Golf

James Stewart on Why His Golf 'Swing' Went Viral

The motocross talent talks about his fake golf game and his real golf game.
By Bayo Olukotun
4 min readPublished on
James stands along a fence at the Stewart compound

James stands along a fence at the Stewart compound

© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

When James Stewart makes the news, it’s never in a small way. Sure he’s had plenty of accomplishments in his motocross and Supercross career, but the Floridian always seems to gain just as much attention for polarizing actions as he does for his unmatched riding talent. Now, he’s even transcended MX into the world of golf.
Always active on social media, Stewart recently posted a video on Instagram that appeared to show him struggling to swing a club at the tee off. Although the video was meant to be a joke, a few major golf news outlets picked it up, thinking that this was the five-time AMA National champ’s real form.
Recently, RedBull.com connected with James to get the skinny on his reaction to, well, the golfing world's reaction to his video. While we were at it, we asked the No. 7, who is an avid golfer, a few more questions about his golf game, who he typically plays with, and about his dream course.
Were you surprised when the mainstream media began to pick up your goofy golf video?
Yes I was surprised only because I posted that video over a year ago so it was kind of a shock that a lot of people haven't seen it. I didn't think it would've gotten that much interest after reposting an older video, but it still did!
It really seems that many outlets thought you were serious with your mega-Charles Barkley swing. Did it shock you that they thought it was your real swing?
Yes. Myself and probably 90 percent of the people that saw the video were taken aback that someone could think that was my real swing. Actually, I wasn't even making fun of Barkley’s swing. Obviously I know what his swing looks like but when I did the video it was just me making fun of the people that were playing in front of us that day; not committing to hitting the ball and taking forever.
You posted your next video of your real swing not long afterwards. Was that to silence the critics?
Yes. Once the video went on ESPN and Golf Channel and they did a segment that was over five-minutes long focused on whether that was my real swing or not, I had to silence the critics and let them know that JS7 has a sexy swing. Like butter.
How long have you been golfing? Have you been getting in a few more games lately?
I’ve probably been golfing off and on for about six years now but I don't play in a lot of games. When people know you play golf with Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler, you have to elevate your playing level because everyone thinks you're a hack that they love playing with for laughs, or someone who can actually play the game. I say I meet both criteria.
Who do you typically hit the links with?
I usually play with my mechanic Dave Kelley, Rado and Jeremy Mallot (Red Bull Athlete Manager) when his boss lets him!
What's your favorite course?
I have a bunch that I like but Bayhill would probably be my favorite.
Have you ever made a hole-in-one?
I've been close a few times; inches away. Probably the closest was once when the ball was literally falling into the hole but somebody had put the flag stick in crooked and the ball bounced off the pin. I missed it by 3 inches! Talk about wanting to have a serious talk with the group in front of us.
Who's your favorite golfer?
Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods.
What course do you most want to play?
Augusta, I'll probably miss a race if I could play that course.
What's your dream foursome including yourself?
Tiger Woods, President Obama and Denzel Washington with Eva Mendes as my caddie and my friend, Marc Alteri, as my motivational coach. He somehow makes me feel good even after I hit in the sand.
Be sure to check out the new series ' Why Golf' starring Red Bull athletes Rickie Fowler, Ryan Sheckler, and Evan Geiselman.
Need more Red Bull? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, a one-stop shop of our top stories.