Some families arrive in Cordillera Ranch because of the views. Some come for the golf. Some, like Jaylaine and Erik Van Uden, come because the timing finally feels right. And maybe a little bit for the golf.
By:
Kimberly Suta
Photography By:
David Teran; Personal photography courtesy of the Van Udens
For Erik, golf has always been more than a pastime. It’s been an integral thread woven through his life since he was 4 years old. Growing up in Hooksett, New Hampshire, his father, Donald Van Uden, was a high school teacher and golf coach at Manchester West High School. “Golf was a huge part of my upbringing,” shared Erik. “My dad was my golf coach in high school. We won three state championships together — in ’94, ’95 and ’96.”
No doubt, the bond between father and son was built on fairways and practice ranges. As an amateur golfer, Donald was a teacher who loved the game and passed that passion along. Erik traveled the country playing in junior tournaments, sharpening his skills and even being showcased in the Boston Globe after winning a championship. When asked about that time in his life, one moment still stands out. “My sophomore year, I shot a 72. It was the lowest score of the tournament. We won the state championship by one,” he recalled. “When I walked off the last hole and saw the expression on my dad’s face… that’s something I’ll never forget. I knew how proud I made him.”
Years later, that same love of golf would ultimately shape another chapter of his and his family’s lives. “I remember seeing Cordillera Ranch in a magazine when we were living in Dallas — or maybe Corpus at the time — and thinking, ‘That’s such a cool, unique spot,’” said Erik. The two stayed at the Georg House for a weekend and fell in love with the setting, though the timing wasn’t yet quite right.
Then, after stints in Dallas, Corpus Christi and New Hampshire, a job opportunity and the stars aligned. “It was a requirement to move into Cordillera if we were going to move back to Texas,” laughed Jaylaine. “I kept begging because the winters are brutal in New Hampshire. And he said, ‘If we move back, we’re living in Cordillera.’”
For Jaylaine, returning to Texas in 2022 felt like coming home in more ways than one. A native of Corpus Christi, she grew up close to family, including her twin brother, Jordan Hurst, who still lives there. “They thought we were going to be two boys and were going to name us Chase or Chad, but thank God they had a girl’s name picked out, too. Jaylaine is actually my grandmother’s middle name on my mom’s side,” she shared.
Her grandmother, Mimi, still living and full of life, remains a powerful presence in Jaylaine’s life. “She’s a traveler and loves to hit up a casino every chance she gets,” she said. But Jaylaine says her mom, Karen Hurst, is her best friend, adding, “Like she always says to me, she’s my biggest cheerleader and she will drop everything in a heartbeat for anything I need. I’ve never met anymore more caring than her.”
Family has always been extraordinarily important to both Erik and Jaylaine. Erik’s mother, who has since passed, was his best friend. He remains close with his father and his wife, and his older sister, Kristi, and her two daughters, though the miles between Texas and New Hampshire make visits more precious. “It seems normal to us,” said Erik, referring to the closeness of their familial relationships. “But you realize how many people don’t have that.”
That grounding in family and engrained work ethic is notably reflected in both of their careers. Erik works in an executive leadership role in the mortgage industry, managing loan officers and branch managers across the country. “What I enjoy most is seeing them get to the next stage in their career. Seeing them succeed and climb the ladder,” he noted. When asked what qualities make him effective, he didn’t hesitate. “Honesty. Character and integrity. Leadership. And putting people before myself.”
He envisions working another five to ten years before slowing down. “After I retire, I just want to be more involved in my daughter’s life. If she’s into sports, I want to coach. Anything I can do to help her succeed.”
That daughter, 6-year-old Emersyn, is already showing promise — especially on the golf course, as you might have guessed. “She’s got a pretty good swing for being 6,” said Erik, proudly. “And she has the demeanor for it. She’s really laid back. With golf, you can get frustrated easily as it’s a hard sport to learn.”
He takes her to play every couple of weeks and recently sent videos of her golf camp experience at Cordillera to his dad. “He gets a kick out of it,” he said. It’s probably safe to say that Donald would love to see his granddaughter follow her Dad’s championship footsteps.
For Jaylaine, professional passion runs deep as well. She majored in economics and grew up working for her father, Phil Hurst, an entrepreneur in Corpus Christi who owns several businesses, including a Type 4 landfill and the South Texas Ice House, a sports bar. She credits her dad’s drive to his own mother, and shared, “He had a very hard upbringing, losing his dad when he was 9. His mother raised three boys on her own, working three to four jobs at a time. She was my role model.” Her dad will be 70 this year. He had a liver transplant three years ago and still works every day.
“I had that same drive in business and economics. I started working for him at a young age because I wanted to learn more,” she explained. “What I love to do is the technology side of things.” In fact, she’s successfully re-engineered the family businesses to be more efficient and to grow faster in today’s technology-driven world, and has been guiding individuals and businesses for the past 14 years.
Yet, despite full professional plates, the Van Udens have leaned into the social side of Cordillera Ranch with ease. “The biggest blessing has been how nice the people are. Right away, people were very welcoming,” he said with a warm smile.
They host dinners, entertain at each other’s homes, and have built close friendships through their daughter and community activities. Erik golfs occasionally with friends and hopes to find more time in the future, while Jaylaine tried moms’ pickleball a few times, and plans to get back into it this spring. “I love it,” she said. “Even the coaches are so friendly. They keep people motivated. I’ve made a lot of friends with the girls who play.”
Travel is another shared passion. Interestingly, Emersyn has been flying since she was 6 weeks old and has already garnered more stamps than many adults. “She comes on all trips with us,” commented Erik. “She loves to travel.”
Recently, the family sailed on the The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, visiting Spain, Greece and Croatia before ending in Italy. “Croatia or Greece was probably my favorite,” he added. In Santorini, they met another family celebrating a tenth anniversary with a daughter the same age as Emersyn. “They live half an hour from us,” said Jaylaine. “We just had dinner with them a few weeks ago.”
The Van Udens are celebrating milestones of their own this year — Erik’s 50th birthday, Jaylaine’s 40th birthday and their 10-year wedding anniversary. They’ll be celebrating a love story that began when they met in Dallas through work and years later a surprise proposal on an idyllic beach in Punta Cana. “I put the ring in a cut-out coconut on the beach and told her to pick it up,” remembered Erik. “I was definitely in shock,” laughed Jaylaine. “We still have the coconut.”
So, what’s the secret to such a clearly loving and symbiotic relationship? “We don’t sweat the small stuff,” confided Jaylaine. “You can impact each other’s day one way or another, so you have to pick and choose your battles.”
“Communication,” followed Erik, then teasingly said: “She’s a handful.”
After years of bouncing around for work, it seems that the Van Uden family is settling in to life at Cordillera. “After moving a lot the last five years, this feels like home. We’ll be here at least until Emersyn goes to college,” said Erik, with perhaps an imperceptible sigh of relief. However, building roots in Cordillera Ranch may just make a full-time move daunting. “Ideally, we might still keep our house here and live somewhere else six months out of the year,” he qualified.
It goes without saying that the Van Uden’s friends and neighbors already have their fingers crossed that Emersyn keeps her boots on Texas soil when it comes time to decide.
