86 replies to this topic

[Aquila]

leezer99, on 29 November 2017 - 01:44 PM, said:

Aquila, on 29 November 2017 - 01:42 PM, said:

I wouldn't want my kid to miss classes once a week for any sport, regardless of their prospects. Education takes priority.

So no HS sports whatsoever?

What other HS sport forces you to miss class?

[Viewing As Guest]

[farmer]

heavy_hitter, on 30 November 2017 - 04:11 PM, said:

farmer, on 30 November 2017 - 02:33 PM, said:

I did not know that there are states where junior high kids are allowed to play varsity high school sports.  In Texas, to play in high school, you have to be in high school.  I went and looked at some class pictures of our kids, and the difference even between 7th and 8th grade was dramatic.  I don't think it's a good idea for a 7th grader to be knocking around with 18 year old seniors.  As to playing high school golf, in Texas, in the smaller classifications, we have FOOTBALL, then BASKetball, then TRack, then golf, tennis, and then OFFSEASON FOOTBALL.

That is crazy.  So if a small school has 6-12, or even K-12, a 7th grader can't play on the team so the school can field a team?

In Texas, we have 6 man football for small schools.  Rural small schools may not have a golf team, but if they do, they are made up of high school kids.  The smallest classification state winner has no golf course in town, so they have to travel about 15 miles to the nearest course, which is not a championship track by any definition of the term.  Their kids averaged about 80 at the state meet, which is remarkable considering that every one of those kids played football, basketball and ran track while fitting golf into their schedule.

[heavy_hitter]

Aquila, on 30 November 2017 - 04:48 PM, said:

leezer99, on 29 November 2017 - 01:44 PM, said:

Aquila, on 29 November 2017 - 01:42 PM, said:

I wouldn't want my kid to miss classes once a week for any sport, regardless of their prospects. Education takes priority.

So no HS sports whatsoever?

What other HS sport forces you to miss class?

Depends.  Tennis, Baseball, Softball all depending on lights.  At our high school, lol, band of all things.

[UGPM]

In most cases, it's worth it. If your son really wants to give himself an opportunity within professional golf, practicing it from a young age and combining it with the studies will give him the necessary consistency to face the future challenges in golf and university/college. In UGPM (University Golf Program Malaga), for example, students/players have the possibility to develop their personalities in golf and in life, in order to be ready for their professional success.
I will recommend you to ask him what he wants to do first, and if he agrees, go ahead!
in most cases, it's worth it. If your son really wants to give himself an opportunity within professional golf, practicing it from a young age and combining it with the studies will give him the necessary consistency to face the future challenges.

[blaird]

Just depends on what you are looking for. It is very hard to get looked at by D2/1 programs just off high school scores but I know loads of kids who have gone to JUCO just playing high school golf.

The competition level is there. Every division (well just about) will have a few really good players, several others shooting 75-80, many more shooting 80-90, and others shooting higher so no matter your level there will be people there to compete with.

In Mississippi, you can play varsity sports starting in 7th grade. That doesnt mean that you will though as most all districts here have 7th grade teams, 8th grade teams, 9th grade teams, and JV/Varsity. But I have seen middle schoolers play/start in varsity golf, tennis, and volleyball. I want to say I have even seen an 8th grader or two start varsity basketball.

I coach girls' varsity golf now and last year 7 or my 9 girls were middle school. One of those played in all of our varsity events.

I played golf in 7th grade for our varsity team and made nearly all the trips. I had known all the seniors for a couple years from junior golf and it was the typical stuff from the seniors. They would pick on me/trash talk to me at practice then give me a ride to tournaments and a ride to or from practice. It was like the big brother experience, they would pick on me but only they could but would always take care of me if I needed a ride or something.

I loved high school golf. It was almost like a warm up for summer golf, which is what colleges look at. It gave me competition and tournament atmoshperes to help prepare me for the big tournaments I would play. I would definitely suggest playing high school golf.

[hardcorelooper]

Should a 12 year old play HS golf?  Most likely, no.  But I'm sure there are some 12 year olds that could handle it.  Not many, but some.

