KBS Tour Shafts Launch Into 2009 Winning The FBR Open

Boulder, Colorado - continuing its strong showing on the 2008 PGA Tour, the KBS Tour steel iron shafts win again early in 2009 in a playoff at the FBR Open. The KBS Tour shaft had its debut last year with 10 PGA Tour wins and by year end was in the bags of more than 30 top-tier tour players.

“The tour had not seen any significant performance enhancements in steel shaft designs for more than a decade, so we stepped outside the normal parameters of shaft design and applied a completely new approach called MOI analysis,” says renowned KBS shaft designer Kim Braly, whose steel designs have won every major golf tournament in the world. “As you can imagine, the results have been phenomenal. We have achieved ten tour wins in our first year and we could not have dreamed of a better kick off to our second year for these new and innovative shaft designs. With some of the greatest players in the world asking to test the shafts, we are very optimistic about our future growth”.

Braly explains that a shaft can optimize or hinder the club’s overall performance. With stability as an important element of performance, the KBS Tour steel shafts provide stability by smoothly transferring energy from the hands to the club head through impact. Technically, this is accomplished by reducing the mass and radius of each step in equal proportions along the shaft’s center line starting from the player’s hands position to the tip of the shaft. The results are: efficient energy transfer, reduced shaft “interference” during the swing, and a “softer feel” while retaining stability near the club head.

Manufactured by FEMCO Steel Technology (FST), KBS Tour steel shafts incorporate high-quality precision manufacturing processes which include: an exclusive “oil quench” tempering method that produces straighter shafts from butt to tip; a tapered tip construction that provides a solid metal-to-metal bond in the hosel and a tour-proven feel; a higher-than-traditional center of gravity construction that allows for more club head mass; and shaft weight and frequency tolerances that ensure repeatability and precise club fitting.

Expect to see more KBS news from the Tours worldwide. More than 30 top-tiered PGA Tour players have already switched to the KBS Tour steel iron and wedge shafts and it is increasing every event. In addition to the FBR Open win last week, KBS Tour premium steel shafts have won the following 2008 tournaments: The KLM Open, Memorial Tournament, Buick Open, John Deere Classic and U.S. Bank Open on the PGA Tour and the Portugal Masters, BMW Asian Open, Open de Espana, Bank Austria Open and Sega Sammy Cup on the other pro tours.

Headquartered in Boulder, Colo., FEMCO Steel Technology (FST) is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of high-quality steel golf shafts, including the premium KBS Series of shafts which features Moment of Inertia technology. Since 1949, FEMCO has remained committed to creating and providing high-quality and cost-effective steel products and services worldwide. For more information, visit www.fstshafts.com