next week. It is really a well written and thorough review and I think everybody will enjoy it.

Been looking forward to this one for a while. Iron shafts are such an important part of the golf equipment puzzle and should be chosen carefully and wisely. I always enjoy your reviews and I'm especially interested to read and learn more about these shafts.

 

[AK jr.]

so my review is a few days late, but figured it wouldn't be too much of a bother. i have played at least 3 rounds and had a couple practice sessions with these shafts in my combos.

feel- i play the s+ which is considered on the "stout" side for my distances (can't stand all the swing speed crap). i hit my 5 iron about 185-190 so i could probably fit right into a stiff but i am willing to give up a few yards for my control. being a 6.7 fcm which is .1 less than a dg x100, some might assume they feel boardy and harsh. quite the opposite! as most of you know, kbs is the new standard in smooth feel. these shafts give a nice solid feel from wedges to long irons and also on knock down shots, ect.

distance- as far as distance goes, when my fitter called me from the st. judes in memphis to tell me he had a new shaft for me to try i was thinking feel, feel, feel since it was a kbs. never expected to see monumental distance gains or anything. short irons are possibly a slight increase, but the long irons i have noticed 5-10 yards without trying to kill it which is quite nice.

trajectory- this is one of those shafts you can swing smooth or really go after without worrying to much about trajectory differences. i find that a smooth swing gives me a very nice penetrating, mid ball flight with the shorter irons and a little lower actually with the long irons. put a little heat on it and both trajectories will rise respectively but nothing you would need to worry about in the wind. i actually enjoy knowing that i don't have to kill it or hit a stinger into the wind because my trajectory will be perfect.

spin/dispersion- fitted properly, these shafts are money when it comes to dispersion. i found a lot of slightly mishit shots staying on target rather than tailing left. this is definitely more of an anti-left shaft in the stiffer flexes. does it hurt workability? not at all, unless you enjoy starting the ball 30 yards off target line to play it in. i actually enjoy it because i can go after it without worry about a duck hook but will instead miss with a baby fade if its not going straight. as far as spin goes, i haven't been able to judge it that much so i will update after tomorrows round. but playing with a callaway iz i am able to get moderate spin, nothing too much or too little. no problems with spinning it off or having it run through the green.

overall- kbs has really found a winner here. if you are mid to high ball flight and want a more controllable and reliable trajectory, this is your boy. for those low spin/flight guys, i would shy away from this shaft unless you soft stepped or went down a flex in long irons only because the c taper will not help you get the ball up too much. with such a cool luck and the trusty kbs soft feel, these are hard to beat!

 

[BeanieTX]

so my review is a few days late, but figured it wouldn't be too much of a bother. i have played at least 3 rounds and had a couple practice sessions with these shafts in my combos.

feel- i play the s+ which is considered on the "stout" side for my distances (can't stand all the swing speed crap). i hit my 5 iron about 185-190 so i could probably fit right into a stiff but i am willing to give up a few yards for my control. being a 6.7 fcm which is .1 less than a dg x100, some might assume they feel boardy and harsh. quite the opposite! as most of you know, kbs is the new standard in smooth feel. these shafts give a nice solid feel from wedges to long irons and also on knock down shots, ect.

distance- as far as distance goes, when my fitter called me from the st. judes in memphis to tell me he had a new shaft for me to try i was thinking feel, feel, feel since it was a kbs. never expected to see monumental distance gains or anything. short irons are possibly a slight increase, but the long irons i have noticed 5-10 yards without trying to kill it which is quite nice.

trajectory- this is one of those shafts you can swing smooth or really go after without worrying to much about trajectory differences. i find that a smooth swing gives me a very nice penetrating, mid ball flight with the shorter irons and a little lower actually with the long irons. put a little heat on it and both trajectories will rise respectively but nothing you would need to worry about in the wind. i actually enjoy knowing that i don't have to kill it or hit a stinger into the wind because my trajectory will be perfect.

spin/dispersion- fitted properly, these shafts are money when it comes to dispersion. i found a lot of slightly mishit shots staying on target rather than tailing left. this is definitely more of an anti-left shaft in the stiffer flexes. does it hurt workability? not at all, unless you enjoy starting the ball 30 yards off target line to play it in. i actually enjoy it because i can go after it without worry about a duck hook but will instead miss with a baby fade if its not going straight. as far as spin goes, i haven't been able to judge it that much so i will update after tomorrows round. but playing with a callaway iz i am able to get moderate spin, nothing too much or too little. no problems with spinning it off or having it run through the green.

overall- kbs has really found a winner here. if you are mid to high ball flight and want a more controllable and reliable trajectory, this is your boy. for those low spin/flight guys, i would shy away from this shaft unless you soft stepped or went down a flex in long irons only because the c taper will not help you get the ball up too much. with such a cool luck and the trusty kbs soft feel, these are hard to beat!

Great review! Glad they're working out for you! My 5i goes about 203ish and im a high ball / high spin guy, so its nice toread the S+ should work out well for me based on your review. Thx AK!

 

[TC]

Solid write up AK! I think you and I agree about a lot of things concerning the CT's. I mean, a lot of things. Glad to hear they are working out for you, even so early on with them. Keep us updated buddy.

 

[royalwulff]

Nice write up there AK! It is really sounding like these are some really awesome shafts.

 

[BeanieTX]

My 6i has been built & in my hands since 8am yesterday, I'm chompin at the bit to get to the range! Today is my niece's 4th bday and my Mom's 61st, so no range time today. Tomorrow morning tho! Should be fun!!

