Golf can be a pretty tough sport, and the golf community isn’t always easy on its stars. Just ask Justin Thomas, who’s been under a microscope lately. Despite being one of the best golfers in the world, Thomas has faced some serious heat from fans and critics who are questioning his game. But is all the criticism really fair? One thing’s for sure – Thomas has got some serious fans in his corner, and they’re not afraid to speak up and defend him.

In the latest YouTube episode of the Smylie Kauffman show, golf insider Charlie Hulme is calling out the haters who are questioning Justin Thomas’s game. In his latest YouTube episode, Hulme shared his unfiltered thoughts on Thomas’s abilities, and it’s clear he’s had enough of the armchair experts. When some Twitter users suggested that Thomas was struggling with his pitching game, Hulme fired back with a blunt assessment, “You guys are really dumb.” He pointed out that the course in question was notoriously tough, with even seasoned pros like Zator struggling last year. As Hulme emphasized, “I wouldn’t be taking stock in how guys are going to pitch the ball on tour based on how they played this week. It’s so ridiculously hard.”

Hulme’s passionate defense of Thomas then shifted to highlighting the golfer’s impressive strengths. He zeroed in on Thomas’s driving skills, saying “That driver, I think, sets up his game so much. When you go from being a top 25, top 30 driver as far as distance goes, and you show up to major championships and now you have a weapon… it’s like Rory, it sets up your entire game.” Hulme’s conclusion was unequivocal, “JT’s iron game, we know how good that is – it’s always been elite. His short game’s elite… don’t let the stats fool you, he’s going to get plenty of big-time shots up and down, chipping, all that’s going to happen.”

We all have to give JT some credit as well, the golfer is not backing down despite all the hate he got recently.

Justin Thomas’s efforts to level up his game

In between all the criticism regarding his recent performance, Justin Thomas is quietly experimenting with his game. At the Hero World Challenge, Thomas revealed that he’s been testing a longer driver, increasing the length from 44⅞ inches to 46 inches, the maximum allowed under the rules. The decision to try out a longer driver was a deliberate one, with Thomas and his caddie, Matt Minister, thinking, “Why not?”

Thomas acknowledged that the longer driver didn’t quite work out as planned on the front nine, with his tee shots drifting left of his target. However, he’s optimistic about the potential benefits, citing the physics of a longer club and the resulting increase in swing arc and ball speed. Thomas estimates that he’s gaining 2-3 mph in ball speed and 15 extra yards with the longer driver. While he’s not committed to using it everywhere, Thomas sees the longer driver as a valuable tool for certain courses, and he’s willing to put in the work to make it a part of his game.