60 replies to this topic

[CallawayLefty]

You're a sophmore in high school, so let's start by clearing up that you should ignore everyone here who even sort of indicates that this cannot be accomplished.  They are just jaded old grouches.  You are a kid, and anything is possible.  I knew a kid in high school who was two years younger than me who was horrible when he came in as a freshman.  He had trouble breaking 90.  By sophmore year he was under 80.  By junior year, he was under par.  By senior year he was winning state, as well as a nice handful of local state AM tournaments.  He went on to play D1 on a scholarship and very nearly made it as a pro.  I do not think it is out of the realm of the possible to knock 10 shots off your game this year.  You have unlimited time, just put it to good use.  Act like a professional.  Figure out where you are giving strokes away and fix it.  Play in every tournament that will have you and play your a** off.  Reassess next year to see where you stand and then ask your coach to start helping you get in front of college coaches.  Stop even scoring your handicap.  At this point, you don't need to limit yourself by thinking "oh I'm a 4.6."  That means when you get to -2, you will get freaked out and make a couple of doubles right quick to get yourself back to 4.6 level.  Again, you are a kid, just go out there and kick tail and take names.  There are a lot of us who sit behind a desk all day who would love the chance to go back and spend a whole year or two trying to see if we had what it takes.  You've got it, so use it and see where you go.

[esketores]

Well I guess he could mean O'Dea High School in Seattle when he said he attends Freddie Couples' high school.
Don't lose your dream. Keep practicing. Hard work has its rewwards. And as others have stated... play tournaments. Your handicap means nothing. It is all about how you score under pressure.
There are very few D1 full ride golf scholarships handed out.
But education first. Dr. Gil Morgan always had plan B.

[m4tTy333]

I'd have to believe that a "bad" round for a solid D1 college player would be even

[Br1an02;]

m4tTy333, on 23 August 2012 - 10:50 PM, said:

I'd have to believe that a "bad" round for a solid D1 college player would be even

I've seen scores of top D1 players have bad days which ended in mid to high 70s

[Bombn]

Br1an02;, on 23 August 2012 - 10:54 PM, said:

m4tTy333, on 23 August 2012 - 10:50 PM, said:

I'd have to believe that a "bad" round for a solid D1 college player would be even

I've seen scores of top D1 players have bad days which ended in mid to high 70s

Here are some "real scores" from the top D1 schools at one of the best tournaments of the year "Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters" last March (2012).

http://www.golfstatr...player2898.html

As you can see, scores can be all over the place for even the best players at the D1 level.

[vokeyloyalist]

my friend is cometing in the LPGA right now and tells me (an aspireing professional golfer) to not worry about my handicap)

[Sling]

All of those who are saying don't worry about a handicap, what about tournaments that accept entries up to a maximum. I'm talking about the USGA run stuff such as the Junior Amateur and Amateur and there are many junior tournaments worldwide that have handicap restrictions?

Even though handicaps might not mean much ultimately it isn't all just about bragging rights, you need a good handicap to get in to some of the best tournaments out there.

[vokeyloyalist]

I mean dont judge your ability on your handicap

[Tmiller72]

Coaches don't care about handicaps, they want to see tournament results.

Edited by Tmiller72, 26 August 2012 - 08:14 PM.

[Athletic Golf Training]

Simply go for it!

Many of the players within the system fail to deliver on the results that were expected of them Early specialization has it's downsides. If you want it, go and get it. Simple. get your handicap down, feel comfortable in tournaments, play frequently, practice and train and the coaches will notice.

After an interview with the head of the CEO at Golf Coaches Association of America he made it very clear that coaches look for personalities and a good ethic just as much if not more so than the scores from tournaments and players within the Academies.
Good luck!

Check out www.athleticgolftraining.com

[OptionlessM]

Bombn, on 24 August 2012 - 01:48 AM, said:

Br1an02;, on 23 August 2012 - 10:54 PM, said:

m4tTy333, on 23 August 2012 - 10:50 PM, said:

I'd have to believe that a "bad" round for a solid D1 college player would be even

I've seen scores of top D1 players have bad days which ended in mid to high 70s

Here are some "real scores" from the top D1 schools at one of the best tournaments of the year "Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters" last March (2012).

http://www.golfstatr...player2898.html

As you can see, scores can be all over the place for even the best players at the D1 level.

