RecruitPKB: A Look at DI and DII Collegiate Averages

While this process has a great deal of subjectivity to it, I’ve come to appreciate data and numbers more over the years. This is a chart compiled of the average scores for the top 5 individuals from a mix of DI and DII programs (through May 15th of the 2024-2025 season).

Typically, collegiate tournaments for mid and top DI plus top DII programs are played from approximately 6000-6200 yards, with lower DI and lower DII played slightly shorter. Also, collegiate tournaments are set up more difficult with pin placements, faster greens, and overall tougher conditions given the time of year that collegiate golf is played (not summer golf weather). And the added pressure of your coach and teammates counting on you heightens the stress level just a bit when you step on that first tee each time. So, a typical rule of thumb isa 2-3 stroke difference between junior golf and a collegiate score.

Many times, you will hear a coach say they are trying to recruit to replace their #2 or #3 players on the team; this is how they get better from one year to another. Yes, it may seem they have unrealistic expectations, but they are doing their best to shoot for the stars, just as you likely are with your options, too.

They don’t need another 5th player whose score doesn’t even count. And they don’t need development players and walk-ons who won’t see playing time for a year or two, especially now with the roster cap and competitiveness of collegiate golf getting stronger.

Yes, many times by the end of the process some coaches won’t get that caliber of player, or may only get one and have to take more of a chance on the other recruit, but they are going to try for as long as possible to get the best players possible for their current roster.

These are a selection of teams (rankings listed on the left) of DI programs and their top 5 scoring averages: