Justin James
… Beneath the boyish appearance and the soft-spoken and gentle demeanor, there is a raging fire burning inside of 2017 World Long-Drive Champion Justin James.
Justin’s gamer driver is fitted with a Snapping Turtle head-cover, which should let you know that you are dealing with someone who will only be gentle and shy up to a point, and once they go past that point we had all better batten-down-the-hatches, because a storm is brewing.
This persona was clearly evident at the 2017 World Long-Drive Championships. Justin had tied for 3rd Place at the prior year’s championships, and according to GOLF CHANNEL Analyst (and two-time world champion himself) Art Sellinger, Justin was the odds-on favorite to win the men’s open division world championship…, and win that championship he did in very dramatic fashion. In the final match Justin needed only to get a ball in the grid to win the title; however, he was in no mood to play-it-safe, as Justin bombed a monster 435-yard drive down the middle of the grid to the delight of the screaming crowd.
Following the acceptance of his trophy, the turtle discarded his shell (and his championship belt), as he proceeded to scale the 12-foot-high grandstand scaffolding in order to get a hug from his (as he so aptly described her) “smoking hot wife.” Ashleigh. He followed by giving a hug to his dad who now joins him as the only father-and-son world champions, then Justin ran through the grandstands high-fiving nearly every fan… Yes, it was yet another very special night for long-drive and for long-drive fans.
Justin is following in the footsteps of his father (and instructor) Gerry James who was a major contender for the Open Division title, and who twice won the Senior Division World Championship title in 2005 and 2006. In addition to his own personal long-drive accomplishments, father Gerry has also coached a number of other world long-drive champions.
For most competitors Justin’s follow-up 2018 season would have been one to remember, as he made the Final Eight in nearly all of the tour events, and he finished the year with a win at the TENNESSEE BIG SHOTS event to hold his #1 ranking by a large margin; however, it was a sub-par year by Justin’s standards, because he fell short at the World Championships and he failed to defend his title… and so it went in 2019.
For 2020 after more than a year of soul-searching, while working to perfect his game, Justin has taken charge again and he is in a battle with reigning 2019 world long-drive champion Kyle Berkshire for the top spot in the sport. Recently, things have swung back in Justin’s favor, as he has been red-hot, winning the two most recent long drive tour events on the One Stop Power Shop PLDA Professional Long-Drivers Tour, beating Kyle head-to-head in the process.
Justin is currently gaming a KRANK “Formula X” (3*) driver, which is fitted with various flexes of HOUSE OF FORGED “Maximus” long-drive shafts ranging from a soft, severely tip-cut X-flex shaft up to a moderately tip-cut XXXX-flex shaft, which has been his go-to shaft at recent events.
Along with his equipment sponsors, Justin is sponsored by the NexBelt apparel company, by AndersonOrd golf apparel, by Vallencourt Construction, and by AppSoft Development, Inc.
When his isn’t competing in long-drive events, Justin lives with his wife Ashleigh, his son Lindsay and daughter Quinn in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. His work schedule includes corporate outings and long-drive exhibitions, and he also offers Fitness Coach and Golf Instructor services that are booked off of his www.justinjamesgolf.com website.
Justin’s background in golf instruction dates back to a two-year stint as the Golf Coach at Trinity Baptist College. He is also a TPI Certified Fitness Professional. Justin’s instruction and training are based upon his core belief that most golfers are losing substantial distance, because their golf swings are too robotical and too mechanical. In his lessons Justin teaches golfers how to tap into their full athletic abilities, so that they can transfer that latent power effectively into the golf shot. The key is for the golfer to use their entire body, and specifically their leg strength, in order to get more weight behind the shot.
2020 PLDA National Championship - Runner-Up
2020 PLDA Long Drive Series - Player of The Year
2020 Professional Long Drive Series 3 - 1st Place
2020 Professional Long Drive Series 2 - Semifinals
2019 Tennessee Big Shots - Quarterfinals
2019 Atlantic City Boardwalk Bash - Quarterfinals
2019 Ak Chin Smash In The Sun - Semifinals
2018 Tennessee Big Shots - Champion
2018 WinStar Midwest Slam - Round of 16
2018 Bash for Cash - Quarterfinals
2018 Bluff City Shootout - Quarterfinals
2018 Atlantic City Boardwalk Bash - Semifinals
2018 Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun - Semifinals
2018 Clash In The Canyon - Runner-Up
2018 East Coast Classic - Semifinals
2017 Volvik World Long Drive - Champion
2017 Bash for Cash - Champion
2017 Bluff City Shootout - Champion
2016 World Long Drive Championship - 3rd Place
Highest swing speed recorded – 152 mph
Highest ball speed recorded – 227 mph Smash Factor – 149.88 / December 2018
Longest competitive drive – yards / March 2017
2020 PLD Ranked #2 in the World for Long Drive
Head – Krank Golf Formula 11 LD Driver
Loft – 3-4.5 degrees
Shaft – Fujikura Groove 3x & 4x. House of Forged 4x.
Length – 48? USGA
Grip – Golf Pride Tour Wrap® 2G®
Krank Golf
Appsoft Development
Foresight
Vallencourt Construction