Should a high school aged kid play HS golf?  Absolutely.  Not to attract college coaches, but for the opportunity to be a part of a team in what's otherwise an individual sport.  Some of my fondest memories of high school revolve around high school golf.  In NJ, nearly all of our play was after school, other than two tournaments a year.  I missed more school (much, much more school) being an editor for the school newspaper and constantly going to newspaper conferences.  Learning how to manage your time, make up work when you're out and teach yourself what you missed that day are skills that are invaluable in college and life afterward.

My daughter plays for her HS team here in VA, and interestingly, their season starts in early August.  They go through September and the first two weeks of October and then they're done.  A couple kids on her team squeeze in Cross Country as well, and my daughter's on the dance team.  They all need something else to do for the rest of the season.

[blaird]

hardcorelooper, on 10 January 2018 - 10:59 PM, said:

Should a 12 year old play HS golf?  Most likely, no.  But I'm sure there are some 12 year olds that could handle it.  Not many, but some.

Should a high school aged kid play HS golf?  Absolutely.  Not to attract college coaches, but for the opportunity to be a part of a team in what's otherwise an individual sport.  Some of my fondest memories of high school revolve around high school golf.  In NJ, nearly all of our play was after school, other than two tournaments a year.  I missed more school (much, much more school) being an editor for the school newspaper and constantly going to newspaper conferences.  Learning how to manage your time, make up work when you're out and teach yourself what you missed that day are skills that are invaluable in college and life afterward.

My daughter plays for her HS team here in VA, and interestingly, their season starts in early August.  They go through September and the first two weeks of October and then they're done.  A couple kids on her team squeeze in Cross Country as well, and my daughter's on the dance team.  They all need something else to do for the rest of the season.

I have tried for years to convince our local ADs to present to the state, changing golf from spring to fall. I have argued that our season should start as soon as we start school and would finish mid October. The weather is better, dont have to worry about it getting dark early, and courses seem to be a little more friendly since it isnt snowbird season. Every year though it gets shot down. A lot of coaches coach a sport in the spring and teams would be scrambling for a coach.

[tiger1873]

I think you need to look at the goals and opportunities avaible to play high school golf.

For most kids who are good playing high school golf is a not something I would encourage. It at the worst a Distraction and probaly not worth there time. It probaly the last thing you want to do to get a scholarship.

Having said that I know for a fact some high schools will actually offer a high school scholarship. I believe Jorden spieth received a merit scholarship and played on his high school team. These are usually very high level schools and cost as much as college.  But for most people the answer is no.

If your kid is playing recreational golf then high school golf golf is a great thing in high school.

Edited by tiger1873, 21 January 2018 - 09:06 PM.

[iteachgolf]

tiger1873, on 21 January 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

I think you need to look at the goals and opportunities avaible to play high school golf.

For most kids who are good playing high school golf is a not something I would encourage. It at the worst a Distraction and probaly not worth there time. It probaly the last thing you want to do to get a scholarship.

Having said that I know for a fact some high schools will actually offer a high school scholarship. I believe Jorden spieth received a merit scholarship and played on his high school team. These are usually very high level schools and cost as much as college.  But for most people the answer is no.

If your kid is playing recreational golf then high school golf golf is a great thing in high school.

Every single junior I teach that is high school age, plays high school golf.  And they all enjoy it.  I think being on a team and dealing with all the things that go along with playing on a team are beneficial from a life experience perspective when it comes to college golf.  And these kids are playing/going to play top level college golf on scholarship.

[blaird]

iteachgolf, on 21 January 2018 - 10:07 PM, said:

tiger1873, on 21 January 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

I think you need to look at the goals and opportunities avaible to play high school golf.

For most kids who are good playing high school golf is a not something I would encourage. It at the worst a Distraction and probaly not worth there time. It probaly the last thing you want to do to get a scholarship.

Having said that I know for a fact some high schools will actually offer a high school scholarship. I believe Jorden spieth received a merit scholarship and played on his high school team. These are usually very high level schools and cost as much as college.  But for most people the answer is no.

If your kid is playing recreational golf then high school golf golf is a great thing in high school.

Every single junior I teach that is high school age, plays high school golf.  And they all enjoy it.  I think being on a team and dealing with all the things that go along with playing on a team are beneficial from a life experience perspective when it comes to college golf.  And these kids are playing/going to play top level college golf on scholarship.

