Chances at college golf?

[shum500]

Hello, I'm a sophomore in high school. My handicap is a 5, but I'm starting to consistently shoot in the mid 70s. I believe I can consistently shoot around even par by the time I graduate. Do you think I have a chance to play college golf?

Also another question, do colleges have walk-on/ tryouts for their golf teams? Or do they only play their recruited players?

[jamo]

At those scores you probably have a chance. You should play in some junior tournaments over the summer and contact coaches of some of the schools you might want to attend. I don't believe they can contact you until after your junior year, but having your name in their memory bank is always a good thing.

[NI4NI]

Sure, but it depends on which colleges you had in mind, and more importantly, which school is right for you.  There is significant competition for the top tier collegiate golf programs, so you should set your expectations accordingly.

There was a summer starter at my primary course last summer who was going into his Sophomore year at Coastal Carolina.  I belive that he was in the 2-3 HC range, and he did not make the team (but, he is going to CC for golf management as his major).

Keep playing, get some competitive tourney play under your belt, and scope out the right collegiate fit.

[TourSpoon]

Being able to play scratch in your high school matches will open some doors to the next level. I don't think you will have too much trouble finding a small to medium school program especially if you have good grades and start playing some summer tournaments.

[MEfree]

The answers to your questions depends a lot on the school(s) you are talking about.

My experience is from the 80s- I had good grades and a 4 HC...while I never ended up being one of the better players on the team, I think my golf game and Jr Golf Tourney results helped me get into a top school.  We had open try-outs and a few guys made the team that way, but I think the coach gave some preference to the players that he had had contact with prior to arriving on campus.

As others have said, play Jr tournaments and other competitive events, think about what schools might be good for you and contact coaches to let them know who you are.  While there is a chance that something golf related could be a profession for you, keep as many options open by doing well in school.

Good luck!

[TourSpoon]

It probably also depends what part of the country you are looking at. In Florida the competition is harder. Jesper Parnevik attended Palm Beach Junior College back in the day and Rocco and Lee Janzen went to Florida Southern, both are considered small schools.  At the bigger schools you had many more future PGA stars.  This is a list just from UF.

Name	PGA Tour wins	Nationwide Tour wins	Champions Tour wins	Notes
Tommy Aaron	3	-	1	won the 1973 Masters Tournament
Pat Bates	-	5	na
Andy Bean	13	-	3	has been ranked in the top 10 of the OWGR
Frank Beard	11	-	1	topped the PGA Tour money list in 1969
Woody Blackburn	2	-	-
Bill Britton	1	-	-
Mark Calcavecchia	13	-	na	won the 1989 British Open
Chris Couch	1	5	na
Bubba Dickerson	-	1	na	won the 2001 U.S. Amateur
Chris DiMarco	3	1	na	has been ranked in the top 10 of the OWGR
Scott Dunlap	-	2	na
Matt Every	-	1	na
Brian Gay	3	-	na
Ken Green	5	-	-
Phil Hancock	1	-	-
Dudley Hart	2	-	na	has been ranked in the top 50 of the OWGR
Guy Hill	-	-	na
Billy Horschel	-	-	na	shot 60 at the 2006 U.S. Amateur
Gary Koch	6	-	-	won 1970 U.S. Junior Amateur
David Jackson	-	1	na
Steve Melnyk	-	-	-	won the 1969 U.S. Amateur , 1971 British Amateur
Bob Murphy	5	-	11	won the 1965 U.S. Amateur , 1966 NCAA championship
Andy North	3	-	1	won the 1978 and 1985 U.S. Opens
David Peoples	2	-	na
Dave Ragan	3	-	-
Doug Sanders	20	-	1
Dan Sikes	6	-	3
Mike Sullivan	3	-	-
Paul Tesori	-	-	na
Camilo Villegas	3	-	na	has been ranked in the top 10 of the OWGR

[shum500]

Thanks for all the info..

I live in southern california and am looking into colleges on the west coast, such as UCLA.
I do have good grades, currently 4.0 GPA, and plan on taking IB classes, which are the most rigorous classes offered at my school

[MEfree]

As a 5 HC, schools with top golf programs such as UCLA won't recruit you, but a 4.0 student with a 0 handicap might be of interest to Stanford.  Unless things have changed since I grew up, So Cal has lots of Jr Golf competition, so keep up your good grades, work at your game, play in tournaments and let the coaches know about your good results (both academic and on the course).

