I frequently get asked by parents of junior golfers, “How does my junior get discovered by college coaches”? My quick answer is “Don’t wait on college coaches to discover your junior golfer, make your junior reach out to college coaches of interest”. Being the parent of two junior golfers who went on to play college golf, I can count on one hand the number of college golf coaches I saw at non-AJGA tournaments actively watching and recruiting junior golfers.
Your junior golfer needs to make the first connection with college coaches. If the coach doesn’t respond in a timely manner, teach your junior the valuable life lesson of “following up”. Have your junior send them an email with a bio, swing/putting videos, and a short resume of their playing accomplishments. Juniors also need to make sure their social media accounts are representative of someone looking to play team golf at the next level, because savvy coaches who want to gain insights into the recruit will start following their accounts. Furthermore, college coaches aren’t afraid to ask around (high school coaches, former teammates, swing coaches) for background on a potential recruit. High school golfers who “don’t play well in the sandbox with others” are a significant concern to the coaches’ goal of a harmonious team atmosphere.
Once a communication channel is established, invite a coach of interest to an upcoming tournament that is near the campus of choice. Coaches generally don’t care how you played in a regular season high school team event, although team competition is what many junior golfers look back on most fondly.
On a national level, coaches pay very close attention to AJGA results. If your junior isn’t playing AJGA events, don’t expect a Power 5 conference coach to come knock on your door. On a regional level, the Golfweek Junior Tour is the next-best competitive option to AJGA events. On a Columbus-specific level, COGA and SOPGA Junior Tour events do get noticed by college coaches. What ultimately matters to college coaches is that your junior is able to compete and excel against the very best. College coaches are watching results from afar!
One final and important note – for most coaches, how your junior performs in the classroom absolutely matters. Coaches are typically very proud of their team GPA’s in college and don’t want a golfer who will lower their team’s collective scholastic performance. I have seen first-hand the difference a great coach can make in a young person’s life when they hold them accountable, and teams that are held accountable perform better on the course and off. As parents, let’s remember the Big Picture – playing golf in college is a terrific vehicle for your child to reach their ultimate goal of a college degree.
