How to Get in D1 College Golf?

[golflover123]

hi 

playing golf for a bit i want to play d1 golf how good i would have to be to go the big school like Texas,Stanford etc how much would work i would do handicap  how is the recruiting process any tips 

and i don't not live in the usa that why i am asking 

[David in FL]

Play really, really well...

[Mr22putt]

  On 12/29/2019 at 5:53 AM, golflover123 said:

hi 

playing golf for a bit i want to play d1 golf how good i would have to be to go the big school like Texas,Stanford etc how much would work i would do handicap  how is the recruiting process any tips 

and i don't not live in the usa that why i am asking 

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IMO...to be considered to a top rated D1 school....I think you'd have to be at least +3 to +4 handicap....this is not a 3 or 4 cap...I'm talking about a + cap.....and to achieve that in 18 months would be a daunting task.

But these schools don't really care about handicaps...anyone can lie and make up a FAKE cap.

D1 schools will be looking at your golf results/accomplishments in many top level sanctioned Am golf events you have played in. They'll want to see how well you can compete in tournament conditions and if you can win tournaments.

The process is to start to write to these schools when you are 16-17...maybe 18 years old....... with a well established/successful tournament golf resume....they'll also look at your grades too.

You said you don't live in the the US....no problem....if you are a well known top ranked Am in your country...they'll soon find out about you. The top D1 schools have scouts and coaches who travel the US and globe to seek out and recruit the best Am's.

I know of some teens here who have +1 to +2 caps with good golf resumes....but they were not recruited to the top D1 schools...they are playing at lower level D1 schools.

 

If you are a girl....the competition isn't as deep for top D1 schools as it is for the guys.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Mr22putt

[DennisMiller]

I agree with all of the above, but let me add one thing.

If you can arrange to play in some American amateur events, not to mention compete well, that will help you get noticed faster than depending on success in your local area.

[iacas]

  On 12/29/2019 at 8:59 AM, Mr22putt said:

The process is to start to write to these schools when you are 16-17...maybe 18 years old....... with a well established/successful tournament golf resume....they'll also look at your grades too.

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The process starts much earlier than that.

[TRUCKER]

  On 12/29/2019 at 3:34 PM, iacas said:

The process starts much earlier than that.

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I just saw our ex-assistant pro last week. He's a head pro at a club in So. Ca. now. He told me he just talked with the coach from San Diego. He said they don't care about all these players  winning USKIDS worlds events. They really don't start paying attention until they turn 16 years and older. They've seen to many of these kids compete at a young age, never to be heard from again.

[DaveP043]

I don't know all the facts, but the son of a good friend here just went through the process.  The young man (I'll call him "A") enjoyed playing ice hockey growing up, and really only started getting serious about golf when he was about 14.  By the time he graduated high school, he was down to a +5 handicap, and had performed well at AJGA and Virginia State events.  His dad (my friend) told me that A didn't get any real interest from major colleges, mostly because he didn't have a longer record of playing at a high level.  He's now at a smaller university in Virginia, and playing pretty well in his freshman season.  But starting serious golf at age 16 or 17, its pretty unlikely @golflover123 will get much attention from major US college golf programs.

[David in FL]

For perspective.  Kid in my niece’s class...

This is what the tournament scores of a 17 year old going to a D-2 school next year look like.  He made the round of 32 this year in the US Junior Am and finished top 10 in the state junior.

 

[iacas]

  On 12/29/2019 at 3:52 PM, TRUCKER said:

I just saw our ex-assistant pro last week. He's a head pro at a club in So. Ca. now. He told me he just talked with the coach from San Diego. He said they don't care about all these players  winning USKIDS worlds events. They really don't start paying attention until they turn 16 years and older. They've seen to many of these kids compete at a young age, never to be heard from again.

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You're dead wrong on that one, or he is, or he didn't understand what the coach was saying exactly, or something.

High-level D1 schools are recruiting kids in 7th and 8th grades. Kids in 7th and 8th grades are talking with college coaches (most within the bounds of what the NCAA allows, some not). If you're waiting until you're a junior before you start reaching out to college programs, you've waited way too long. My own daughter has had interest since she was 14, and I'm friends with several high-level D1 college coaches. They're recruiting earlier and earlier, and locking kids down earlier and earlier.

