J.B. HOlmes

Age: 27 
Height: 1.78m
Driver: Cobra L5V, 9.5 degrees
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driving distance (rank): 301.2 yards (7th)
Driving accuracy (rank): 48.2 per cent (194th)
Clubhead speed (rank): 193km/h (3rd)

In an era when environmentalists are trying to make everything from cars to light bulbs more efficient, you might say that JB Holmes has the most eco-friendly swing in professional golf. His move is compact, especially his noticeably short backswing, but he’s one of the longest hitters in the history of the PGA Tour. Holmes has averaged more than 300 yards off the tee in each of his four seasons on tour.

So how does he do it?

“He does something we don’t see from many tour players,” says his swing coach, Matt Killen. “He doesn’t cock his wrists much on the backswing. He does it during the downswing, and this creates tremendous clubhead speed because he produces so much lag and forward shaft lean before impact. His downswing starts with his hips, allowing him to generate speed with his bigger muscles from the ground up. His primary focus after the hips start is to keep everything rotating left.”

And to think, Holmes’ preferred ball flight is a pronounced cut. If he played a draw, as he has been trying to do during the last few months, Holmes might be even longer.

“He feels more comfortable with the cut shot,” Killen says. “It’s a product of him clearing his hips while rotating his chest – this allows the club to exit impact low and to the left. The rotation moves the club slightly outside the target line, producing a cut spin.” 

It’s a shot that fits his eye, Killen says, but the wrist cock on the downswing can lead to off-line shots if too much hand action is involved. At the beginning of July, Holmes ranked second to last on tour in driving accuracy, hitting only 48 per cent of fairways.

“Everything happens with so much speed that the slightest variation in face angle magnifies his mishits,” Killen says. “But extreme length with decent accuracy can be a big advantage on the PGA Tour.” 

Analysis by Matt Killen