I flew to Mexico so that a Frenchman could give me a lesson in golf.
Jean Van de Velde is now living and working in Punta Minta. He runs the Jean Van de Velde golf academy, which is located at the southernmost tip of the Rivieranayarit 30 miles north of Puerto Vallarta.
Who can forget how he lost a three stroke lead at the final hole of the British Open in 1999, Carnoustie to Scotland’s Paul Lawrie after a three man playoff?
Van de Velde remained composed and handled defeat with dignity and a smile. In October we had a lesson in golf and talked about his passion for the game. We could have talked for hours, especially after we drank a bottle of his fine wine. Unfortunately, he was on pick-up duty and needed to go fetch his son. He’s still very active in the sport as a television broadcaster and tournament operator, among other things. He tried to correct my tendency to hook the ball and, more recently, my struggles with a right block. “That’s what happens when you overload the left side on the backswing,” said he.
Jean Van de Velde teaches Golfweek Senior Writer Adam Schupak at his Punta Mita golf academy. (Adam Schupak/Golfweek)
“I am a guy that looks at the golf ball to determine what system you are in. “It doesn’t matter if you do a fade or a draw, so long as it’s controlled,” he said. “You decide that this is how you play, and with some effort, maybe this is where you will be.” You can either learn to control your current system or embark on a journey. I won’t try to change you for no reason just because I had a single swinging thought in my mind. Do I have some preferences? Like the salt and pepper in a dish. You need the ingredients at the end of it all.
Van de Velde has worked with many legends of the teaching profession, including John Jacobs, David Leadbetter and Butch Harmon.
Van de Velde stated that David tried to remake a few items. “We worked on my takeaway. I brought the club in a bit too far, crossed the line and still had my arms moving. When things go wrong, it’s fine as long you have the correct timing. But where do you begin when you don’t? How can you get back to your original plan as quickly as possible? He said, “This is what I believe,” but ultimately, it was my choice. You’re doing it, he didn’t do that. I made a few adjustments to my swing so that it would be more reliable. I believed and still believe that he, Butch, John Jacobs and others had a great influence on me. They were right with their analysis.”
He went on to say: “Technique, teaching and reading have always interested me. I’ve read many books and had the good fortune of being around great swing thinkers. I think the swing is a collection of small imperfections. You can see that I started my swing with a forward push, even though I had my hands in front at the address. You want to change it or do you want to look at the components and see what works? In 1999, my system was under control and I putted well. You can see my performance at the Open, but I think the best golf was played in 2000. I played in America 18-20 times and came 60 th at the money list. I played 10 times in Europe, and I was either 20 or 30 th. In my life I have tried to not reinvent the wheel. I adapted what other people had done to suit my needs. Bernhard Langer told me to be careful when I said I would try to do both tours. It was complicated. I had tried it and failed. I knew that playing in the U.S. would have an expiration. My children were already enrolled in Geneva. It was difficult to tell my friends that I would be playing in America. Who is around me? Who do I rely on? It wasn’t an easy task. Now, it’s completely different. They start their careers in college golf, and then move to the U.S. “They are already structured, whether it’s Viktor Hovland of Jon Rahm.”
Jean Van de Velde tries to correct the ball flight of Golfweek Senior Writer Adam Schupak by saying “It’s not going left, Sunshine,” once he has straightened him. (Adam Schupak/Golfweek)
Van de Velde asked me to do a drill in which I held the club face open a few degrees at the address. He said in his disarming manner, “you are on the range.” It doesn’t really matter. “Let’s see what happens.”
The ball landed right on the flag I was aiming at when I swung.
He said, “It’s not going to go right, Sunshine.” “Not possible.”
Jean Van de Velde was my new golf guru at that moment. Van de Velde has more to say about the Ryder Cup and what went wrong for budding French golfer Victor Dubuisson. He also talks about the time that he charged Jose-Maria Olazabal for 12 bottles of wine from the Augusta National Wine Cellar.
