Importance of ranking on JGS

[NRB1917]

I agree that having a JGS ranking is important since this is one of the ways college coaches find recruits. It therefore also makes sense to be selective when choosing tournaments to play, and to choose tournaments that count towards JGS rankings and other rankings like Golf Week, Rolex AJGA and WAGR. With this in mind you should also be aware that many of these ranked tournaments attract college coaches and these are opportunities for your child to make a big impression.

Unfortunately there may be reasons why your son/daughter can't play in these types of events, perhaps it's the cost of the tournament, travel and/or accommodation factors, not meeting the qualification criteria, etc. These are very real issues that affect many parents/junior golfers so, it's important to remember that there are other ways to get noticed.

Assuming your son/daughter is good enough for a high ranking and that you are unaffected by the above issues, unless you are prepared to wait until the junior year of high school when coaches are allowed to contact you, you'll need to make contact with the coaches. This is how your child is going to get noticed and how your child will get on the coaches radar. It's really important to make contact sooner rather than later, to have a good CV and swing videos and to keep the coaches constantly informed of schedules and results. If you do this, and your son/daughters scores and results in local or state tournaments are good, you'll have similar chances to all but the highest ranked junior golfers.

Scores and school grades are generally more important than results and rankings, Also, there are many other things that coaches are looking out for that don't relate to results and rankings.

[clinkinfo]

Nothing you say is wrong, but it’s also highly idealistic. Yes, you can noticed otherwise, but it is A LOT of effort and work. Most coaches are using the scoreboard and rankings period. Many coaches don’t look at swing videos (in their own admission), so that part isn’t 100% accurate. And depending on the program and division, grades are not really more important to some coaches than scores, that really depends on what program and what coach you’re talking about. At the end of the day, you are trying to roll a boulder uphill if you are trying to get noticed yourself outside the ranking system. Is it possible, technically yes, but not with every school and certainly not easily.

[tiger1873]

JGS just cares about scores lately and the type events don’t seem to matter. I am not sure if they are going to do another change and rankings are going to change a lot. Either way rankings at JGS are messed up right now.

I do think size of event do matter. If they don’t on a ranking like JGS then i think people are going to begin to not care.

I know people complain about getting into big events but the truth is you need to focus on qualifying big events to make that happen.

 

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

"JGS just cares about scores lately and the type events don’t seem to matter."

 

This has always been the case. You only need 5 golfers in a division for it to be ranked. It has been like this for a long time. Their formula is automated. The strength of field (i guess what you and Clinkinfo are ranked) depends on who in the tournament.

[heavy_hitter]

Right now kids just need to play in the best available tournaments. Coaches aren't going to care what you play in for another couple of years because of restrictive travel due to Covid.

I feel that college coaches are going to be really restricted over the next several years of who they can recruit and how much they can travel to recruit. For the past several years the top programs have been given carte blanche in terms of travel. This will come to a halt and will become more regional when they are allowed to travel.

WAGR and Golf Week rankings don't mean a lot.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

We had a call this afternoon with a D2 and basically he said the same thing. He said its hard to recruit, cause he is basically suck at home hoping 16-17 yo boys answer or call him back.

He is trying to fill out a roster and gauge where a kids ceiling might be based on current tournaments.

He said kids ask about travel and he has no idea on what the future might hold.

[chrissdc]

Keep videos short, 65 seconds or less.

one shot of each club front and back

driver, iron, pitch/chip, bunker, and putt.

10 shots.

Upload to YouTube. Send link in emails to coaches. Put Name, HS grad year, and SAT/PSAT ACT score in subject line.

All the other info belongs in a resume.

I know some kids and parents make videos hitting every type of club in the bag, full speed, slow motion, and big long videos of the kid speaking about life, dreams and aspirations. Coaches want the info fast and will contact you if interested for more info.

[tiger1873]

Up until last year strength of tournament matered to get you to the top of the list or at least the top 100. Right now I am seeing a lot movement with kids just based on the tournaments they play. I think the number 2 girl never played any what I would call a major Girls tournaments but was still ranked #2.

