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Calling all Parents of Junior Girls


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Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and would like to introduce myself. My daughter is a D1 college golfer who worked her way through the world of junior golf. I learned an awful lot along the way and would love to share with all of you.

Here's just a brief outline [note: I just read this back and I guess its not so brief!]. My DH got her into golf by taking her with him to the driving range at about age six or so. Her first organized event was a Drive, Chip & Putt and she did a couple of little First Tee clinics. She played her first tournament through our local junior golf association at age eight in an 8&U division which was just 6 holes. She turned nine soon after and we put her in a golf school that had group lessons. She improved rapidly and began winning, but golf was still one of many activities she was involved in. In fact, that year her cheer team won a national championship and she probably spent more time practicing piano than golf.

By age ten she qualified for her first Junior World and by age twelve she quit cheer to concentrate on golf. We took her to US Kids at Pinehurst where she broke 80 for the first time. We went to a few regional events that were driving distance. Things really picked up when she started high school and we started to travel quite a bit more. She played in Junior Worlds every year from age ten through sixteen, a few state team events, some AJGA, the Big I, and some other regional tours. She won the state junior amateur a couple of times. She lost a lot of tournaments to two local girls ranked in the top 20, but instead of being disappointed, she was inspired to work harder. She probably would not be as good as she is today if they had not pushed her.

We started the recruiting process at the end of 10th grade. I won't go into details right now, as it's getting very late, but we communicated with coaches and went on UVs throughout junior year and received a few so-so offers at the end of the summer before senior year. The first week of school she went on an OV to her first choice and received a good offer; she committed on the spot and signed her NLI in the fall of senior year.

Feel free to ask me anything. I will try to help if I can!

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NUCat,

Welcome to the forum and thank you for generously offering to share your knowledge and experience! I've said many times that navigating the waters of junior golf can be very challenging. I'll start with a few quick questions.

1. At what age did your daughter begin to truly take ownership of her golf in terms of setting goals, practice, scheduling of tournaments, etc.? Was it sudden, or a gradual process? Also, what were the sacrifices, if any, she had to make to achieve her goals?

2. What were some of the things besides grades, scoring average, and tournament results, that college coaches were looking for?

3. Can you talk about "how good" a player has to be to receive a D1 scholarship?

Thanks again for sharing!

-dpb

USGA Index: ~0

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1. I will let you know when this happens. :) Seriously, though, teenage girls are teenage girls and sometimes they are very focused and sometimes they are not. We put her on a schedule and for the most part she stuck to it because she wanted to improve, especially from late middle school on. Her dad worked with her on technical golf-related goals (I don't play) and I was more in charge of managing her tournaments. We'd include her in the conversation but by no means was she ever independent.

2. Who the heck knows? I think they like high level tournaments. They'd rather see a 20th place 75 than a 1st place 80. Good scores from 6000 yards and up. If the yardage is less than 5800 yards (maybe even 5900), don't bother signing up. They don't care about how you play from the forward tees.

3. There are scholarships and there are scholarships. You probably know the NCAA limit is 6 per team, but you would be surprised how many colleges are not fully funded. One school we looked at that was listed as a scholarship school in the Ping guide told us on a UV that they had only a half a scholarship. Total. So you need to focus on not just how good a player needs to be but how much of a scholarship she hopes to get.

How good she has to be depends on the school. Check out some team websites (they all have the same template--it makes it so easy to navigate) and see what the players are shooting. Look at the player bios and see what they did in high school. If everyone was Rolex All-American and you are not, look farther down the rankings.

I will tell you that my DD's stroke average just from 6000+ was about 78 in high school and her offers from colleges ranked in the second 50 were very small money-wise. She signed with a school not in the top 100 that was happy to have her and was where she wanted to go academically,

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All great info...thanks! My daughter is starting her freshman year of high school next week and I know we'll be looking into college golf in the not-so-distant future. It goes by so quickly. I have an older (non-golfing) daughter who is going to be a senior in high school so we're in the midst of choosing schools right now with her. She is a rower and is considering rowing in college, but the commitment is huge for what is typically just small scholarship amounts (too many girls on the crew team for substantial scholarships).

My golfing daughter will have to decide in the spring whether she is going to play golf (boys team only at our school) or lacrosse for the school team because they are in the same season. Right now she's thinking she will play on the lacrosse team but still continue with tournament golf. I'm going to let it be her decision, but I have made it clear that injury is a possibility, and also that every day she's out there playing lacrosse her competition will have a golf club in their hands. It's a bad enough disadvantage that we live in the northeast with a shortened season!

Right now she can shoot anywhere from even par to mid eighties from 6000 yards. She doesn't play in any tournaments less than 6000 now, and recently played in her first AJGA. She strikes the ball well but is taking way too many putts per round (mid to high thirties), mostly due to poor lag putting. We put all of her tournament scores into the GHIN system. Her current handicap index is 4.2 and her scoring average is 79.6. If her putting comes around she should easily be able to drop 3 strokes off of her average.

