CofC golf

[Omen]

....steep standards

i've been in contact with the golf coach and CofC...asked what is required to earn a spot on the team?

here is his reply...win the south carolina state Amateur , qualify for the U.S. Amateur......OR.....QUALIFY FOR THE U.S. OPEN......W.T.F. is he crazy

mind you his best player carries a 75+ stroke average....the worst...an 80

so i looked up the state am....i need to be under par for 2 rounds to win...sounds a little steep

so i looked up the us am...i need to be at or really near par to qualify at the easier states...the better ones i need to be in the upper 60's

so i looked up qualifying for the US OPEN....south carolina holds its open qualifying at PINEHURST #4....what was the low score that qualified.....65 - 65....

IS THIS GUY OUT OF HIS MIND....IF I WERE ABLE TO SHOOT PAR OR WAY LOWER AT A PINEHURST VENUE...I.E. 65's I WOULD BE ON TOUR NOT ON SOME SHI.TTY COLLEGE TEAM.

is it me or does this seem a little difficult, just to make a college team

[ryanpgm]

Here are a few ideas for thought. 1) If you do one of the requirements you are guaranteed a spot on the team. 2) Pinehurst #4 is not a terribly hard golf course, course rating around 73, at where you would play the tourney. There are plenty of ways to qualify for the team, just remember if you don't make it your first year keep your head up, playing in the tournaments such as state opens and qualifyers are nothing but great experience. Good luck in your future endeavors.

[simon54]

what is c of c?

 

Simon

[wholeinwon]

I think hes right (the coach that is)

 

To earn a spot on the team if you complete one of those three. If you complete one of those 3 you earn your spot.

 

You should of asked, what score and handicap earned a spot on the team in the previous year?

 

Those stroke averages are in Tournaments which are a whole different monster than average play, don't think because you can shoot 72 on a regular basis your guaranteed to make the squad, you still have to show up in the qualifying/tryouts.

 

If the school holds tryouts and you are good, confident and ready to play, then whats the problem?? If your games good enough and your confident enough you should make the team no problem...

 

I think too many juniors ask "What do I have to do to make this team???" or "How do I get to play college golf?" If your game is good enough as most of you say your game is...then why are you worrying? Your natural golf ability will be enough to get you on most teams.

 

Just GO PLAY GOLF AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT MAKING A TEAM!!

[Omen]

the thing is..how many collegiate golfers are good enough to qualify for the u.s. open...i mean shooting a pair of 65's at any course is hard...and at the moment quite beyond my abilities...

 

and the best golfer on the team currently carries a 75+ stroke average...no way he's able to meet these standards...

 

if i could shoot back to back 65's i would be at every open qualifier for every pga event....anyway you look at it 14 under through two rounds is Tiger level Golf...

[wholeinwon]

LISTEN PLEASE....

 

IFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF you do one of the following...you are guaranteed a spot.

 

He's not saying you HAVE TO do one of the following...hes giving you an idea of how to guarantee yourself a spot.

 

Go tryout for the team...how good are you whats your handicap? If its under 5 you have a chance...GO PLAY GOLF SHOOT 72 and make the team......

 

Stop Worrying you don't lose anything if you don't make it.

[Omen]

sorry i didnt mention earlier...there are no walk on tournaments...that is what i have to do to get on the team...I wonder if i won at Augusta would that suffice...I know its not the U.S. Open but it's still a Major...

 

I am currently playing to a 1.7... but i don't necessarily like the handicap system because its not an accurate reflection of what you do but rather what you could do... I prefer stroke average of which i carry a 77...right in the middle of the pack as compared to his current roster.

[wholeinwon]

Is your stroke average calculated in tournaments only? or rounds with your buddies, parents, etc?

 

These stroke averages are against other colleges in tournaments, not rounds where they are playing with their friends.

 

Have you won anything in golf? A tournament of any kind? Do you have a portfolio made for golf? Maybe you should make one up and ask the coach for a meeting?

 

Obviously if you are good enough he has to look at you, your making this guy out to be as stubborn and unwilling to listen as a dictator, but these other players had to get on the team somehow and I'm sure none of them checked these 3 accomplishments off their list.

