Equipment

Tech Talk: KBS C-Taper Lite iron shafts

Published

13 years ago

Jun 6, 2013

With the name C-Taper Lite, most golfers will assume that the biggest difference between KBS’s newest shafts and the company’s original C-Taper shafts is the weight. But even though the new shafts are between 5 and 15 grams lighter depending on flex, weight was actually a secondary concern in the design of the shafts.

Kim Braly, the man who designs KBS shafts, says there’s no reason golfers should change to lighter iron shafts based on weight alone. While he admits that changing from heavier iron shafts to lighter ones usually gives golfers a few extra yards at first, over time Braly has noticed that golfers tend to go back to hitting their iron shots about the same distance.

“You see it all the time on tour,” Braly said. “Guys go to light-weight iron shafts and hit it a little farther. But then a few months later they go back to hitting it their old distances. Their bodies acclimate to the lighter weight.”

So if the C-Taper Lite shafts don’t give golfers extra distance, what do they do?

The new shafts fill a hole in the company’s lineup, which is between KBS’s low-launching, low-spining C-Taper and KBS Tour shafts and the company’s high-launching, high-spinning KBS Tour 90 shafts. They offer a similar feel and the same efficient energy transfer as the C-Taper shafts, but in a profile that is much easier for slower swing speed players to load properly. That gives them the best chance to hit long, straight shots.

To create the new shafts, Braly had to experiment with different shaft geometries, just like he did when he designed the tour-only shafts that Phil Mickelson is currently using, the KBS Tour V2.

Mickelson didn’t care for the feel of KBS’s original C-Taper shafts — he preferred the softer feel of the KBS Tour. But the KBS Tour shafts spun too much and launched too high for him. So Braly spent almost two years working with Mickelson on the design of the KBS Tour V2, which are actually lighter than KBS Tour shafts, but are lower launching and lower spinning.

Can you tell which shaft is a KBS Tour V1 and which shaft is a KBS Tour V2? A KBS Tour V2 shaft (left), has a larger outside diameter and thinner walls in the tip section, which gives it a more penetrating trajectory.

It seems impossible that Braly could make a shaft that was both lighter and had a more penetrating trajectory, but it’s actually fairly simple to do. Because changing a shaft’s outside diameter (the fatness of the shaft) has three times more effect on stiffness than changing a shaft’s wall thickness, Braly was able to increase the outside diameter of the V2’s tip section to make it stiffer and get the lower-launching, lower-spinning performance Mickelson wanted.

Notice how the KBS Tour V2 shafts, when paired side-by-side with the KBS Tour V1 shafts, have longer steps (in both pairings, the V1 is on the left and the V2 is on the right). This change, combined with the change in wall thickness and outside diameter, gave Mickelson the launch, spin and feel he was looking for in his iron and wedge shafts.

For a change that simple, why did it take two years for Mickelson to make a change? According to Braly, getting the right performance from a shaft is often much easier than getting the right feel. That’s why the V2 shafts are five grams lighter than the KBS Tour shafts. To make up for the stiffer tip, Braly was forced to extend the lengths of the steps of the shafts and subtract from the thickness of the walls to give Mickelson a KBS Tour-like feel with the performance that he wanted.

Like the tour-only KBS Tour V2 shafts, the C-Taper Lite shafts were able to be made lighter by decreasing the thickness of the shaft’s walls and tuning the shaft’s diameter to create the mid-spin, mid-launch conditions he was looking for from the shaft.

Just how important does Braly think the C-Taper Lite is to his company’s shaft lineup?

“I’m really into custom fitting and I wanted to have a complete product line,” Braly said. “I want to be able to fit golfers into the best product I possibly can. With this new product, I can’t imagine that there are many golfers out there that we won’t be able to fit.”

The C-Taper Lite shafts have KBS’s brushed satin finish, and are available for order now with shipping starting July 8. The R-Flex C-Taper Lite shafts weigh 105 grams, with the S-Flex weighing 110 grams and the X-flex weighing 115 grams. They’ll cost around $39 per shaft.