Thanks again for sharing!

USGA Index: ~0

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Does Megan have college plans or will she go pro after high school? Who is she talking to? Inquiring minds want to know!

Here are Megan's current rankings:

Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking: 92
Junior Golf Scoreboard Ranking: 53
Golfweek: 12
Polo: 9

So yes, she is ranked 9, but the Polo rankings cover only AJGA and a few other events and leave out a lot of very good players. Golfweek is also very limited. Even Casie Cathrea wasn't GW ranked when she signed, which should tell you something about the quality of players that system leaves out!

Of course, this is not to take anything away from Megan who is an OUTSTANDING golfer. I am actually more impressed with her JGS ranking, which covers pretty much everyone in the US and Canada and every foreign player that summers here. JGS has her at 20th in her class, which should get her a great scholarship.

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[quote name='NUCat' timestamp='1377577312' post='7751175']
Does Megan have college plans or will she go pro after high school? Who is she talking to? Inquiring minds want to know!

Here are Megan's current rankings:

Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking: 92
Junior Golf Scoreboard Ranking: 53
Golfweek: 12
Polo: 9

So yes, she is ranked 9, but the Polo rankings cover only AJGA and a few other events and leave out a lot of very good players. Golfweek is also very limited. Even Casie Cathrea wasn't GW ranked when she signed, which should tell you something about the quality of players that system leaves out!

Of course, this is not to take anything away from Megan who is an OUTSTANDING golfer. I am actually more impressed with her JGS ranking, which covers pretty much everyone in the US and Canada and every foreign player that summers here. JGS has her at 20th in her class, which should get her a great scholarship.
[/quote]

Schools can start contacting her in September. I'm sure the family will be getting a few calls. According to NCAA rules they can't talk to her until then.

I thought the Polo rankings WERE the top rankings. :-) My bad. She misses some of the marquis tournaments due to her inability to travel to some of those events. The family doesn't have the funds like a lot of the others do. If they did... :-)

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Sean2, Polo rankings are very prestigious, but I think their main function is to determine who gets bids to AJGA invitationals and team events. As a junior golf ranking system, it has three main flaws that I can see. One, it considers only AJGA plus 14 other tournaments,. Some excellent players just don't play in those events for reasons such as financial, loyalty to some other tour, or time constraints. Those players, no matter how good, are ignored.

Two, the point system they use is based on historical strength of field and placement. Actual scoring is not even considered. This blows my mind! This is why people say Polo is not really a comprehensive ranking system so much as a way to compare a handful of the very top players to one another.

Three, Polo uses a divisor that requires a minimum of six counted events to get full credit. Play in fewer than six tournaments and the point total is still divided by six. Better players with fewer tournaments are mixed in with lesser, more active players. I think it would be better to leave them unranked until they hit six.

I am sure coaches of the top college teams look at Polo rankings along with everything else, but they really don't provide much useful information. Coaches have told me that JGS is the most helpful to recruiting because subscribers can click and get each player's list of tournaments and scores, as well as each tournament's leaderboards.

BTW, expect Megan to move up to 4 on Polo--5 of the girls ahead of her are class of 2013 and should drop off the rankings!

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[quote name='NUCat' timestamp='1377671936' post='7757657']
Sean2, Polo rankings are very prestigious, but I think their main function is to determine who gets bids to AJGA invitationals and team events. As a junior golf ranking system, it has three main flaws that I can see. One, it considers only AJGA plus 14 other tournaments,. Some excellent players just don't play in those events for reasons such as financial, loyalty to some other tour, or time constraints. Those players, no matter how good, are ignored.

Two, the point system they use is based on historical strength of field and placement. Actual scoring is not even considered. This blows my mind! This is why people say Polo is not really a comprehensive ranking system so much as a way to compare a handful of the very top players to one another.

Three, Polo uses a divisor that requires a minimum of six counted events to get full credit. Play in fewer than six tournaments and the point total is still divided by six. Better players with fewer tournaments are mixed in with lesser, more active players. I think it would be better to leave them unranked until they hit six.

I am sure coaches of the top college teams look at Polo rankings along with everything else, but they really don't provide much useful information. Coaches have told me that JGS is the most helpful to recruiting because subscribers can click and get each player's list of tournaments and scores, as well as each tournament's leaderboards.

BTW, expect Megan to move up to 4 on Polo--5 of the girls ahead of her are class of 2013 and should drop off the rankings!
[/quote]

Thanks a lot NU! I really appreciate the explanation!

