College Golf Questions

K lets see what i know of this stuff

What age should you start contacting coaches? Unless you are a freak, i would say start of Junior year, because the summer before your junior year is a good one to build up your resume-What is the best method to contact coaches? Hand written letter

-I assume the coaches can't respond until a certain date, so should you just keep contacting them? not like every day, they will get annoyed, but maybe twice in case they lost the first one-What should you say to them? That you are very interested in their school, and their ____program-Are AJGA's a must if youre looking to play D2 or low D1? Most likely

-I know handicaps don't factor into it, but would you have to be in the scrach raneg to play D2 or better? Yes if its a solid Div 2 team

-What age should you start contacting coaches?

Depends on the kind of school. coach, yourself, etc. Tiger first contacted Wally Goodwin, the then Stanford coach, when he was 12. I think he is a rare exception, but the earlier, the better, that way at least you get on the radar

-What is the best method to contact coaches?

Hand written letters are nice to start. Email is a good follow up.

-I assume the coaches can't respond until a certain date, so should you just keep contacting them?

If you initiate contact they can respond, but don't expect them to always respond promptly if you are 2-3 years out. Be persistent if you've got the game to attend that school, but not overbearing.

-What should you say to them?

Introduce yourself, tell them you're interested in their school, and tell them a little bit about yourself and your golf game. Definitely demonstrate knowledge of the school and program.

-Are AJGA's a must if youre looking to play D2 or low D1?

Not necessarily. If you show you can compete and post good numbers in competition, it always counts for something. Sure AJGA is important, but a lot of coaches realize not everyone plays in the AJGA or can afford to play in the AJGA.

-I know handicaps don't factor into it, but would you have to be in the scrach raneg to play D2 or better?

-Depends on the program. I've played against D3 schools that consistently shoot at or under par, and with D1 schools who couldn't beat my high school. There are programs in every division out there for everyone.

Thanks a lot guys, appreciate it. Would like to hear even more about this.

I hate to be one of those guys who always talks about him self, but I really want to get the feel for this, so heres the story, I started really playing a lot of golf during the summer of 8th grade, I finished the summer with a handicap of about 17. I hated it, I knew I could be better, so I started working with a coach, and playing a round or two a day, and spending the rest of my time on the range. I got my handicap down to a 9.6, and by the end of my freshman season I was averaging 38.76 in high school matches. I hope to continue to improve and get to play college golf.

phew, sorry that you had to read all that babble.

I'm also know that I want to get a good education, and by that I mean like a Vanderbilt or Wake Forest level kind of education, and I want to go to a big school. Do you guys know of some bigger D1 schools with weaker golf teams or at least a team where I dont have to bea phenom to make?

bump

lol most of the time that is an oxymoron, big university and crappy golf team, if you dont think you will be good enough to play D1 look at D2 universities, or you could always go to one in state and try and walk on if they dont recruit you, wish i had that option but being up here in canada our golf teams suck at the universities

To the AJGA point, its not so much AJGA, but major competition, state tourneys, national tourneys, it just so happens that AJGAs get big fields with the best players.

To be the best, you have to beat the best.

lol most of the time that is an oxymoron, big university and crappy golf team, if you dont think you will be good enough to play D1 look at D2 universities, or you could always go to one in state and try and walk on if they dont recruit you, wish i had that option but being up here in canada our golf teams suck at the universities

walking on is soo hard though because most top D1 schools give out scholarships and they dont want to replace someone who has a scholarsip... kind of a waste of money... one friend of mine who goes to a top D1 school couldnt walk on with a 71, 70 when he finished 3rd against the whole golf team just because they had a lot of scholarship players...

Thats true, my actual advice would just be get good enough to be recruited by them, but that was just another option

This time the questions are mostly about contacting coaches,but a few others mixed in.

-What age should you start contacting coaches? - You should be contacting coaches AT LATEST, the beginning of your summer before you are senior in high-school. So they can watch your progress through the summer. Waiting till you are a senior, is to late!

