On this week’s episode of Fully Equipped, GOLF’s Johnny Wunder is joined by 2-time PGA Tour winner Erik van Rooyen to talk why he kept his focus on getting to the next level throughout his golf journey, how he goes about testing new equipment and why putting his trust in Callaway’s Tour Reps has changed his bag and his game.
:35 Erik Talks his music room and passion for music
4:00 The coolest thing Erik has gotten to do as a perk from being a Tour player
8:15 Erik’s view of his 2025 performance to date – switching coaches after Augusta
9:15 Finishing runner up to Scottie at the Byron Nelson
10:40 Johnny’s view on Erik’s season
12:10 Do some of his low rounds this year indicate a bridge to a bigger year ahead?
14:40 The importance of Raising his floor – what areas of improvement have allowed him to do that
15:35 His prep leading into another season on Tour
17:05 Erik’s Club Testing Process
19:50 Switching from 2018 MBs into the TCBs
23:00 Mixing a mini and more fairways into his bag even trying a 9-wood at Oakmont
25:20 The importance of trusting Tour reps and trying new things
27:00 Is it difficult when he has to switch to a new Tour rep?
28:50 Erik’s background, getting into golf – Going to Minnesota for college
31:15 What age did he realize he could actually compete at a high level and advice from his Dad
35:00 How his golf journey has fit in perfectly timing wise for his development, going back to South Africa for the Sunshine Tour
38:00 His Dad’s support and blunt personality helping him make the right decisions
40:20 Sunshine Tour really preparing him for the PGA Tour
41:30 His honest career goals (Multiple Major winner)
47:00 His Emo Phase
51:00 Whats in his bag right now
52:10 Driver testing coming up at RSM – How will he test since he’s not going to be there
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It’s a hard thing for you guys to like let go of. It’s like, no, it’s my [ __ ] golf clubs. Like, I know, right? Well, it it’s it’s taken me a long time to get to this point where you realize like, holy [ __ ] there’s so much you can do to make the club to to change if it’s two draw bias. You know, you can do something on the heel or change a setting and the driver. Um, it’s not necessarily just you or even I’m still hesitant to do this, but like week to week like this week in in Jackson, I was everything was kind of pulley and left. And I feel like if I was perhaps a bit more open in hindsight, adjust the driver or or the irons were okay, but adjust the driver, even if it’s just for a week to go compete. Um, but yeah, there’s so much there’s so much they can do with equipment now to help the ball go straight. All right, episode 306 of the Fully Equipped podcast. Now, this was a show, just just a fair warning, this show was supposed to take place with the gentleman I’m going to introduce here in a second like a couple months ago, but he’s a PJ tour player and he gets busy and we finally got him. We ranked in for this week, Eric Van Ruan aka Freddy Van Ruin. Welcome to Fully Fully Equip podcast. What’s up, dude? It’s a pleasure um talking to you. Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure to uh to reconnect. I miss you. I don’t get to see you as much. Damn it. Here we are. Now, talk to the people really quickly about the room that you’re in. You’re in your uh in the music room. Yeah. Um music room slashstudy. It’s a little all over the place right now. I bought a Roland electronic drum set uh like maybe six weeks ago. I’ve been on the road for a bit, so I haven’t quite um spent enough time on there like like enough that I would like. And after I got back from Wentworth, there’s a Murphy bed in here as well, which you can’t see. Uh went on a golf trip with some some mates and someone had to sleep there, so I had to like move the drum set into the corner and I haven’t moved it back yet. So, in the music room, bunch of guitars behind me, a couple amplifiers, just toys that keeps me busy. just for the people that don’t follow you close enough, but like music is your number one passion besides golf obviously, but like Yeah. Yeah. Ex. Exactly. Um it takes me to another place. Love music. Um love rock and roll. Any type of music really, but um definitely rock and roll and I love playing. Is Isn’t it Yellow Card? Isn’t that your band? Is it Yellow? Yeah, that’s one of them. I went to see him for the first time um the Sunday before Jackson. Um it was epic. I went backstage with Sean, who’s the um guy that plays violin and he showed me the guitars, the whole setup. It was sweet. So, we’ve talked about this like I’m I’m I’m I’m I’m asking you questions I already know the answers to, but I want I want the 15 20,000 people will hear the show. And you’re So, so you and I I’d say of anybody on our staff as far as personalities, world views for the most part are very you and I are very similar creatures like the way that we kind of navigate our ways around the world. And I would consider you like uh you know like when you’re out on tour for example like I would say they’re all my acquaintances you know they’re all work acquaintances but like you’ve be you and I have become pretty good buddies over the last two or three years. But it’s it’s funny like when I think like when I see you play well I get excited, right? I send you text messages. I try to send you Bible whatever I can get to just [ __ ] like just get you get you ramped up. But like whenever I see you and I saw the I was I think it was JT’s post or whatever and I saw you and Sean and you guys were all getting ready to go to the show and you had your black like ready to [ __ ] go. Hell yeah, dude. I was ready. That boy right there could have shot 80 this morning. The happiest human being on the planet. The the crazy thing about that is um growing up in South Africa, we there’s a there’s a huge at least the music that I listen to, there was a huge UK influence and then there are all the kind of popular American bands as well. Um pop punk, I was big into pop punk and Yellow Card popped onto the scene with Ocean Avenue and uh I was like seventh grade and a mate of mine made me listen to it and I was, you know, what was that? I mean 20 odd years later. Um, no, more than that. Um, um, thousands. That was like thousand. Yeah, that was like a long time ago. So, I’m listen I’m I’m watching them live. It was It was surreal. It was awesome. Okay, let me ask you this question. So, being a PGA Tour player, you get access to go do some fun stuff, right? Like I mean, you get to go to I mean, baseball tickets, you know, sports tickets, music, stuff like that. What was the one like holy [ __ ] moment that you think that you got to do as a like becoming a tour player? Like you got invited to go to this concert or you got to go do this at a basketball game. Like what was it for me? Um it was getting to know band members from a band called Biffy Claro. Again, um