62 replies to this topic

[Pepperturbo]

Bingo1976, on 08 November 2012 - 09:15 PM, said:

Sounds like all the more reason to take a gap year. If the OP finds out that golf isn't for him, or finds something more meaningful outside of college then so much the better. How you can know yourself having only spent it in the education conveyer belt is beyond me.

Knowing yourself does NOT come from the institutional world; that is more footing to the foundation.  Likes and dislikes comes for proper parenting, established values and some level of self-awareness.

[BillyBaroo1985]

You need to get to work buddy, kids who golf in the south and southwest is who you will competing with the most. They get to play tournament golf year around. In Texas we had High School, Local Summer Golf, Texas Junior Tour, Legends Tour, State Tournaments and AJGA. Kids are playing 20 plus multiple round tournaments a year. Playing in more highly competitive tournaments is expensive but with improve your tournament scores. I remember when I was playing as a Junior 84's to 88's was close to bottom 10% in a field of 75  players. If your parents have the means I would look into a golf prep school they also help place you on college teams. A kid that played on my HS team did it for his senior year and went on to play a University of Virgina. Start breaking 80 in competion should be your next goal.

Edited by BillyBaroo1985, 09 November 2012 - 12:32 PM.

[geesecougar2]

I'm not going to speak to the golf aspect of your question. But I wish I had taken a year off after high school before I started college.

I went to a poor public high school and worked extremely hard in my studies and my extracurriculars in order to get into a good university. I was successful in that, but by the time I got there, I found myself burnt out.

To begin with, I was outclassed by kids who went to prestigious boarding schools. They were simply better read and better at gaming the academic system than I was (going to office hours to show face to the professors, prioritizing the proper topics to focus on when studying, or simply knowing how to learn). So, it was going to take extra effort to catch up in the first place; when you add the burnout factor, it made the process a very uphill battle. College will present you with many opportunities, and even if you simply do well in your studies, you will not be taking full advantage of those opportunities. I think it is a good idea to get your head into a good place in order to maximize the opportunities.

However, if you do take the year off, you should be careful to not let it turn your brain into mush and get into lazy habits. Make sure it is a productive time. And it would be better to secure acceptance to a school to begin with and defer for a year, rather than waiting until later to start applying.