All the kids in my state that have gone on to play college golf, have played for their high school team. Some of them are at Alabama playing, Ole Miss, Miss ST...etc. I dont think I have seen a highly ranked player not play for their school. We have a girl ranked inside top 80 or so that is going to MS State and still plays for her high school team.

Down here, high school golf runs from Feb-Early May, not a whole lot of jr tournaments going on so maybe they use this as a warm up for the big tourneys they are playing. Competing against each other in a tournament setting to get prepped for later in the year.

[Viewing As Guest]

[heavy_hitter]

tiger1873, on 21 January 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

I think you need to look at the goals and opportunities avaible to play high school golf.

For most kids who are good playing high school golf is a not something I would encourage. It at the worst a Distraction and probaly not worth there time. It probaly the last thing you want to do to get a scholarship.

Having said that I know for a fact some high schools will actually offer a high school scholarship. I believe Jorden spieth received a merit scholarship and played on his high school team. These are usually very high level schools and cost as much as college.  But for most people the answer is no.

If your kid is playing recreational golf then high school golf golf is a great thing in high school.

Most college coaches want their kids to play on High School Teams to get used to, playing on a TEAM.

[heavy_hitter]

blaird, on 22 January 2018 - 08:55 AM, said:

iteachgolf, on 21 January 2018 - 10:07 PM, said:

tiger1873, on 21 January 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

I think you need to look at the goals and opportunities avaible to play high school golf.

For most kids who are good playing high school golf is a not something I would encourage. It at the worst a Distraction and probaly not worth there time. It probaly the last thing you want to do to get a scholarship.

Having said that I know for a fact some high schools will actually offer a high school scholarship. I believe Jorden spieth received a merit scholarship and played on his high school team. These are usually very high level schools and cost as much as college.  But for most people the answer is no.

If your kid is playing recreational golf then high school golf golf is a great thing in high school.

Every single junior I teach that is high school age, plays high school golf.  And they all enjoy it.  I think being on a team and dealing with all the things that go along with playing on a team are beneficial from a life experience perspective when it comes to college golf.  And these kids are playing/going to play top level college golf on scholarship.

Down here, high school golf runs from Feb-Early May, not a whole lot of jr tournaments going on so maybe they use this as a warm up for the big tourneys they are playing. Competing against each other in a tournament setting to get prepped for later in the year.

There are a lot of tournaments going on at that time in Florida, Texas, and California.  The spring season is probably the busiest out of the entire year.  During the Fall is when there are not many junior events going on because most of the states play high school golf in the Fall.  I think if high school golf were in the Fall in Florida you would have less of the better players playing high school golf because it is prime season for FJT, AJGA, Hurricane, SFPGA, NFPGA, and everyone else running a tournament.

There are a handful of the better players that do not play high school golf.  It is not a criteria to play college golf, but the college coaches do like it.

Edited by heavy_hitter, 22 January 2018 - 10:53 AM.

[tiger1873]

heavy_hitter, on 22 January 2018 - 09:41 AM, said:

blaird, on 22 January 2018 - 08:55 AM, said:

iteachgolf, on 21 January 2018 - 10:07 PM, said:

tiger1873, on 21 January 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

I think you need to look at the goals and opportunities avaible to play high school golf.

For most kids who are good playing high school golf is a not something I would encourage. It at the worst a Distraction and probaly not worth there time. It probaly the last thing you want to do to get a scholarship.

Having said that I know for a fact some high schools will actually offer a high school scholarship. I believe Jorden spieth received a merit scholarship and played on his high school team. These are usually very high level schools and cost as much as college.  But for most people the answer is no.

If your kid is playing recreational golf then high school golf golf is a great thing in high school.

Every single junior I teach that is high school age, plays high school golf.  And they all enjoy it.  I think being on a team and dealing with all the things that go along with playing on a team are beneficial from a life experience perspective when it comes to college golf.  And these kids are playing/going to play top level college golf on scholarship.

Down here, high school golf runs from Feb-Early May, not a whole lot of jr tournaments going on so maybe they use this as a warm up for the big tourneys they are playing. Competing against each other in a tournament setting to get prepped for later in the year.