[TRUCKER]

🤷‍♂️

[Buckeyebowman]

  On 12/29/2019 at 8:59 AM, Mr22putt said:

 

You said you don't live in the the US....no problem....if you are a well known top ranked Am in your country...they'll soon find out about you. The top D1 schools have scouts and coaches who travel the US and globe to seek out and recruit the best Am's.

 

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This is true. Even Youngstown State Univ., a lower tier D1 program, has two players from Thailand and one from Sweden on the women's team.

But without a solid youth tourney record, it's a real uphill battle. Every year there's an AJGA  tourney at a local course, and I go watch. Let me tell you, these kids can PLAY! There are also tons of college golf coaches out there scouting! 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Buckeyebowman

[Mr22putt]

  On 12/29/2019 at 11:05 PM, Buckeyebowman said:

This is true. Even Youngstown State Univ., a lower tier D1 program, has two players from Thailand and one from Sweden on the women's team.

 

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I was surprised women's golf team coaches/scouts travel the globe to recruit.

I was watching a local women's tour event here. There was an asst women's coach from Univ. of Washington here...PAC 12....she was up to watch one of the Huskie woman player.

I started to chat with the coach...she was on the Big Break ......the coed team series....I was shocked they had the money to travel so much...she told me she travels around the globe including Asia.

So would the money generated from the NCAA football teams support/fund a lot of other university sports?

[TN94z]

  On 12/29/2019 at 4:20 PM, iacas said:

You're dead wrong on that one, or he is, or he didn't understand what the coach was saying exactly, or something.

High-level D1 schools are recruiting kids in 7th and 8th grades. Kids in 7th and 8th grades are talking with college coaches (most within the bounds of what the NCAA allows, some not). If you're waiting until you're a junior before you start reaching out to college programs, you've waited way too long. My own daughter has had interest since she was 14, and I'm friends with several high-level D1 college coaches. They're recruiting earlier and earlier, and locking kids down earlier and earlier.

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Agreed, They start much earlier than 16-17. And another tip is that they don't really pay attention to one day tournaments either. They are looking at the two day tournaments. I just finished going through this process with my son. We were late to the game with all of this information. We went to several college days hosted by the TGA here and they basically told us, start contacting colleges as early as possible, high school tournaments are not even looked at, and play two day tournaments that get you on the junior golf scoreboard. We were told that as soon as a kid contacts them, they immediately look at the junior golf scoreboard to see where they rank and how their tournament play has been.

[Vinsk]

  On 12/29/2019 at 4:10 PM, DaveP043 said:

By the time he graduated high school, he was down to a +5 handicap, and had performed well at AJGA and Virginia State events. 

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Seems odd he’d get little interest with a +5 hcp? Was he playing executive courses?😲

[DaveP043]

  On 12/30/2019 at 2:30 PM, Vinsk said:

Seems odd he’d get little interest with a +5 hcp? Was he playing executive courses?😲

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LOL, not exactly.  In 2018, he managed to shoot -7 (54 holes) at Ballyhack in the Virginia Open.  I can't say for sure what the rating was at that tournament, but the USGA lists a "State Open" set of tees at 74.1/154.  

[iacas]

  On 12/30/2019 at 3:17 PM, DaveP043 said:

LOL, not exactly.  In 2018, he managed to shoot -7 (54 holes) at Ballyhack in the Virginia Open.  I can't say for sure what the rating was at that tournament, but the USGA lists a "State Open" set of tees at 74.1/154.  

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A 70 is only a +3 differential, Dave. A 69 is a +3.7.

+5 is low-PGA Tour level, and it can't be too flukey as it has to include at least 10 rounds.

[DaveP043]

  On 12/30/2019 at 3:35 PM, iacas said:

A 70 is only a +3 differential, Dave. A 69 is a +3.7.

+5 is low-PGA Tour level, and it can't be too flukey as it has to include at least 10 rounds.

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You're right, so I double-checked his scoring history.  In summer of 2016, after his freshman high school year, his HI was around 2.  The next summer, he improved to +2, by 2018 (after his junior year) he was around +3.  He got as low as +5 this past summer, and is up to +3.5 now.  There's no question that a lot of his lowest rounds came at Stoneleigh, which isn't long enough to be an appropriate challenge for him, even from the back tees, but he's played a fair amount of junior golf..Here are his revision scores:

 

[iacas]

To break aside briefly, @DaveP043, there's a good amount of data to suggest that PGA Tour players actually benefit growing up playing somewhat easier courses, because they learn to shoot 64 or 66 or whatever, rather than just learning to shoot 73 on a hard course repeatedly.