Playing in front of college coaches?

golftide · March 18, 2009

any tips???

I found out today from my coach that one college coach and possible a few more is coming to watch me at my county tournament. I know i will probably be nervous. Any tips on what I should do? What is he looking for? How to deal with the nerves?

shortputt · March 18, 2009

to tell ya the truth. Almost ignore the fact that they are there so u are less focused on impressing them and more on hitting good shots. If you hit a bad shot who cares just go on to recover, that is a key that the coaches look to see not just u getting lucky and shooting some amazing score but how you play your game and rebound from mistakes.

ryanandrew_golf · March 18, 2009

Focus on your business and ignore them. They can't talk to you anyway. I've heard that they learn just as much, and sometime prefer, to watch you when your struggling than playing well...so if your not having your best day remember that you can impress them by not showing your frustrutation and making the best of it. Hopefully, knowing that will allow you to perform.

lowandslow · March 18, 2009

Real simple, just play like usual, they dont care what you shoot. They care about how you act when you dont hit the shot you intented, they want to see that you can remain calm and composed.

MrParr1Noid · March 18, 2009

Sing like no ones listening, and dance like no ones watching. :drinks:

golf001 · March 18, 2009

If a coach is coming to watch you, it means they know you are capable of scoring or are decent already.

They want to see your demeanor and how you act in the face of adversity.

TMfan54 · March 19, 2009

last year i had college coaches watching me in all the big HS tourneys. they are also watching others too. jsut dont think about THEM when on the course jsut play your game. if you know which coaches are looking at you, go introduce yourself and be respectful, but not a tool. i liked to joke around with them and be friendly, but serious too. anyway, good luck. just play a round and hopefully they;ll be impressed. they wont get to see you too much on the course, so if they do watch a few holes dont worry and do not try to be a hero and fire at the flags. play your game and put yourself in position.

SV Golfer · March 19, 2009

John Graham put it perfectly. Here are my observations coming from experience... Most coaches will try to blend in with the crowd as much as possible. They're not doing a good job if you notice that they're watching. I played in a tournament in the fall, and three coaches sent me emails saying they liked how I played, but I never saw any of them.

My advice would be to just treat them like any other spectators. Not only are they watching your swing and skills, they're watching the way you conduct yourself on the course.

I would introduce yourself, like John Graham said, if possible, but not until after the round. You've got shots to hit and a score to post, and there's no need to distract yourself before you play.

Good luck! :drinks: