playing college golf

[VAgolfer]

wondering what i have to do to play in dII or III

hi, im going to be a sophmore in HS next year and am interested in playing DII or DIII golf. I am am a 6 handicap and playing in some tornaments this summer but just local, not ajga or anything like that. Would i have to play in tours like the ajga or ijgt to be able to get noticed to play DII or III golf?Id really appreciate the help.Thanks

[ewh20]

if your handicap is a legit six, you should have no problem with a DIII school, just let them know you are interested. DII can be competitive, but use the same technique. Pick up the PING college golf guide, it'll help you figure the whole process out.

[beachgrovejunior]

you still have a couple of years to improve, you never know what could happen in the summer

[scgolf]

In a word, the answer to your question is... no. To be noticed by any college coach is your exposure level. Obviously, if your AGJA All American, you'll be noticed. If you're ranked #538 (no disrespect to 538) it'd be hard for a coach to justify spending $$$s on him. You'll need to let a coach know who you are and how interested you are in his program. Then, you might be on his radar...

 

This would be my summer check list

 

- play in as many local tourneys as possible. Key on important ones and try to peak for 'em

- visit DI, II, III and NAIA programs in your area. Your ideas of where you'd like to end up will change

- develop leadership skills by helping with an area Jr. program (also develop time mgmt skills)

- play/make friends with college players; might be a great referral down the road

- know where you're leaking shots and fix'em

 

A majority of DII/III coaches are looking well rounded guys. Not just players.

 

good luck

[VAgolfer]

Thanks for the help. So should i try and qualify to play in the ajga or ijgt tournys next year once i get better to get some exposure?

[need4speed]

I'd say if there are any qualifiers for ajga or ijgt tournaments in your state then you should definately give it a shot this year to get a feel for what it's like and you never know if you'll qualify. I think you usually have to shoot par or better to qualify for AJGA tournaments but i'm not sure for IJGT. Other than that I'd say work hard on your game and play in as many local tournaments as possible.

If there is a particular DII or DIII college you are looking for I'd contact the coach as soon as possible. IMHO most DIII schools have better academics than DII schools - Emory, Claremont McKenna, Pomona, and a ton more. DIII cannot give out golf scholarships either so if you want some scholarship money you have to have a good academic record.

 

and like what scgolf said, you should also be a good student because coaches want players that will be academically eligible throughout the season.

[Angenend]

I"m usually a high 70's golfer, but very quickly improving still...do I have a chance at even an NAIA school??? I'm about to be a senior in high school (my downfall...)

[littleprov1x]

You've definitely got a shot. Local tournaments should be fine for now, as long as you put up some good numbers. Once you see where you're at, then you can try to qualify for the bigger tournaments. And if you're still in the 13-15 bracket you could try to get into some of the AJGA Nike events which are for kids who are 13-15. They are usually easier to get into, as well as the pre-season and post-season schedule.

 

Also like others mentioned, D-III is probably going to be stronger academically in a lot of cases, and you will first and foremost be able to get into the school because there are no scholarships for D-III golf. Good luck in your summer season, I think I was a 6 or 7 starting my Soph year as well, and I was scratch by senior year and now I play at a D-III school, so it is definitely possible.

 

A quick note on the rankings- don't be discouraged if you see yourself in the mid 2000's- that still means your scoring differential is probably 5 stokes over par, which is not bad and will probably let you play at a D-III, II or NAIA. If your anywhere in the top 1000, you're doing well, and are probably within 2 stokes over par. Also when you're looking at schools look at rankings for your class only and see where you are, and look at schools that need players in your year.

[2DOWN3TOGO]

Play with the best golfers you can. Local club pro's or the + 1's. Practice correctly and put yourself in the posistion to get noticed. Never stop swinging. Good luck!

[squarre]

First, since you are only a rising sophomore you have plenty of time. When I was in high school one freshman didn't travel his freshman year, but went on to win a DII NCAA regional a few years ago. If you don't feel ready for the national events this summer, just work at your game, continue to improve and give some a shot next year. If you can I would try to play in some state and regional events this summer or fall to get more comfortable with bigger events.

 

It is really hard to make a blanket statement about all DII and DIII schools. It really depends on the school at both levels. To play at top DII schools you more or less need DI talent and will need to show it in national events. However, at others it isn't nearly as competitive. DIII varies a great deal as well. If you want to play at a top DIII school you probably need to have some success in regional and state events, but at others you could play right now.

 

Good Luck

[Stunt101]

don't waste your $$$ on AJGA qualifiers unless your handicap is a legit 2-4. Look at all the qualifiers, 74 - 76 is the cutoff in most every qualifier.

 

e-mail coaches your junior year with a list of all your tourneys with your scores, # of players in field, and yardage of course.

[thatswhatshesaid]

I've done an assistant coaching gig at a DIII school and a lot of guys who are interested in coming will send in a video tape of their swing or them playing a round, along with a list of their scores from summer tournaments or scoring averages during the high school season. I don't know what school you are looking at, but if you are looking DIII, Central College in Iowa is always one of the better schools. They go to nationals about every year. If you can shoot low-mid 70's you have a chance of cracking the top 5.

[ERuhling]

Going along with this theme what would be some chances of a 13 year old (about to go in 8 grade) I have a 8.7 handicap and I want to know if i could play college golf on decent teams and bigger named schools?