Any Collegiate Golfers Out There?

[CoryMartin]

I reckon there are many collegiate golfers on this site or at least a couple that peruse the forum occasionally. I am a Senior about to head off to the University of Texas at Dallas this coming up Fall of 2012.

I have emailed the coach and the assistant coach and learned that they have three kids that shoot in the mid to high 70's and then three that shoot mid 80's and one kid who shoots in the 90's. It's a DIII college so sports are not priority. When I emailed the coach I got a response that looked something like, " We are looking for an impact player from a community college with average scores of 74 ". It threw me off due to the mid 80' and higher players on the team.

I took that as my key to stop emailing and thinking about for the next summer and year to train and practice to get to a point I can consistently put up mid 70's scores maybe lower. Im #1 on my High School Team with one 2nd place trophy (against huge schools compared to my 2a school) and another top 5 finish. Right now I'm at a high 70 score with the occasional low 80 on bad days.

Can anyone help me with a few questions:

- How should I approach this situation? Should I just move on and play the local tours (fairway golf tour) or keep pressing?

- What would be the appropriate way to "walk on" to the team or "try out" or some sort like that?

- What is the average week of a collegiate DIII golfer, or even DII or any collegiate golfer?

- What are the tournaments really like? The night before, the traveling, the tournament itself, the competition?

If anyone could help me with any of these questions or advice I would be so very happy!!

Thank you and have a good day!

Cory Martin.

[The_Pharaoh]

  CoryMartin said:

Originally Posted by CoryMartin

Can anyone help me with a few questions:

- How should I approach this situation? Should I just move on and play the local tours (fairway golf tour) or keep pressing?

- What would be the appropriate way to "walk on" to the team or "try out" or some sort like that?

- What is the average week of a collegiate DIII golfer, or even DII or any collegiate golfer?

- What are the tournaments really like? The night before, the traveling, the tournament itself, the competition?

Hi Cory,

I played collegiate golf for the University of Mobile, Alabama between 1993-98. Yes, it was a long time ago but I doubt things have changed much since I left college! ;-) My opinions/experiences FWTW:

You have nothing to lose walking on. Tell the coach you are interested in playing on the team and just try to do your best during qualifying for the first tournament. If you finish in the top 5 he'd be mad not to accept you on the team.

The average week? Mon thru Fri = 8:00-12:00 class, 12:00-13:00 lunch, 13:00-18:00 practice/play golf 18:00-19:00 dinner 19:00 free time. Weekends off unless you have a tournament.

Tournaments are very tiring. We used to leave Sunday and drive straight to the course to play the practice round (that could be anywhere from 2 to 12 hours). The Monday would be the first day of the tournament, sometimes 18 sometimes 36 holes, and Tuesday would be day two (18 holes). There would be very little time to rest as you would be expected to be practicing when you are not playing and when it is too dark to practice, you'd have to study and/or do homework. Each team takes 5 players and the best 4 scores count each round.

[mvmac]

  The_Pharaoh said:

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

Hi Cory,

I played collegiate golf for the University of Mobile, Alabama between 1993-98. Yes, it was a long time ago but I doubt things have changed much since I left college! ;-) My opinions/experiences FWTW:

You have nothing to lose walking on. Tell the coach you are interested in playing on the team and just try to do your best during qualifying for the first tournament. If you finish in the top 5 he'd be mad not to accept you on the team.

The average week? Mon thru Fri = 8:00-12:00 class, 12:00-13:00 lunch, 13:00-18:00 practice/play golf 18:00-19:00 dinner 19:00 free time. Weekends off unless you have a tournament.

Tournaments are very tiring. We used to leave Sunday and drive straight to the course to play the practice round (that could be anywhere from 2 to 12 hours). The Monday would be the first day of the tournament, sometimes 18 sometimes 36 holes, and Tuesday would be day two (18 holes). There would be very little time to rest as you would be expected to be practicing when you are not playing and when it is too dark to practice, you'd have to study and/or do homework. Each team takes 5 players and the best 4 scores count each round.