There are a lot of tournaments going on at that time in Florida, Texas, and California.  The spring season is probably the busiest out of the entire year.  During the Fall is when there are not many junior events going on because most of the states play high school golf in the Fall.  I think if high school golf were in the Fall in Florida you would have less of the better players playing high school golf because it is prime season for FJT, AJGA, Hurricane, SFPGA, NFPGA, and everyone else running a tournament.

I know a lot of kids, better players that do not play high school golf.  It is not a criteria to play college golf, but the college coaches do like it.

The key for High school Golf is how good or high high the kids are ranked. I hate to use ranking as a criteria because it has flaws but if a kid is a top 100 junior in the county high school golf is not really a priority for them. Of course college recruiting is very different for them as well they have a lot more choices.

Now if a kid is say ranked below a 1000 it might make more sense to play high school. It doesn't mean there not going to play college golf at a high level. The stakes are just a lot more higher if a junior is very highly ranked and wants to maintain that ranking.

I think when it comes to college coaches it may help but it is not a priority for them. The only case I can think of is if your a borderline recruit for them and shown you can preform in a team.  Vast majority are better off playing more larger tournaments.

Edited by tiger1873, 22 January 2018 - 10:20 AM.

[iteachgolf]

tiger1873, on 22 January 2018 - 10:06 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 22 January 2018 - 09:41 AM, said:

blaird, on 22 January 2018 - 08:55 AM, said:

iteachgolf, on 21 January 2018 - 10:07 PM, said:

tiger1873, on 21 January 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

I think you need to look at the goals and opportunities avaible to play high school golf.

For most kids who are good playing high school golf is a not something I would encourage. It at the worst a Distraction and probaly not worth there time. It probaly the last thing you want to do to get a scholarship.

Having said that I know for a fact some high schools will actually offer a high school scholarship. I believe Jorden spieth received a merit scholarship and played on his high school team. These are usually very high level schools and cost as much as college.  But for most people the answer is no.

If your kid is playing recreational golf then high school golf golf is a great thing in high school.

Every single junior I teach that is high school age, plays high school golf.  And they all enjoy it.  I think being on a team and dealing with all the things that go along with playing on a team are beneficial from a life experience perspective when it comes to college golf.  And these kids are playing/going to play top level college golf on scholarship.

Down here, high school golf runs from Feb-Early May, not a whole lot of jr tournaments going on so maybe they use this as a warm up for the big tourneys they are playing. Competing against each other in a tournament setting to get prepped for later in the year.

There are a lot of tournaments going on at that time in Florida, Texas, and California.  The spring season is probably the busiest out of the entire year.  During the Fall is when there are not many junior events going on because most of the states play high school golf in the Fall.  I think if high school golf were in the Fall in Florida you would have less of the better players playing high school golf because it is prime season for FJT, AJGA, Hurricane, SFPGA, NFPGA, and everyone else running a tournament.

I know a lot of kids, better players that do not play high school golf.  It is not a criteria to play college golf, but the college coaches do like it.

The key for High school Golf is how good or high high the kids are ranked. I hate to use ranking as a criteria but if a kid is in the top 100 high school golf is not really a priority for them. Of course college recruiting is very different for them as well they have a lot more choice. Now if a kid is say 1000 it might make more sense.

I think when it comes to college coaches it may help but not a priority for them if your a borderline recruit for them and shown you can preform in a team.  Vast majority are better off playing more tournaments.

All 4 of the top 100 players I teach play high school golf.  High school golf doesn’t preclude them from playing in tournaments.  Big junior events are always on weekends or over holiday weekends.  High school golf is during the week.  It’s free and doesn’t interfere at all with outside tournaments.

At the local conference tournament last year there were four players who shot below 70, winning score was 63.  There are VERY good players who play high school golf, including multiple ranked inside the top 100 overall/top 30 of their graduating class.

Edited by iteachgolf, 22 January 2018 - 10:25 AM.

[heavy_hitter]

tiger1873, on 22 January 2018 - 10:06 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 22 January 2018 - 09:41 AM, said:

blaird, on 22 January 2018 - 08:55 AM, said:

iteachgolf, on 21 January 2018 - 10:07 PM, said:

tiger1873, on 21 January 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

I think you need to look at the goals and opportunities avaible to play high school golf.

For most kids who are good playing high school golf is a not something I would encourage. It at the worst a Distraction and probaly not worth there time. It probaly the last thing you want to do to get a scholarship.