I played in this tournament, and it is one of the most difficult courses on the schedule.  I played with Rickie Fowler for the round and he shot 80.  Hudson Swafford also shot 82 or something.

Scores can go crazy there.

[seminolesfan56]

CallawayLefty, on 23 August 2012 - 08:24 PM, said:

You're a sophmore in high school, so let's start by clearing up that you should ignore everyone here who even sort of indicates that this cannot be accomplished.  They are just jaded old grouches.  You are a kid, and anything is possible.  I knew a kid in high school who was two years younger than me who was horrible when he came in as a freshman.  He had trouble breaking 90.  By sophmore year he was under 80.  By junior year, he was under par.  By senior year he was winning state, as well as a nice handful of local state AM tournaments.  He went on to play D1 on a scholarship and very nearly made it as a pro.  I do not think it is out of the realm of the possible to knock 10 shots off your game this year.  You have unlimited time, just put it to good use.  Act like a professional.  Figure out where you are giving strokes away and fix it.  Play in every tournament that will have you and play your a** off.  Reassess next year to see where you stand and then ask your coach to start helping you get in front of college coaches.  Stop even scoring your handicap.  At this point, you don't need to limit yourself by thinking "oh I'm a 4.6."  That means when you get to -2, you will get freaked out and make a couple of doubles right quick to get yourself back to 4.6 level.  Again, you are a kid, just go out there and kick tail and take names.  There are a lot of us who sit behind a desk all day who would love the chance to go back and spend a whole year or two trying to see if we had what it takes.  You've got it, so use it and see where you go.

Great words!

[lefty_with a power fade]

thanks for the feedback all. i played well in junior tourneys throughout washington this year and 2 ajga tourneys. results: two top threes in wjga and 7 top tens. and 46th in ajga in orgeon. hoping to keep working hard and placing well in state high school tourney this spring. THANKS

ps fred couples old high school is O'Dea high school.

[Titleist876]

Well, when you say D1 school... ANYONE can play D1... My case and point is Chicago State University... Great West Conference NCAA Division 1... The BEST player on the team's average tournament scoring avg is 90... and lowest round on the team this season has been 79. So to play D1, you can be awful. LOL There might even be worst D1 teams than CSU... thats just one I know about since my buddy was wanting to play there to be the #1 bag... I talked him out of it (thankfully).

[birdyfest]

i can't remember which coach or school it was...but one of the coaches i read about told his players to practice playing under par.  most golfers who get a birdy or two start to think about their overall final score and ultimately blow up.  i think the best advice of this thread is to focus on tournament results, not what you post in the computer at the end of the day.  practice playing under pressure and love to go low!

[Hankthetank94]

Honestly, 99.9% of the people/juniors on here have the wrong idea on division I golf. I have read a couple posts that have said the right thing. One was by lilmike, and the other: the post about finding the school that is right for you rather than picking the school BECAUSE of the golf program. Look dude, e-mail coaches, write them, post videos on youtube, play in as many tournaments as possible, and last but not least; hope that you get some luck. There is no 'single thing' or score that says "oh yeah - he's DI material" ... Just play the best you can, hope for the best, and do all the hard work (e-mail, youtube, booking tournaments, working on your short game, etc) and hope that you get some results. Look at Jason Dufner for example... dude walked on at Auburn (correct me if I'm wrong). A WALK ON!!!! Where is he now?
Exactly... Nobody is going to pin-point whether or not you're good enough - of course I am confident when I say I think you have a shot though. In essence, playing college golf is a widely misunderstood topic and people don't understand that you really do not have to be a "plus hdcp" like some of you are saying.

Follow your dream bro and I hope everything works out... On a personal note, I gave golf up when I was 17. I was being contacted by schools like Hofstra, UPenn, Richmond, Eckerd, Allegheny (DIII), and the University of South Florida. I gave it up for a reason that I'd rather not share with the internet so I'd ask that you guys leave it alone - nonetheless I did give it up and I wonder EVERY day what could have been.

Play your heart out and let us know when you sign a 250,000k scholarship in 2.5 years...
Regards,
Hankthetank94

Edited by Hankthetank94, 09 October 2012 - 11:07 PM.