 

[BeanieTX]

My search for a new iron shaft has led me here, to a KBS C-Taper S+ 1/2" over stnd. Throughout my golfing career, spanning 21 years, I have played 3 shafts, the DGS300, DGS400 and the Project X 5.5 satins. I have always been a "feel" player and for the last 5 years, my feel has more or less evaporated. For most of my golfing life, I have been able to tell you exactly where my clubhead and shaft was at any point in my swing. If I took it back a half inch inside more than normal, I knew it. If my clubface was shut more than a couple degrees I instantly knew it. My first guess was that I'm just not as good as I once was, which is understandable considering I don't hit 300 balls a day and don't play 7 days a week during the summers anymore. I'm an old 29 with a bad back, a full time day job, a still young marriage (not quite 3 yrs yet) and a 10month old baby boy that consumes a lot of my time. 5yrs ago, I also switched from Titleist 962s to Titleist 690MB blades, my first set of blades since I was a kid. I would like to announce, that as of this morning...my "feel" is back baby!!

I got on the Launch Monitor at Hornecek's House of Golf in Scottsdale, AZ. With my SS ranging from 96-101mph with my 6i and around 19.8* launch. When I was hitting the S & S+ the launch went down to about 18.8* which would fulfill the 5% drop in launch as they claim. Testing the feel of the S, S+ and X KBS Shafts, I went with the S+ and immediately had my builder throw it straight in for me.

To give you a little background on game, I'm a 5handicap trending to a 10. Back in HS I has a +1 for my Junior/Senior years. I was ranked as high as 7th in the HS rankings and was considered "All-State". I have shot 30 for nine holes about a half dozen times in competitive HS matches and it was always too dark to play the back-side. Now, I can shoot anywhere from 73 to 90 depending on the day. If there is any kind of wind... I'm screwed!! I hit the ball so high, I have been known to bring rain. I hit it so high, Luke AFB sends out fighter pilots to check it out. I hit it so high, I can make a ball mark on concrete.

I decided to go to The Golf Club at Estrella in Goodyear, AZ for my test as they don't charge by the hour and it's a Troon run club so I knew the range balls would be in decent shape. I got to the range about 7am, before the wife and kid were out of bed and started my stretching and loosening. I took the end stall to set up my camera and water bottle as usual with a range session and got to work. Started out with 50% 8 irons. Getting my back loose and tempo & timing down. Working on a couple drills such as getting my left wrist pointed down at impact, keeping the flex in my right knee at the top, firing my hips at transition instead of sliding, etc. After about 10mins, I couldn't take it any more...had to break out the 6i with the new KBS C-Taper S+ shaft.

First swing, face slightly open at impact...OMG, I actually FELT it!! I didn't even need to look up to see the ball flight or examine the divot. 2nd shot, just pure...I had to watch it. I looked up and the ball wasn't there...I thought, where the hell did it go? I had to adjust my eyes downward as I'm not used to the ball coming off with such a penetrating flight. It just bored thru the 7-10mph headwind I had. No ballooning, no ball just falling from the sky...just a beautiful flight. I hit balls with my 6i for about 50mins. The dispersion is no joke here people!! Say my normal dispersion is 15yrds left / right of the flag, the dispersion with the KBS would've been 10yrds left / right...I couldn't believe the ball, especially on mis-hits, the ball would just hold it's line so well.

Swinging at 85%, ball flight was low-mid and perfect. With my high flight & high spin, I'd never really experienced such a thing. Swinging 100%, the ball flight increased but never ballooned once. Normally, if I stepped on a 6i with that headwind, I'd experience a ballooning effect and would lose 15yards or more, not with the KBS!

I had never been to this range before for a range session. I have played the course before, but not since my HS Regional Tournament so it's been over a decade. I don't have a range finder, so I couldn't scope distances to determine if I gained any distance or not, but into a headwind and no ballooning...I'll guarantee that I didn't lose any.

You can still work the ball with these shafts. Yeah, the 40yrd hook is a little tougher to do, but really...there aren't trees in Phoenix just a lot of desert, so I don't have to worry about that too often. 10yrd draw, no problem. 10yrd fade, no problem. Chunk & run? You betcha!...at least it held it's line and the face didn't shut on me. Hit it with the bottom groove, still went really long, but it wasn't long & right...it was still straight at the stick.

Overall, I'd say that KBS has created a fantastic shaft here and I will be purchasing the remainder of them soon. I'm going to get the 3-9 shafted in KBS C-Taper S+, and PW, SW, LW will be receiving some brand new KBS Hi-Rev shafts. I'm very excited for what my game has in store for me as I progress and get out to the course more often. So after 5years of not being thrilled with my irons & shafts, I have found my replacements! These shafts are here to stay!

:clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp::clapp:

 

[UNCFan6]

very intrigued by this. I have never been fitted for shafts ever in my 9 year golf career and only twice have a hit a selection of irons before buying a set. The irons i have now are about 5 years old and id love a new set next year after tax time. Since joining this site ive really become very interested in getting fully fitted irons for my swing to maximize my potential. Right now i can shoot under par once every 5 rounds on average and would really love to see what i could do with the right equipment. I tend to think i hit my irons med/low ball flight more of a penetrating flight then high so idk if these shafts would necessarily be the best for me but the whole shaft concept seems really cool to me and id love to go thru the process. Can't wait to read your review TC.

 

[royalwulff]

Nice write up BeanieAZ! its great to hear that you have found a shaft that really seems to work so well for you.