Recruit PKB: College Coach Perspective Part 5

As many players make their college decision over the next few months here are some thoughts to consider that college coaches feel are important factors. From a coach's perspective, what are some factors to help a junior golfer determine the right fit? “Do they like the school, the coach and the team? Does the school have the correct major for the student? It is important to establish a relationship with the coach and to know the students on the team. The student must be qualified academically. The student has to have a solid tournament record.” – D1 Coach “The Coach, what is expected by the coach out of the student athlete, size of school, area of study, how far you want to be from home, the team.” – D1 Coach “Does the school have my major field of study? How many players are on the team? Is [...]

By |2017-09-13T12:10:36-04:00July 21st, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Happy Mother’s Day!

With Mother's Day around the corner I thought this would be a great chance to give all of those golf mom's some recognition for what they do. Because many times it tends to be the dad who does most of the coaching and caddying, the moms don't always get the credit they deserve. Many of their responsibilities are pre-tournament or behind the scenes such as getting the junior golfer to practice everyday, signing up for tournaments, booking travel, packing, providing snacks and being the cheerleader. From my own experience, my mom always made sure I had snacks on the course. Sometimes it was a superstition factor that decided what she would pack, such as marshmallows, other times it was grapes, granola bars or a sandwich. She helped plan my travel as a junior golfer and made sure I packed what I would need on the road. When [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:30-04:00April 28th, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Warm Up Like a Pro

I hope many of you got the chance to watch The Masters this past week. I know for me it is definitely "a tradition unlike any other". I've been fortunate to attend 10+ times starting when I was just 6 or 7 years old. I absolutely love the thrill of walking in the gates and seeing the beauty of Augusta National that not even the best HD TV can come close to capturing. But the part I like the most is the chance to watch the players warm up. I could spend the majority of my day down there sitting on the practice area watching the players warm up. You may not be able to hit the ball like the pros do or putt like they do but you can certainly learn a few things from how they go about warming up and getting ready to play. [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:31-04:00April 13th, 2014|Player Performance Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Upcoming Schedule

A very important step to remember is to email coaches with your upcoming schedule. Heading into the spring and summer months is a great time to get this done. Coaches have no way of knowing where you will be playing unless you tell them. So if you want them to come out and watch make sure you let them know where you are going to be. Don't wait until the end of summer to send them your results, make the opportunity available for them to come out and watch you play. For 2015 recruits, coaches are able to reply to your emails so it's a great idea to ask them where they plan to be this summer or if they have any suggestions for tournaments. This way you can try to play in tournaments that you know they plan to attend so you have a higher chance [...]

By |2017-09-13T12:14:13-04:00April 7th, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Just Say No to Negative Self Talk

Every time you hit a bad shot, have a bad hole or make a mental mistake stop for a second and ask yourself this question. What would I tell my playing partners if they did the same thing? I highly doubt you would tell them "that was stupid" or "geez what were you thinking" or "you're terrible". More than likely you would tell them "it's OK" or "shake it off" and not really have much emotion towards their shot. You may feel bad for them if they are having a rough day but you would never put them down or belittle their golf skills. So why do that to yourself? Why beat yourself up about a bad shot or mental mistake? Shouldn't you be as quick to boost your own self up as you would be to do it for somebody else? We can all be our [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:31-04:00March 30th, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Be Different

We were all made to be unique individuals. We all look different, think different and act different. But as a middle school or high school student it can sometimes be difficult to accept the things about yourself that are different. It is so tempting to want to fit in and be part of the popular crowd. But, the truth is, the people who learn to embrace the things about themselves that make them unique tend be the ones that go on to be more successful than those that don't. They are more confident and secure because they know who they are and they know that their uniqueness sets them apart from everyone else. I promise that what you think is popular now will mean very little a year from now and especially once you get to college. Growing up it wasn't necessarily "cool" to be a girl [...]

By |2018-07-19T10:39:11-04:00March 17th, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Find Your Mantra

According to Wikipedia a mantra "means a sacred utterance, numinous sound, or a syllable, word, phonemes, or group of words believed by some to have psychological and spiritual power". Mantras are personal and self-motivating. They are words that inspire an athlete to excel and stay focused. Every athlete should have their own mantra. It can be original or one that is borrowed. It can be one word or a whole sentence. But it must be something that you can remember and always turn to when you need it. It must inspire you to get through whatever obstacles you struggle with both on and off the golf course. Here is a great article on some mantras from athletes in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Two of my favorites from this list are "breathe, believe, and battle" and "if you think you can't, you won't and if you think you [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:31-04:00March 3rd, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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RecruitPKB: Junior Golfers and Working Out

As many adults have probably gotten back in the gym as part of their New Year's resolution it's a great time to get the kids interested in working out as well. It is never to early for a junior golfer to learn the basics of good nutrition and exercise. I wish I had learn these habits at an earlier age. I didn't realize the importance of eating healthy and working out until I started my degree in Health and Exercise Science at Furman and we started working out as a golf team. It's very hard to change bad habits, even to this day I still struggle with it. I love doing Crossfit and spin class, and I do my best to eat healthy when I can given my schedule but it's still not easy. Not only will learning these habits at a younger age help the junior [...]

By |2018-03-21T20:46:38-04:00January 12th, 2014|Physical Performance Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Being Thankful

I'm sure many of you took time over Thanksgiving break to reflect on what you are thankful for in your life. I know one thing that can always get overlooked when thanks are being given is the golf talent you possess. Make sure you always remember how fortunate you are to have the ability to play golf and do something you love. The talents you were given to play golf aren't just about helping you earn a golf scholarship to play in college, there is a bigger purpose. Take the time to figure out a way to use your talents for a greater good in the world. I wish I would have realized this sooner in my life and not been so focused my golf career. Remember the opportunity to play golf can always be taken away, so appreciate the time you spend on the golf course [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00November 1st, 2013|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Developing Talent

It's not about how talented you are, it's about how hard you work to develop talent. This may sound crazy but one of the biggest detriments to a young player's development is being told how talented they are. Check out this short video about motivation and hard work. I was one of those players who had a natural talent for golf from a very early age. I didn't have to be taught a lot of mechanics, I could just naturally figure out how to swing the club and hit short game shots with ease. Now that I work with young players, it has made me look back on my career to the things that kept me from being more successful out on tour. I truly believe that continually being told that I was lucky to have a lot of natural talent, kept me from working as hard [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00October 27th, 2013|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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