An upscale, outdoor shopping and restaurant complex recently opened in the Bressi Ranch area of Carlsbad, Calif. — a northern suburb of San Diego that’s also the hub of the golf industry. It has the typical pricey breakfast spot, coffee bar, juice place, BevMo and organic grocery store that are commensurate with this kind of venue. But one pleasant surprise on this high-profile site is the KBS Golf Experience — a golf clubfitting studio owned by KBS Golf Shafts, the maker of shafts that are mega-popular with Tour pros and amateur golfers, alike. In fact, this location is only a couple of blocks away from the company’s office. Last week, I got a sneak preview of the Experience. It opens to the public in mid-June. And boy, will golfers like what it offers.
The KBS Golf Experience
Molly Aronsson
The 3,600-foot space contains two hitting bays that are replete with TrackMan launch monitor systems, high-end simulators, suspended high-speed cameras, V1 software, and Surround Sound speaker systems. There is a 15’ by 15’ putting green surrounded by comfy couches and chairs, Nespresso and Keurig machines, and even a fridge stocked with beer. Televisions mounted by the ceiling show whatever golf tournament is on. It’s like the ultimate man cave for golfers. “We want people to come in and hang out here,” says Molly Aronsson, the store’s assistant general manager, director of fitting, and a former Tour pro. “It’s much more welcoming than many of the other stuffy golf studios around. We gave it a lounge feel. You’ll love it and what we have to offer, if you’re an avid golfer. But even if you aren’t a good golfer, this is perfect for you. It’s not intimidating. We will help you and get to know you. We’ve been really selective in hiring team personalities that fit our mantra. We want employees who can get golfers to open up about their games, so we can help them become better players.”
One of the two hitting bays on site.
Molly Aronsson
In fact, many of the hosts in the Experience came from other golf companies — including one from Scotty Cameron’s renowned local, high-end putting studio. To put it mildly: KBS is going all out here to make sure this is a top-of-the-line venture.
There are clubheads from most every club manufacturer you can think of, on display. Thus, guests can mix-and-match any clubhead with KBS shafts, to see what combination gets them the most-possible distance and best-possible ball flight. “Of course, all the while we are getting people into our shafts and properly fitting them, so they can quickly see how their game improves,” says Aronsson. “We’ve also recently got into putters shafts, so the putter fitting experience is going to be exceptional — right down to us using laser chalk lines for alignment.”
The KBS red-and-black logo has been popular among golfers for a couple of years now. And the company is taking advantage of that momentum in the space, with a full wall of high-end, limited edition logoed items for sale.
KBS products for sale.
Molly Aronsson
KBS will soon start booking fitting appointments online. Walk-in customers are also welcome. With all of the fitting studios that have popped up the past three years around America by large chains, as well as the popularity of simulators and electronic Topgolf-style ranges booming, I think places like this may be a home run for individual equipment manufacturers.