There is no way this girl should outrank Alex Pano who has played in a lot larger events.

The large events also have a lot eyeballs and lot the same girls all play against each other. At certain point if you want to get into the top 50 or 100 I would think you should have to play a large tournament to be ranked that high.

This sort of thing makes JGS sort of unreliable when it comes to rankings.

[Noles]

People can interpret the rankings. Being ahead of someone on JGS doesn't make you a better player and people know that. It's hard to find a mathematical formula for any sport ranking that doesn't have some flaw. Right now Strength of Tournament counts for 25%. How much should it count for IYO?

[NRB1917]

Completely agree with this. What about a junior golfer with only 4 counting events, say May 2019 - May 2020, Covid19 come along and the junior doesn't play in May, June and July. As soon as that ranked player only had three counting events in the last calendar year, they became unranked. The rankings definitely don't tell the whole story.

So, whilst the rankings can be important and useful, they are certainly not the be all and end all of getting on a college coaches radar. Work hard at your game, work hard at school, try to play as many ranked tournaments as possible (helps), but really, shoot low wherever, whenever and whoever you play against, and market yourself well to the coaches. Your son/daughter will get a spot at a college that is appropriate to their level of play.

I'd say if your son has good grades and low scores in the mid to high 60's and high scores in the low 70's then chances are very good for Div 1 schools (girls don't need to go that low, but they are capable of that and it certainly helps). Then, the better your golfing CV i.e. types of tournaments, results, strength of field, rankings, etc. the better your chances of landing top Div 1 schools or the best Div 1 schools.

I've read somewhere that you can add at least 3 strokes to your child's tournament scoring average to make a fair comparison to what college golfers are scoring. After adding 3 strokes you can then look up results of players at colleges that you're interested in and see where your son/daughter would rank on that team.

Also your son/daughter must never give up. Things change. Everyone develops/learns differently. Form comes and goes. Even the best players in the world experience massive fluctuations in form/ability for all manner of reasons. Rose as an amateur finishes 3rd or 4th in The Open, then misses 21 cuts or something, then eventually works his way up to number 1 in the world, then changes the clubs he uses and then, he disappears. Spieth tinkers endlessly with his swing after rising to the top of the golf rankings, struggles with short putts, losses confidence and disappears. DJ, picks up a win, takes a week off, then misses two cuts in a row after scores of 80,80 and 79, +23. Brookes Koepka on top of the world after picking up 4 majors, he's been nowhere lately and this week misses the cut whilst his brother Chase, who no one has ever heard of, plays on the weekend. This happens in college too. Coaches sign prodigies that sometimes don't live up to the hype, and they sign golfers that they expect little of, who sometimes become stars.

Don't lose sleep over the rankings, lose sleep over spending lots of time researching colleges, college teams, college coaches and writing to the coaches. Your son/daughter must be involved in this process and, they must initiate the contact and then remain in contact with the coaches. When the coach is ready, he/she will ask for the parent/s involvement.

[MRx747]

On 6/12/2020 at 6:39 AM, TripleBogeysrbetter said:

agree with @wildcatden . Depends on your son's goals. JGS is one tool college coaches use. Being a rising 8th grader i think focusing on grades and practicing is more beneficial than running to every AJGA or HJGT event.
Example: We had a really great 14-15 high school kid here in VA a few years back. Wont mention names (2020). He was ranked in the top 250 as a sophomore. He only played golf. Grades are(were) terrible sub 2.0.
No college offers.

How good was this kid with a sub 2.0?

 

I have seen international kids who couldn't speak much english on scholarships 

[leezer99]

8 hours ago, MRx747 said:

How good was this kid with a sub 2.0?

 

I have seen international kids who couldn't speak much english on scholarships 

 

Jon Rahm learned English after coming to America on scholarship by listening to rap music.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

8 hours ago, MRx747 said:

How good was this kid with a sub 2.0?