big Scottish band. and the the the twins that play in the band, the basis and the drummer, and the the drummer messaged me or he liked something on Instagram of mine. I’m like like no way. This can’t be them. And we started me messaging. Um they both love golf. They came to New York, played a show. I met the whole band. Like that was He’s nerding out, dude. It was unbelievable. Um cuz just the fact that you know I hit a little ball and they love golf um and we connect it that way. So it’s golf’s taken me to some pretty awesome spots in life. Golf is golf is like the um more so than any other sport. Like there isn’t another sport in the world that connects everybody like golf does. Like I I can use uh you know like my relationship with Steph for example, right? Like it’s like we don’t talk basketball. I think I’ll probably ask him two basketball questions my whole time, you know, four years I’ve known him. I’ve asked maybe two basketball and it was like how’s the knee and like when does camp start? Like that’s right. Right. About golf with guys like him or his brother or I mean uh a lot of you know a lot of the global ambassadors for Callaway that I would help fit and stuff like that like their eyes light up. And I’ve seen professional athletes. I remember at the US Open this year all the Pittsburgh Pirates came on came to the to the course and were walking around the trucks. It was like Paul Ske and all these and they got into the trucks and I was on the Callaway truck when they walked in and they were all like little kids like can we open these doors? Can we like can we and you know these are grown men too. It’s not like they’re kids like these are you know 20 million dollar athletes. Yeah. and want to touch anything. They didn’t want to ask. They didn’t want to not look cool. Like they didn’t know what they were doing. It was a cool It was It was I loved it. It was so Well, I felt I felt the same way watching Yellow Card and Sean took me backstage and he’s showing me all the guitars and it’s like all these custom shop guitars and then he shows me this Keer amplifier that they play through and I felt that way. Yeah. Right. I mean, it’s just so cool, man. And yeah, like you said, there’s there’s no other sport um that can bring people together like that. Like everyone or or not everyone, but like so many athletes play golf. You’re not going to go play hockey um with some randos when you’re 65 or American football. You know what I mean? Like golf brings people together in a way like no other. Yeah. So for any Sean yellow card Sean fans out there, he now he is a legitimate gear head. So on when I was at WRX, he started following me when I was at WRX because he’s a he’s a gear degenerate. So like his favorite thing to do is three, four times a year is to go out and be like JT’s assistant, quote unquote assistant on like watch people walk on the truck and go to the range like and and to him that’s like that’d be like me going and standing backstage at like a Michael Jackson concert and watching like MJ just cook for three hours. Like I mean I cry. I literally cry. Um, okay. So, we’re gonna get to some. So, thanks for that. I know we’re not really talking about golf stuff, per se, but we’re gonna get into your game a little bit. One of the players I obviously follow very closely, but 2025 for you, I would call it peaks and valleys. I mean, I think you know, you had uh and you know what you did, you’re out there, but like if I’m looking at it from a fan, friend thing, I would say obviously it was a year of transition with your game, you know, new things to work on. Um, how would you grade so far 2025? Would you give it a And you’re the only guy I’d ask this question. Do you know why? Because you’ll give me a really nuanced answer. you won’t just go, “Ah, I didn’t really win, so I got a D.” Like, you you It’s It’s both. Um, there’s a few things that happened that made it an interesting area. I I I worked with Sean Foley for a while and I I ended that relationship um the Monday after Augusta, which was hard because Sean’s a great guy. Um, I went back to my coach from South Africa, Doug, which I felt like was was right for me in my game. um which I was really excited about and and I feel like from that aspect things are just going um from a results aspect I think you said it beautifully couple highs and and some lows a lot of mis cuts couple second place finishes one was with Scotty at Byron Nelson which was pretty cool um which was just gnarly dude shooting I think we both shot. I shot 29 on the front. He shot 29 in the front. I I couldn’t I didn’t see myself shooting it was either 30 or 29 on the I think it was 30 actually. Shooting 30 on the front and not making up any shots, which is just a which is just wild. I mean I What did he shoot? 30 under 31 under. 30 something. I was eight back. So I think I was 23 under. He was um 31 under par. Yeah, you shot 63. I mean, you shot 63 the last round and you you didn’t you didn’t I mean, what did he shoot? 62 63. We shot tied. We shot 63. So, like um which that was that was cool. Um going headto-head with the number one player in the world, even though I mean he had a he had an eight shot lead with Sunday like with one round to go. Like that’s just absurd. Made it interesting though going into number 10, you only like three back. like it it got gnarly like it got and so um that was cool but I think overall gosh results wise it it wasn’t my best um I’d give it a C plus see I’d give it an A minus for growth and a B minus for because this is how I how I see it if you want my take yeah send it so with with with you I’m always looking at RA how you raise your floor, right? Like your your your bad days and your struggles, like how the es and flows of EVR and and Feelely out there on tour, like and what I’ve noticed about your process has gotten a lot better. Like your understanding of what you do well versus what you struggle with has gotten really really good. Um get that when you get on tour, especially if you have a little success, you win, you start getting all these trends, start to forget like what it is about me that makes me a tour player. Yeah. where I get excited and I think I love that you went to Shawn for a few months because Shawn is a really awesome reset because he understand your golf swing and what you he’s very talented at that picking somebody apart and going this this and this and this. But now it’s it’s like I think 2025 for you is one that you’re going to look back and go that was the pivot point. Like that year of mis cuts and going headtohead with the best player in the world and knowing I can sit and stand on the fire with this guy shot for shot. Um I think you’re going to look at this as one of the most important years of your career rather than just a a career, you know, just a year that I didn’t win. had a couple seconds, missed a bunch of