Having said that I know for a fact some high schools will actually offer a high school scholarship. I believe Jorden spieth received a merit scholarship and played on his high school team. These are usually very high level schools and cost as much as college.  But for most people the answer is no.

If your kid is playing recreational golf then high school golf golf is a great thing in high school.

Every single junior I teach that is high school age, plays high school golf.  And they all enjoy it.  I think being on a team and dealing with all the things that go along with playing on a team are beneficial from a life experience perspective when it comes to college golf.  And these kids are playing/going to play top level college golf on scholarship.

Down here, high school golf runs from Feb-Early May, not a whole lot of jr tournaments going on so maybe they use this as a warm up for the big tourneys they are playing. Competing against each other in a tournament setting to get prepped for later in the year.

There are a lot of tournaments going on at that time in Florida, Texas, and California.  The spring season is probably the busiest out of the entire year.  During the Fall is when there are not many junior events going on because most of the states play high school golf in the Fall.  I think if high school golf were in the Fall in Florida you would have less of the better players playing high school golf because it is prime season for FJT, AJGA, Hurricane, SFPGA, NFPGA, and everyone else running a tournament.

I know a lot of kids, better players that do not play high school golf.  It is not a criteria to play college golf, but the college coaches do like it.

The key for High school Golf is how good or high high the kids are ranked. I hate to use ranking as a criteria because it has flaws but if a kid is a top 100 junior in the county high school golf is not really a priority for them. Of course college recruiting is very different for them as well they have a lot more choices.

Now if a kid is say ranked below a 1000 it might make more sense to play high school. It doesn't mean there not going to play college golf at a high level. The stakes are just a lot more higher if a junior is very highly ranked and wants to maintain that ranking.

I think when it comes to college coaches it may help but it is not a priority for them. The only case I can think of is if your a borderline recruit for them and shown you can preform in a team.  Vast majority are better off playing more larger tournaments.

I will flat out tell you that you are 100% wrong.

A Handful of the better players don't play high school golf.  Most of them do.  I see it more on the girl's side than the guys.  Those girl's that are really good are pursuing LPGA, not college, so they won't play HS golf.

Garrett Barber Class of 2018 and arguably one of the best Seniors in the senior class has played High School Golf every year of High School.   The best players do play high school golf.  Many use it as a practice season.  This is when they make changes and use it during competition that doesn't really count.  Garrett is just one kid of the many off the top of my head that I know play high school golf whether it be male or female.  Garrett is the real deal and I know iTeach has heard of him.  

While high school golf is not always the best of the best, there is plenty of value in playing high school golf.

Edited by heavy_hitter, 22 January 2018 - 10:55 AM.

[blaird]

The 6A (our largest schools) state tournament was played on the coast a few years ago. I went out and watched a little even though I was not coaching the boys. Brayden Thornberry (just won NCAA champ, Walker Cup member) was playing. Said something along the lines of "gonna have to take it low for US to have a chance" on the final day and went out and shot 64 to give his team a chance at winning. These kids do care about their school and winning it for their school and team.

Tupelo High has produced numerous D1 players, and at one point won like 5 straight state championships. I was there when they won one at their home course and saw how happy and pumped they were, I think 3 kids off that team went D1...two to Mississippi State and one to Missouri.

I know a lot of the kids have verbally committed very early in their high school careers but are still out there grinding trying to beat their buddies who are really good and help their team win. I get that 99% of colleges do not care much about high school performance but these kids seem to really enjoy it as much if not more than the kids who are having fun playing knowing they arent going to play college golf.

[tiger1873]

heavy_hitter, on 22 January 2018 - 10:48 AM, said:

I will flat out tell you that you are 100% wrong.

A Handful of the better players don't play high school golf.  Most of them do.  I see it more on the girl's side than the guys.  Those girl's that are really good are pursuing LPGA, not college, so they won't play HS golf.

Garrett Barber Class of 2018 and arguably one of the best Seniors in the senior class has played High School Golf every year of High School.   The best players do play high school golf.  Many use it as a practice season.  This is when they make changes and use it during competition that doesn't really count.  Garrett is just one kid of the many off the top of my head that I know play high school golf whether it be male or female.  Garrett is the real deal and I know iTeach has heard of him.  

