I'm right now basically applying to universities, and looking at what level I could realistically compete and get a spot on a team so I can finalize my list. Playing every single tournament in college is not an absolute must for me, I'm totally willing to sit sometimes and go to better uni. Basically, I went into the process of getting recruited being way to naive, and only talked with a relatively small amount of schools, so I ended up not getting offered a spot anywhere. I had some interest from some mid-level D1 schools (probably more because of my academics, since they were very good academic schools), but I just didn't really play that well the first half of the season so I was pretty much out of the running early.

My scoring average for the last summer was 74.76 (73.11 in the last 2 months of the season), and I had 3 rounds in the 60s (all 69s). I don't have any particularly impressive results, I have a lot of wins in smaller tournaments but no National level wins or top-5s, but I did play for a national team in my country in a tournament. I am a late bloomer (didn't take golf very seriously till the last two years), so I really think I could improve a lot in college if a team would give me a shot. Also, I should be pretty well academically qualified for just about any school in the country, so that shouldn't be an issue for me for the most part. I was just wondering what level I would be likely to be able to make a team (Mid Div I, Low Div I, Div 2)? Let me know if you need anymore info. Thanks!

What you do is write a lot of programs. And apparently you talk yourself up ALOT!

mark Immelmann was talking about it on his show on the mark.

Maybe even shoot him a message via Instagram and ask people thru direct message their advice on what they like to see from players.

but of course Fake it till you make it, applies.

Apparently! But I’m sure more people than I would have great advice. I do hear a lot of info for college players on podcasts though.

good luck man!

Agreed! Brag on yourself until someone listens or leaves.

You should email/call all the coaches of the Universities you are interested in. You are definitely on the high end for scoring to play D1. You may really want to look at the club golf route.

No different then looking for a job. You just keep grinding a way and never let anyone say no to you. I would love to say it's all based on performance but in reality coaches are Human so you just never know and you just have to cast a very wide net.

What is the main reason your looking to play college golf? Is it to get an education or do you think you will become a better golf player. From what I seen going to college to play golf is great if your there for an education. If it pays for it great otherwise I would just find the best school you can get into and go to college and play golf on the side. If you looking to become a better golf player there are plenty of ways to do that without ever stepping foot into a college program.

Put together a "golf resume" of your results, scoring, any relevant info about what you have done in golf. Microsoft word or excel type of deal. Email it to coaches along with videos of your swing (preferably outdoor shots, iron and driver). It's a bit late in the game if you are a senior in high school already, so you may want to send it to as many coaches as possible in hopes that some have a roster spot still open. Tell them a bit about yourself, mention your good academic standing, explain to them that you have improved at golf every year for the past few years and that you are committed to getting better etc etc

After college is over, it's a nice feather in your cap to say you played college golf, but you'll be much better off in life if you focus on academics. Go to a good academic school and if the golf thing works out then that's a great bonus. I used to play against all the Ivy League schools and couldn't help but think they were getting a way better deal than me as we played the same events and their diploma says Yale/Harvard or whatever the case

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I'm definitely going to call/email some coaches and see if anyone would still be interested, I already have a lot of the info compiled from earlier in the season so it shouldn't be too hard to get that going quickly before application deadlines.

To answer your question @tiger1873, I am going for the education formost, and golf second. I totally agree that I shouldn't give up a better academic school just so I can play golf somewhere, since I'm not planning on trying to be a pro or anything. Hopefully I can find somewhere that has a good mix of both

Thanks everyone!

All great advice above..

I will add that if you are not going to give your fullest to a golf program, "Playing every single tournament in college is not an absolute must for me," then I would choose a school based on your academic interests.

It's not that I wouldn't be giving my all to the team, I would attend all practices and every tournament that I qualify for. I'm more just saying I'm willing to play for a team where I might sit sometimes if there are better options than me that week, and that I'm willing to work up to the point that I'm consistantly making it. Sorry I probably didn't word it very well in the original post :)

Honest question. I get what you are saying, but how do you fake it in golf. I mean a 73 is a 73 no matter how you cut it. Of course the field and conditions matter, but still. Achievements in golf are very measurable and finite so how do you talk yourself up without fibbing?

I hear you, and I was not meaning to sound harsh or knocking you in any way, sorry if it seemed that way.

Do a search, most all will post players, their year and average. You should be able to see if a team has room for a player of your ability. Additionally, there are some really great D2, D3 and NAIA programs. But your academic needs may not be met at all those schools. Keep working at it...

Real Life: Changed a light bulb

Resume: Single-handedly managed the successful upgrade and deployment of new environmental illumination system with zero cost overruns and zero safety incidents.