She misses a lot of events (AJGA and otherwise), because the family doesn't have the finances to get to them. She's won Doral a few times, the Scott Robertson, played in the Women's US Open last year, won a ton of regional tournaments, won the Connecticut Women's Open two years running, plays in the big USGA events, but there are a number of other big events she's qualified to play in but she just can't get to. It's too bad, as I think her rankings would be higher in the other categories if she could.

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Daughter is 4 months today. Hope she will enjoy the game and look forward to getting her started in the backyard in a few years. For someone who didn't pick up a club until my late 20's..... I relish her chance to start young and see where it goes.

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[quote name='Break81' timestamp='1377751211' post='7763763']
Daughter is 4 months today. Hope she will enjoy the game and look forward to getting her started in the backyard in a few years. For someone who didn't pick up a club until my late 20's..... I relish her chance to start young and see where it goes.
[/quote]

Break, it may not seem like it now, but the time will FLY! By the way, I didn't start playing golf until I turned 50. :-)

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[attachment=1860717:IMG_20130519_194852.jpg][attachment=1860719:IMG_20130324_132840_672.jpg]My Daughter Is 6 now and loves the game as much as I do! Thank you to everybody that has contributed to this thread, it Has helped me understand the do's and dont's of my Daughters journey!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Suppose I'll revive this thread to brag a little! My 14 daughter won a two-day tournament at Atlantic City CC. She shot 81 in round #1 (with a 9 on the card), and shot 77 in round #2 with a birdie on the final hole. At face value the scores don't seem overly impressive, but ACCC is right on the open bay and can be extremely windy. Both rounds were played in steady 25 MPH winds with even stronger gusts. They played from 6002 yards with a rating of 74.9/135. I'm really proud of the way she fought through the elements and kept it all together. We're right in the midst of this junior golf journey now. It has been brought to our attention that some college coaches have expressed an interest in her game even though she's just a freshman. It's all very exciting!

USGA Index: ~0

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Kasco K2K 33 - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
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Ping i200 5-UW (2 flat) - Nippon Modus 105X
Taylormade HiToe 54 (bent to 55 & 2 flat)
Taylormade HiToe 64 (Bent to 62 & 2 flat)
Palmer AP30R putter (circa 1960s)
Taylormade TP5X Ball

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  • 2 months later...

[quote name='thepinkbomber' timestamp='1385908879' post='8232434']
Reviving thread...

Your daughters are mostly older. What major tournaments are out there for highly competitive 9-11 year old girls besides USKG and Callaway?
[/quote]
[size=3]
Here are links to some junior golf tour web sites:[/size]
[size=3]

[url="http://www.ijgt.com/"]http://www.ijgt.com/[/url]

[url="https://www.ajga.org/index-normal.asp"]https://www.ajga.org/index-normal.asp[/url]

[url="http://jgaofamerica.com/Tour/TournamentList.aspx"]http://jgaofamerica.com/Tour/TournamentList.aspx[/url]

[url="http://www.mgagolf.org/foundation/junior-competitions"]http://www.mgagolf.org/foundation/junior-competitions[/url]

[url="http://www.newjersey.pga.com/schedule/"]http://www.newjersey.pga.com/schedule/[/url]

[url="http://www.optimist.org/e/juniorgolf/optimist1.cfm"]http://www.optimist.org/e/juniorgolf/optimist1.cfm[/url]

[url="http://hjgt.org/"]http://hjgt.org/[/url]

[url="http://pjgt.com/Tour/"]http://pjgt.com/Tour/[/url]

I live in NJ so I included links to tours in our region as examples, but if you do a Google search and a Junior Golf Scoreboard search, you can find junior tours and events all around the country. Ultimately (when they're a little older), the goal for serious juniors is to compete in AGJA events. The AJGA is the PGA tour of junior golf, and is the main tour that college coaches look at for recruiting. The best players ages 13-18 compete on the AJGA tour. It is [b][i]extremely [/i][/b]competitive and difficult to even qualify and get into these tournaments, but it's worth taking a look so you know what you're in for. The IJGT is a notch or two lower in terms of competitiveness, but the events are run very well, although a little pricey.

I found the US Kids Regionals and Worlds to be well executed and at nice venues for the little ones. I really enjoyed doing these events with my daughter especially because it is one of the few tours that allows parents to caddy. They have significantly more regional tournaments in different geographic locations than when my daughter was playing in them 4 years ago.

The Optimist International golf tournament in West Palm Beach, FL is an excellent tournament at a great resort (PGA National). If you search their site you will find out where and when the qualifier will be held in your area. Also look for the Pepsi Little Peoples tournament and related qualifiers. In my view, the major events for kids under 12 are the US Kids Worlds, the Callaway Worlds, and the Optimist International.