cuts, like um cuz if you look at it statistically, like yeah, you have you have a bunch of red marks statistically, but what I see if you start to look at your scores and and and how you played when you needed to play well, you shot some really low scores this year. Yeah. You know, maybe two years ago, you probably wouldn’t wouldn’t have shot that low under those circumstances. So, um yeah, I think bridge year like a great bridge year. Yeah, I think so. Um, one thing that I was surprised by was my putting. I I didn’t clean up well at all and I I came off a off a I’d say a good putting year the year before. I was top 25 in putting um in 2024 and then for some reason I struggled sort of 8 ft in this year. Um, I made a change. Went went to the Odyssey number 10. Um, which before I was with Callaway, I I played the spider putter, the red spider and this is this is very similar. Um, about I switched to that about 6 weeks ago and I’m excited already started seeing some good stuff happening. So, the yeah, the tricky thing is knowing that the difference between where I feel like I am right now and having a really good season, dude, it’s it’s this that much. It’s that much. And that we talk about that a lot though. It’s it’s years like the PGA Tour will break you. It will. Um, and you know, I always laugh when people would just go like, “Yeah, these guys aren’t that good or he sucks or you know, you know, he’s just he’s I’m like, if you understood how hard it it is to achieve success, just to make it on the PGA tour, but to stay out there is a damn near miracle. But like the difference between Eric Van Ruan and Scotty Shuffler is hardly as you think. Yeah, it’s not much, dude. It’s not much. So, it’s not much. So like um you know the where I get excited for you is like you’ve always been an elite ball striker. You know anybody stands next to you and watches you. You’re always you’re always going to hit it well at a baseline. You’re always going to hit it good enough to win. It for the most part good enough to win for you. You’re one of those players and there’s not a lot of them out there that you just need to do everything at like a B minus level to win. You don’t need to five superpowers. If you do everything at a baseline B minus level, then you that’s when you win two, three times a year. Yeah. Do one thing at an A+, keep one thing at a D minus. You know, it’s like this this this juggling thing where you I think like um that’s why I say like this year, I think what you’re going to notice, you’re going to look back and go, “Wow, I raised my floor that year.” 2025 is when I took my my ceiling. [ __ ] my ceiling. It is. My ceiling is my ceiling. You’re going to get to where you want to go by raising your floor. Yeah. Yeah. more confident you’re going to have more confidence you’re going to have in yourself and then you’re like, “No, I can do this. Like, I can do this. I can win five times in a year if I need to.” Sure. Yeah, dude. I agree. Um, ball striking has always been sort of my bread and butter. And something that’s that I’ve looked at statistically that’s always gotten my way was chipping. Um, I’ve worked with Derek Taminsky for a year now and um, finally getting to a place where it’s like strokes gained zero, where I’m not like losing shots anymore. And that’s huge. That’s minus, dude. That’s just B minus. That’s all you need to do. Yeah, that’s huge for me. So, dude, I’m I’m pumped. I’m pumped for 2026. So, let’s let’s talk really quickly about um just like what the rest just just to give people some insight in like what the rest of your year like for a tour player that you’re playing the fall, you know, I don’t know what tournaments you’re playing in, but like what’s what’s your prep like leading up into January? Are you are you trying to you know, you getting stronger in the gym? Like walk walk us that looks like, you know, I’m playing I’m playing I just played Jackson. I’m playing Utah and then um Mexico where I won a couple years ago. Um and then I’ll be done. and I left two week two months off until Sony. Um this time period is about um is there irons that you want to try out? Um is there a different lob wedge with a different bounce that I want to try out? Um it’s working technically on some stuff in my swing that I want to improve. Specifically, my left my left knee has never quite worked the way I want it to work. It kind of gets in my way on the down swing. I get narrow and then I got to time it up, right? Um so it’s tracing things that I feel like will um help improve for 2026. Yeah, I I love to win. I love competing. Uh but everything I do, my my gym work, um my swing work, trying putters like I just mentioned out, um that’s all with the vision of being ready for next season. So when you are uh like we’ll we’ll talk this equipment show even though we haven’t said one word about equipment we’ll talk about it now. So again I know the answer to this but just so people can hear it from you. Testing a new golf club. So say for example you know Kellen walks up to you and says okay hey look we got this new uh I want you to try these new X4 irons for example. I’ve seen you test on I mean you’re not a big tester on site like it’s not um so walk us through like you you come you go home with this box of irons and you’re going to test them. Walk us through like what that process is like. Um obviously have your gamers with you Trackman the balls that I play and if you’re talking irons um 9 iron 7 iron 5 iron what do the numbers say? Does it even go the same distance? What’s spin rate? Um I think the last few years, Phy and I, who’s my caddy for those that don’t know, we’ve been looking at perhaps getting the spin maybe a little bit higher. We’ve got greens on the tour that are just so firm and getting the ball to land a little softer would be would be awesome. Um right. So looking into that, what’s great about the ball that I play is the wind doesn’t, you know, affect it too much anything to it. Yeah. Yeah. So if I add a bit of spin, almost too good into the wind sometimes. Yeah. So if I add a bit of spin, it’s not going to do a ton to it. Um what’s the turf interaction like? Is it diggy? Um does it kind of bounce out of it? And then obviously how does it perform? Can I hit, you know, we call talk about the nine different ball flights. Can I hit a low fade, low draw, low straight, and just work my way up to the higher window, high draw, high fade, high straight, and how does it perform, and then take it out on the course. So, it’s I the reason I don’t like doing it at a at a tournament is because it kind of takes a lot of time and um I don’t like um throwing something in and I haven’t actually played with it at my home club for, you know, two days or whatever. So, um yeah, it’s it’s extensive. So, so like for example, like you played the the Apex MB18s for a long time. I mean, you were at Nike before Callaway