You were pretty clear in your original post, and to be honest didn't sound like bragging at all to me anyway?

You might look at D3. A few students I've known since they were toddlers with clubs in hand, not quite as good as you, are playing on the teams. D3 don't typically offer scholarships, so the players are not obligated financially to play. Might be a better choice.

Here is the thing if your not getting scholarship money what else does playing on a team offer you??? Honestly the D2 and D3 programs might offer free tournament play and instructional but I got to think is that even worth that much. There are plenty of other options to play golf.

unless it a way to get help you get accepted in a school you want to go to like Harvard or Yale (I think they are D2 ) why would you bother with D2 and D3. A lot D2 and D3 are expensive too.

if I was op I would send my resume around to schools to just see if get any bites but would more likely just worry about academic scholarships and play local golf association tournaments out there or possible find a golf club on campus.

I was in this position many many years ago for tennis and I let the academics guide my school selection as I too had hoped for a scholarship that never materialized. I thought I’d go the walk on route and as I discovered, the players there on the team were way way better than I expected. I also realized I was not cut out for the next level in my tennis. That being said, I focused on school and enjoyed all of the non athletic aspects of college and had a wonderful experience. Do what makes you happy man and enjoy yourself and work hard in school. It was the greatest 5 years of my life. Lol!!! Good luck!!!!

I would be astonished if a D1 school would let you walk on. D2, maybe, D3, maybe, but D1 programs have kids lined up.

That's pretty much true. My kids are both at D1 schools an have golfing friends who play “for the school” but not as a walk on. There’s at least a dozen plus handicaps waiting to play in the lineup.

D3 is the best option for the OP. No pressure.

My son’s HS ex team mate was a D1 player, now is looking to play pro. At a +3, it’s really tough, but he loves golf enough to drop out of College. His family is pretty wealthy though.

Harvard and Yale are Ivy League not D class as far as I know? One girl I know, went to Harvard and plays for them. I’ve not heard her playing against any of the Big schools? She plays against other Ivy’s though.

Harvard, Yale, and every other Ivy League school are NCAA Division I golf programs.

There are 287 Division I programs, here is a link to the listhttp://golfstat.com/index.cfm?event=public.teamRanking&gender=M

I thought I heard Havard and Yale do not offer scholarships for their teams. Could be worng but if Ivy league is D1 then why would anyone want to do d2 or d3?

Ivy league schools do not offer athletic scholarships, they do however offer financial aid based on academics and other factors. Each of these schools have an endowment larger than some entire countries have

First thing I would do before I would write to a coach is see what level the team plays at to see if you bring value to his squad. It's never to late to get a scholarship. One of my Pro buddies had his kid sign June before the Fall Semester started. So you can always find a place to play, it's just going to be how far are you willing to travel for it. I would also look at contacting recruiting services that help make those connections with coaches. They will have more influence than a cold call. Something to consider when sending your scoring average and results is the difficulty of the course i.e. slope/rating. A college coach isn't as impressed with a 73 scoring average from 6800 yards versus 7100. They obviously understand that moving to college golf is going to be a tougher course and all that but know how you handle yourself on tough tracks is important to. Even if you have a bad day make sure you gut it out and turn a 81 into a 76. That goes a long way for recruiting not just winning big events. Other divisions though could be a good option out of the gate to prove yourself and then transfer later in your college career. Good luck!

Damn, no wonder I've been stuck at the same crappy job for all these years. FML>

More than you think when you are interviewing for jobs.

Go to a D2 and shine! If and when you start winning tournaments, the good D1's will notice.

If it's anything like college football - If you're a walk-on you better be markedly better than the guy the program gave a full ride to. Once they're invested, they're invested.

What kind of jobs? Never heard of that before.

Very rare that programs give full rides in men’s golf. If I had to guess it would be less than 10%.

Many prestigious D2 and D3 schools that open doors for kids because of connections. Those connections to athletics and golf programs open up doors and opportunities the general student population don’t get.

My daughter is interning this summer for one of the largest financial firms in the world. Her last interview with the Big Wig that determines who gets the internship was spent talking about golf. It was a one hour interview and that is all they talked about.

Playing college sports in general opens up opportunities other students at Colleges do not get even after they graduate. Resumes equal and companies will hire the athlete that played a college sport over those that didn’t.

Hmmmm

where on the resume does college athletic experience go?

i went to a D1 school on a golf scholarship, played in the NCAA finals, won an event, etc. (just saying that my college golf career was not forgettable) and none of that is on my resume.