[airic31]

most colleges post their golf scores in their matches on their website.  maybe go and look at some of the scores of the players from the schools that you're interested at, and compare yourself that way.  maybe even go play the course that they've played and that can give you an even better understanding of where you stand.  if you cant get to a school that you want, maybe you can play a year or two at a different school where you'll be able to make the team. good luck

[tanktwo2]

Most college golfers don't get real good until after they have been in college(because they can play and practice constantly) with a few exceptions of course.

Just because you cant put up good scores in matches your first semester doesn't mean you cant practice and use the team's facilities.

College golf is to train you to be a great golfer.

[Doctorfro]

I'd say it's too early to tell.  Sure, there's a chance. But my son is a 3 and he's going to college on an academic scholarship.  The schools where he could play don't cut the snuff academically.  See the rub?  To play on the higher levels of college golf takes a huge commitment of time and resources.  And unless you're on the track to be a professional, you could potentially miss out on lots of things that most college kids enjoy.  I'd say play lots of junior tour events (colleges don't put much stock in your high school matches) and see where your talent takes you.  But now is a good time to start looking at schools regardless of whether you play or not.

[Cut68]

It really depends, as said above, on where you want to play. I'm very familiar with college golf, as I went to school with Glover, Byrd, Warren and Trahan, and was good friends with Glover back in the day. I also considered playing out of H.S. (I was a 4 then) but going to Clemson was more important to me. Would a 2 HC be considered at Clemson? no way. But show up for practice at Boston College, where the season is shorter and the sport doesn't get much attention, and you'd play in some matches. If you're a scratch coming out of H.S. there will be schools that you can play at, the question is really if you want to go to those schools

[Bigtank]

Here is a test...go to a course you have never seen, play from the tips and shoot 3 or 4 over par and you might have a chance at a division 2 or 3 school.  I think it would be a bit unrealistic to consider yourself ready for programs like UCLA, USC, Stanford, etc.  I think it might be a bit overly optimistic to even think about smaller schools like San Diego St, Pepperdine, etc.  California is a hot bed for golf talent especially Southern Cali.  You might want to look out of state?  If you want to know what it takes call the coaches, get to know them see what they are looking for.  Find out where their home course is and go watch them.

Next play in some junior tournaments....AJGA is a great judge; there is typically some excellent future college talent in those programs.

I was a walk on at a major Division I program.  I had to shoot 10 rounds from the tips and average 2 under par, Just to be considered.  Once you make the team, you must compete with the other members of the team to make the travelling squad because only 5 guys usually travel to a tournament. Even as a recruited player, do not expect a scholarship.  Even the best players receive about 50-60% scholarship, this has been exacerbated by Title 9.  So be prepared to pay for your own schooling, and equipment (minus a golf bag and some uniforms).

With that being said, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life, rooming traveling and playing with those guys.  I built friendships with those guys that will last a lifetime.

My brother is #1 player on a decent division II program and he is a +4-5 right now.  He Shot 64 in his US Open qualifier, just to give you some sort of some division II perspective.

With all that being said...work hard, develop your game and learn to minimize you mistakes and where to score and you could make it.  Look into the PING college web site, it answers a lot of questions and it helps you get your name and stats out to the golf coaches.  Here is the website

http://www.collegegolf.com/collegegolf/

[WUTiger]

Quote:

  airic31 said:

most colleges post their golf scores in their matches on their website.  maybe go and look at some of the scores of the players from the schools that you're interested at, and compare yourself that way. ...

Along with tracking scores online, talk to young assistant pros who are recent college graduates. They can give you advice on schools and their conferences.

Glad to hear you have good grades. I am a college professor, and have taught at a Division II, an NAIA, and now a Division III school. Playing on a college golf team is very challenging academically, as you may have out-of-town trips frequently in spring semester. You need to communicate well with your professors, and learn excellent time management.

FYI: We have had several threads the last two years on college golf, and golf careers. You might do a ST search on these.