Who is World Long Drive star James Tait?

James Tait isn’t just one of the stars of the professional World Long Drive scene. He’s also the gear editor for bunkered!

James is once again taking part in the World Long Drive Championship at Eagles Landing Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia, having made quite a name for himself last year, when he finished in third place. This is the St Andrews-based golfer‘s fourth appearance in the finals.

A descendant of two-time Amateur champion Freddie Tait, James’s Long Drive journey began in 2017 when his sister, Camilla, persuaded him to go to a simulator tournament at a London branch of golf retailer American Golf.

“I stepped up to the simulator and hit one 350, then 360, then 370,” James, a talented high-jumper and rugby player in his teens, explained. “The guy running it told me to hit one without caring where the ball goes, so I did and it went 392 yards. He told me my ball speed was over 200 miles-per-hour, while my clubhead speed was 144.

“The guy said I should think about taking long drive competing a bit more seriously, and it just snowballed from there.”

Swinging for the fences leading up to @WorldLongDrive World Championships 🔥 Numbers on the @TrackManGolf were decent considering jet lag 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/B0eqU5ICfz

— James Tait (@jamestait89) October 16, 2023

Inspired by two-time World Long Drive champion Joe Miller, he started working with renowned coach Lee Cox.

In 2018, he won the Long Drive World Series in Dubai and the German Open Championship, where, incidentally, he beat Martin Borgmeier, the 2022 World Long Drive champion.

James joined the bunkered team in June 2022 when he was appointed gear editor. The face of the bunkered YouTube channel, he reviews all of the latest products, from drivers to launch monitors and everything in between.

Away from the office, however, he has continued to put in the hours as a Long Drive professional, working with coach Andy Cheese out of the St Andrews Links Golf Academy in St Andrews.

For the 2023 World Long Drive Championship, he has been using a specially built Callaway Paradym driver. “It’s a special club,” he says. “I’m very fond of it.”

Although he didn’t win, James had the longest drive of the tournament last year when he launched one 452 yards. No, that is not a typo.

You can follow James’s progress on the World Long Drive website or on Instagram.