žThis week’s Recruit PKB: Recruiting Process article from the series “Parent Role in the College Recruiting Process” will cover a parent’s influence on a player’s decision. Obviously the parent’s will have a major influence on their daughter’s college decision, but trying to help your daughter make the right decision for herself can be a difficult task. Below are a few tips to help the parents guide their daughter through her decision making process.

Review all of the positives and negatives for each school: Help your daughter create a positives and negatives list for each school as she takes visits, communicates with coaches and does research. Your role as a parent is to insure they put emphasis on the important factors within each of these lists and don’t base their decision on the wrong factors. Help them to understand what each factor will mean for their college experience and for their future.
žBe honest with your junior golfer about the financial aspect: This can be a very sensitive subject for many families but do what you can to be honest with your daughter about the financial aspect of their decision. Many times a player doesn’t understand the difference between the out of pocket costs of different scholarship offers. Without overwhelming them, be honest about the impact each decision may have from a financial perspective. The ultimate goal is to find the right fit and for the player to be happy but for many families the financial aspect will have a major impact on the final decision.
žBe realistic: This is always a tough part of the decision because every parent and player has high hopes for where their game can get once they get to college. We had the #1 junior player in the country come to Furman and by sophomore year she wasn’t even qualifying to travel with the team. We also had a completely non-scholarship player end up being one of the best players by her junior year. So no one can predict what may happen once a player gets to college. Sometimes a player may benefit from being a bit of an underdog, and others may thrive more from being the best player. But be realistic about the chance that your daughter has to play. Keep in mind a player’s scoring average will normally go up at least 2-3 strokes once they first get to college because the courses are tougher and the stakes are higher so remember that when comparing to college scores. Sitting out the entire freshman year can really set a player behind both with confidence and development. Try to help your daughter not get wrapped up in the glitz and glamor of what the school and program offers and realistically consider her chances of playing and being an impact on the team.
žRemind them of what their decision means for their future: The decision to play (or not play) college golf is one that will greatly affect a young girl’s life. Being a college athlete, at any level, requires a tremendous amount of time, dedication and commitment but the benefits for their future are unmeasurable. Remind your daughter of what it will mean to be a college athlete and how that will affect their college experience in relation to just being a regular student. Be honest with them about perks but also the sacrifices that an athlete must make as opposed to a non athlete.
College Coach Insight:

“Also, the parents and students make decisions on how much scholarship is offered vs the right fit and where the student will be happy and improve.” – Division 1 Women’s Coach

If you have any questions about the college recruiting process please contact Recruit PKB College Consultant Brandi Jackson at bjackson@pkbgt.org.