While high school golf is not always the best of the best, there is plenty of value in playing high school golf.

I think you miss understood me I am not saying there is no value in high school golf.  It just a lot people think that it's more important then it really is and think   that it will get them scholarships. Playing big tournaments and scoring low in rounds once in a while is what they want to see.

Also some of the better players get free rides to high schools that cost 30k plus a year for playing high school golf. But if you are talking about public high school golf there are good reasons to stay away from some school programs.

The top 100 or so girls are all pursuing or think of playing in the LPGA the truth is the vast majority of them should even bother trying to go pro until after they go to college and graduate. In fact getting a 4 year degree is probably the best thing they should do and will help them a lot in their career.  This is especially true for girls.

Edited by tiger1873, 22 January 2018 - 11:39 AM.

[heavy_hitter]

tiger1873, on 22 January 2018 - 11:35 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 22 January 2018 - 10:48 AM, said:

I will flat out tell you that you are 100% wrong.

A Handful of the better players don't play high school golf.  Most of them do.  I see it more on the girl's side than the guys.  Those girl's that are really good are pursuing LPGA, not college, so they won't play HS golf.

Garrett Barber Class of 2018 and arguably one of the best Seniors in the senior class has played High School Golf every year of High School.   The best players do play high school golf.  Many use it as a practice season.  This is when they make changes and use it during competition that doesn't really count.  Garrett is just one kid of the many off the top of my head that I know play high school golf whether it be male or female.  Garrett is the real deal and I know iTeach has heard of him.  

While high school golf is not always the best of the best, there is plenty of value in playing high school golf.

I think you miss understood me I am not saying there is no value in high school golf.  It just a lot people think that it's more important then it really is and think   that it will get them scholarships. Playing big tournaments and scoring low in rounds once in a while is what they want to see.

Also some of the better players get free rides to high schools that cost 30k plus a year for playing high school golf. But if you are talking about public high school golf there are good reasons to stay away from some school programs.

The top 100 or so girls are all pursuing or think of playing in the LPGA the truth is the vast majority of them should even bother trying to go pro until after they go to college and graduate. In fact getting a 4 year degree is probably the best thing they should do and will help them a lot in their career.  This is especially true for girls.

But we are not talking about getting scholarships.

Fact of the matter is most of the Great players do play high school golf.  There are only a handful that do not.  I agree that High School Golf is not the best of the best during the regular season.  During the regular season it is a bit of a joke.  You will have the premier programs that are going to travel all over to play.  Our local high school made a trip to Arizona this year, they play in the Honda High School classic on the same course as the Honda, and they play all over the state.  Experiences like those are priceless.

Edited by heavy_hitter, 22 January 2018 - 02:34 PM.

[tiger1873]

heavy_hitter, on 22 January 2018 - 12:01 PM, said:

tiger1873, on 22 January 2018 - 11:35 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 22 January 2018 - 10:48 AM, said:

I will flat out tell you that you are 100% wrong.

A Handful of the better players don't play high school golf.  Most of them do.  I see it more on the girl's side than the guys.  Those girl's that are really good are pursuing LPGA, not college, so they won't play HS golf.

Garrett Barber Class of 2018 and arguably one of the best Seniors in the senior class has played High School Golf every year of High School.   The best players do play high school golf.  Many use it as a practice season.  This is when they make changes and use it during competition that doesn't really count.  Garrett is just one kid of the many off the top of my head that I know play high school golf whether it be male or female.  Garrett is the real deal and I know iTeach has heard of him.  

While high school golf is not always the best of the best, there is plenty of value in playing high school golf.

I think you miss understood me I am not saying there is no value in high school golf.  It just a lot people think that it's more important then it really is and think   that it will get them scholarships. Playing big tournaments and scoring low in rounds once in a while is what they want to see.

Also some of the better players get free rides to high schools that cost 30k plus a year for playing high school golf. But if you are talking about public high school golf there are good reasons to stay away from some school programs.

The top 100 or so girls are all pursuing or think of playing in the LPGA the truth is the vast majority of them should even bother trying to go pro until after they go to college and graduate. In fact getting a 4 year degree is probably the best thing they should do and will help them a lot in their career.  This is especially true for girls.

But we are talking about getting scholarships.