I agree with everything Pharaoh said.  Here is a good resource with a lot of information that helped me http://www.collegegolf.com/collegegolf/

Practice can be different for different schools but most schools practice in the afternoons and go to class during the day.  Go workout in the mornings or night.  Most tournaments are 3 rounds, 36 on Monday, 18 on Tuesday, with a practice round on Sunday.  It's an endurance test and the most important aspect is having a solid short game to rely on.

[clubchamp]

Usually walk on tryouts are open so just make sure your game is ready and try to walk on. Coaches are obviously always looking for the best talent they can find so if you perform at tryouts especially as a freshman you will be in good shape. When I played in college we had 4 to 5 kids on scholarship/work study and kept 4 to 5 walk ons this was a D2 college but I know D3 keeps a lot of walk ons.

[BigDaddy_Sean]

I played at a DII school in the mid 90's as well.  The program just started so they kept 12 players and the college course wasn't open yet.

We had a competition day at our range the first day that had 2 practice holes, putting, chipping, and challenges.  I finished in the top 3 out of 25 on that day.

2nd day we went to a local public course, left my bag on the bag rack to go putt, went back 15 minutes later and it was gone!  The same bag but different clubs were next to it.  Yet my set was stolen.  I couldn't play that 1st day.  The 2nd day I played with the coaches sticks which were Ping Eye 2, short and flat fitting when I played Titleist Blades 1" long and 2 up.  Didn't shoot very well.  Due to my 1st day performance the coach kept me on the team.

Got a call from the course a few days later and my clubs had shown up, apparently a group just finishing had thrown my bag in the trunk by mistake.

Anyways, I didn't get to play much competition my freshman year, only a couple events but it was a learning experience.

I had to go through tryouts again my sophomore year.  They kept 6 players so 6 spots were open.  30 competed.  I made this one shooting mid 70's both days.

I stayed on my junior year yet struggled with grades and my senioir year was the same.  It's hard concentrating on school and golf, especially golf when your missing class alot going to tournaments.

So... word of advice, don't fall behind the studies.  Play a lot before tryouts.. as much as you can.. the more play the more consistent  you will be!

Play some tournaments also during the summer.. find whatever you can.. local city tournaments, county tourneys.. etc.. should be able to get in 3 or 4 weekend long tourneys through the summer at least!

[Jwat381]

Did you know Ric Jefferies when you played in 'Bama?

  The_Pharaoh said:

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

Hi Cory,

I played collegiate golf for the University of Mobile, Alabama between 1993-98. Yes, it was a long time ago but I doubt things have changed much since I left college! ;-) My opinions/experiences FWTW:

You have nothing to lose walking on. Tell the coach you are interested in playing on the team and just try to do your best during qualifying for the first tournament. If you finish in the top 5 he'd be mad not to accept you on the team.

The average week? Mon thru Fri = 8:00-12:00 class, 12:00-13:00 lunch, 13:00-18:00 practice/play golf 18:00-19:00 dinner 19:00 free time. Weekends off unless you have a tournament.

Tournaments are very tiring. We used to leave Sunday and drive straight to the course to play the practice round (that could be anywhere from 2 to 12 hours). The Monday would be the first day of the tournament, sometimes 18 sometimes 36 holes, and Tuesday would be day two (18 holes). There would be very little time to rest as you would be expected to be practicing when you are not playing and when it is too dark to practice, you'd have to study and/or do homework. Each team takes 5 players and the best 4 scores count each round.

[The_Pharaoh]

  Jwat381 said:

Originally Posted by Jwat381

Did you know Ric Jefferies when you played in 'Bama?

Doesn't ring a bell. Which college did he attend?

[clubchamp]

  BigDaddy_Sean said:

Originally Posted by BigDaddy_Sean

I played at a DII school in the mid 90's as well.  The program just started so they kept 12 players and the college course wasn't open yet.

We had a competition day at our range the first day that had 2 practice holes, putting, chipping, and challenges.  I finished in the top 3 out of 25 on that day.