-What is the best method to contact coaches? Send them a letter to start with with a video of your swing and resume, if that doesn't work or you dont hear anything. Call.

-I assume the coaches can't respond until a certain date, so should you just keep contacting them?

-What should you say to them? You want to play golf right?

-Are AJGA's a must if youre looking to play D2 or low D1? Not a must, but very important to have some recognition and tournament experience.

-I know handicaps don't factor into it, but would you have to be in the scratch range to play D2 or better? To be competitive yes, to be on the team, no.

Thanks for the help!

in terms of bigger schools with weaker golf teams, that's exactly my boat. Academics is my priority as I want to get into usc, bc, nyu, william & mary, uva, georgetown, u mich, wake forest, ucla. That immediately ruled out uva, ucla and usc. BC, william & mary, and u.michigan are all big d1 (i think) schools whose golf teams aren't as good as usc, ucla, etc. I started playing seriously freshman year and I'm at the point where I practice as much as humanly possible... Every day if weather, time, and work permits. I'm shooting around 80 but expect to get down to mid 70's. I think I have a shot at those 3 schools I mentioned as well as nyu (d3) in terms of playing golf and i would sure love to.

I highly doubt that Tiger contacted Stanford...I'd assume it would be the other way around. Please correct me if I'm wrong. His dad might have sent an initial letter telling them to keep an eye out for him, but I'd think that would be the extent of it.

BDL

lol most of the time that is an oxymoron, big university and crappy golf team, if you dont think you will be good enough to play D1 look at D2 universities, or you could always go to one in state and try and walk on if they dont recruit you, wish i had that option but being up here in canada our golf teams suck at the universities

walking on is soo hard though because most top D1 schools give out scholarships and they dont want to replace someone who has a scholarsip... kind of a waste of money... one friend of mine who goes to a top D1 school couldnt walk on with a 71, 70 when he finished 3rd against the whole golf team just because they had a lot of scholarship players...

I'm surprised the school didn't revoke someone's scholarship and give it to him. My school can do that and has done that for people that perform well without scholarships. That scholarship isn't a contract and can be revoked.

This time the questions are mostly about contacting coaches,but a few others mixed in.

-What age should you start contacting coaches?

Depends on if you're any good. If you can't shoot around par and most of your scores teeter on 78 to 81, then nobody will recruit you. Also, If you haven't played in events that are looked at by college coaches, then you are literally invisible.

-What is the best method to contact coaches?

It is the age of e-mail, so don't bother with letters, (especially if you think there is no chance for a scholarship.)

-I assume the coaches can't respond until a certain date, so should you just keep contacting them?

Yes, contacting a coach is easy. They are human beings that own cell phones and computers. They can be contacted with persistence.

-What should you say to them?

1.) What is the structure of the team? How many kids are on the team? Do we have to qualify for the events we play in? Because I am not on scholarship, will I be restricted to following the same practice guidelines for the TOP 5 players?

-I know handicaps don't factor into it, but would you have to be in the scrach raneg to play D2 or better?

First, any D1 school is going to have pretty good players (70 to 74 Avg), that have to qualify amongst each other for spots in events. Division 2 is what I play in and my team structure is very lax. Some are not like ours. We have 24 players and we qualify for events, but we are not forced into practicing like the TOP 5 players are. When they are told to hit 100 3 footers consecutively, I can do my Philly Mick putting drill and watch them waste their time. The TOP 5 fluctuates between the TOP 8. I am a bubble player, meaning I rank between 9 and 13. Occasionally, I will get into the TOP 8, because there is parody with players that shoot relatively the same scores. I have missed qualifying by one shot 3 times, to kids who then go on to shoot 93 and 88 in the tourney. How they managed a 77 and 78, for qualifying, I have no idea. When I qualify, I am looking to get an individual entry into the tournament, meaning my score wouldn't count towards the team score. I can wear my own shirts and apparel, loosely based off the colors of the school. Most times I don't but the option is available. It is actually better than being in the TOP 5, because there really is no added benefit to being in the TOP 5. I still get free balls, discounted equipment, etc. It is a pride thing, if anything and that is high school level bull anyway. Half the kids on my team all went to high school together, so they have this deep rooted rivalry between one another that I have no part in. The pride thing matters to them, but it really is stupid.

