Hometown: Fruitport, Mich.
Residence: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Home Course: Palencia Golf Club, St. Augustine, Fla.
Interests: Dirt bike riding, weightlifting
Occupation: Golf professional
About Gerry James:
The Golf Channel says:
There is nothing diminutive about Gerry James. Standing 6-foot-5, one look at his chiseled frame indicates that when he hits the golf ball, it stays hit for a while. Looks aren't deceiving as the 47-year-old has won the senior division of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship the last two years. In the 2006 edition of the event his winning 379-yard bash was longer than the poke of open division winner and long drive legend Jason Zuback.However, there is more to James than just bombing the ball. He prides himself on possessing the total game when it comes to golf, something to which PGA Tour star Vijay Singh can attest. One of the top players in the world, Singh is an admirer of James' work ethic and the two play together when they are at home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. In addition, former PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beaman recommended James to the Golf Channel for "The Big Break: Mesquite."
James' power and size comes from a previous career in body building. As a teenager, he saw a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger and said to himself, "I want to look like that." He moved from Michigan to Los Angeles, worked as a door man and worked out with the giants of the bodybuilding world at Muscle Beach. Before he knew it he was benching more than 500 pounds. During the time he was pumping iron he also moonlighted as a professional wrestler. In his first televised match he took on "Macho Man" Randy Savage and later competed against the likes of Andre the Giant.
Working odd jobs, such as a bouncer in a night club and a truck driver, he paid both the bills and the toll it took on his body to succeed in bodybuilding. His work paid off in 1990 when he won the Mr. California bodybuilding title. At the time James earned the title, he weighed 263 pounds and sported a modest three percent body fat. Shortly after winning the Mr. California title, James grew weary of all the protein powder, supplements and steroids it took to get to the top of his profession.
"Too many steroids," James said. "It was starting to put my health at risk."
The gentle giant stopped the steroids and turned to God and golf to take his life in a different direction. Currently a Class A PGA of America member, James teaches at Palencia Golf Club in St. Augustine, Fla., and competes in long drive competitions.
Biography courtesy of The Golf Channel; used with permission