Here's a link to Junior Golf Scoreboard which is the premier junior golf ranking system. Pay the $25 to join and you can use the search feature to find junior tournaments by state, month, age, gender, etc.:

[url="http://www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com/rankings_display.asp?gender=G"]http://www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com/rankings_display.asp?gender=G[/url]

Hopefully this information will be helpful to you![/size]

USGA Index: ~0

[b]WITB[/b]:
Ping G410 LST 9 degree - Tour AD IZ 6x
Ping G410 LST - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Kasco K2K 33 - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Callaway RazrX Tour 4h - Tour 95 shaft
Ping i200 5-UW (2 flat) - Nippon Modus 105X
Taylormade HiToe 54 (bent to 55 & 2 flat)
Taylormade HiToe 64 (Bent to 62 & 2 flat)
Palmer AP30R putter (circa 1960s)
Taylormade TP5X Ball

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[quote name='dpb5031' timestamp='1385996983' post='8236474']
[quote name='thepinkbomber' timestamp='1385908879' post='8232434']
Reviving thread...

Your daughters are mostly older. What major tournaments are out there for highly competitive 9-11 year old girls besides USKG and Callaway?
[/quote]
[size=3]
Here are links to some junior golf tour web sites:[/size]
[size=3]Wow, very thorough. Greatly appreciate it. Regards,

[url="http://www.ijgt.com/"]http://www.ijgt.com/[/url]

[url="https://www.ajga.org/index-normal.asp"]https://www.ajga.org/index-normal.asp[/url]

[url="http://jgaofamerica.com/Tour/TournamentList.aspx"]http://jgaofamerica.com/Tour/TournamentList.aspx[/url]

[url="http://www.mgagolf.org/foundation/junior-competitions"]http://www.mgagolf.org/foundation/junior-competitions[/url]

[url="http://www.newjersey.pga.com/schedule/"]http://www.newjersey.pga.com/schedule/[/url]

[url="http://www.optimist.org/e/juniorgolf/optimist1.cfm"]http://www.optimist.org/e/juniorgolf/optimist1.cfm[/url]

[url="http://hjgt.org/"]http://hjgt.org/[/url]

[url="http://pjgt.com/Tour/"]http://pjgt.com/Tour/[/url]

I live in NJ so I included links to tours in our region as examples, but if you do a Google search and a Junior Golf Scoreboard search, you can find junior tours and events all around the country. Ultimately (when they're a little older), the goal for serious juniors is to compete in AGJA events. The AJGA is the PGA tour of junior golf, and is the main tour that college coaches look at for recruiting. The best players ages 13-18 compete on the AJGA tour. It is [b][i]extremely [/i][/b]competitive and difficult to even qualify and get into these tournaments, but it's worth taking a look so you know what you're in for. The IJGT is a notch or two lower in terms of competitiveness, but the events are run very well, although a little pricey.

I found the US Kids Regionals and Worlds to be well executed and at nice venues for the little ones. I really enjoyed doing these events with my daughter especially because it is one of the few tours that allows parents to caddy. They have significantly more regional tournaments in different geographic locations than when my daughter was playing in them 4 years ago.

The Optimist International golf tournament in West Palm Beach, FL is an excellent tournament at a great resort (PGA National). If you search their site you will find out where and when the qualifier will be held in your area. Also look for the Pepsi Little Peoples tournament and related qualifiers. In my view, the major events for kids under 12 are the US Kids Worlds, the Callaway Worlds, and the Optimist International.

Here's a link to Junior Golf Scoreboard which is the premier junior golf ranking system. Pay the $25 to join and you can use the search feature to find junior tournaments by state, month, age, gender, etc.:

[url="http://www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com/rankings_display.asp?gender=G"]http://www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com/rankings_display.asp?gender=G[/url]

Hopefully this information will be helpful to you![/size]
[/quote]

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[quote name='dpb5031' timestamp='1385996983' post='8236474']
[quote name='thepinkbomber' timestamp='1385908879' post='8232434']
Reviving thread...

Your daughters are mostly older. What major tournaments are out there for highly competitive 9-11 year old girls besides USKG and Callaway?
[/quote]

[size=3]Here are links to some junior golf tour web sites:[/size]


[size=3][url="http://www.ijgt.com/"]http://www.ijgt.com/[/url]

[url="https://www.ajga.org/index-normal.asp"]https://www.ajga.org/index-normal.asp[/url]

[url="http://jgaofamerica.com/Tour/TournamentList.aspx"]http://jgaofamerica....namentList.aspx[/url]

[url="http://www.mgagolf.org/foundation/junior-competitions"]http://www.mgagolf.o...or-competitions[/url]

[url="http://www.newjersey.pga.com/schedule/"]http://www.newjersey.pga.com/schedule/[/url]

[url="http://www.optimist.org/e/juniorgolf/optimist1.cfm"]http://www.optimist....f/optimist1.cfm[/url]

[url="http://hjgt.org/"]http://hjgt.org/[/url]

[url="http://pjgt.com/Tour/"]http://pjgt.com/Tour/[/url]

I live in NJ so I included links to tours in our region as examples, but if you do a Google search and a Junior Golf Scoreboard search, you can find junior tours and events all around the country. Ultimately (when they're a little older), the goal for serious juniors is to compete in AGJA events. The AJGA is the PGA tour of junior golf, and is the main tour that college coaches look at for recruiting. The best players ages 13-18 compete on the AJGA tour. It is [b][i]extremely [/i][/b]competitive and difficult to even qualify and get into these tournaments, but it's worth taking a look so you know what you're in for. The IJGT is a notch or two lower in terms of competitiveness, but the events are run very well, although a little pricey.