[lilmike24]

Hankthetank94, on 09 October 2012 - 11:03 PM, said:

Honestly, 99.9% of the people/juniors on here have the wrong idea on division I golf. I have read a couple posts that have said the right thing. One was by lilmike, and the other: the post about finding the school that is right for you rather than picking the school BECAUSE of the golf program. Look dude, e-mail coaches, write them, post videos on youtube, play in as many tournaments as possible, and last but not least; hope that you get some luck. There is no 'single thing' or score that says "oh yeah - he's DI material" ... Just play the best you can, hope for the best, and do all the hard work (e-mail, youtube, booking tournaments, working on your short game, etc) and hope that you get some results. Look at Jason Dufner for example... dude walked on at Auburn (correct me if I'm wrong). A WALK ON!!!! Where is he now?
Exactly... Nobody is going to pin-point whether or not you're good enough - of course I am confident when I say I think you have a shot though. In essence, playing college golf is a widely misunderstood topic and people don't understand that you really do not have to be a "plus hdcp" like some of you are saying.

Follow your dream bro and I hope everything works out... On a personal note, I gave golf up when I was 17. I was being contacted by schools like Hofstra, UPenn, Richmond, Eckerd, Allegheny (DIII), and the University of South Florida. I gave it up for a reason that I'd rather not share with the internet so I'd ask that you guys leave it alone - nonetheless I did give it up and I wonder EVERY day what could have been.

Play your heart out and let us know when you sign a 250,000k scholarship in 2.5 years...
Regards,
Hankthetank94

WELL then. lol

[Tmiller72]

There are D2, NAIA and JUCO programs that are better than some D1 programs.  So don't set your sights on just playing D1 golf.  For the record, JUCO is a great way to go for several reasons.

[MatthewNGolf]

Team at my school averages around 74 on a 7600 yard course, slope of 140 and course rating of 76. Hardest course in my state...

We are NCAA d1, but not a top fifty or anything. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't capable of something. I've seen some really crappy golfers(worse than a four) go to decent d1 schools, red shirt there freshman year, get better, and start the next season. You need to play in ajga events, have your instructor call coaches, forget worrying about handicap. Most importantly, you need to become a stone cold killer mentally.

Edited by MatthewNGolf, 05 November 2012 - 04:55 AM.

[semi]

MatthewNGolf, on 05 November 2012 - 04:52 AM, said:

Team at my school averages around 74 on a 7600 yard course, slope of 140 and course rating of 76. Hardest course in my state...

We are NCAA d1, but not a top fifty or anything. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't capable of something. I've seen some really crappy golfers(worse than a four) go to decent d1 schools, red shirt there freshman year, get better, and start the next season. You need to play in ajga events, have your instructor call coaches, forget worrying about handicap. Most importantly, you need to become a stone cold killer mentally.

like the last comment!

[Sirloch545]

Regardless of what anyone tells you, all you need is to have the motivation and the knowledge that you have to work hard for it. VERY hard. Play well in tournaments( bigger, more well known associations ie AJGA,SJGT) and talk to coaches, let them know who you are. If you want it bad enough and are willing to work for it no one can tell you you're not good enough or you don't have a "realistic chance". Practice hard and get after it.

[TheMackDaddy]

My coach says I should be around a +4 in tournament play to make it into a good D1 school with scholarship.

[super7]

Mackdaddy  It’s time for you to find a more realistic coach. You don’t have to be playing like a pro to play DIV 1 golf. The #1 junior in the country averaged 70.5 in 5 tournaments played and won 4 of them. Now all were AJGA Invitationals played on long hard tracks but this is not the 68 average that your coach is advocating. I hear it all the time kids saying “how did he (she) commit to that college they are not that good?” The key is to build a relationship with college coaches of the schools you are interested in. so here is some advice.

Contact coaches of the schools you are interested in NOW!! They will let you know what you need to do to be attractive to their program.

Be realistic. Some D1 schools have certain player types they are looking for. And some schools are already done with verbals for their 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes.

Play in AJGAs. I would say every junior golfer looking for a D1 should play in AJGAs.

Work your but off. Short game and putting.

Anything is possible.

[semi]

super7, on 21 November 2012 - 12:47 AM, said:

Mackdaddy  It’s time for you to find a more realistic coach. You don’t have to be playing like a pro to play DIV 1 golf. The #1 junior in the country averaged 70.5 in 5 tournaments played and won 4 of them. Now all were AJGA Invitationals played on long hard tracks but this is not the 68 average that your coach is advocating. I hear it all the time kids saying “how did he (she) commit to that college they are not that good?” The key is to build a relationship with college coaches of the schools you are interested in. so here is some advice.