2nd day we went to a local public course, left my bag on the bag rack to go putt, went back 15 minutes later and it was gone!  The same bag but different clubs were next to it.  Yet my set was stolen.  I couldn't play that 1st day.  The 2nd day I played with the coaches sticks which were Ping Eye 2, short and flat fitting when I played Titleist Blades 1" long and 2 up.  Didn't shoot very well.  Due to my 1st day performance the coach kept me on the team.

Got a call from the course a few days later and my clubs had shown up, apparently a group just finishing had thrown my bag in the trunk by mistake.

Anyways, I didn't get to play much competition my freshman year, only a couple events but it was a learning experience.

I had to go through tryouts again my sophomore year.  They kept 6 players so 6 spots were open.  30 competed.  I made this one shooting mid 70's both days.

I stayed on my junior year yet struggled with grades and my senioir year was the same.  It's hard concentrating on school and golf, especially golf when your missing class alot going to tournaments.

So... word of advice, don't fall behind the studies.  Play a lot before tryouts.. as much as you can.. the more play the more consistent  you will be!

Play some tournaments also during the summer.. find whatever you can.. local city tournaments, county tourneys.. etc.. should be able to get in 3 or 4 weekend long tourneys through the summer at least!

My freshman year was tough more on my social life than grades but I understand what you are saying about grades. Two of the better players on the team struggled to stay eligible so the coach got 2 team tutors which was a big help. They actually traveled with us so we didn't fall behind in our classes now it wasn't football treatment but it helped a lot.

[Jwat381]

He was a coach, it could have been in Tuscaloosa tho. I can't recall, but Mobile sounded familiar, but it was probably 'Bama U. Just wondering!

I'm starting my first year at Oregon next fall and I want to try to walk-on at some point during the years I'll be there, but it's D1 and I'm not good enough at the moment. But I practice and play year round and if I keep progressing, I could be a 70's guy in a year or two and try to walk on in my final year at the University. Just an aspiration. .

  The_Pharaoh said:

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

Doesn't ring a bell. Which college did he attend?

[The_Pharaoh]

  Jwat381 said:

Originally Posted by Jwat381

He was a coach, it could have been in Tuscaloosa tho. I can't recall, but Mobile sounded familiar, but it was probably 'Bama U. Just wondering!

I'm starting my first year at Oregon next fall and I want to try to walk-on at some point during the years I'll be there, but it's D1 and I'm not good enough at the moment. But I practice and play year round and if I keep progressing, I could be a 70's guy in a year or two and try to walk on in my final year at the University. Just an aspiration. .

Keep at it, keep following your dream. My advice to you is to look for a great instructor in your area and work extremely hard on what he tells you. Search around and find one with a good reputation. Working with a skilled pro will really accelerating your progress. Good luck!

[Jwat381]

Thank you, I will. I'm also considering going to a smaller DII or DIII school after I get my first major done and thru with, and walking on at a school that has a golf team. Playing DI golf would take a lot of work, not that I wouldn't love to put in that work, but time and money are always factors. I just wanna play some competitive golf for a school one day!

  The_Pharaoh said:

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

Keep at it, keep following your dream. My advice to you is to look for a great instructor in your area and work extremely hard on what he tells you. Search around and find one with a good reputation. Working with a skilled pro will really accelerating your progress. Good luck!

[Daniel Watkins]

I play college golf, and while i love it, i have to warn you its a TON of work.  Dont load yourself up on hours...i took 21 my first semester (pre-med classes to boot) and it nearly killed me.  Best advice i can give is just work hard...coach is much more likely to give you a shot if you work hard and have a great attitude. I cant tell you how much our coach gripes about "junior golfers" and their terrible attitudes

[The_Pharaoh]

  Jwat381 said:

Originally Posted by Jwat381

Thank you, I will. I'm also considering going to a smaller DII or DIII school after I get my first major done and thru with, and walking on at a school that has a golf team. Playing DI golf would take a lot of work, not that I wouldn't love to put in that work, but time and money are always factors. I just wanna play some competitive golf for a school one day!

Or how about a Community College for two years? If you play well there, you'll get spotted by a bigger school.