I found the US Kids Regionals and Worlds to be well executed and at nice venues for the little ones. I really enjoyed doing these events with my daughter especially because it is one of the few tours that allows parents to caddy. They have significantly more regional tournaments in different geographic locations than when my daughter was playing in them 4 years ago.

The Optimist International golf tournament in West Palm Beach, FL is an excellent tournament at a great resort (PGA National). If you search their site you will find out where and when the qualifier will be held in your area. Also look for the Pepsi Little Peoples tournament and related qualifiers. In my view, the major events for kids under 12 are the US Kids Worlds, the Callaway Worlds, and the Optimist International.

Here's a link to Junior Golf Scoreboard which is the premier junior golf ranking system. Pay the $25 to join and you can use the search feature to find junior tournaments by state, month, age, gender, etc.:

[url="http://www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com/rankings_display.asp?gender=G"]http://www.juniorgol...ay.asp?gender=G[/url]

Hopefully this information will be helpful to you![/size]
[/quote]


My daughter has been in the same situation. Right or wrong when she was 9 she started playing with the high school girls in our local PGA tour. While it gave her the competition she was seeking, IMO something was lost playing against girls 6 to 9 yrs older.

We tried the USKids (I think it is Great), but she didn't like me or other parents on the course as caddies. (Actually she just doesn't like caddies, even at the US Girls qualifier last year, I thought she was going to send her caddie packing - He's her friend....)

When she was 9 y/o she tried to qualify for the Optimist 10-12 y/o and missed. But, qualified at 10 & 11.

The Optimist is the best tournament for Kids under 14. She has made friends from all over the would. Some raising the bar & encouraging her to improve (i.e. Wenbo Lui from China 12 y/o 250+ yrd drive - plugged NO Roll) Wenbo is the 1st girl her age to outdrive her consistently. As a result this off season she's spending 3 days a week in the gym. High School girls hitting it 260+ didn't motivate her because they were too much older.

An advantage to playing with the High School girls locally is listening to them talk about College Golf & AJGA. When the 2014 AJGA spring schedule was released the 1st thing she did figure out what will be the 1st AJGA event she'll be able to play. She turns 12 in March (AJGA has a strict age requirement).

Good Luck.

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  • 5 months later...

Great thread. Figured I would try and keep it going. Girls golf just doesn't have a lot of places to go for info.

My daughter is 16 and has been playing with us for a lot of years just for fun. She's been in our course jr. program, but that's really just a time set aside for kids. No formal instruction after the first week, which she usually misses. She started showing talent beyond my abilities about 2 years ago. Golfed the #1 spot on her hs team as a freshman. Unfortunately that was mostly due to the fact that the team isn't very good. They barely get enough girls to go out.

She had a rough sophomore season. Her coach has told her he can't do much to help since she's already pretty good. So I asked for a commitment from her after her fall golf season. IF she was willing to put in the time and effort, putting, chipping and all the un-fun stuff, then we would get her the help she needs.

We've got her signed up for a PGA camp run by a guy that coaches HS and college golf. We've also for her in a better jr golf program that is more competitive. She just received high praise for her nice swing and SS. (87mph with no swing coach yet) So if we can get her short game in line this summer she has the potential for a drastically improved golf season. She is really excited.

I do have some questions on equipment. Her first adult set was one of those "all the clubs and matching bag" type. Since we didn't know if she would stay interested. We have upgraded the woods. (TM Burner 2.0, she liked it better than the newer Rocketballs) The improvement with the new driver, 3 and 5 wood was noticeable. Now I'm looking to upgrade irons. I'm getting input that is all over the board. We went to a demo day. About half the reps said stay with ladies flex while half said go to senior. Lie angle between companies ranged form -2 to +3. Although I think the +3 was a misprint. The rep was carrying on about 4 conversations at once. Ping at -1.5 (red dot) was probably the most accurate. They actually took measurements.

A local fitter that I've know for years was upset that anyone suggested senior for her. Maybe because she's 5'5" and skinny as a rail. Then he looked at her swing speed. He ended up recommending men's regular. It's so confusing. He also said he would not suggest ordering or modifying the clubs with shorter shafts. He claimed it threw off the balance. I would think if custom ordered, they would compensate for that. She did hit the regular flex very well, even with choking up. She didn't gain a lot of yardage, but they seemed more accurate. Especially with the steel versions.

