When Jan Stephenson arrived in the USA in the early seventies to try to qualify at Tour School for the LPGA she had very little money and almost no support. 

 

Back in Australia Jan was a golfing prodigy. As a teenager, with her family behind her, she devoted herself to practice and playing.  She attended the selective Fort Street High School but had to complete much of her schoolwork while away from home playing in Amateur Teams Events. With her Mother as seamstress, she dressed way ahead of her time sometimes falling foul of the Amateur Golf Bodies for wearing shorts which today would be considered conservative.  Jan decided that turning professional was the way for her to make her way in the world.

 

Jan completed LPGA Tour School at the difficult  Doral Course in Miami Florida, she went on to be Rookie if the year, to win the US Open and numerous events world wide.

 

Gary first knew Jan when she was 16 years old and he was still Gary Player ("the other guy" as Gary calls him) trying to make it on the Australian Tour.

They became reaquainted in the 90s when Jan returned to play at Palm Meadows.  She has been part of the Edwin family ever since.

 

What is Jan doing now?   Well she still loves to hit golf balls beyond everything else, she has designed a number of golf courses including "Walkabout" at Titusville Florida, she has ventured into property development and "green" technology.  She plays the US "Legends Tour" as well as some LPGA events.

 

 She has been working at Keenes Point with Gary for the last few weeks and plans this year to concentrate on two main things, her own golf and the Jan Stephenson International Golf Institute. 

 

JSIGI (www.jsigi.com )has itself hibernated the past few years since Luke Edwin and Luke Ringrose (www.rightsidedgolf.com ) were in the USA.  However now we have a Florida right sided coach, Bill Knodle (www.rightsidedswingflorida.com ) and Jan is again in a position to offer her availability for instruction and golf at such prestigious courses as Isleworth.  Her website is currently being updated but any inquiries can be directed to the team at garyedwingolf@aol.com