When it comes to golf equipment there is a plethora of choice available to the everyday golfer.
Every brand will claim they have the next big thing and bombard you with layers upon layers of technical information, which, for the average golfer, may as well have been spouted in Ancient Greek with the odd recognisable buzzword of, ‘forgiveness’, ‘distance’ or ‘spin’.
So, finding the perfect clubs for your game can feel like a daunting challenge, particularly when you consider all the different golf shafts out there.
This is why, for world renowned club fitter Chris Trott, known to his 151,000 subscribers on YouTube as Trottie Golf, simplifying the process is so important not only for amateurs but pros as well.
To help achieve this, Trott wanted to choose a golf shaft company he truly believed in, and landed on KBS, which became the only golf shaft he stocks at his new fitting centre in San Diego.
Why Acclaimed Club Fitter Chris Trott Favours KBS Golf Shafts
He said: “Playing a tour-level golf course in tough conditions you have to have a level of trust in a product to know that you can hit creative shots that you don’t practice week in, week out.
“You can’t hand a shaft to a player and it be off or wrong, or the tolerance not be where you need it.
“And I think initially, when you bring that back to a fitting centre that's been open based on a reputation, you need to know that the products are right, you need to know that the weighting is right, the weight sorting is correct and the different profiles are correct.
“There are so many different options that the shaft can complicate the situation when it doesn’t need to, and Steelsy (Paul Steels, KBS Tour rep) and I were just off-lining and I think that’s where a lot of modern fitting centres have it wrong.
“Justin Rose played KBS shafts for a long period of time. Cameron Smith played KBS shafts for a long time. Now you've got Ludvig (Aberg), the pin-up boy of Europe who's played KBS for a long time and Rickie (Fowler), who's been a pin-up boy for a long time, played them in the States.
“It's easy to see that this product is legit.”
Chris Trott Describes His Approach to Custom Fitting
Trott has worked with the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood during his long career as a custom club fitter on tour for TaylorMade, and has lived by a key rule, treating their bag as if it’s his own.
He maintains the same outlook for any amateur being fitted for a new golf shaft, but with a greater emphasis on educating the consumer about their golf swing and finding the right fit.
He said: “For the consumers, it's very simple, people have come to enjoy the fitting process so there’s no heat on it at all, you're just educating people about what you learned from some of the best players in the game.
“For example, mobility is a big thing with amateurs vs pros, so it’s how you can get the most out of your swing and then it’s an understanding of how all these shafts come in heavier weights, different tipping, different grips and different swing weights.
“Chances are they’re probably on stuff that’s too upright, they’re probably on stuff that’s too long, they probably don’t realise that products have come on so far, that you can play stuff that’s softer, and they have no idea how to deliver the golf club.
“So, you do a bit of education and go from there and then you see success.”
KBS Has Something to Offer All Golfers
The likelihood is, a lot of amateur players have never considered the shaft they are playing, or they simply use a shaft because it’s popular, without contemplating whether it is right for their swing.
KBS recently released their new Tour V-X, a steel iron shaft engineered for shot creation, adding greater control, consistency and confidence.
But they stock several shafts with vastly different profiles to suit any golfer, whether that be a lighter shaft like the Tour Lite for players with a more moderate tempo seeking more launch, or the C-Taper, an ultra-stiff profile for those with higher swing speeds who want a lower ball flight.
Tour players will constantly tinker with equipment and find the smallest margin of improvement in their golf game, and for amateurs the scope for improvement is far greater, it’s just about speaking to a knowledgeable fitter who can help you understand your game and what it needs.
When you face the same struggles on the course, the first course of action is always lessons, as most of the time for amateurs it’s swing related.
However, if your setup is consistent and your swing feels good, but you are still fighting a hook, aren’t generating spin or are flying it too high, then this could mean you’re playing the wrong shaft.
For more information on KBS, please visit https://kbsgolfshafts.com/.