 

I have seen international kids who couldn't speak much english on scholarships 

He was really good at golf.  I believe he cracked the top 50 JGS a few times.  He won some AJGA tournaments.  I know his PGA teaching pro.

 

I think his parents and Pro convince him someone will offer a scholarship.

 

Probably could have done JUCO, but I doubt his family pride allows that.

[iteachgolf]

The only reason he didn’t have offers is because he’s not academically eligible. I have a player who’s top 100 and had a bunch of offers, including “full rides” at several top 40 D1 programs.  His grades dipped below eligibility requirements and they still tried like hell to get him into the schools.  Will be going to a smaller private school and if his grades improve he will transfer to wherever he wants.   Below 2.0 is ridiculous.  But if he had a 2.5 he would have had plenty of offers 

[tssgj65]

On 7/26/2020 at 11:29 AM, NRB1917 said:

After adding 3 strokes you can then look up results of players at colleges that you're interested in and see where your son/daughter would rank on that team.

This is spot on, except the coaches I talk with add 4.  Too many kids look at the scores and automatically assume they are good enough.

 

Another issue that a coach will attempt to assess is how much the kid loves it.  Is he/she doing it because they are good at it- talent wise (at the level they are), doing it because the parent has pushed, or do they really, really love it.  Are they going to be happy to have made a college team or are they really committed to advancing?  One or two strokes lower in stroke average becomes harder to achieve and only comes from the next level of commitment.  It takes talent, but commitment is necessary.

 

20 hours a week..... weight room, practice, qualifying, travel, tournaments.  It is a job so they better love it.

 

Being a good student- having developed the necessary study and time management skills are also critical to success.

[RmoorePE]

On 7/6/2021 at 11:51 AM, tssgj65 said:

This is spot on, except the coaches I talk with add 4.  Too many kids look at the scores and automatically assume they are good enough.

 

Another issue that a coach will attempt to assess is how much the kid loves it.  Is he/she doing it because they are good at it- talent wise (at the level they are), doing it because the parent has pushed, or do they really, really love it.  Are they going to be happy to have made a college team or are they really committed to advancing?  One or two strokes lower in stroke average becomes harder to achieve and only comes from the next level of commitment.  It takes talent, but commitment is necessary.

 

20 hours a week..... weight room, practice, qualifying, travel, tournaments.  It is a job so they better love it.

 

Being a good student- having developed the necessary study and time management skills are also critical to success.

 

This is critical. I think worrying over ranking in 8th grade is pointless, worry over the kid loving to compete in golf tournaments for the next 4 years. The fire has to stay lit, by the kid, not forced by parents. Read the thread about college coaches salaries.

 

I'm not sure how my daughter feels about competing, she has been playing some local tournaments and generally has fun but has not won yet (couple 2nds , and a few 3/4). Her game is not quite there yet. She loves to practice and plays a lot of golf. She is a smart kid (4.0 so far) and with her scores I can easily see her going to a D2 or D3 school and getting to play a lot of different golf courses and being on a team. That situation can be lower pressure and fun seems like a good way to spend your college career (if she still loves the game) I could also see her falling in love with volleyball in High School and giving up on golf. Her older sister did that, and now her middle sister is going down the same path.

 

I know for boys it is much harder. My daughter and I played golf with a young man the other day who was just graduating high school and headed for a D3 school. He got about a 30% academic scholarship and was getting loans for the rest. He explained to me how happy he was to get to play a lot of golf the next 4 years, and as a graduation gift his parents gave him $1k a month for this summer to only spend on greens fees. He was travelling around the northwest, camping out of his car (Wal Mart and Casino parking lots) and playing every day. Basically he was dialing up the Golf Now  app after every round and seeing which direction he would travel based on green fee rates, playing afternoon rounds mostly. His itinerary was loosely based on the amateur tournaments he was signed up for, but he was just stoked to meet strangers and play golf every day. Obviously he was an independent type kid, willing to just live the golf hermit life at 18 y.o. 

