What is the RecruitPKB platform?
The path to collegiate golf can be difficult and intimidating. The first step in the recruiting process is establishing a game plan. That is where we come in. We are here to help you understand the process and help you achieve your dreams of playing college golf.
RecruitPKB offers a way to connect current PKBGT players with opportunities in the collegiate game. This new service offers advice from our college consultant, insight into the recruiting experience and ways to become a more complete golfer. Our network of over 650 PKBGT alumni in the college ranks along with our resource center can help you on your way to playing college golf.
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RecruitPKB: Your Questions Part 1
While the college coaches are busy with their season, I am going to give them a break from picking their brains about the recruiting process. Now it's your chance to get your questions answered. Email me with any questions you have about college recruiting, playing college or professional golf or other questions you may have about becoming the best golfer/person you can be. Send them to bjackson@pkbgt.org and I will do my best to address them over the next few articles. Here are some questions submitted by Par4Success families. If I'm a freshman or sophomore, and I have a few schools in mind, what is my strategy for trying to get on the coaches radar? What should I be doing to make sure these coaches know who I am and how I am playing? Get an evaluation from someone who understands the recruiting process, recruiting timelines and the realities of playing college golf. This will give you a much better understanding of what is realistic so [...]
Recruit PKB: SMU Coach Jeanne Sutherland Interview Part 2
Here is part 2 of my interview with Coach Sutherland about her coaching philosophy and insight in to the recruiting process. My first encounter with SMU Coach Jeanne Sutherland goes back to a funny story that my parents like to tell. When Coach Sutherland was the Texas A&M head coach, she watched me play and asked my parents if she would be wasting her time getting a SC girl to come play golf in TX. They quickly replied with a "yes". Needless to say they didn't want their baby girl playing college golf halfway across the country. Can't say this small town girl disagreed. But I recently was able to reconnect with Coach Sutherland who after 15 years at Texas A&M took over the head women's job at Southern Methodist University in 2011. What has really impressed me about Coach Sutherland is the insight she provides through her own blog , http://12monthsofgolfinvail.blogspot.com/. Just a few minutes of browsing through her articles and you will quickly [...]
Recruit PKB: SMU Coach Jeanne Sutherland Interview Part 1
At the start of each year I sit down and brainstorm ideas on new and creative ways that I can educate, motivate and inspire young golfers who want to play at the next level. One of my top goals for this year was to get into the minds of college coaches and let them give their insight and tell their story. I hope everyone enjoyed the last few weeks of Q and A with Furman University Coach Kelley Hester. I promise not all of the RecruitPKB articles will be college coach interviews but I have another great one to share over the next 2 weeks. My first encounter with SMU Coach Jeanne Sutherland goes back to a funny story that my parents like to tell. When Coach Sutherland was the Texas A&M head coach, she watched me play and asked my parents if she would be wasting her time getting a SC girl to come play golf in TX. They quickly replied with a [...]
Recruit PKB: Furman Coach Interview Part 3
Coach Kelley Hester took over the Furman women's golf program in 2012. She has since brought the winning tradition back to the program with 2 wins in the fall at the Golfweek Program Challenge and the Furman Invitational and a recent win at the Florida State Matchup. The team also finished ranked 26th in the Golfweek rankings. She sat down with Recruit PKB College Consultant Brandi Jackson to discuss her coaching philosophy and advice to junior golfers going through the recruiting process. Check out part 3 of the interview. What are good questions that a player should ask a college coach? It is good for players to have information about tournament schedule, what kind of schedule is a team going to be playing? How does a coach determine who is going to go to the tournament? Are the players qualifying? Is a coach going to pick some? How far are the practice facilities? How much time am I going to be in the car? [...]