Fact of the matter is most of the Great players do play high school golf.  There are only a handful that do not.  I agree that High School Golf is not the best of the best during the regular season.  During the regular season it is a bit of a joke.  You will have the premier programs that are going to travel all over to play.  Our local high school made a trip to Arizona this year, they play in the Honda High School classic on the same course as the Honda, and they play all over the state.  Experiences like those are priceless.

Around here it really depends on the school.  Texas has a lot of small towns so if you anything below 6a your probably playing against kids who are from one those small towns and might have picked up a club 6 months ago. That is if your a boy.  If your a girl you may not even have a viable team. Even if you from a bigger school most of girls that have  only picked up golf 6 months.

The other problems with Public school in Texas is they have strict attendance rules and you will have to explain to a judge if you decided to do a tournament instead of going to school.  Unless you are playing in school events they do not allow you to miss school.

Because of this most of the better kids who play golf go to private schools or just  end up home schooling them. I believe Jordan Speith went to Jesuit in Dallas. Those teams are very competitive and actually make sense but the schools are very expensive to go to.

I am sure high school kids (especially girls) get D2 and D3 scholarships.  I wouldn't be surprised even by lower ranked D1 schools but the better D1 schools I was  told never look at school score or even think about high school golf.

Edited by tiger1873, 22 January 2018 - 02:21 PM.

[farmer]

I still have trouble with the concept of middle school kids playing varsity high school sports.  Aside from that, I see no downside to playing HS golf.  The vast majority of these kids will never play in college or on tour, but they will have fun.  Might get to do a little traveling, enjoy the team experience, even if they're not able to play the mainstream sports.  In Texas, that would be FOOTBALL, or BASKETball.

Edited by farmer, 22 January 2018 - 02:27 PM.

[Viewing As Guest]

Wanna get rid of this ugly yellow box? And remove other annoying "stuff" in between posts? Create a FREE GolfWRX account here.

[franklin15]

leezer99, on 29 November 2017 - 01:44 PM, said:

Aquila, on 29 November 2017 - 01:42 PM, said:

I wouldn't want my kid to miss classes once a week for any sport, regardless of their prospects. Education takes priority.

So no HS sports whatsoever?

Missing a day of school every week is not that big of a deal, if they have aspirations of going to play college golf they will miss alot more school. Knowing how to get through school while missing days in class well help them in the long run.

[blaird]

franklin15, on 30 January 2018 - 06:05 PM, said:

leezer99, on 29 November 2017 - 01:44 PM, said:

Aquila, on 29 November 2017 - 01:42 PM, said:

I wouldn't want my kid to miss classes once a week for any sport, regardless of their prospects. Education takes priority.

So no HS sports whatsoever?

Missing a day of school every week is not that big of a deal, if they have aspirations of going to play college golf they will miss alot more school. Knowing how to get through school while missing days in class well help them in the long run.

Amen to this. I went NAIA for my last two years and my school was on trimesters instead of semesters so we had 3 sets of 10 week classes. The Spring trimester we had 2 regular tournaments, conference, and regionals so I missed a TON that semester. Had to make up all the work and tests or take a test early...whatever it took to get caught up.

[TimberBeast]

farmer, on 22 January 2018 - 02:24 PM, said:

I still have trouble with the concept of middle school kids playing varsity high school sports.  Aside from that, I see no downside to playing HS golf.  The vast majority of these kids will never play in college or on tour, but they will have fun.  Might get to do a little traveling, enjoy the team experience, even if they're not able to play the mainstream sports.  In Texas, that would be FOOTBALL, or BASKETball.

Our daughter is in 7th grade and will play for the varsity golf team at the high school starting next month.  I'm a little nervous about it, but she has always played with older kids in sports and is pretty mature for her age.  Her scores will be ok but I do worry a little about the social stuff and her being around older kids talking.  I've said before though, if you worry about what your kid is going to hear, then the golf course is probably not the best place for them.  High school sports with girls I would hope would be a little more laid back too than what she might hear on the course on any given weekend.

Edited by TimberBeast, 31 January 2018 - 11:37 AM.