If you want more truths and realities of what I have experienced, feel free to PM me.

in terms of bigger schools with weaker golf teams, that's exactly my boat. Academics is my priority as I want to get into usc, bc, nyu, william & mary, uva, georgetown, u mich, wake forest, ucla. That immediately ruled out uva, ucla and usc. BC, william & mary, and u.michigan are all big d1 (i think) schools whose golf teams aren't as good as usc, ucla, etc. I started playing seriously freshman year and I'm at the point where I practice as much as humanly possible... Every day if weather, time, and work permits. I'm shooting around 80 but expect to get down to mid 70's. I think I have a shot at those 3 schools I mentioned as well as nyu (d3) in terms of playing golf and i would sure love to.

Aweosome, thanks for the info. Academics are definitely my priority and those are schools I was also looking at. Maybe we'll meet up there :cheesy: .I am down to the mid 70's now going in to soph, really hoping to have some good tourney finishes, and start having info for the coaches.

Hey guys,

Many teams have online questionnaires are these worth my time filling out, or should I just email the coach?

Never hurts to call and speak with a coach. This way you make a personal connection. That's how I did it. I sent something like 30 resumes and called to follow up.

John

Awesome, just curious, where di you play?

-What age should you start contacting coaches?

Depends on the kind of school. coach, yourself, etc. Tiger first contacted Wally Goodwin, the then Stanford coach, when he was 12. I think he is a rare exception, but the earlier, the better, that way at least you get on the radar

-What is the best method to contact coaches?

Hand written letters are nice to start. Email is a good follow up.

 

-I assume the coaches can't respond until a certain date, so should you just keep contacting them?

If you initiate contact they can respond, but don't expect them to always respond promptly if you are 2-3 years out. Be persistent if you've got the game to attend that school, but not overbearing.

 

-What should you say to them?

Introduce yourself, tell them you're interested in their school, and tell them a little bit about yourself and your golf game. Definitely demonstrate knowledge of the school and program.

 

-Are AJGA's a must if youre looking to play D2 or low D1?

Not necessarily. If you show you can compete and post good numbers in competition, it always counts for something. Sure AJGA is important, but a lot of coaches realize not everyone plays in the AJGA or can afford to play in the AJGA.

 

-I know handicaps don't factor into it, but would you have to be in the scrach raneg to play D2 or better?

-Depends on the program. I've played against D3 schools that consistently shoot at or under par, and with D1 schools who couldn't beat my high school. There are programs in every division out there for everyone.

Just noticed you talked about WALLY GOODWIN.... he recruited me for northern colorado for this fall, and i got to play for him for a semester before he decided to retire. A GREAT person and coach.

But yea just get on top of sending resumes to college early jr year cuz when ur senior year comes around u should hopefully already have decided or have a strong assertion on what school u'll be goin to.

Bids

I played my Freshman year at Drexel U (small D1 school) I won a tourney and from there transfered to Temple U (much bigger D1 school) Both were good schools but I enjoyed my time at Drexel more!

Any top 30 division one team you really better be scratch I play for wesley college in delaware and to play you better be scratch and we are ranked 25 right now.

As someone said before it really doesn't matter which division you play in. There are good programs in D1 D2 D3 and NAIA. I played for a "middle of the road" D1 school and there were times we would beat a big name school and also times we would get waxed by a NAIA school. Most importantly evaluate the coach, practice ficilities, and other players. One sour grape can make your college experience suck.