As a junior golfer or a family of a junior golfer, finding your path to a successful collegiate golf career can be challenging. As a former collegiate coach, I was afforded the opportunity to travel the United States and had a task to find student athletes who fit our program’s criteria. Always easier said than done, for both parties. Finding your “Path Fore Success” is such an important step in making your collegiate career an enjoyable time.
We are unfortunately seeing numerous amounts of students in the NCAA Transfer Portal due to different reasons, but discontent seems to be a huge issue. Could we prevent the number of student-athletes in the transfer portal if we took the time beforehand to do detailed research on the schools?
There are so many important items to check off on each university and here are a few of them:
Coaches
How long has the coach been at the school? Do they plan on staying at the school for your entire collegiate career or is this program a stepping stone for them? You have to be careful about committing to a specific coach. Coaches have families and have to make decisions about their own careers along the way. Ask the coaching staff how they run practices and what a weekly schedule would be like for a student-athlete competing for them. How do they choose the traveling squad?
Team Members
Make time for an unofficial or official visit so you can get a feel for the team and its members. Do you see yourself getting along with the group? Could you have fun with this group on the road 4 days at a time? This core group will soon become your family away from home and it’s imperative that you see yourself fitting in. Take the time to ask the current roster about their day to day lives and how they enjoy the school and atmosphere of the program.
Campus/Facilities
Can you picture yourself walking around campus and attending classes with other students from all over the world? Does the school have a major that you are interested in? What does the school have to offer you in terms of practice facilities? Do you have access to a golf course on campus or do you have to get in your car and travel? Time management skills are imperative for a collegiate athlete and these factors will come into play heavily when choosing a school for you.
These are just a few factors to consider when choosing the right program for you. Let Path Fore Success help you and your family through the college recruiting process.
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!
