Equipment

KBS launches ‘Tour-V’ iron shaft

Published

13 years ago

Sep 30, 2013

KBS has announced the release of its new “Tour-V” steel iron shaft, which is lower spinning than the KBS “Tour” shaft and weighs about 10 grams less.

The Tour-V (known as the “Tour V2” in its prototype phase) has been in development since early 2012. It was first used on the PGA Tour by Phil Mickelson, who worked with KBS shaft designer Kim Braly to create a shaft that had the feel of the KBS Tour, but produced a lower launch and less spin.

Click here to see the other clubs and shafts Mickelson uses.

To make the shaft, Braly lengthened the step pattern of the KBS Tour, while also increasing the outside diameter of the shaft and thinning its walls. Those changes gave the shaft a lower ball flight, and also made it 10 grams lighter.

“Dispersion with the Tour-V is some of the tightest we have ever seen and it maintains our signature smooth feel at impact,” Braly said in a KBS press release. “Lighter weight has become more popular and this allows golfers to swing a little easier.”

The Tour V is available for pre-order immediately, and will begin shipping on Nov. 1. The shafts will be offered in three flexes: R (100 grams), S (110 grams) and X (120 grams). The Tour-V will also be the stock shaft offering for Callaway’s Apex Pro irons, which will be available in early 2014.

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying in the forums.

Above: The KBS Tour-V shaft (left), has a larger outside diameter and thinner walls in the tip section than the KBS Tour (right).

Above: Notice how the KBS Tour-V shafts, when paired side-by-side with the KBS Tour shafts, have longer steps (in both pairings, the KBS Tour is on the left and the Tour-V is on the right). This change, combined with the change in wall thickness and outside diameter, gives the shaft a more penetrating flight.

In June, the KBS launched its C-Taper Lite iron shaft, which filled a gap between the KBS Tour 90 and KBS Tour shafts. The Tour-V fits between the company’s C-Taper and KBS Tour shafts, offering the smooth feel of the KBS Tour with a launch and spin that is closer to the C-Taper.

Related Topics:KBS shafts

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16 Comments

Hamish

Aug 4, 2016 at 7:13 pm

Please make a new KBS Tour V shaft in Stiff @ 125g, and S+ @ 130g for us regular players.
Tour V X flex @ 120g are a tad lite, and too stiff, but I do like the stable mid section.

Reply Report comment
Jm

Jul 20, 2016 at 1:34 pm

V Tapers are great shafts. Sure, the availability of other shafts are at your fingertips however; know your equipment, know your game and master your skills. With that said, the V taper is lighter for a reason they’ll definitely help you slow that out of control swing down.

Reply Report comment
BET

Nov 15, 2013 at 4:54 pm

Just ordered a set of these and they are $30.00 per shaft. I play DG now & have been looking for something with a little higher launch & the same spin. I had the c-tapers and they were good but a little to low. Always loved the feel of KBS vs DG & PX I just hope these fit in where they say they will.

Reply Report comment
- JS
  
  Jan 11, 2014 at 4:33 pm
  
  Any update on performance of Tour V? Compared to DG and PX? Thanks!
  
  Reply Report comment
Alex

Oct 7, 2013 at 9:10 pm

Unbelievable, just crazy fantastic! These golf companies are beginning to sound like soap commercials. It has to be better because it’s new and improved. Sorry, but just does not blow my dress up.

Reply Report comment
Greg

Sep 30, 2013 at 11:27 pm

$44.95 lol. What makes these twice the money as the KBS Tour?

Reply Report comment
- t120
  
  Oct 1, 2013 at 5:10 pm
  
  …charging twice as much?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Jack
    
    Oct 2, 2013 at 2:39 am
    
    Always try to charge more (in higher end lines) to capture more of the consumer surplus.
    
    Reply Report comment
Al Coholic

Sep 30, 2013 at 6:53 pm

How many shafts can you make that are “lower launch, lower spin”….here is a newsbreaker….no amateur can hit thee like a pro…get yourself a great DG shaft and call it a day and take lessons

Reply Report comment
- IRISH P1MP
  
  Sep 30, 2013 at 9:49 pm
  
  Al…..amateurs can hit these shafts. I was a 19 handicapper early this year playing super game improvement irons. I found the stock shafts to be too whippy in my backswing and my dispersion was all over the place. I was handed a set of Adam cmb irons with the kbs tour c-taper in 120 g stiff flex to hit and it was like instant magic dispersion is at an all time low and my handicap sits at a 9 right now. My club head speed for a driver is 104-107. I believe it all lies in proper fitting for correct shafts. I was typically a high ball hitter almost ballooning the ball too much with the game improvement irons. The c-tapers brought this down to where it should be.. I’m not saying it’s for everyone but darn worth trying out, you may just be surprised.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Cannon
  
  Sep 30, 2013 at 10:23 pm
  
  Maybe you should lay off the drinks and save some brain cells.
  They’re s actually a lot of am’s that can hit it as good or better than most pro’s. But it’s a game called golf, not ball-striking.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - t120
    
    Oct 1, 2013 at 5:09 pm
    
    ….wait for it
    
    …wait for it
    
    SNAP!!!!
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Club
      
      Oct 7, 2013 at 1:45 am
      
      +1 to Cannon’s comment. I know at least 2-3 golfers who can easily turn pro, but decided not to. They actually better than many players on Tour (Yes, I have played with them). Hey, they can play like a Pro doesn’t mean they have to be a Pro, or be on Tour.
      
      Reply Report comment
- Gary Lewis
  
  Mar 15, 2014 at 12:27 am
  
  DG shafts don’t work for everyone. Times changes things. There are more shaft options than there used to be and some golfers are going to like the Tour V a quite a bit better than the DG shaft.
  
  Reply Report comment
- g,f,g
  
  Apr 11, 2016 at 7:01 pm
  
  stiff and reg flexes are for us mortals dont be afraid. dg gold suuuuuux
  
  Reply Report comment
Ryan

Sep 30, 2013 at 5:34 pm

$44.95 !!! Come on KBS !! I know it’s a special shaft but yikes.. It’s still just a steel shaft.

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

1 hour 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.