STEP 2 – READ:

On-Course Recruiting

If a coach has come out to watch you, you have already won half the battle. Your tournament finishes and academic profile have proven enough for a college coach to want to come and see you perform. This is what you should know.

On the Golf Course

Coaches look for players with mental toughness and maturity.  Coaches demand great attitudes from their recruits because it’s more difficult to improve a player’s attitude than it is a physical golf skill.  Coaches want to see players react to all situations, good and bad, with composure, no matter how the round is going. If you deal with adversity more professionally than the coaches existing players that’s a huge plus for you!

What else do coaches look for?

Practice:

Do you go through your routine on every shot?

Where do you spend your practice time? (Range, Short Game, Putting)

Do you have a clear focus in mind for what you are working on?

Do you show bad attitude or frustration on the driving range?

Are you alternating targets every few shots?

Are you socializing most the time or focused on efficient practice?

Player Appearance:  Look like a young professional.  Give the coach a preview of an individual he would want representing his team on and off the course. Are you well groomed? Are your clothes clean and ironed? Are your shoes clean?  These are all things coaches consider.

Parents: A supportive relationship between player and parents can mean a lot to a college golf coach.  A good player-parent relationship often translates over to a good player-coach relationship.  An argumentative, unhealthy player-parent relationship can be a sign of future relationships with the coaches and other players.

Tournaments

When do coaches recruit?

Coaches do the majority of their recruiting in the summer when their players are at home. Due to team responsibilities, coaches tend to recruit locally during the school year.  They may make appearances bigger junior events in their area such as AJGA, FCWT, Future Champions Tour, etc.

Where do coaches recruit?

If a college golf team has primarily in-state players, you can expect that coach to recruit at a local/ state level. Smaller golf programs most likely have a limited recruiting budget, so you can expect them to recruit at the state/ regional level.  The top golf programs usually have rather large recruiting budgets, allowing them to travel nationally and even internationally to attend the best tournaments every year.   

Start your schedule locally.

State:  

If you are considering attending a school within your state, local tournaments are a great place to compete.  All programs have a budget that allows them to recruit at the state level.  

Regional:

Competing in regional events is a great balance of affordability and exposure.  

If you intend to play college golf in your region, you should plan on playing a number of regional tournaments. Most coaches in that region will have an eye on the results and some may even attend.  

Although it’s important to compete on a national level, you should also include some regional tournaments on your schedule.  They are more affordable, give you exposure to more coaches and offer additional tournament experience.  

Junior Tours During the School Year:

Tours like the FCWT, Future Champions Tour, etc. are great to play but don’t expect too many college coaches to recruit at these events. These events are excellent resume builders and help build competitive experience but during the college golf season, it’s hard for coaches to get out to these events.  However, top finishes on these tours go a long way in a coach’s eye.   

National Tournaments

AJGA:

During the summer you should focus a considerable amount of your time and budget on playing AJGA events. If you intend on playing college golf far from home, consider scheduling your AJGA events in that region.  This will increase your recruiting opportunities for two reasons.

Even the top coaches tend to travel just a few hours to recruit at open AJGA events.  By playing these events you increase your chances of being seen and recruited.  

Performing well in your prospective school’s region, proves that you play well on those types of courses and weather conditions.  This is important because even the top teams in the country play a handful of tournaments in-state. Proving you can play well in that geographical area will show the coach you may be an asset to his team.  

AJGA Invitationals:

AJGA Invitational events are huge for gaining exposure at the highest level.

Invitational events get attention from coaches across the country!  Performing well at these events goes a long way in your recruiting process, and can even put you on the map with some of your “reach” schools.  Play as many regular AJGA events as possible in hopes of playing your way into the invitationals.

Stand-Alone National Tournaments:

Playing tournaments like the US Jr. Amateur, World Junior Amateur, Western Jr. Amateur, Orange Bowl and Big “I” National Championship are equally important as the AJGA invitationals for your national exposure. You can expect a massive  recruiting presence at these events, and be sure that most coaches will be checking the results.