I can wait to get anything until she goes to camp. Once the pro there has chance to look at her swing he will give me a recommendation I trust. Problem is, I would like her to have the new clubs before camp so she can learn to use them there.

So... ladies, senior or reg? Graph or steel? E-bay (cheap), sports store off the rack, or golf store custom ($$$)? And is it that big of a deal getting the lie adjusted now, since she's likely to grow another inch or two?

Thanks in advance for any input. And let's keep this thread going.

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Listen to the fitter. I would say the money you spend depends on where your daughter wants to go with golf. Does she want to play in college. My daughter is about to turn 17. She's pretty accomplished at this point and is going through the recruitment process. She's been playing men's shafts since she was in 8th grade. First graphite, now steel. She was fitted for her current clubs at a Club Champion and they cost a fortune, but they're paying off. Ladies flex clubs are ridiculously soft.

That aside, isn't it awesome to play golf with your daughter? Having mine take up the game, enjoy it, and then work at it, without much prompting from me, is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. She struggled off the tee for a round or two. Yesterday she went to the range by herself. Came home and told me, "I fixed the driver" with such nonchalance and confidence it warmed my heart.

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My daughter just started playing her senior year, been trying to get her to play since she was 5 when I would take her to putt on weekends. Since she started playing I got to start playing again and now that she is going to play for a small college we get to play together all summer. This is time with her that I would never get to spend with her if she didn't want to get another letter on her lettermans jacket and take up golf.
As for the question, get her fitted by someone that knows what they are doing. When we were looking at new clubs for her we went to a few places and all it did was frustrate her because they did not have shafts that fit her. I finally took her to Golfsmiths and just let her hit clubs to get her convidence back and she found clubs she really liked, but she is no where near the golfer your dauhter is.
Wish your daughter the best of luck and hope her college dreams come through.

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  • 1 year later...

Hello all! I am the original poster and it's hard to believe that my daughter is now 17 and a junior in high school. We have been in the midst of the recruiting process for a while now. She's got a number of scholarship offers and will likely have to make a decision to commit soon. I am happy to answer questions for anyone interested.

 

It's been quite a journey...all (mostly) good including traveling to 2 USGA Championships and many other top junior events. I can assure you it goes by quickly...

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USGA Index: ~0

[b]WITB[/b]:
Ping G410 LST 9 degree - Tour AD IZ 6x
Ping G410 LST - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Kasco K2K 33 - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Callaway RazrX Tour 4h - Tour 95 shaft
Ping i200 5-UW (2 flat) - Nippon Modus 105X
Taylormade HiToe 54 (bent to 55 & 2 flat)
Taylormade HiToe 64 (Bent to 62 & 2 flat)
Palmer AP30R putter (circa 1960s)
Taylormade TP5X Ball

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Your daughter must be a hell of a player. Congratulations. It's great to have options. Mine's now playing low level D1 and loves it, though the transition to student athlete was a little trying. She had some good rounds and some bad, but the experience is priceless. I've enjoyed your posts over the last couple years and would love to hear what she decides if you wouldn't mind sending me a private message. It's really none of my business, so if you don't want to I understand. I'm sure you know this, but pick the school, not the coach. My daughter didn't get to play for the coach that recruited her. She was replaced before my daughter even got to school last Fall. But she loves the choice in school, though settling in with a different coach was a learning process. It's all good now, though.

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It has been a trying 3 months in our house. Daughter was put on the shelf for 6 weeks by her Orthopedist with shoulder tissue damage. Her shoulder was becoming dislocated every time she would swing and it was irritating the tissues around her rotator cuff. She played with this pain through regional and state High School tournaments using only a 3/4 swing for every shot. Miraculously put up a 79 in regionals and 79,78 at state. Oh, and she had just started a swing change a couple of weeks before regions anyway. Played a draw her entire golf life and was switching the swing and started playing a cut.

 

6 weeks of therapy, mild depression from not being able to play, 2 more months and a complete over haul of her swing and she is playing her first tournament next weekend. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is better right now than she was back in November. Crossing my fingers she goes out and plays well without falling back into old bad swing habits.

I am GenX.  If you really think I care about what you have to say, I don't.

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Musky and Heavy_Hitter, nice to hear from you guys again! Sounds like both of your daughters have experienced some adversity but are overcoming it as best they can. Injuries are the absolute worst when you're in the midst of trying to be recruited...very stressful! Good luck and please keep us posted on their progress...