 

If you really want to get on the team, the coach will at least listen to you, or play a round with you.

[wholeinwon]

Thought this might be of interest to you.

 

arks is from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., and attends Wando High School. He competed in 14 tournaments in 2006, placing in the top 20 in 10 of them. This past April Parks won the Myrtle Beach Junior Tournament at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club. Most recently, Parks placed second in the Player Championship at the Hartsville Country Club Nov. 18-19th, carding a 69 in the final round. Other top 10 finishes include a tie for eighth at the AJGA Hargray Junior Tournament at Hampton Hall Golf Club and a tie for seventh at the International Four-Ball Tournament in Savannah, Ga. He also tied for 10th at the Fall Challenge at Cheraw State Park. In the 14 tournaments he has played in he has carried a 73.16 stroke average.

 

Lopez, from Chapin, S.C., attends Chapin High School. He has been a member of the Class 3-A All Region team the past three straight years, as well as the All-Area and All-State teams. In 2005 he was named All-Area Player of the Year and in 2004 led his team to the State Championship. He has placed in the top 20 in 12 of 13 tournaments he has played in. Of those, he has finished in the top five in seven of them. Lopez finished second at the Capital City Classic in Columbia, S.C. this past March, and the TW Memorial in Spartanburg, S.C. as well. Other highlights include a third at the S.C. Junior Players Championship in Hartsville, S.C, and a third at the Southern Junior Championship in Richmond, Va. Lopez carries a 72.6 stroke average and has a 4.10 GPA.

 

 

So two freshmen have stroke averages of 72.6 and 73.16....I think he might be realistic in his 3 objects to make this team for you...

[PreppySlapCut]

College of Charleston has always been a competitive DI program. You need to realize the coaches don't go out looking for kids who have "scoring averages" comparable to their 5-6 guy. They want someone who is going to challenge for the top spot. If he is their top guy, great. If not, he adds more depth to round out his lineup. You seem like you are in a fairly similar situation to myself. My scoring average last year in my region (junior college) was 75.8. I also finished in the top 25 in the Nation. Coaches don't really care unless its AJGA. If they don't have an open tryout, your most likely SOL unless you win something...

[retep]

having been a college coach (tennis), i might want to add that do you really want to play for a coach/team that seems that the coach is, from what you have written, not in touch with reality ? there has to be more to the story, though there have been plenty of division 1 college tennis coaches that were nut jobs. This is almost like interviewing for a job and the job place makes you go through 10 hoops and never calls you back, etc... do you want to work for a place that treats the interviewee's like crud??? bottom line, ask the coach more questions IN person... best way to get the whole story... peter

[Omen]

now i would agree that those highschool kids accomplishments are fantastic...but winning the U.S. Open Qualifier might be a little harder...being that you are competing against guys who are on the Nationwide Tour...and many other smaller tours...

 

I dont feel pressure from tournament golf...of course i havent played many BIG tournaments....In the end the guy is acting like a jerk....win the masters, us and british opens, and PGA in the same season...and we will talk...

 

come on...that's a little much...another thing if they have a guy who has a stroke average of 80....well I am better than that guy so why not cut him and put me in???? wouldn't you cut a player for a better one regardless of your personal relationship with the guy...i mean if you dont aren't you hurting the team?

 

they are a div1 and their golf team cant handle Charleston Southern University a small private school in the same area...there guys all have lower stroke averages....their not asking me to get into the top 50 in the WGRankings....

 

there is nothing wrong with having some expectations of a guy but to ask him to be 10 strokes better under pressure than his best guy...that might be a little much....

[wholeinwon]

I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude but your not getting it.

 

His 2 freshman recruits are under 73.5 stroke average.

 

2 guys from last years team are leaving...so really there aren't any spots open.

 

Just look at these players accomplishments before attending C of C.

 

I would think the coach is happy with the team he has right now and he isn't looking for another player unless hes a top notch junior golfer.

 

This explains why he gave you 3 ways to get on the team because he knows that his team is set unless some "stud" wants to join it.

[bk4]

College of Charleston's coach is not very well liked by most of his players. He requires them to wear pants at all practices, tournaments, etc... However, they are usually very good, although not of late, and lots of times if coaches don't want players they don't take them, which is kind of what he sounds like. Coaches tend to like their boys who they brought in on scholarship, not inherited players from a previous coach or walk-ons.