 

His enthusiasm was infectious and my daughter talked a lot about how fun that would be, and getting on a golf team and playing lots of different courses.

 

[tiger1873]

Here is what i am seeing with JGS if you have a boy it very competitive rankings matter a lot because you want yo get into better tournaments.

 

For a girl rankings matter but only because it makes it easier to get into tournaments.  No need to worry about  gitls not getting your chance to play even at the higher levels.

 

But girls almost certainly will have opportunities that boys could only wish for. If they work hard they have a very high success of getting what they want.

 

The big issue with girls is a lot them only play golf for the chance for scholarships.  Just from casual conversations with college players they will mention the churn is very high from girls who have bo interest in golf. 
 

I have sort heard a few coaches in camps talk about girls who need there parents but really only recently understood what they actually mean they want girls who like golf. 
 

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by tiger1873

[Fairway14]

On 6/11/2020 at 1:58 PM, jigsaw1011 said:

My son is a rising 8th grader. How important is his ranking at this point? Trying to decide on a tournament schedule and wondering how much we should be considering the affects of certain tournaments on his current ranking.

 

Thanks.

 

Not important.  What matters to college coaches is a player's golf skills and  scoring. Traveling around the country playing junior tournaments is unnecessary and usually counter productive. The aspiring junior can play his local region junior tournaments as well as men's city, county , state amateur tournaments, If the kid shoots consistently low scores that is more than enough to satisfy a competent college coach at a Major D1 program.

The other factor a college coach wants to see is consistently good, great academic achievement.

[kekoa]

On 7/6/2021 at 11:50 AM, iteachgolf said:

The only reason he didn’t have offers is because he’s not academically eligible. I have a player who’s top 100 and had a bunch of offers, including “full rides” at several top 40 D1 programs.  His grades dipped below eligibility requirements and they still tried like hell to get him into the schools.  Will be going to a smaller private school and if his grades improve he will transfer to wherever he wants.   Below 2.0 is ridiculous.  But if he had a 2.5 he would have had plenty of offers 

I understand it varies from school to school, but what GPA would you say can get  a kid into a top golf program assuming they have the ability?  3.3- 3.5+?   

[iteachgolf]

1 hour ago, kekoa said:

I understand it varies from school to school, but what GPA would you say can get  a kid into a top golf program assuming they have the ability?  3.3- 3.5+?   

For most if you’re elite a 3.0 and 1050 is about the minimum for top public schools. There are exceptions, like if my player had a 2.5 unweighted GPA he would of had a scholarship worth 3x tuition cost at a top 15 D1 program.  GPA really helps if you can get academic money on top of athletic money. 

[heavy_hitter]

16 hours ago, iteachgolf said:

For most if you’re elite a 3.0 and 1050 is about the minimum for top public schools. There are exceptions, like if my player had a 2.5 unweighted GPA he would of had a scholarship worth 3x tuition cost at a top 15 D1 program.  GPA really helps if you can get academic money on top of athletic money. 

To get Academic money, in most cases, you are going to have to be 3.8+ unweighted and close to 1400.  Kids are actually able to get more money from a DII/DIII schools than a DI school if their academics are good.

Edited July 23, 2021 by heavy_hitter

[iteachgolf]

6 hours ago, heavy_hitter said:

To get Academic money, in most cases, you are going to have to be 3.8+ unweighted and close to 1400.  Kids are actually able to get more money from a DII/DIII schools than a DI school if their academics are good.

The numbers I was suggesting was minimum to get into school. Not for academic scholarships.  
 

And it really depends on the kid and the school whether they are able to get more.  I’ve had multiple kids the last few years have to essentially give money back because their total scholarship far exceeded cost of attendance when combining golf and academic money.  Both at top D1 programs.  literally couldn’t have received more money. 

[chrissdc]

Many schools have private money based on academics that I believe is set aside for athletes which brings the whole cost of tuition, housing and food down.

Also, there is private is private money outside of the schools which does not count towards athletic money.