 

I don't mind sharing details about Haley except for the fact that at the moment I'd rather not discuss the specific schools that are in the mix since she has not committed yet, and won't until the spring, with official signings next November. She's not a top level D1 recruit, more of what I would call mid-level D1, though there have been times when a few top SEC, ACC, and Big Ten schools have made inquiries. It is very easy to fall into viewing the top "golf " schools as most desirable, but we have not taken that view. We are looking for the best overall experience for her, balancing things like the academic/athletic reputation of the school with scholarship money offered, geographic location, class size, and even things like alumni network and opportunities for careers outside of golf after college. Most importantly in our view, you have to find the right fit culturally in terms of school, coach, and teammates. This can be tough for early commits because players and coaches come and go. Climate has also figured into the mix. Understanding that you attend school from September thru April, if you're attending in a cold climate you have to be willing to accect the fact that it's going to be cold during a good portion of your everyday practice season.

 

Best advice I can give parents of kids looking to get recruited is to get on it early. Always have an updated and detailed resume' of your kid's accomplishments including scores, and reach out to schools (emails and phone calls) that interest you early, and be persistent. The absolute top players don't have to worry too much, coaches will find them if they're winning AJGA stuff, but the middle of the pack kids need to be much more proactive. I can also tell you that the only schools that we have scholarship offers from are coaches who have seen my daughter play "in person." In some cases we chose to play in tournaments just for the opportunity to showcase in front of certain coaches, and it has paid off. Matter of fact, in December we did exactly that, traveled to NC for the Peggy Kirk Bell Girl's Junior and she shot 70 in the final round and then prevailed in a playoff to win the tournament in front of a slew of college coaches!

 

Rankings are very important but can be frustrating and misleading at times. Some parents cherry-pick events at easier courses for their kids. Others look for venues with less competition. We never did that, but honestly there are a few tough courses at bad weather time of the year (we're in the Northeast) that in hindsight I wish we'd avoided last season. Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings are mostly based off of scoring differential average, so high scores hurt even if you place well relative to the field. In my kid's case, her rankings are not very impressive at a glance. She's got a few high ones in there plus the rankings do not reflect that she qualified for and played in the US Women's Am this year (since it's not a junior event) and they don't show that she qualified and played in the 2014 USGA Girl's Junior any longer (since it was last year). Those are 2 huge accomplishments that no college coach will ever know about simply by checking her rankings on Polo or JGS. There are a bunch of girls ranked higher than her that have never beaten her when they've played in the same field together! Rankings rarely tell the whole story.

 

I know I'm all over the place with this post...lol, but another thing that we've gotten good feedback on from coaches is that Haley plays multiple sports. Most coaches prefer athletes, not golf robots, and I think they feel that if a kid is a multi sport athlete she'll have more upside as a golfer once committed to it full-time in college and may also be less likely to burn out.

 

Anyway, enough ramblings for now! I'm happy to answer any questions or share more for anyone interested! This has been a great journey and I don't know what I'm going to do with myself once she's off to college.

USGA Index: ~0

[b]WITB[/b]:
Ping G410 LST 9 degree - Tour AD IZ 6x
Ping G410 LST - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Kasco K2K 33 - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Callaway RazrX Tour 4h - Tour 95 shaft
Ping i200 5-UW (2 flat) - Nippon Modus 105X
Taylormade HiToe 54 (bent to 55 & 2 flat)
Taylormade HiToe 64 (Bent to 62 & 2 flat)
Palmer AP30R putter (circa 1960s)
Taylormade TP5X Ball

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You're going about perfectly in my opinion. My daughter was lucky to avoid injuries. While being recruited, we too tried to get her on the course in front of coaches, and chose the few AJGA events she played for that reason. The highest level program that had interest was out east, and we traveled so she could play a Hurricane Tour event, which she won, in front of that coach. She ended up never getting an official offer from that school because the coach waffled some, and she had six others, all in the Midwest or upper Midwest, and the coaches, while not too pushes, wanted answers. She chose almost specifically on academics and school size. After a number of visits she was smitten with a small university. That has turned out great as she has made really good friends, and feels like she knows so many people. She has a number of golf friends that play at higher levels, both her age and a little older, and a couple have been sort of swallowed up at the bigger schools with the bigger rosters. And these girls were very accomplished for being in the upper Midwest. Those schools just kept bringing in more and more international players, which seems to be the trend at the bigger schools. And believe it or not, she did not want to go too far south because she does not like high humidity. lol.

 

Good luck to you two guys and your daughters. The recruiting is so damn stressful for the parents, something we did our best not to let our daughter know we were feeling. My wife and I are so glad she made the choice she did, even with the coaching upheaval. We'll have a big group of her dorm mates stay with us this Summer during Summerfest, the big music festival in Milwaukee on the Lake Michigan festival grounds, and we can't wait. We always wanted the life part of college to be the most important part of the experience, and that's been fantastic for her. And she hasn't embarrassed herself on the golf course, which is just a bonus. She'll be traveling to warm weather for her next two events, then three more in the Midwest where the weather will be questionable. She thrives in bad weather being a young Cheesehead.