and you know with Mike Taylor and and all those guys and and that’s kind of like how that system works and it’s a totally different operation than norm when Nike had Mike they had like a a genius forger iron for he can make you whatever you wanted and now you go into a system with Callaway where they can do some of that stuff but it’s more conventional right like you’re handed so you go from the 2018 MBs, which are great iron. Um, and then you go into the TCBS. So, when you swapped into those, was it a forgiveness thing that you were looking for? Was it I mean, what what exactly was the the trick there? Yeah, it was a forgiveness thing. Um, and curiosity more than anything. I played a blade style club since high school. Um, and I mean eventually technology is probably going to have some effect on it and and an improvement on things. So it was it was met from a place of curiosity. What I what I found was um yeah, I switched into the TCB the week before Sony and um just tighter dispersion. That was it. Tighter dispersion. I like to shape shots. I could still do it with that club. It was just Titan and like who wouldn’t want that? Well, yeah. And the other thing is also like that that iron also won the Grand Slam the last three years. So, it’s not like, you know, Yeah. I mean, it’s it’s it’s a the most successful Callaway iron ever made as far as major championships and whatever. So, it’s kind of hard to argue, but like coming from where you were though, and this is actually I’ I’ve never asked you this before, but you’re going from a very low offset forged muscle back blade, very responsive this and that, and you’re going into like a short heel to toe, offset, cavity back. Was that a was that a tough transition for you, or do do you notice stuff like that, or is it literally just going to hit it and see what flies? No, I I I I think aesthetically it’s it it has to fit my eye. The minute I feel like I’m quite sensitive in that aspect. The minute it it something looks quite off, it’s hard for me to go, “Oh, just kind of close your eyes and hit.” Like I see it and I get a feel for it. Um but I think the transision was so it was way easier than I thought it would be. Um which I was impressed by. So yeah, playing a blade for so long, I thought, geez, dude. I might have to try this for like 2 weeks. It was It was 3 days and I was like, I’m going to send this take it to Sony and see what it’s like. You switch shafts, too. Like you went from KBS120s into Dynam, which are not the same, by the way. Like they’re no animals. So, um, so that was a I mean, and I was I was shocked how quick the transition was, too. But you also you did some crazy stuff to your bag. Now that I’m looking back, like I’m thinking about this, like you went to drivers, you you’re always good about like your Callaway’s dream. You always switch in the new driver every year. Like that’s never an issue, you know? Like you’re you’re you’re game for it, which I always love. Like even if you have to move weight around, take weights out, add lead tape, do whatever you got to do, like whatever. As long as it says a lead on it, I’ll I’ll make it [ __ ] work. Right. That’s one of the reasons why like in Callaway Marketing, we were like, “Yeah, EBR is like it was you sew.” Um there was a few of you that were like, “Yeah, they’re going to put it in.” Like they might put it in tomorrow. Like this is great. Um but then you go, and this was last year, I think, but driver 3wood, then have basically going to utility irons. Now, like you’re starting to see driver, now there’s a mini driver in there. Now there’s a fivewood in there, a sevenwood. Like I’ve seen a bunch of stuff that’s landed. I don’t know if it’s all in the bag, but like you’ve done some serious testing this year with stuff. So I wasn’t there for that. But I was already a golf.com. So like what what sparked all that crap? Like what what happened there? Um like you’ve mentioned, I’ve never been a guy to test a ton of stuff and to change a ton of stuff, but I think my eyes have opened up to other possibilities. Um the Mini came into the bag Utah of last year, so it’s almost been 12 months. It pretty much hasn’t left the bag. Like it’s freaking awesome. um off the deck, off the tea, so consistent. So, they’ve obviously figured something out with that club. Um but then the fivewood, the sevenwood, those are things I would try kind of course dependent. I even Oakmont this year, they gave me a 9inewood to throw in and it was just it’s ridiculous. The rough was just it was there was no point. Like there was no point. And the thing like flies as high as a sand wedge and if it’s into the wind like it’s coming backwards you know. So um I was like it’s too this rough is so thick I don’t even think a 9inewood would work. But um so yeah it’s more I think coming from a place of curiosity. um trying to let the equipment help me instead of me like trying to figure something out, muscle a three iron through this heavy rough, you know? Yeah. Yeah. And that’s like that’s the hard part. Um because Rombo’s like that, too. Like Rombo’s always and you’re like this. Rombo will always blame himself before he blames the golf club. Like he will,000% ownership over a bad shot. Even if the golf club’s like wrong, like he’ll, you know, he’s one of those guys. And you’re very similar in this fashion. Alex Norn’s like this, too. If they want something to work, you’ll keep trying to make it work. If you like how it looks or if you hit a good one that you really liked, you’re like, “No, it’s there. It’s there.” And they’ll just keep trying to find it. And the funny and this is kind of what’s happened to you over the last year obviously is you kind of realize that there’s a little bit of control you have to let off of the steering wheel when it comes to tools in there because that’s when that’s when you let Kellen or somebody like myself or you know any of those any rep out there and I’m not a rep but like anybody that knows equipment that’s what they do at a high level. Yeah. So it’s uh but it’s a hard thing to re it’s a hard thing for you guys to like let go of. It’s like, no, it’s my [ __ ] golf clubs. Like, I know, right? Well, it it’s it’s taken me a long time to get to this point where you realize like, holy [ __ ] there’s so much you can do to make the club to to change if it’s two draws. You know, you can do something on the heel or change the setting and the driver. Um, it’s not necessarily just you or even I’m still hesitant to do this, but like week to week like this week in in Jackson, I was everything was kind of pulley and left. And I feel like if I was perhaps a bit more open in hindsight to adjust the driver or or the irons were okay, but adjust the driver even if it’s just for a week to go compete. Um, but yeah, there’s so much there’s so much they can do with equipment now to help the ball go straight. It’s