This is an assignment that I can not emphasize the importance of enough, go watch college golf tournaments. Some teams have already played 2 or 3 tournaments but there are some great opportunities ahead to plan a trip to a college golf tournament. If you are in the midst of the process and talking with several coaches then you need to go watch them “in action”. It is one thing to sit across the desk from a coach and ask questions, maybe even chat by phone and get to know each other, but you MUST get a better feel for how they are when they are coaching during a tournament.

There are a lot of different coaching styles and not all are going to be ideal to your personality. If you get the chance to watch, pay close attention to how they interact with their players and how the players respond to them. Some are more intense and serious, others are more laidback and carefree – this may be dependent on how well, or not well, the team is playing so keep that in mind. But watch what is going on and how the environment appears to be among the coach and team. Try to imagine yourself as one of the players – would you fit in, would you respond well to the coach, would you be happy? Discuss this with the coach after they have gotten back from the tournament and let them know what you liked or maybe didn’t like about what you saw.

If you aren’t communicating with coaches yet, or maybe you can’t make a tournament to watch the coaches who are recruiting you, it is still a great opportunity to learn more about college golf and the environment among different teams. Check out the teams schedule on the website and see if they are playing close by. You can also use this LINK for a full list of tournaments (fields are not usually listed until the tournament begins though).

Brandi Jackson

RecruitPKB College Consultant

If you need assistance with the college recruiting process, please contact Brandi at bjackson@pkbgt.org