Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.
It’s hard to look anywhere right now and not see the Kelce brothers, Jason and Travis.
Sure, the latter is on top of the world because he’s won back-to-back Super Bowls and is dating someone named Taylor Swift (you may have heard of her). But the former is popular, too, with Jason in the midst of making the transition from a stalwart on the Philadelphia Eagles’ O-line to a booming media personality.
Yeah, life is pretty good for the Kelce brothers right now.
While Jason and Travis are best-known for their prowess on the football field, along with their hilarious personalities, they’ve also made waves the past two years with the way they swing a golf club — and video from the American Century Classic Celebrity Long Drive competition hosted by Korbel is proof of that.
The Kelce brothers show-off some serious driver distance
As the video above shows, both Kelce brothers absolutely smoke the golf ball off the tee. Given the fact they’re both world-class athletes and very large, strong human beings, it isn’t too surprising that they can bomb the driver.
But the numbers from the Full Swing launch monitor is next-level type of stuff, with many PGA Tour players not even seeing this type of club and/or ball speed. Check it out below. (Data provided by Full Swing Simulators. Use code: ‘golfdotcom’ at checkout to save $500.)
Jason Kelce (2024): 322 yards – 126.4 mile-per-hour club speed and 189.3 mile-per-hour ball speed
Travis Kelce (2023): 362 yards – 134.5 mile-per-hour club speed and 199.3 mile-per-hour ball speed
So how impressive are the numbers from the two Kelce brothers? GOLF Top 100 Teacher David Woods breaks them down — and is clearly impressed with the results.
Full Swing Launch Monitor
How the Kelce brothers’ stats compare to PGA Tour players
The Kelce brothers are world-class athletes who have incredible strength and fast-twitch muscle fibers, which add to the explosive power exhibited in the video. Like most brothers, I’m sure these two are competitive, so let’s break down why Travis Kelce outdrives Jason Kelce by 10 miles per hour of ball speed.
But let’s first put this all into perspective.
The average driver ball speed on the PGA Tour is in the low 170s, so by that measure, Jason Kelce’s 189.3 miles per hour is already at the top of the food chain. To create this type of speed, he’s doing a good job of winding into his backswing while loading weight into his trail side. He’s also creating a fair amount of radial wrist hinge, which allows him to unload the clubhead at impact.
Finally, he’s making good use of the ground, allowing his lower body to react to the forces applied — which is similar to the way he reacted coming out of his stance as a center during his NFL career.
So what does Travis Kelce do in order to create even more impressive numbers? He’s able to create more speed in three ways.
How this Tiger Woods-approved launch monitor has improved my ball-striking
First, the height of his arms at the top of his swing help generate world-class speed. This is similar to a figure skater who increases speed while spinning by raising their arms. When analyzing the most powerful drivers in the game — including long-drive champions — they all have very high arms at the top.
Secondly, although Jason Kelce uses the ground nicely on his drive, Travis does so even better. You can see him have a much more fluid rotation, and in his exit, his lead foot jumps off the ground — which is commonly seen with bombers!
Finally, the arms, hands and wrists are the speed accumulators in the golf swing. Travis Kelce is creating a fair amount of lag, which allows him to absolutely throw that leverage through the back of the ball. When you add all of this together, you’re able to add high smash numbers to bomb drives.
Sure, it helps that the Kelce brothers have made a living as pro athletes, but many strong human beings still can’t crush their drives like these two do. By using some of their same techniques listed above, you can start to see farther tee shots, too — just don’t expect to outdrive these two guys.
Interested in your launch monitor numbers? You can save $500 on Full Swing Simulators by using the code: ‘golfdotcom’ at checkout.
