College team rankings and turning pro

[JuniorGolfParent]

Is there a strong relationship between the two?

Does playing for the highest ranked team maximize chances of becoming a touring pro?

Just curious

[heavy_hitter]

No.

[leezer99]

Rankings, no. Schools, yes. I made a chart on here some time ago and if memory serves me correct you get the most pros out of ASU, OKS and Stanford. (I do realize that I am probably wrong but this is what is popping into my head)

[JuniorGolfParent]

Interesting - so sounds like some schools have a history of churning out tour pros - is it because of coaching/training/facilities/competition, or do you think it might be more due to self-selection (the best players choose certain schools and it becomes self-fulfilling)?

Those 3 all sound like pretty high ranking teams historically

[heavy_hitter]

The best players go to the best schools for golf.

[leezer99]

How important do you think recruiting trips are?

[heavy_hitter]

Here is what I think is a more important question.

Should you go to a school like OkSt. knowing you may not play for 2-3 years or go to another school, even a D2 knowing you would play right away? Me, I would go to a D2 knowing I would play in every match. In most cases you will get more money from the D2 as well.

[JuniorGolfParent]

Ok fair enough

Just so I understand, are you saying there is little relationship between the "best schools for golf" that you mention and the rankings listed here:https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/golf-men/d1/gcaa-coaches

[heavy_hitter]

Not sure I understand what you are asking.

The high ranked schools have the best players. Schools like ASU, OKS, Stanford, Bama, UGA, Texas, U of Arizona, Wake are getting the best players every year when it comes to recruiting. They aren't really having to work at recruiting. These guys are churning out pros because they are getting the best of the best.

Go in and pull out Pepperdine, TT, Colorado State, Notre Dame, BYU, Washington, Louisville as well as others and you will see schools that did there homework and recruited kids really well that weren't on the other schools radars. The coaches of these schools aren't making a phone call and getting a kid. They have to work at recruiting then work at developing. There are pros coming from these schools as well. There are PGA tour Players from D1, D2, D3, Community Colleges, and NAIA.

Read the book Grit by Angela Duckworth. Just because you are talented at something doesn't make you great at something. Talent + Effort = Skill. Without the effort you don't have skill. Just because you score a 1600 on the SAT and get into Duke doesn't mean you will be the most successful person to graduate from Duke. Heck, I know a guy that graduated from Harvard with a degree in engineering and is teaching because he is lazy. (Not saying teachers are lazy, but he is. Horrible teacher.) SAT doesn't measure the Grit, perseverance, effort, or heart of an individual.

 

 

[MB19]

Is it something like football, where the elite go to the elite golf schools (with a rare exception here and there) and the near-elite have to decide between being a role player on a great team with the slight chance of becoming a star, or going to just a solid school and being a 1 or 2?

Recruiting for colleges in most sports seems to be this way, really.

A close friend in the Denver area has a daughter who committed to U of Denver awhile back for gymnastics, but had Oklahoma and a few other powers interested. At the end of the day, her decision was made by Oklahoma's reluctance (after a BYU and 'Bama offer, I think) to offer and by U of Denver treating her like she wasn't just another recruit. Gymnastics is kind of unique, in that the best kids sign after their Freshman year, but the game seems largely the same if your kid is a level 10 gymnast and looking to be a scholarship athlete.

The elite will have choices limited by only their grades (well... lol). The semi-elite will have attractive offers, but tougher choices to make. The very good will have fewer choices, but better have good grades.

[kekoa]

Man, that would be a tough decision. I guess if I wasn't good enough to make the starting lineup, I might as well go somewhere where I would play a lot and possibly be a star albeit on a D2 team. That said, it would be hard to give up the perks ad everything else that goes along with attending a powerhouse school like OK St.

[hollabachgt]

Interestingly, I know someone who turned down an offer to play at OSU in favor of a lesser D1 school. Realizing the chance of them going pro was super small their decision ultimately came down to quality of education between the two schools.

[twidener]

I played college golf back in the early '70s and Oklahoma State had players on their team back then that were very good but never made the starting 5 players. The players who did not make the starting 5 would play in minor tournaments that the starters would not play. The guys were very good too, shot in the high 60's and low 70's but were not going to beat out the top players. Also if you go to a one of the top schools, like OSU, it's true you might wait 2 or 3 years before you get to play but you also have to realize that while you are waiting those 2 or 3 years the school is out recruiting the best players in the country. They are not waiting on you to get good enough to make the top 5. You would need to beat all of the best recruits that come in to get your chance to play. At a smaller school or a good golf school, if you're good you have a chance to play as a freshman.

[heavy_hitter]

Exactly. Right. If you are there 2-3 years you are more than likely fighting to play in the 4th or 5th spot.

[kekoa]

Sounds kind of like @Deerslayer kid. I haven't followed up to see what his son is doing these days.

[hattrick23]

This is always a tough question for any golfer trying to play college golf. The top ranked schools get their choice of the top ranked juniors and I would argue that those players could probably turn pro without attending the top school. The environment of playing for a top school is too hard to pass up for most since they also have access to great facilities to practice and clubs to play during the week. Golf is so different from football, basketball and most other team sports as you have to rely on your teammates to play the game and you go against the top defenses of other top ranked schools. Golf is more an individual sport and played against the golf course and many D1/D2 schools also play on some top courses. I agree with Heavy Hitter in that you should go to the the highest ranked school you where you will get to play. Depending on the talent/commitment of the golfer that may be mid major D1 or D2 or D3. I went thru this this with my son where he chose to play at a Mid Major and he ended up playing all events for 4 years. If we were to choose again, we would not change much at all. He is now embarking on his pro career and doing very well. It is hard to learn to play the game when you wave to the starting 5 as they are heading off to the next tournament. My son has quite a few friends who chose to go to a top program and did not play much. Since many college golfers will not make it as a pro, its better to have fond memories of how you played. Everybody has to decide what is most important to them.

[JuniorGolfParent]

Do college players (even highly recruited ones) have to continue to perform to remain on the team each year?

I'd assume that if a player was no longer competitive enough to maintain her spot that she would be dropped?

[chrissdc]

Thats what Ive been led to believe. Every scholarship is renewable yearly and I only know of verbal 4 year commitments from between Coaches and kids, nothing signed. My kid knows a few kids who already have been told that they are not going to be renewed for 20/21 school year. Might be tougher for some kids who are not performing, combined with the extra year of eligibility given to current college players.

[twidener]

Scholarships are good for one year. But a coach usually renews it unless you have broken so many rules. If you have not been going to class could result in not renewing a scholarship. Now they might cut some of the money from the scholarship if you don't perform but that also hardly ever happens.The coaches know that players go through slumps and if you're practicing and working at your game they renew the scholarship.

[kekoa]

My son has been to a 2 D1 golf camps for juniors. According to the coaches, once a scholarship is granted to a player, it is theirs for the duration of their time at the school regardless of how they are playing. Now if the kid somehow becomes ineligible to play, the money can be pulled.

[JuniorGolfParent]

Ineligible, meaning academics or injury (or both)?

[kekoa]

The coaches didn't go into specifics as to how a kid can get scholarship money pulled, but it doesn't happen very often.

[wlm]

This is the rule for power 5 conference schools. Scholarship can't be reduced due to poor performance. However, players have to remain eligible and follow team/university rules.

[heavy_hitter]

Correct. If it isn't a Power 5 conference they can reduce the scholarship year to year "Just Because".