RecruitPKB: Being Honest With The College Coaches

As you get into the college recruiting process the hope is that you will have the opportunity to build a relationship with several coaches and eventually receive multiple offers. As this part of the process arises, there will come some concerns about what should you share with each coach and what is not in your best interest to share with them. First let's talk about how much the college coaches, as well as people like myself who are in this same segment of the golf business, know each other and talk amongst themselves. Many of the coaches have known each other for years, whether it be from their time as college coaches or as far back as earlier playing days. I spend a good bit of time staying in touch with and talking to coaches who I played against in college and professional golf. So trust me [...]

By |2023-01-26T15:17:39-05:00January 26th, 2023|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

RecruitPKB: Why You Should Contact 30+ College Coaches:

Let’s dive in and discuss 3 main reasons why you should contact at least 30 or more college coaches. I have this discussion quite often with recruits seeking advice because they don’t see results from their contact efforts. Typically when a recruit shows me a list of schools, the majority, if not all of them are unrealistic for the given recruiting timeline and they haven’t reached out to enough schools yet. While I am an advocate for having big goals to play at your dream school, you have to be cautious about what percentage of dream schools vs realistic schools you have on your list. This not only leads to a lack of coach interest, but it also creates a lot of anxiety and a decrease in confidence as you get mostly negative responses or just no response at all. One of the reasons I suggest contacting [...]

By |2023-01-18T12:05:41-05:00January 18th, 2023|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

RecruitPKB: Bad Breaks and Excuses

If there is one thing inevitable about every golfer, it's that at some point in time they are going to get a bad break on the golf course. It may be a bad kick, a divot in the middle of the fairway, a buried lie in the sand or a putt lipping out. Probably the most fun and exciting part of the game of golf is the amount of good and bad breaks that can happen during a round. There are so many elements on the golf course, that nature is bound to throw you a few "unfair" bounces and lies on occasion. Several years ago Jordan Speith had an incident when a camera or phone went off in his backswing from the greenside bunker during the playoff at the Shell Houston Open. Initially, he got upset but he gathered himself and went on to try and [...]

By |2023-01-14T16:50:28-05:00January 11th, 2023|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

RecruitPKB: College Average Scores

I wanted to share a recent breakdown of the average scores for the 3rd player on a handful of DI and DII programs (data from www.golfstat.com and www.collegegolf.com). In order for golf programs to get better coaches need to replace no worse than their 3rd player if at all possible. And early into the process, they are going to have high expectations to get that with a recruit, especially their first offer with a large amount of scholarship money. Over time they may not get as strong of a recruit as they initially were hoping so that is where some patience in the process will allow you the opportunity to improve your game and potentially find options later. Also, one of the reasons I am sharing this is to show everyone how competitive programs are at the DI level and top DII level, these girls are good! [...]

By |2022-10-20T14:46:54-04:00October 20th, 2022|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

RecruitPKB: DII College Golf Insight

Do you think it's all about playing DI golf? Well, think again! The level of play at the top DII golf programs just might surprise you, along with the impact of those college coaches. Here two recent interviews from two of the best!   You will have a hard time finding a coach with more success than Brent Nicoson who has led the University of Indianapolis Men's and Women's teams to 13 conference titles, 10 regional crowns, and two DII national championships. He has been named GLVC Coach of the Year a combined 12 times. He is also part of four straight generations of Nicosons who have been a part of Greyhound athletics. Coach Nicoson shares with us his approach to coaching a top-ranked DII program and how he implements the 4 C's (Culture kid, Coachable, Consistent, and Competitor) LISTEN HERE Former college and professional baseball player [...]

By |2022-09-29T10:48:07-04:00September 29th, 2022|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

Recruit PKB: Learn From Others

As a young golfer, you can always learn something from other players, especially ones who have reached a level that you are aiming to reach. You can do this from the comfort of your own home by watching golf on TV. Watch the tour players go through their decision-making process and pre-shot routine. You will hear them assess the situation, pick a club and pick a specific target. Listen to the commentators when they say what clubs the players choose to hit around the greens and really watch how they play the shots. Watch how they handle bad breaks and bad shots. Another great way you can learn from better players is to go watch a collegiate tournament that is close to home. This is a great opportunity to not only watch the players but also the coach. Watch how they interact with each other and how [...]

By |2022-09-15T12:44:03-04:00September 14th, 2022|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

RecruitPKB: Why Her and Not Me Podcast

I kicked off season 5 of Tap Into College Golf this week with an all-new episode that I wanted to share with you. “Why Her and Not Me?” While you may not say or think those exact words it’s certainly a thought I know many of you have had at some point when you've seen a player post their verbal commitment or learn that they received the offer you were hoping to get from a coach. You may be asking yourself, "What did I do wrong?", "What did she do better?", "What can I do better?". Well in this first episode of season 5 we discuss 6 scenarios I've seen be the reason that a coach selects one recruit over another, and how you can be more aware of these aspects that may impact your chances of getting that college golf offer you've dreamed of. You can [...]

By |2022-08-31T10:09:12-04:00August 31st, 2022|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

RecruitPKB: It’s Decision Making Season

It is the time of year when both rising seniors and juniors are making their college decisions. I wanted to talk a little about the battle between this being the player's decision but also knowing what may be best for her future that she just can't see at the moment. One of the toughest parts about this process is the desire many girls have to attend a highly ranked academic school and/or big athletic program, but their golf resume just not being strong enough for those particular schools. While there are scholarships that do go unused, when it comes to a certain "type" of school, there just aren't enough spots for the number of girls who want them. So the decision sometimes comes down to attending the school she desires without playing golf vs attending the less desirable school with the golf program that fits. And in [...]

By |2022-07-18T14:26:36-04:00July 17th, 2022|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

RecruitPKB: Parents at Tournaments

As summer golf starts to heat up, I wanted to send a quick reminder for the parents while out watching your daughter play golf. One of the first experiences a coach will have when recruiting a player is the interaction that they see between a parent and child at a junior golf tournament. Below are a few tips on ways to ensure your role at a tournament is a positive one for both your daughter and a college coach. Don’t hover when they are warming up:  Try not to hover over your daughter while she is warming up to play. It is ok to watch her hit balls and to be there to assist her if she needs it but don't overdo it. It's a red flag to a coach if a parent dictates everything their daughter does during their warm-up. Let her have space to warm up [...]

By |2023-06-22T07:58:26-04:00June 21st, 2022|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments

RecruitPKB: What is Confidence

"Confidence is the knowledge that I can give my best effort regardless of circumstances" - Ben Bergeron After hearing this definition of confidence on a podcast I listen to it got me thinking about the real meaning of confidence. But what catches my attention in this quote is the use of the word "knowledge". Typically the words faith and belief are used when defining confidence but I believe the use of the word knowledge is what defines true confidence. According to the Merriam-Webster definition of knowledge, it is "the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience". As opposed to the definition of belief, "something that is accepted or considered to be true or honest" and the definition of faith, "something that is believed especially with strong conviction".  Having faith and belief in yourself are almost these vague words to give you the [...]

By |2022-05-26T18:42:41-04:00May 25th, 2022|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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