stupid. What What was the transition? So, knowing Johnny Thompson took over what I did. So, he was and he was your guy. So, and I’m assuming Zach took over. Is that kind of the hear you now? So, what was like going from one rep to the next and working, you know, you and JT are close like you worked with them years. So, like that’s a but that’s a shift, right? I mean, getting somebody new in there. So, like how is that difficult for you or is that um I I’ like I’d still text JT every now and then be like, “What do you think about this? What do you think about that?” Even though he doesn’t do it anymore, but so yeah, there’s that trust and I think I’ve got to allow someone like Zach who’s who’s new to the Callaway team or somewhat new to step into that and let the trust build. Like that doesn’t come overnight. Um and yeah, let him do his thing. Kellen’s obviously there as well, so I lost Kellen, but um I I think it was it was pretty smooth. I miss JT. I miss him, but it was pretty smooth. Yeah, I mean it’s it’s for something like like I guarantee you for for example, if I’m going to use Kellen as an example, if Rom if Rombo for example had to shift and work with somebody besides Kellen, he’d he wouldn’t be able to like he’d be like, I don’t want to do this because some of some of these guys put it so much on the rep and Xander’s a little bit like that, too. Like if if all of a sudden Kellen wasn’t there to answer his questions, I think enough don’t touch my stuff. for you like get away from me. And so that’s that’s why I always ask the question like because sometimes those transitions are hard. Some guys are like no I’m not I’ll go my guy works for Tailor Made now and I’m going to I’m going to still have him work with my Callaway stuff because I just I trust this guy. Like if Adrien Refeld for whatever left Tailor Made I guarantee Tommy Fleetwood’s still going to be calling Adrian for help. They’re like this dude. They’re not leaving each other. They’re they’re best friends. So um okay. Okay, so we got the equipment stuff out of the way. Now I want to talk this is what I’ve always wanted to talk to you about on a podcast because you have a uh when we’ve talked about life journey a lot and like it’s a miracle that you and I are friends. It’s a miracle that you and I are on this podcast together coming from where you came from. You’re in South Africa. I’m from Seattle, right? Yeah. Tell everybody a little bit about how you grew up like in your introduction into golf. A little bit about your old man and his influence. Like I just I want to I want people to hear that story cuz I think Yeah. Um grew up kind of all over South Africa really. You know there’s a town called Pritoria which is in the north. Went to primary school there. Didn’t play golf. Not really. My well I guess my dad started playing when I was eight. So um but I didn’t show too much interest. I’d maybe go to the range with him once every other weekend or whatever. Then we moved to a small town down south called Oatswan. Really kind of a rural town, massive ostrich farms, um just you know Muni and I was 13 at the time and that’s when other sports, rugby, cricket, track and field kind of started taking a bit of a backseat and golf just took over. Um started playing junior tournaments. my grandfather played. So, he was kind of the one that um I wouldn’t say got my dad into it because my dad always thought this was sort of an old man’s game. He was a surfer and did that whole thing. Um but yeah, once we moved, golf took over, started playing junior tournaments. My dad would drive me all over the place and found my way after high school going to University of Minnesota of all places. Um which is wild. I didn’t know too much about the place. Um they were smart on their recruiting trip because they brought me like middle of May. It was absolutely perfect. Beautiful. Show you February there, dude. Right. So, um yeah, I went to Minnesota for four years. Met my wife there. Feely on the bag. We were teammates. Um, and yeah, I think I think when golf took over as a kid, it was always the dream of I want to I want to be a professional golfer. Um, obviously my heroes like like Ernie and Ratif, Trevor, um, they all played here in America. So, it was this maybe not this this dream to play in America, but it was definitely a dream to play professional golf and I want to compete against the best players in the world. And I think that led me to playing golf in the US. When did you become at what age did you like cuz you cuz you went from like starting to take golf seriously at 13 to playing for University of Minnesota. University of Minnesota is like not a hodrum program. Like they’ve had they’ve had some good teams. Um that kid that was from Australia that won the NCAA. He’s like 25 uh Nash was or Bronson Lassie maybe. No no if you said it I would know it. His dad his dad was the one that started that that leather grip company in Austin. I know. I know. He’s mine just escaped. It’ll come to me. It’s James. Simon Ash. Simon Ash. No, it’s not. No, it’s like James something. Anyway. Okay. Um, what at what age did you become like was it in high school did you go from like I I want to play golf to like because you just said what every kid wants to do is like when they start playing I want I want to go beat Tiger Woods. But like one in one billion actually make it to that point. So like at what at what point do you like [ __ ] I can play? like this is actually pretty good. Yeah, great question. Um I don’t know. I I remember I was 14 and like I was dog [ __ ] right? Um compared to 14 year olds now. But I remember vividly a conversation with my dad like he was like, “If this is what we’re going to do, like this is what we’re going to do and it’s got to be focused and and you know, we’re not going to mess around with rugby anymore. his kids are starting to get in the gym and lifting weights and um yeah, he’s 6 foot and 150 so just hitting puberty. But um I remember that conversation and I don’t know there there was always an incredible drive. I don’t know if there was ever a moment where it was like damn like I’m actually good. I just always I just always wanted to do this and I and there was a feeling of all right, I’m gonna start on the Sunshine Tour. I gotta get my first win and then okay, I got to get my ass in Europe. So, what do I got to do to get to Europe? Okay, tick, tick, tick. Um, go to Q school. Um, didn’t get my card. Challenge her. Okay, that was a bummer cuz I didn’t get my full card, but all right, that’s what I got to do. I’m going to go to challenge her and grind it out. got my card and then it’s like, okay, well, what’s the next thing I want to get to the PJ tour? How do I do that? Is it a coaching thing? Is it um a psychological thing? And there was always just this pursuit to just get to the next level, man. Um like there’s no time for doubt. There’s no