College golf equipment

[raddawg]

Do college golfers get to play any equipment they want? or do the colleges have contracts with equipment companys? If they get to play what they want, what are they playing??

[expunge]

From what I remember, it's BYOS. Bring your own sticks.

[bk4]

Depends on the college. Where I played we got discounts on anything. At places where my friends played, reps came by and told them to take whatever they wanted.

[binneguru]

i know a girl that got whatever she wanted. She used all callaway stuff. Played for memphis i think.

[Lord Thomas]

Typically companies will offer a discount to the players, with the amount of discount varying by the company. Some of the elite Division I schools get free stuff, but for the most part there is at least a nominal charge that the player is responsible.

 

-Thomas

[magee99]

I would have thought the same thing....but this topic got me thinking...

 

Doesn't the NCAA have some policy against athletes benifiting from there status, not to mention Amateur players still keeping their status.

[TNSooner]

When I was playing at Oklahoma, we got our choice of Titleist stuff. Coach kind of "suggested" that we play with what was recommended...that was 20 yrs. ago, though, and we had to pay for all of it (albeit with some pretty significant discounts)...

 

 

Urban legend has it that if you played at Ok. State you were told that "you'll play Ping equipment...or you won't play."

 

I doubt that...Coach Holder is above that crap...

[Lord Thomas]

The USGA recently relaxed their regulations on how much equipment an amateur can get and still maintain their amateur status, now an amateur can get unlimited equipment.

 

As to the NCAA question, its been a year since I went though NCAA compliance, but I believe that the NCAA defers to the USGA in golf for eligibility.

 

-Thomas

[titleistprov1man]

The college players I know got whatever they wanted at USC. The way they got around the free clubs and gear thing was simple. They were "supposed" to give it all back when they graduated. That way there was no economic benefit for the player and a NCAA violation. Just like all of teh helmets and shoulder pads that the football players use, they don't keep them after they leave (although one of my friends who played and still plays NFL has 5 or 6 helmets still!) That is how I was told they got around it. But the guys on the team got to play whatever they wanted as far as manufacturer goes.

[the_krulatz]

NCAA athletes are in no way suppose to be able to benefit from their status as a collegiate golfer. If the NCAA were knowledgable of the infractions, be it a set of wedges here, or a putter there....serious penalties would incur. Potentially, if deemed to be offensive enough, a player could be banned from NCAA competition indefinitely.

 

As for what college golfers receive with respects to discounts.....the norm with most companies is a 20% of wholesale cost to the athlete. When I was in college, we could buy a dozen pro-v1s at $25. I could get Vokey wedges at $60 a piece, Cameron putters at $135 and the list goes on. Oh, I miss those college days! Who am I kinding....as a Pro, I haven't paid for golf balls or a round of golf in the last year and a half. Life is good....life is very good!

[micrmill]

I played at a big ten school, graduated in 03, we got whatever we wanted from certain companies (callaway, titleist, taylormade, Mizuno) depending on how good we were. We were supposed to be charged for it after we graduated, but that was 5 dollars for our bags, 20 for irons etc. no one ever paid. After I left they really started getting stuff because of the change in amateur status rule allowing players to recieve equipment

[kurob]

NCAA athletes are in no way suppose to be able to benefit from their status as a collegiate golfer. If the NCAA were knowledgable of the infractions, be it a set of wedges here, or a putter there....serious penalties would incur. Potentially, if deemed to be offensive enough, a player could be banned from NCAA competition indefinitely.

An interesting question would be, how many NCAA sports require the athlete to provide their own equipment? Obviously in other sports (football is the best example) the school provides the necessary equipment. This is done through deals the school has arranged with shoe/apparel companies, so it sounds pretty similar to free golf gear.

[onemarathon]

I would think it would be similiar to other sports. I played baseball for a D-1 college, and we had contracts for shoes, bats, gloves, and uniforms. We got a certain amount provided to us for free, and anything extra we wanted had to come out of our pocket. For example, we each got to choose a bat in our preferred length and weight. If we wanted an extra or a different size, it came out of our pockets.

Surely companies can provide players with a certain amount of equipment in golf also without it being an NCAA penalty.

[abewley]

actually coach holder hated that CHIII started playing Cally...

[jboyd1]

does anyone know the exact discounts for these companies now? Taylormade's discount to my school was one of the worst, It must of been at wholesale. Cleveland is the best for our school. I am at a division 2 school if that changes anything for discounts. I could ask my coach , but hate to bother him during the holiday season

[JKB]

My Buddies from Memphis University get Bridgestone stuff for free

[mspeedpika]

I remember paying 33 a club for my 990's and 119 for my 975J back in fall 01. Div II school

[drew123]

There are several elite colleges in which the best college players will get to pick whatever they want for free. This is because the company probably recongizes that the players coming out of these schools are the future tour pros and therefore want to develop a relationship early on.

 

For some reason in golf you can accept unlimited amounts of equipment from a company and retain your am status. For example, there is a player that lives near me that is in the top 25 fro junior golf ranking and he can get anything he wants from Titleist, including tour only prototypes, for free.

[Onebulldogs]

I would have thought the same thing....but this topic got me thinking...

 

Doesn't the NCAA have some policy against athletes benifiting from there status, not to mention Amateur players still keeping their status.

 

The NCAA allows players to accept equipment to play their sport. For example, they guys on the B-ball team don't typically buy their own shoes/uniforms.

 

With respect to the golf team, accepting a discount or free equipment is not an NCAA violation.

[pimpinon]

The so-called free equipment is sometimes considered property to the university in order to protect the players, however; the equipment can be purchased from the school for a nominal fee (wink wink).

[cloudlx]

i work as an NCAA compliance officer, as long as it is listed as the property of the school then its fine, that is how we do it here- i don't know about anywhere else.

[mr_divots]

The so-called free equipment is sometimes considered property to the university in order to protect the players, however; the equipment can be purchased from the school for a nominal fee (wink wink).

That was how I was thinking things "worked." Wink wink.

[alldaygolferpar]

ya but they get clubs for insanely cheap prices

[muxi87]

in my somewhat recent experience, it depended on tons of things...size/name recognition of school, division, etc., but most importantly, the COACH. If the coach is well respected/known within the golf community (either a well known coach, pga club pro, ect), the equipment incentives are EASY to obtain!