The new KBS MAX HL graphite wood shaft is built around the same platform as the MAX Graphite iron shaft. It’s an evolution up through the bag to provide golfers with a slower swing speed a higher launch trajectory with added spin and forgiveness for greater accuracy and consistency.
My Ping G Le3 driver is fitted with an ULT250 Lite shaft so I was keen to find out what I could achieve when replaced with a KBS MAX HL graphite shaft, and how it shapes up with some of the best driver shafts on the market.
The KBS MAX HL shaft comes in three swing speed categories 45G: 73-80 mph, 42G: 65-72 mph, 40G: 65 mph. There’s a choice of seven gloss finishes including black, white, red, chrome, hot pink, light blue and an eye-catching rainbow across three flex options - R, RS and S.
Using a Trackman launch monitor at Precision Golf in Surrey, when analysing my swing stats with my current driver, while my delivery of the club to the ball was consistently efficient, there was room for improvement to increase my ball speed and reduce spin a little to maximise distance.
Based on the results, my driver was fitted with the 42G regular KBS MAX HL shaft with the beautiful rainbow finish, so how did it affect my performance?
While the overall weight of the KBS MAX HL and Ping shaft are similar, I had to adjust to the balance of the KBS shaft because at first my hands were getting behind the ball a little. Without realising, as I felt comfortable swinging with this shaft, I had to fetch the club slightly, so on some shots the ball was coming off the inside of the face and flying right.
However, when I managed to adapt to find a balanced delivery position with the KBS MAX HL shaft, data showed my most efficient shots. My ball speed average and smash factor was marginally better because the ball was coming off lower, so it had more forward momentum, therefore providing me with a little bit more distance. It was an interesting comparison because on one hand I was creating a better strike, but the open clubface meant that I was losing some performance due to increased spin.
In conclusion, there are definitely marginal gains to be had from the KBS MAX HL shaft. I didn’t have to make drastic swing compensations for it to do its job, but would it be worth making the change? It’s more a case of how aggressive I want to be with my swing to work more rotation speed into my drives to squeeze out an extra yard or two. I believe the KBS MAX HL shaft has the stability and strength I would need to give me the confidence to make a more positive swing.
The focus on shafts has historically been associated with tour players, so it’s great to see that KBS is continuing to develop its range of shafts aimed at the average player because we need all the help we can get!