time for I don’t think I’m good enough. Like, sorry my language, but like [ __ ] that, right? So like I’ll find a way. ask the right questions. I’ll and if my coach doesn’t know, like we’ll find someone that knows. So, that’s just always been the outlook. Um, it’s really really quickly, you just said something that just kind of actually struck a core with me. So, you’re somebody I would call obviously a deep thinker. You’re very cerebral, right? Like you think of, you know, think of things like, you know, you might want talk to one athlete and they’re like, “Yeah, 2 plus two is four.” And you’ll say, “Yeah, 2 plus two is four.” But there’s some other things to consider like you know you’re I think obviously you’re physically gifted athlete you know you’re big dude and you’re you know you have all the all the things that great athletes have but like one of the things that I think that which is which is why I think your best is yet to come is because of your worldview and how you look at yourself and I think your ability to stay open-minded uh about how this game actually works because you’re always learning you know you’re not walking a driving range like no I’m the expert I know exactly what’s going to happen. It’s always like, I don’t know. I I’m going to prepare and we’re going to see if this preparation actually works and if it doesn’t, we’re going to pivot. Um, I think your lack of I think your stubbornness and lack of stubbornness, I guess, is what I’m getting at is like you know when to back off and you know when when to push. Yeah. Skill set. Like that’s a that’s a social superpower that some people don’t have. So, you know, like the hard part that I think people will it’s that gray area of when somebody actually becomes great at what they do. I think it be I think it benefited you being kind of a big fish in a small pond because that’s where your self-esteem came from. like you’re kicking the [ __ ] out kids, not going to Oklahoma State, not going and every single step that you’ve taken has been right sized for where you were in the development of your game. Is that Does that make sense? Dude, you’re spot on. And and yeah, I I was a 14-year-old kid, you know, doing like like like all of us here, dude. We do putting comps on the putting green. like this is to beat Tiger Woods in the 2023 Masters and um like that was always the dream and but when I finished college like I was not good enough to play PJ tour golf like I just wasn’t and I I arrogantly wanted to stay here and and play mini tours and go that route but it was my dad that convinced me to come back to South Africa um For those that don’t know, South Africa’s got a great professional tour called the Sunshine Tour. Um, the money doesn’t compare, but it’s incredibly competitive. And my dad was like, “Dude, come home or, you know, start here and learn what it is, what it’s like to travel. Learn what it’s like to drive cross country and play against guys that are 40 years old that have done professional golf for 20 years that are going to kick your ass.” Yeah. with families and mortgages and [ __ ] too. It’s like with real life [ __ ] going on. Um and I was like, “Oh, that kind of sucks. I want to go to web.com QC school and I’m going to cruise right in.” But um yeah, looking back like I didn’t I wasn’t good enough. And I’m really really happy that I took my dad’s advice. Um well that’s that’s one of the your dad too really quick is your dad’s not your dad’s not somebody to trifle with it. Like so if you if you’ve ever if you’ve ever seen Eric’s dad and this is why I wanted to bring him up and this is the funny thing the be beautiful thing about about life and the elements of life for everybody and like I can sit here and look at my life and you people say well you worked really hard you did this like I stood on the shoulders of my parents like if my do what he does and he isn’t the way he is there’s no [ __ ] way I’m on this podcast with you right now [ __ ] chance. But your dad is one of those guys and he fits the South African stereotype. He’s tough. He’s stern. You know, he’s he’s he’s all the things, but like he’s not somebody that you’re going to go, “Dad, I really want to stay in the States and I’m going to go beat these.” Like, he’s not that guy. He’s not that. No, he’s he’s not that guy. He’ll support me like to the ends of the earth. If the the number one rule was always, I will support you no matter what as long as this is what you want to do. Like, don’t do it for someone else. Do it because this is what you want to do. Um, so he’ll go to the ends of the world from, you know, all three of his kids. But, um, yeah, not not a guy to mess with, bro. Like, when I was growing up, when I was growing up, I could go to my mom and be like, “Mom, like, can I have this?” I was not I was not going to my dad, you know? No. And but that’s that that’s how it was like, you know, like I look at how my kids and you have kids, too. like I’m more of a mother to my kids just because of by by by I guess modern design of parenting than you know so like the way it worked at my household my mom is from Guatemala so like she was the head hunter she was the lover she was the killer she was everything my dad was like Hannibal Lecter so thanked us and but it was psychological warfare so if if you gotation with him if you’re in trouble you knew two things. One, your your ass ain’t going anywhere for like a month. Yeah. Do something that you hold very dear to you yourself, like your Nintendo or your DVD player. One of those [ __ ] things is disappearing and there back. That’s how um So, so I like I met your dad. I think I met him at Hilton Head last year. So, so you had that confidence with him knowing that he’s he’s got your back, but you made this right again going and trying to be a big fish in a small pond, which was great. You learned how to play, like you said, Sunshine Tour is a great tour. It’s a nice gateway into the DP or it’s European tour back then. Yeah. But the other thing, and I’m going to get wrecked by the Americans for saying this, but like most of the global talent, sustainable global talent, a lot of it comes out of Sunshine Tour and European tour. All these young kids that that’s where you see the ROMs and the right now you’re seeing the grant they’re on live now, but like that’s where David Puj would have been. That’s where B would have been. And these kids would have just been beating each other’s brains out. And that’s a great place for a young guy like you to go in there and say, “Can I survive against these monsters?” or like that’s the thing is and and yeah to get back to your point like I was every every step I took happened at the right time um went to San tour okay got my first one went to China won progressed to European tour one and it was like just slowly getting better every year to it’s like okay I’m top 50 in the world let’s go