Yes, tournament scores are probably the biggest initial factor in determining a coach’s interest in a recruit, especially when they are just looking at a resume. In order for a coach to take the time to learn more about a recruit their tournament scores (not handicap and not high school scores) typically need to fit in a particular range.

The next important numbers for a coach to check, especially for selective and very selective academic schools, are your GPA and test scores.

From there coaches have their own way of deciding what sparks their interest, it could be the swing video, a well-written intro email, a follow-up phone call from the recruit, Trackman/Flightscope numbers, a recruit who has played other sports, or the source of the referral for that recruit.

Obviously, the coach is going to want to see a recruit play but many of these factors above determine the likelihood that the coach will seek out that opportunity or even respond to a player’s initial communication.

And while scores are typically the starting point and a VERY important factor, it goes well beyond those numbers to determine if the coach will actually be interested or not. The intangibles that a coach looks for are sometimes uncontrollable on a player’s end and just a preference from one coach to another. But many of them are factors that can be controlled with some effort and work both on and off the golf course.