This is a great topic that can vary from school to school. Each coach has a laundry list of items that are important for making their program successful in not only their eyes, but the athletic department and university. Whether they are willing to admit or or not, coaches are under an immense amount of pressure for their student-athletes to perform at the highest level tournament after tournament, while also performing at the highest level in the classroom.
After discussing this subject with multiple college coaches, we’ve come up with a list that can help your stock rise:
#1 Grades
Grades are one of the first indications to a college coach whether you make the cut or not. Golfers miss quite of bit of school while being on the road for tournaments and being able to maintain great grades in high school is important as it shows your time management skills. Grades do matter! Keep them up and put the effort in now.
#2 SAT/ACT Scores
Although not as important as they were 5-10 years ago, most schools still require one of the standardized tests to enroll. Your SAT score is the combination of your critical reading and math sub scores while your ACT sum score is found by adding your English, math, reading and science. You can take these tests an unlimited amount of times and testing sites can be found on their respective websites.
#3 Scoring Averages
One of the first questions a coach will ask you is “can you send me a list of your results?” Scoring averages compare you to everyone else in your graduation class. Number do not lie. And neither do your golf scores! Golf scores are a testament to the quality golfer you are. Sure – there are ups and downs in golf and every college coach knows that and expects to see some not so great rounds thrown into the mix. Make sure to grind every round out.
#4 National Tournament Results
High school golf results and local tournaments are important to play in for competitive tournament experience but national tournaments give the coach the ability to see you compete against the best in the country. National tournaments aren’t a must for some coaches – but could give you an edge over a fellow recruit if you have more experience at a higher competitive level.
#5 Physical Abilities
Can you hit it far? Do you have soft touch around the greens? Some of these traits are things that cannot be taught – and a college coach will jump at the opportunity to work with a student-athlete who already has a few of these going for them.
#6 Personality/Character
The coach is recruiting you and everything you bring to the table – the great and not so great things. They’ve tried to make their team a cohesive group that gets along and acts like a family – and they are adding a new kid to the bunch. How will you mesh with the team? Are you more of an individual or do you like being a team player? Can you be a dependable teammate? These are all things coaches will look at in the recruiting process.
#7 Relationship with Parents/Guardians/Coaches
How do you treat your parents/guardians/coaches? How do these people in your life support you both on and off the course? The coach isn’t just recruiting you, they are also recruiting your family and all that comes along with it. Make sure you treat the people around you with respect, you never know who is lurking behind a bush taking notes. You’d be surprised at how fast word gets around in the coaching world about certain players!
Do you need help through the junior golf recruiting process? Contact the team at Path Fore Success today! Send us an email today at info@pathforesuccess.com to get started today! For more posts like this one, check out our blog here: Path Fore Success Blog. You can also follow us on Instagram & Twitter for more!