  Daniel Watkins said:

Originally Posted by Daniel Watkins

Dont load yourself up on hours...i took 21 my first semester (pre-med classes to boot) and it nearly killed me.

Great advice. Take no more than 15 hours a semester. That's if you are a regular on the team and missing loads of school due to tournaments.

[Jwat381]

That's definitely the direction I'm headed! I feel I'm right on the cusp of really taking my game to single digit handicap, and with a year or two's time, I don't see any reason why I couldn't play for a community college somewhere.

  The_Pharaoh said:

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

Or how about a Community College for two years? If you play well there, you'll get spotted by a bigger school.

Great advice. Take no more than 15 hours a semester. That's if you are a regular on the team and missing loads of school due to tournaments.

[NCGolfer]

I played D3 back in the mid 90's at one of the Penn State satellite campuses.  I loved every minute of it.  Since the weather up north isn't great we had a limited spring season but a longer fall season.  To answer your questions/concerns, here are my thoughts:

Play/don't play:

Just do it. I had no regrets and got to play a lot of decent courses for free and you can get equipment pretty damn cheap too.  In your situation, I'd just find out when the tryouts are and show up ready to go. Sounds like you're going to fall somewhere in the upper/middle part of the team but there might be a few other guys coming in at the same level.  My freshman year I just made sure I was sharp and in a good frame of mind going into tryouts.

Schedule:

Load up on early classes.  We were allowed to enroll before everyone else and I could have my day done by lunch or just afterwards. We would usually practice in the PM from 3-7ish depending on the weather and who could make it out there.  For the most part we just had practice rounds...our coaches were usually either the AD or assistant BB coach.  Really, really good guys but they weren't good for instruction.  I left that to the pro's.

Tournaments for us were usually a day-trip.  We only stayed overnight a couple times a year.  I made it into some other tournaments that were a longer distance away but usually it just means missing a day of classes and as long as your professors know, it's no sweat.

Competition:

We played against DII and DIII teams close by.  The good part is I knew a lot of the guys and it just felt like an extension of junior golf.  I didn't feel as much pressure as I did when I was playing in amateur tourneys with guys i didn't know and no team/coach to support me.  I really, really enjoyed it.  I won a few tourneys but in the larger invites I was finishing in the top 10-15.

In the end I got a LOT better over the course of my four years.  I went through a significant swing change between my soph/jr years and it paid off.  Just go for it and have fun with it.  My college experience would have been a lot different (for the worse) if I hadn't gone out for the team.  I still talk to the coaches and some of my teammates from time to time.

[jamo]

You guys that did play golf in college, what majors did you have? I ask out of curiosity only because I'm a mechanical engineering student, and I couldn't imagine adding golf to my schedule.

[The_Pharaoh]

  jamo said:

Originally Posted by jamo

You guys that did play golf in college, what majors did you have? I ask out of curiosity only because I'm a mechanical engineering student, and I couldn't imagine adding golf to my schedule.

Global marketing. Sociology (minor). I didn't find the workload too tough to handle. 15 hours a semester is nothing really. You just have to be very organised and have the discipline to take your homework with you on golf trips.

[The_Pharaoh]

Oh, I just remembered something VERY important.

Do not go to college thinking the coach is a golf instructor and will be giving you lessons every day. 99% of coaches are glorified bus drivers that pick the team and drive them to tournaments. You will have the facilities and time to practice, but unless you search for your own instruction, you will be left to your own devices to get better. I arrived in the US playing quite well but steadily went downhill as I moved from freshman to senior. My coach was a great guy, my American father, but had no idea how to help you with your swing when things got tough and there were no decent instructors in the area. I spent most of my days searching for my game on the range with only the odd helpful tip from one of my colleagues. I was fortunate there were only 4 golfers better than me on the team so I went to most tournaments.

I have spoken to hundreds of European golfers over the years that went to the US on a golf scholarship only to find themselves in the same situation. And I'm talking D1 schools here too and people I know currently at college. I am not complaining, just giving you a heads up. Bear this in mind when you choose a college.