Recruit PKB: Furman Coach Interview Part 2
Coach Kelley Hester took over the Furman women's golf program in 2012. She has since brought the winning tradition back to the program with 2 wins this fall at the Golfweek Program Challenge and the Furman Invitational. The team also finished ranked 26th in the Golfweek rankings. She sat down with Recruit PKB College Consultant Brandi Jackson to discuss her coaching philosophy and advice to junior golfers going through the recruiting process. Check out part 2 of the interview. What do you look for with a resume? Well I like to see scores and I like to see you where you finished in the field in relation to the size in the field and I like to see yardages. I don't need a lot of commentary about weather or wind. I can certainly look up and see what the other scores were for the tournament but a lot of times we will see things that say “I finished first in this tournament or [...]
Recruit PKB: Furman Coach Interview Part 1
Coach Kelley Hester took over the Furman women's golf program in 2012. She has since brought the winning tradition back to the program with 2 wins this fall at the Golfweek Program Challenge and the Furman Invitational. The team also finished ranked 26th in the Golfweek rankings. She sat down with Recruit PKB College Consultant Brandi Jackson to discuss her coaching philosophy and advice to junior golfers and parents going through the recruiting process. Check out part 1 of the interview. What do you love about being a college coach? Well I loved college golf as a player. I mean I loved every minute of it so much that I graduated in four years and stayed for a 5th year because I red-shirted my first year. So I love helping kids have a great college golf experience, the opportunity to help kids navigate through that process and have a great college experience. The time that you spend in college is huge, 18-22 are extremely [...]
Recruit PKB: Take Visits
All steps of the recruiting process are necessary in order to successfully find the right college fit, however taking college visits is when the process really begins to take shape and you can actually see what the ultimate goal will look like. You must be assertive and take the initiative to try and set up visits early in the process. Visits will not only give you an opportunity to meet with a coach but they also help you begin to figure out what you want in a school and help to motivate you to work hard in order to reach the level it takes to play at those particular schools. Also the more comfortable you get with speaking with coaches, then the more confident and prepared you will be on future visits. It can be difficult for freshmen and sophomores to set up visits since coaches can't reply to emails or return phone calls, but with a little persistence you can make it happen. [...]
Recruit PKB: Contact 75+ Schools
The topic of contacting schools is a question that I have been asked numerous times throughout recruiting seminars and individual consultations. As with many parts of the process this tends to be very specific to where the individual recruit is at in his/her own recruiting process. Obviously the higher ranked players don't have to work as hard to contact coaches because they are being sought after by many coaches and will generate enough interest through a smaller number of intro emails. However as you move down the rankings list, the number of coaches you need to contact in order to insure you find the right fit increases. While some will be able to contact a small group of schools and generate enough communication and interest, it is rarely that easy. I recommend contacting 75 or more schools initially. While this may seem like a lot, from my experience of working with players, they will get about a 20-30% return in regards to receiving a [...]
Recruit PKB: Recruiting Videos
Recruiting videos are a very important part of your resume. While golf tends to be more objective in regards to tournament results, a recruiting video will give a coach an idea of your swing and short game fundamentals. Many times a coach may not be able to get out and watch you play before he or she can decide if you are a potential recruit for their program. Sending a recruiting video along with your resume with provide them with an idea of your game to hopefully entice them to come out and watch you play. When filming a recruiting video make sure you take the shots from directly in front of the player and directly down the line. The wrong angle can create a distorted view of the swing and setup. It is recommended to shoot full swing with 3 different clubs, along with some short game shots that can include pitches, chips, lobs, bunker shots and putting. Do your best to hold [...]
Recruit PKB: Building a Resume
Building a quality resume is one of the most important steps in the college recruiting process. While your game will speak for itself out on the course, your resume will be the first insight a coach has into you as an all around person. Having an online resume that contains all of the necessary information is the preferred method by most coaches. This makes the information accessible and easy to navigate. You don’t want a coach to have to go out of their way to find the information they need to know about you. Their time is very limited and valuable. You want to capitalize on the one chance you may have that a coach reads your email. If you have to resend a swing video, test scores or tournament results they may overlook that second email and never see it. If a coach has to open 5 different attachments to one email they may not take the time to look at all of [...]