Contact coaches of the schools you are interested in NOW!! They will let you know what you need to do to be attractive to their program.

Be realistic. Some D1 schools have certain player types they are looking for. And some schools are already done with verbals for their 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes.

Play in AJGAs. I would say every junior golfer looking for a D1 should play in AJGAs.

Work your but off. Short game and putting.

Anything is possible.

really good advice...can you give me a few  examples of "player types"?

thanks

[super7]

semi, on 21 November 2012 - 02:59 AM, said:

super7, on 21 November 2012 - 12:47 AM, said:

Mackdaddy  It’s time for you to find a more realistic coach. You don’t have to be playing like a pro to play DIV 1 golf. The #1 junior in the country averaged 70.5 in 5 tournaments played and won 4 of them. Now all were AJGA Invitationals played on long hard tracks but this is not the 68 average that your coach is advocating. I hear it all the time kids saying “how did he (she) commit to that college they are not that good?” The key is to build a relationship with college coaches of the schools you are interested in. so here is some advice.

Contact coaches of the schools you are interested in NOW!! They will let you know what you need to do to be attractive to their program.

Be realistic. Some D1 schools have certain player types they are looking for. And some schools are already done with verbals for their 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes.

Play in AJGAs. I would say every junior golfer looking for a D1 should play in AJGAs.

Work your but off. Short game and putting.

Anything is possible.

really good advice...can you give me a few  examples of "player types"?

thanks

Sure, some schools are looking for players that will jell with the players they already have (personality wise). Also some schools go after really good ball strikers, and some schools go after power hitters and feel they can teach the short game or force them to work harder on the short game when they get to school. It’s really up to the coach and what he is looking for in players; it's not always stroke average. This is why players that or interested in certain schools should contact the coach as soon as possible. You may or may not be a good match for what they are looking for. It also maters how much scholarship you are seeking, a coach may take a unproven or undeveloped player for say 10% or Books if they think the player may have potential.

[dtowngolf]

small schools you should have between a 2-4 handicap and bigger schools you should for sure be a 1 or less because most big schools shoot around par

[TheMackDaddy]

super7, on 21 November 2012 - 12:47 AM, said:

Mackdaddy  It’s time for you to find a more realistic coach. You don’t have to be playing like a pro to play DIV 1 golf. The #1 junior in the country averaged 70.5 in 5 tournaments played and won 4 of them. Now all were AJGA Invitationals played on long hard tracks but this is not the 68 average that your coach is advocating. I hear it all the time kids saying “how did he (she) commit to that college they are not that good?” The key is to build a relationship with college coaches of the schools you are interested in. so here is some advice.

Contact coaches of the schools you are interested in NOW!! They will let you know what you need to do to be attractive to their program.

Be realistic. Some D1 schools have certain player types they are looking for. And some schools are already done with verbals for their 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes.

Play in AJGAs. I would say every junior golfer looking for a D1 should play in AJGAs.

Work your but off. Short game and putting.

Anything is possible.

You do realize that a +4 would only break the course rating by 4 shots every 1 in 3 rounds right? So if the course rating is  73 on a long hard ajga track, I'd most likely shoot 69 and the rest around 71-73 (presuming I'm a +4) . I think I will take advice from my coach who teaches the number 3 women's amateur in the country than take it from some "super 7" over the Internet.

Also funny how the coach of the university I'd like to attend feels that AJGA is a waste and I wouldn't need to play in them to get in as long as I can play. I'll still play in them, but now I know that they are only good for getting noticed, you don't have to win one to get accepted to a D1 school

Anything is possible, and I do plan on getting to a +4.

[ralvar]

Look here:

http://www.golfstat....rsp11/M4591.htm

This is the Big 10 Championship from 2011 played at a course where the tips are 75.9/143.

Over 4 rounds, the medal winner was -1.  That would translate to a -3.1 index.

The bottom guys in the tourney shot +26 to +32 over the 4 rounds.  +32 equates to a 3.11 index.  +26 equates to a 1.97 index.

Now, the guys above are absolutely correct in that coaches won't care about your HC.  They want to see your tournament results (AJGA or others).  But the above should show you that you are in the ball park if you can take your current game and play at the same level in tournament conditions.  Now that's a big if which is why they are also suggesting that you get as much tourney experience as possible.

Also as someone else mentioned, don't get too hung up on D1 schools.  It's not worth going to a D1 program if you don't like the school or they don't have the academic program you want.  There are also some D2 programs that are a lot more competitive than D1 programs.  Take a look at your options and your priorities, but don't get too hung up on D1 just for the sake of D1.