[heavy_hitter]

TimberBeast, on 31 January 2018 - 11:36 AM, said:

farmer, on 22 January 2018 - 02:24 PM, said:

I still have trouble with the concept of middle school kids playing varsity high school sports.  Aside from that, I see no downside to playing HS golf.  The vast majority of these kids will never play in college or on tour, but they will have fun.  Might get to do a little traveling, enjoy the team experience, even if they're not able to play the mainstream sports.  In Texas, that would be FOOTBALL, or BASKETball.

Our daughter is in 7th grade and will play for the varsity golf team at the high school starting next month.  I'm a little nervous about it, but she has always played with older kids in sports and is pretty mature for her age.  Her scores will be ok but I do worry a little about the social stuff and her being around older kids talking.  I've said before though, if you worry about what your kid is going to hear, then the golf course is probably not the best place for them.  High school sports with girls I would hope would be a little more laid back too than what she might hear on the course on any given weekend.

Trust me, it isn't.  They have farting contests just like the boys.  The worst part of High School Girl's Sports is girl drama.

[TimberBeast]

heavy_hitter, on 31 January 2018 - 11:42 AM, said:

TimberBeast, on 31 January 2018 - 11:36 AM, said:

farmer, on 22 January 2018 - 02:24 PM, said:

I still have trouble with the concept of middle school kids playing varsity high school sports.  Aside from that, I see no downside to playing HS golf.  The vast majority of these kids will never play in college or on tour, but they will have fun.  Might get to do a little traveling, enjoy the team experience, even if they're not able to play the mainstream sports.  In Texas, that would be FOOTBALL, or BASKETball.

Our daughter is in 7th grade and will play for the varsity golf team at the high school starting next month.  I'm a little nervous about it, but she has always played with older kids in sports and is pretty mature for her age.  Her scores will be ok but I do worry a little about the social stuff and her being around older kids talking.  I've said before though, if you worry about what your kid is going to hear, then the golf course is probably not the best place for them.  High school sports with girls I would hope would be a little more laid back too than what she might hear on the course on any given weekend.

Trust me, it isn't.  They have farting contests just like the boys.  The worst part of High School Girl's Sports is girl drama.

Sounds like she'll have a lot of fun and be in the middle of drama.  That about sums up middle school and high school.  Might as well go ahead and get a taste of it.

[driveandputtmachine]

I played High School, College, and then tried the mini tours.
In short, yes and no at least it is this way on the boy's side.

The NO......
No Div 1 or for that matter really even Div 2 school cares about your high school scores.  Are you in a tough Regional, where did you finish there and where did you finish in your state tournament.  Those are things they care about.  Top level amateur events are going to get any young kid more looks from a college coach.  Finish in the Top 5 in a tough Region, or finish in the Top 10 in State tournament, your actual end of year average may be asked, but is not really a huge deal in most cases.  If you have a Top 150 junior amateur in your conference, then all of this could go out the window and more care will be given to events your child plays in with that player.

The YES......
Even high school golf teaches you how to win.  It teaches you that tournament golf is different that a round with your friends.  Even if the competition isn't great it can still be a building block on how to score without your best game and will help knock down those first couple hole jitters and kid would have in an amateur tournament.  

Other Yes
Everyone is different, hanging out with one crowd will shelter your child and not prepare them for big tournaments or life.  You get talkers, you get the quiets, and you get everything in between.  You need to learn to deal with it all.  Dealing with it in a stressful environment like the golf course during a tournament will better situate you to succeed in life, not just during golf tournaments.

Edited by driveandputtmachine, 19 February 2018 - 02:08 PM.

[jollysammy]

Playing HS golf has been fun for my son.   Yes, it's not the same level of competition that he faces in junior tournaments, but it's also great for his self-esteem and it's more about team than individual for him.  When he was in middle school he was the top golfer, so one of the middle school coaches allowed him to practice with his high school varsity golf team and tried to recruit him to go there when he realized that my son was beating his juniors and seniors.  He was the only freshman to get all league honors and went on the next year to be low medalist at the regionals.  He actually felt more pressure to help his team than himself.   His team that year missed going on to the sectionals by 4 strokes though he got through individually, and he was disappointed about that, but I told him that he did all he could as he was the only one under par that day and he wasn't going to be shooting a 65 on that course when no one else broke par.

I think he enjoys team golf because he was a former year round baseball player and that's where he learned the value of going all out for his team.  To him, it was more natural to accomplish great things in a group setting together.