[jboyd1]

Coaches tend to like their boys who they brought in on scholarship, not inherited players from a previous coach or walk-ons.

 

 

This is very true. I played at one team on a scholarship and then changed schools. I tried to walk on the golf team but the coach never got back to my emails (he doesn't have a school office) I then tried again this summer with no luck again. By chance the basketball coach came up behind me after almost driving a 360 yard hole and then chipping in for eagle. He was then ahead of me the whole round as I was knocking them fairly close. After the round in the club house we talked and he told me to come to his office the next day and we would get a hold of the coach. Got a hold of him , got the walk on try out date. 3 of us were there for one or none spots. And I made it , so what bk4 is right on.

[PreppySlapCut]

Just a couple things...

 

1) You said you don't play in big tournaments. These other kids do, AND they had lower Junior scoring averages than you do.

 

2) These kids scoring averages are all competitive rounds, all at the DI level. Thats a real scoring average, not yours which is based off the rounds you play. I'd be willing to bet that all of these kids on his roster play off scratch or better.

 

3) Stop exaggerating. He didn't ask you to win 8 consecutive order of merit titles. Qualifying for the US Am is not that unreasonable for a solid DI team. I'm assuming form the fact that you had to research what it takes to get in that you've never attempted it. This summer, the University of Kentucky had 5 players on their current roster qualify for the Am. You need to at least TRY to be among the 312 player field.

 

4) Get into the field for these qualifyers/your state AM. If you aren't playing them, how is the coach going to take you seriously?

[AltusBeliever]

Any D1 school has tremendous players that don't even go out for team. Lots of people aren't willing to but the time and energy into golf and studies at that level. D1 kids that are on a team are so, so good. Averaging 77 is very nice golf in D3 or NAIA middle of the road programs. It does not cut it at D1. Sorry to be so harsh. However, I highly recommend playing in college somewhere, or at least trying. I got lucky and played for four years. (0f course this was 30+ years ago when talent was thinner.) College golf is the best. Try to find a school that you can make the team and go for it.

[Omen]

i had every intention of being at or better than a 74 stroke avg. before expecting the coach to give me a look..I even said as much...he didnts say qualify for the state Am...no that one he said i needed to win???? I never said that his guys werent good...but they arent qualifying for the us open.... I do appreciate everyones input....i can easily see why these guys would have a problem with the coach..he just comes across as a RICHARD CRANIUM

[smarshal75]

I think you are reading this coach wrong. First, he probably gets the same question from many incoming golfers, some serious, some not so serious. Second, when you ask a coach what it takes to make the team, this is like asking what the minimum score is to pass a class...it makes you seem like an under-achiever. In other words, you are only willing to do the minimum necessary to make the team.

 

If this coach has a successful program, he probably has any number of high caliber players breaking down his door. You need to throw some shock and awe to get his attention. That said, he told you how to impress him. You seem to be discouraged by his comments. Right off the bat...wrong attitude. Take his comments as a challenge. He is betting you will walk away discouraged...sorta thining the mentally weak. Prove him wrong.

[Missinglink08]

I think you are reading this coach wrong. First, he probably gets the same question from many incoming golfers, some serious, some not so serious. Second, when you ask a coach what it takes to make the team, this is like asking what the minimum score is to pass a class...it makes you seem like an under-achiever. In other words, you are only willing to do the minimum necessary to make the team.

 

If this coach has a successful program, he probably has any number of high caliber players breaking down his door. You need to throw some shock and awe to get his attention. That said, he told you how to impress him. You seem to be discouraged by his comments. Right off the bat...wrong attitude. Take his comments as a challenge. He is betting you will walk away discouraged...sorta thining the mentally weak. Prove him wrong.

 

 

VERY well said..... There are alot of junior golfers out there wanting to play college golf. This coach wants you to prove to him that you are worthy of playing for his team.

[greenmachine0227]

I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude but your not getting it.

 

His 2 freshman recruits are under 73.5 stroke average.

 

2 guys from last years team are leaving...so really there aren't any spots open.

 

Just look at these players accomplishments before attending C of C.

 

I would think the coach is happy with the team he has right now and he isn't looking for another player unless hes a top notch junior golfer.

 

This explains why he gave you 3 ways to get on the team because he knows that his team is set unless some "stud" wants to join it.

 

While you make good points in your post, it leaves out the one thing that coaches are always looking at ...the FUTURE. It doesn't matter if you have two good freshmen and a solid line up of upperclassmen, in four years, they'll all be gone (barring someone redshirting). Most coaches will always try to make sure they get at least one freshman on the team, even if he isn't on the traveling squad. if he can build for the future and give that kid a year of playing with experienced DI/II/III players just to learn, he'll have someone who could come in and contribute after that year's seniors are gone. There are coaches who will sacrafice a little if it means having an average team now, but an amazing team two years from now. Unfortunately, by setting the bar that high, he'll miss out on a lot of guys that are extremely talented, but maybe didn't have the money to travel and compete in the larger events.

[Placebo]

I think you are reading this coach wrong. First, he probably gets the same question from many incoming golfers, some serious, some not so serious. Second, when you ask a coach what it takes to make the team, this is like asking what the minimum score is to pass a class...it makes you seem like an under-achiever. In other words, you are only willing to do the minimum necessary to make the team.

 

If this coach has a successful program, he probably has any number of high caliber players breaking down his door. You need to throw some shock and awe to get his attention. That said, he told you how to impress him. You seem to be discouraged by his comments. Right off the bat...wrong attitude. Take his comments as a challenge. He is betting you will walk away discouraged...sorta thining the mentally weak. Prove him wrong.

Spot on!

[asitlies]

I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude but your not getting it.

 

His 2 freshman recruits are under 73.5 stroke average.

 

2 guys from last years team are leaving...so really there aren't any spots open.

 

Just look at these players accomplishments before attending C of C.

 

I would think the coach is happy with the team he has right now and he isn't looking for another player unless hes a top notch junior golfer.

 

This explains why he gave you 3 ways to get on the team because he knows that his team is set unless some "stud" wants to join it.

 

While you make good points in your post, it leaves out the one thing that coaches are always looking at ...the FUTURE. It doesn't matter if you have two good freshmen and a solid line up of upperclassmen, in four years, they'll all be gone (barring someone redshirting). Most coaches will always try to make sure they get at least one freshman on the team, even if he isn't on the traveling squad. if he can build for the future and give that kid a year of playing with experienced DI/II/III players just to learn, he'll have someone who could come in and contribute after that year's seniors are gone. There are coaches who will sacrafice a little if it means having an average team now, but an amazing team two years from now. Unfortunately, by setting the bar that high, he'll miss out on a lot of guys that are extremely talented, but maybe didn't have the money to travel and compete in the larger events.

He'll have no trouble getting top-notch players.

 

I think the original poster is really missing the point, and has a terrible attitude - suck it up, be a stud, or go somewhere else. The coach obviously knows what his needs are over the next couple of years. The player thinks his scores should be sufficient, even if they aren't against top-notch competition, or against ANY competition at all! Someone has their expectations too high. I don't think it's the coach.

[smarshal75]

I think we need to encourage Omen a little more. My advice:

 

1) Elevate your game. Play in the Amateur, U.S. Open, and state qualifiers. The pressure and caliber of play in these tournaments will definitely help, not hinder your game. You will also get exposure to other coaches. Coaches follow these tournies, sorta like scouts at a highschool basketball game.

 

2) If your good, have your high school coach contact schools on your behalf. In my opinion, you should never directly contact a college coach. Your high school coach should know your game and the types of college programs you would be a good fit for. Coaches will have frank discussions about your game.

 

3) Identify your strengths and weaknesses, then set goals. If the top player at School A has 73.5 stroke average, then set that as your goal. Then address your weaknesses and work towards reaching that stroke average or lower.

 

4) Don't set your sights on one school. Why be pine rider at a top school, when you could be a captain at another? It is all about playing time.

[kevin4949]

i'm pretty sure he was just trying to get rid of you. most of his recruits had probably lower than a 72 average in high school.

[emc]

I agree with smarshal75, play in the qualifiers to see what it is you need to improve to get to the next level