see what America has to offer and what it’s like Um, yeah. I think I think whether it’s Asia or Europe or South Africa, like dude, it’s it’s such a good learning school to learn how to how to play professionally and and um sharpen your teeth to eventually play against the best players in the world. So, give me give me a real answer. How how good how good Let me make sure I’m phrasing this correctly. Like, we we talked about floors. Like what do you think in your in your heart is your ceiling? Like what are you capable of for your career? And don’t say, well, I just want to play good, make money, like give me some real like I want to win the [ __ ] masters and I know I’m good. Multiple ma multiple major winner and yeah, like I’ve thought about that a lot. Good. Like a lot. And [ __ ] dude. Is that ever going to happen? I don’t know. But if that moment comes, like I know I’ll be ready. But that’s the needle though. We tal you and I talked about, you know, where’s your needle pointed like I just wanted to hear you say it because it’s not just me saying this. Like the people around you like the reps and the people on tour, you know, everybody that’s in your week toe life, we all think the same thing. It’s like when that guy gets his first smell of like major championship blood and he figures out how to do it, he’ll reel off of like he’ll be a different human being because that’s just that’s that’s that’s how you’re wired. Yeah. And and that’s the same the same drive, the same um pursuit that I had when I started playing Sunshine Tour and just wanting to get to the next level. Like in my mind, like the PJ tour is it, right? But there’s levels within this. And so it’s like I’ve I’ve won twice now, but it’s like, okay, can I do it at Memorial? Can I? Then it’s like, okay, can I do it at Augusta? And like I know the answer. Like I know the answer in here and I know the answer in here. So the other thing is it it’s harder. It was more of a miracle for you to make it out of University of Minnesota and make it from the Sunshine Tour to the European tour. It’s harder to do that than it is for you to go from Eric Vanroin PGA Tour player to winning three or four times on the PJ tour and maybe a major. It’s actually a smaller step. You’ve already made the big the big miracle step. You’ve already made it. The next one’s not as gnarly. It’s now it’s just looking back going, “Well, fuck.” It’s like it’s it’s almost like I look at it like I remember how hard it was for me to get sober like 12 years. Like it was hard. And I’m like, “How do people get five year? How do people get a year? How do you get 30 days?” Yeah. But then you start stringing and now it’s like, you know, and I’ve I’ve looked back on my life and I go, “God, like I remember getting a year or 30 days was a miracle. I’ve made it 12 years. Yeah. Whenever I see something in my life that I think’s unattainable, I’m like, “Fuck no.” Like, if I can do that, as impossible as that looks. Yeah. Like, and that’s why And I think we’re maybe going off a tangent here, but I think that’s why doing difficult things as a kid or just throughout life is so important because it gives you that faith that like I can do anything, dude. Right. Yeah. Like I can do anything. I’ve done the hard stuff. Yeah. Or in your case, like you’ve done it 100%. And and I the reason I bring that stuff up is because I just And again, as your friend, I like to remind you of this stuff because like because I know hard like you’re going to bury it somewhere and be like, “Yeah, [ __ ] yeah. Okay, that was that was hard.” And and one of the things that you know you and I have talked a lot about too and and and granted we don’t talk about a lot about this on the show, but like you like me have a deep faith in something higher than us and something more powerful than us. And that’s one of the reasons and one of the things you and I connect on a lot is just on the like how small we are, you know, and and how big and powerful this this world can be. And you know, I still think of you like when I think of you and I I throw Feelely into this too cuz I look at you guys kind of as the same person just like you’re like like a because I want to see succeed as much as as I want to see him succeed, you know? I want you guys both and and it’s it’s funny like you’re the this is going to sound terrible, guys. This is really corny, but you’re you’re you’re like one of the only non-family members that I have that I actually pray for. Like I will sit down. Dude, that’s so kind of you. Like, give him the balls this week. Like something. Give him a bolt of lightning. Give him something this week. Don’t make me cry, bro. That’s a real comment. Like I do like you’re one of the few people like I I will sit there and like and and I know like if you’re This is again, it’s a podcast. It’s going to sound weird, but it just popped into my head. Like when I know you’re struggling, I’ll say give him some [ __ ] strength this week, man. Like he’s probably not super stoked with himself right now. give him some give him a ray of sunshine somewhere because that’s all he needs. Like give him just show him the doors open a little bit and like and and it’s one of the reasons I want to have you on the podcast so bad is because we don’t talk about this stuff typically. This is like an equipment podcast. Yeah. Things that I loved about about my career and doing what I did at Cal was making relationships like I have with you because we don’t talk a lot about golf. No. But other [ __ ] And you know, if anybody listening to this podcast, like if you want somebody to root for, like a human being to root for, like Freddy Van Ruin’s somebody that you would root for, like, and trust me, like when you win, when you when you do win your big one, I’ll cry. Like I’ll be like, “Fuck yes.” Like, I’ll be really I love you, dude. Thank you. I’ll be I’ll be really excited. Um, okay. Last five minutes of this show. We’ll get off all this sappy [ __ ] but I like this is why I had you on. I wanted to have a um I want to go back to music. So during your I’m getting good at golf phase. I saw I heard whispers and I think you showed me some pictures of you when you were like 18 19. Like you were super emo kid. Oh yeah, dude. I’ve got some pictures that the world doesn’t need to see. Talk to me about that. Walk me that. Like were you like my daddy doesn’t love me emo kid? No, no, no. It was um there was a there was a time period in in South African music or I guess specifically in African culture. So African culture um is very conservative um very Christian and um sort of khaki pants buttonup. Okay. And there was a there’s a moment kind of at the start of my high school in what was that like 2003 where there were these bands coming out that were super rebellious and like it was long hair, skin tight jeans. Um and Uhhuh. this killer just kill it was amazing. I remember