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It really is incredible in that it feels like yesterday we were talking about US Kids events, and now we're on to DI scholarship offers and USGA Championships. Dont blink...it goes by fast folks!!!

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[b]WITB[/b]:
Ping G410 LST 9 degree - Tour AD IZ 6x
Ping G410 LST - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Kasco K2K 33 - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Callaway RazrX Tour 4h - Tour 95 shaft
Ping i200 5-UW (2 flat) - Nippon Modus 105X
Taylormade HiToe 54 (bent to 55 & 2 flat)
Taylormade HiToe 64 (Bent to 62 & 2 flat)
Palmer AP30R putter (circa 1960s)
Taylormade TP5X Ball

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Does Megan have college plans or will she go pro after high school? Who is she talking to? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

Here are Megan's current rankings:

 

Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking: 92

Junior Golf Scoreboard Ranking: 53

Golfweek: 12

Polo: 9

 

So yes, she is ranked 9, but the Polo rankings cover only AJGA and a few other events and leave out a lot of very good players. Golfweek is also very limited. Even Casie Cathrea wasn't GW ranked when she signed, which should tell you something about the quality of players that system leaves out!

 

Of course, this is not to take anything away from Megan who is an OUTSTANDING golfer. I am actually more impressed with her JGS ranking, which covers pretty much everyone in the US and Canada and every foreign player that summers here. JGS has her at 20th in her class, which should get her a great scholarship.

 

Schools can start contacting her in September. I'm sure the family will be getting a few calls. According to NCAA rules they can't talk to her until then.

 

I thought the Polo rankings WERE the top rankings. :-) My bad. She misses some of the marquis tournaments due to her inability to travel to some of those events. The family doesn't have the funds like a lot of the others do. If they did... :-)

 

And Megan Khang is on tour! Congrats to

Megan and best of luck to her. Megan's junior golf resume' is practically unrivaled plus she's a super-nice kid!!!

USGA Index: ~0

[b]WITB[/b]:
Ping G410 LST 9 degree - Tour AD IZ 6x
Ping G410 LST - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Kasco K2K 33 - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Callaway RazrX Tour 4h - Tour 95 shaft
Ping i200 5-UW (2 flat) - Nippon Modus 105X
Taylormade HiToe 54 (bent to 55 & 2 flat)
Taylormade HiToe 64 (Bent to 62 & 2 flat)
Palmer AP30R putter (circa 1960s)
Taylormade TP5X Ball

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  • 6 months later...

Hi Guy's,

I am new to this site and have just come across your topic. I found all your post very interesting, I would like to get some feed back regarding my daughter and were she is with her game in comparison to other girls her own age. My daughter has just turned 12, she has started to playing golf this year. Starting the year on a handicap of 35 she is now down to 25. She can shoot between 94 and 104 off the ladies tees. She plays both ladies and juvenile competitions most weeks, she also goes to lessons once every 6 to 8 weeks.She is able to hit her tee shots between 200 and 240 yards depending on the day she has good and bad days like us all. At the moment she has a great interest in the game but in the club that we are members off there is no other girls her age playing regularly and she plays a lot of her competitions playing with me, I have started letting her play ILGU competitions in a hope that she makes some friends her own age to keep her interested, Any feed back would be great.

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Hi Guy's,

I am new to this site and have just come across your topic. I found all your post very interesting, I would like to get some feed back regarding my daughter and were she is with her game in comparison to other girls her own age. My daughter has just turned 12, she has started to playing golf this year. Starting the year on a handicap of 35 she is now down to 25. She can shoot between 94 and 104 off the ladies tees. She plays both ladies and juvenile competitions most weeks, she also goes to lessons once every 6 to 8 weeks.She is able to hit her tee shots between 200 and 240 yards depending on the day she has good and bad days like us all. At the moment she has a great interest in the game but in the club that we are members off there is no other girls her age playing regularly and she plays a lot of her competitions playing with me, I have started letting her play ILGU competitions in a hope that she makes some friends her own age to keep her interested, Any feed back would be great.

 

Hello and welcome! I just wanted to let you know you're not being ignored. I will respond in detail when I have some time...

USGA Index: ~0

[b]WITB[/b]:
Ping G410 LST 9 degree - Tour AD IZ 6x
Ping G410 LST - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Kasco K2K 33 - Fujikura Pro TourSpec 73 
Callaway RazrX Tour 4h - Tour 95 shaft
Ping i200 5-UW (2 flat) - Nippon Modus 105X
Taylormade HiToe 54 (bent to 55 & 2 flat)
Taylormade HiToe 64 (Bent to 62 & 2 flat)
Palmer AP30R putter (circa 1960s)
Taylormade TP5X Ball

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