Related Topics:KBS shafts

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14 Comments

Pingback: KBS Adds New C-Taper Lite Shaft with Parallel Tip | Golf Gear Select
Dolph Lundgrenade

Jun 14, 2013 at 8:40 pm

With counterbalancing about to be a major aspect of the fitting process (owing to the recent exposure that many players are using it…and Jack used it) I expect a shaft line-up to be double the options. For KBS’s line-up I believe we will see a B-spec version of each shaft in a lighter configuration with the same profile. For example, don’t be surprised to see a C-taper that is exactly the same in terms of performance, but 10-20 grams lighter per flex… or, as another example, being able to buy a KBS Tour X stiff shaft that weights 115g. In this manner the fitter can counterbalance 15 grams of weight without increasing the overall weight of the club.

That’s just what I see for the future… but I’m right so often you may just count on it.

Reply Report comment
Ryan

Jun 11, 2013 at 12:41 pm

Wonderful intuitive article. I play the Tours but can’t wait to try the C-Taper Lite Stiff!

Reply Report comment
lefty

Jun 10, 2013 at 9:20 pm

Yea but my Honma 5 stars cost more and are graphite. I have gold in my irons too.

Honma driver 5 star 1700 dollars
Honma 3 wood 5 star 1500 dollars
Honma irons 3-AW 5 star 12,500 dollars
Cameron California prototype, 1 in existence 25,000 dollars
Honma Corinthian leather golf bag 5500 dollars
Custom Club Car cart 22,000 dollars
Golf swing .50 cents
Okay guys I am being fecetious but I actually saw this on ebay

Reply Report comment
- Dave
  
  Jul 12, 2013 at 7:31 pm
  
  Surely you mean FACETIOUS? Since Fecetious must mean that there’s sh*t coming out of your mouth?
  Either way, what’s the point of your post?
  
  Reply Report comment
Blanco

Jun 7, 2013 at 11:42 pm

One of the best articles I’ve ever read on Golfwrx. Nice to hear about more about shafts than the usual weight, launch profile, fluorescent colors, and who’s playing it on tour. Informative, clear, great photography.

Please inject me with more technical shaft dope.

Reply Report comment
John Strathman

Jun 7, 2013 at 8:23 pm

I always thought there was a hole in selecting KBS shafts. I hit Tour’s with two iron sets and just went back to DG S300’s on my last purchase. Well there is always tomorrow…

Reply Report comment
LK

Jun 6, 2013 at 7:42 pm

forget the c-taper lights, give me the tour v2s!!

Reply Report comment
- John
  
  Jun 6, 2013 at 9:42 pm
  
  Seriously wish they would, as this sounds like the perfect shaft I’m wanting. Kbs tour feel with a more dg like trajectory or even slightly lower spinning and I would pay big $$$!
  
  Reply Report comment
  - T
    
    Jun 7, 2013 at 11:57 am
    
    Huh? DG says it is LOW launch, so how can it be more like DG trajectory? You don’t know what you’re talking about. Why not use something like DG XP hardstepped a couple times?
    
    Reply Report comment
    - John
      
      Jun 7, 2013 at 7:38 pm
      
      Huh?? That’s exactly what I’m saying, if the KBS had a shaft with the SAME LOW launch of the DG with the FEEL similar to the KBS tours, with a possibly touch less spin than a DG.
      
      Reply Report comment
  - Yo mama
    
    Jun 9, 2013 at 8:54 pm
    
    I don’t want to pay big bug I want them
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Kridian
      
      Jun 16, 2013 at 9:45 pm
      
      $39 per shaft!? There better be GOLD weaved in there!
      
      Reply Report comment
Xander Walsh

Jun 6, 2013 at 6:20 pm

Great article. I enjoyed the read.

Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

2 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.