I know. Yeah. And like that’s what we got into. Um and we wanted to copy that. And so you know then you listen to um there’s a 30 seconds to Mars. There’s song called it’s like the kill or something and the dude’s got long hair and you know kind of same look and I was like that’s it. That’s the guy. That’s the guy. Jared Leto is the guy. And so, um, yeah, that was a phase we went through and we wanted to like make that kind of music and it was it was Blink 182. Tom the Long had the hair that went down with the lip ring. Um, like that was it. God almighty. I It’s funny. So, so my So, I’m I’m graduated in 95 from high school. So, I grew up in Seattle, so it was grunge. Yeah. Right. that full tilt grunge. We had Nirvana, we had Pearl Jam, we had Stone Temple Pilots, we had 9 in I mean it was it was on it was on and Seattle was the hub of it all, right? It was Street Records, which I would love to take you to someday was the record store that premiered Nirvana and premiered Pearl Jam and they would go play these coffee shop um little shows before they were huge. There it be [ __ ] Kurt Cobain in there, you know, and we used to have this place called the OK Hotel that all the high school kids would go to. It’s the first time I ever saw Nirvana alive. They played they played after a band called Medicine Hat, which was another band that was like [ __ ] awesome back in the day. So anyway, this is how big of a poser I was. I’m going to reveal myself. So I I got into grunge because I I noticed in high school when I went to Kennedy High School that all the girls like the kids with long hair in the soccer play. So luckily I had a father that made a shitload of money and I could pivot looks in two seconds. So I like so like in the summer going in like maybe my junior year in high school, I grow up my hair down to my shoulders. I had two earrings in this ear and an earring in this ear, you know, flannel shirts, cut up jeans, Chuck Taylor, and I had the I had I was dialed. It was pos. But here’s the here’s the trick. And I would listen to the stuff and I liked a lot of it. I liked Pearl Jam, but I didn’t love it like I did like Michael Jackson and Billy Joel. So I’d be, you know, you know, all of a sudden I started read, you know, reading Jack Kiraak books because I was so [ __ ] deep. And it was just I’d get in car like I, you know, I’d look like little grungy kid and then I’d get in my little car and the first thing that would come on be like Beauty and the Beast soundtrack and like [ __ ] Michael Jackson. Oh yeah. No grunge. There was no grunge music being played. It was like it was high school, dude. You have no idea. That’s awesome, dude. It was terrible. But I we had fun. Um All right. So, last bit. So, in the bag right now, you still got that taped up elite driver because I want to ask you about you guys going to start testing drivers here pretty soon. Um mini driver, fivewood, four, three utility still in the bag. Three utilities in the bag. Um fivewood kind of hasn’t been in the bag for a while. So, it’ll it’ll go driver, mini, three iron. What are you going to do with those three irons when they crack? By the way, I have two. Yeah, I need to get another one because I only have the one. I’m gonna send you I have I I actually I was digging through some boxes and I don’t know why I have them. It’s just probably something I just stole out of Pro Tour on the truck because I was bored. I have two. I have a two iron still brand new, dude. It’s such a good iron. Like it I can hit it high. It’s It’s so versatile. So like it’s such a good club. Um, and then same wedge as Opus. Did you put the SPs in there or you still in the other ones? I forgot the SPS in there. Great. Yeah, we just went Nirvana to your bag really quick. So, uh, driver testing starts for Callaway. Historically, it’s at RSM is when you guys get your your first crack at it. Have you seen the new driver yet? I haven’t seen the finished product. I saw a prototype um earlier in the year. I can’t remember quite where, but I’ve seen a prototype. I haven’t seen it with like the new paint job and everything. You haven’t you haven’t hit it yet or anything? Okay. No. So, for the folks at home, the way it works, uh, RSM’s usually, so some of you guys, I guess it’s more by request than anything, like if you wanted those guys to come to you, they would come to you. But usually what kind of fish in a barrel, most players don’t want to test and have reps at their house and do all that [ __ ] So, like they’ll they’ll go to RSM and and do driver testing, which for gearheads is amazing because you’re there and they’re off range back on the corner and they have that whole testing that whole uh fitting facility over there. And if you walked in there, you would see basically every Callaway head you could ever think of driverwise in the candy store. So, are you since you’re not playing at RSM, what’s the how are you what’s the plan for the new driver in the new woods? I’ll be at home. I’ll get someone down and go to Bears Club and test like in my own space and spend a few weeks with it. Yeah. Okay. And that would happen two or three weeks kind of situation. Yeah, that would happen after Mexico. My guess is early December. Okay. Yeah. So then that’s and then you just go get ready for Sony and that’s it, dude. And do your thing. Bring on 2026. You’re an interesting guy, Freddy Van Ruin. I I I probably enjoy talking to you as much as anybody besides my girl and my kids. You’re one of the You’re one of my guys. Likewise, bro. I miss you. I miss having you out, dude. I know. I’ll be out there more next year, but this year was, you know, I got a new job. I I like this job. I have all these responsibilities now. Like I have, you know, people that work for me now. Got stuff to do now. Finally. way more of an adult job than the last one was like besides being a tour player, I had the best job in in golf. Yeah. Did whatever I wanted. I live on an island. I just [ __ ] you know, it was but you know, I can’t do that forever. So, Sure. Sure. But I’ll be out there. But it was an honor, Mr. Van, to have you if I want to do it for a long time. I’m going to bring you back on after you win your first one next year. We’re going to bring you back on, try and we’re going to talk and we’re going to evaluate and uh I’m very proud of you, my son. You’re better human being than you are a golfer and you’re a phenomenal golfer. So, uh it’s been an honor having you on the show and uh thanks God. Thank you for having me. Love you, dude. Love you too, pal. Uh that is episode 306 of Fully Equipped with my boy EVR. Uh what you eran on Instagram or something like that? Is that what we’re doing? That’s it. Eric Van Ruyan. Pretty simple. Okay. Uh, well, bud, that’s a wrap on the show. Uh, fully equipped 306. We’re out of here. [Music]
2 Comments
Erik is the coolest pro!
It is not stubbornness. It is grit!