[farmer]

Playing for a d1 school is different than getting a scholarship to play.  Mack, if you want to improve your chances, play in the Wash State Am, or state open, USGA Jr. events, US Am, events that will showcase what you can do on a big stage.  Hope you get to that +4, get your ride and do well.

[super7]

TheMackDaddy, on 05 December 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

super7, on 21 November 2012 - 12:47 AM, said:

Mackdaddy  It’s time for you to find a more realistic coach. You don’t have to be playing like a pro to play DIV 1 golf. The #1 junior in the country averaged 70.5 in 5 tournaments played and won 4 of them. Now all were AJGA Invitationals played on long hard tracks but this is not the 68 average that your coach is advocating. I hear it all the time kids saying “how did he (she) commit to that college they are not that good?” The key is to build a relationship with college coaches of the schools you are interested in. so here is some advice.

Contact coaches of the schools you are interested in NOW!! They will let you know what you need to do to be attractive to their program.

Be realistic. Some D1 schools have certain player types they are looking for. And some schools are already done with verbals for their 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes.

Play in AJGAs. I would say every junior golfer looking for a D1 should play in AJGAs.

Work your but off. Short game and putting.

Anything is possible.

You do realize that a +4 would only break the course rating by 4 shots every 1 in 3 rounds right? So if the course rating is  73 on a long hard ajga track, I'd most likely shoot 69 and the rest around 71-73 (presuming I'm a +4) . I think I will take advice from my coach who teaches the number 3 women's amateur in the country than take it from some "super 7" over the Internet.

Also funny how the coach of the university I'd like to attend feels that AJGA is a waste and I wouldn't need to play in them to get in as long as I can play. I'll still play in them, but now I know that they are only good for getting noticed, you don't have to win one to get accepted to a D1 school

Anything is possible, and I do plan on getting to a +4.

Mackdaddy I apologize if you feel my comments were insulting in any way. That is certainly not my intent here.  There is just so much misinformation out there about D1 college golf. Its the same type question as what kind of grades do I need to get academically excepted into college. Well it depends on where you want to go; Harvard will have a different standard than say your everyday state university and there are other factors also. But simply saying you must have a straight A average to get into college is just not accurate. So it really depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to play for a certain top D1 school like Oklahoma State, or Jay Seawell at Alabama, then yes, you need to be a very accomplished junior with a good resume. However you do not have to be a world beater or a +4 to play D1 golf.

Let's take a look at the AJGA invitationals and long hard tracks:
HP at Carlton woods                          rating: 76.6    Slope:145
Thunderbird at Grayhawk.                 rating: 74.4     Slope:143
FJ invitational.                                    rating: 74.3     Slope:141
Rolex.                                                 rating: 76.4     Slope:140
Players at Saw Grass                         rating: 76.8     Slope:155
The Ping at Karsten Creek                 rating: 77.1     Slope:152
The Polo at PGA National.                 rating: 74.2     Slope:138
Wyndham Cup Bay Hill                      rating: 75.2     Slope:137

So lets say you shot the 3 rounds you quoted in your post 69,71,73 at Gray Hawk, the Thunderbird Invitational  course. You would have finished 2nd, and with that alone, you could make a bid for just about anywhere in the country. That is why college coaches like the AJGA so much. They get to see kids on very tough and long tracks that are usually out of their comfort zone. The coaches get to see how kids adapt to playing in the desert at high elevation, or on the coast on very different grasses and terrain for the first time against the best kids in the country. Keep in mind that these kids generally compete after only seeing the course one time with one practice round. Kids that play in these events have been tested for sure, and college coaches feel that is a big asset.

Do I have to play AJGA's to get a college scholarship? This is a question that always comes up and the answer is absolutely not. There are tons of kids on scholarship that have never played a single AJGA event. With that said I think that if you have the opportunity and don't play you are costing yourself and your game a valuable experience. My son won 5 of the above invitationals but committed to a D1 school before ever playing an AJGA event. However - and let me be clear- the  AJGA ended up doing more for his game than any single thing we ever did. So I'm telling you this from experience that for the #1 junior in the country that the AJGA was the biggest thing we ever did to improve his game period. So any coach that says its a waste of time makes me want to know more about what has lead him to feel that way. I would love to hear more about his reasoning on this issue.