excellence

In a recent IGTV episode, I talked with Ryan Mckie of Knight Performance Factory about the ability to be coachable. You can watch the full episode below but here are 3 important takeaways: Open to being challenged means that you will consider new ways to do things and you won’t give up just because it’s difficult for you. Total trust in your coach means that not only are you open to being challenged by them but you are willing to take on their assignments and instructions with total commitment to the process. Willing to ride the waves is a result of both the openness to being challenged and total trust in your coach. You have an understanding of what is best for you and when that needs to take priority. But you know in order to be your best, there are going to be ups and [...]

COVID-19 NCAA Contact Rules Update: DI programs will remain in a Dead Period through June 30th. This means no on-campus contact (official or unofficial visits), off-campus contact, or evaluations (recruiting at tournaments). Electronic communication (emails, texts, social media, calls, video chats) only for 2020 and 2021 recruits. Beginning June 15th for 2022 recruits as well. DII programs will implement a Quiet Period from June 1-30 which means you can have on-campus in-person contact with a coach (official or unofficial visit) but no off-campus in-person contact or evaluations (recruiting at tourneys). Electronic communication will continue as well. They can host camps or clinics during this time. This is for DII programs only. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions Written by: Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For more information about college recruiting, please contact Brandi [...]

I have been preaching this for the last few weeks to my own clients and on social media, but after doing an Instagram Live Q and A with the South Carolina Junior Golf Association, where we specifically discussed coach communications during this time, I want to emphasize this one more time before everything starts back to pseudo-normal. Yes, there are some scenarios where this might not apply, but for the most part with any student-athlete entering 8th grade this fall and older, there is no better time than now to at least "introduce" yourself to the coaches. There will not be a better time in this whole process where coaches won't be either traveling, recruiting, conducting practice, or focused on the team. So if you have not taken advantage of this rare time in the college recruiting process it's not too late. If you are more to the stage [...]

Another edition of the Huddle Up and Listen Up series of virtual video coach panels is available! Many times the assistant coaches don’t get all the love they deserve so I wanted to shed some light on what their roles are as assistant coaches, how their backgrounds play a part in those roles, and the advice they have for junior golfers who want to play in college. Some REALLY good insight here! ** CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ZOOM VIDEO ** But for those who may just want a few highlights from the panel here are some of the points that were shared: During practice rounds, don't just go through the motions, grind to figure out the course and consider all possible scenarios so you are prepared for anything during the tournament During practice rounds, think about where you might miss a green, especially on longer [...]

This past week I had the opportunity to get 5 incredible coaches together for a virtual coach panel. If you haven't had a chance I highly encourage you to watch: ** CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ZOOM VIDEO ** But for those who may just want a few highlights from the panel here are some of the points that were shared: When it comes to an intro email don't make the email so polished that it's not a reflection of you. While it needs to be well-written and professional, it also needs to be in your words. It needs to show who you are as a student and an athlete. When it comes to practice rounds, keep in mind that rarely will a pin be in the same spot as it is on practice round day. It's ok to finish out your putt, but don't waste [...]

As we continue to navigate this uncertain and unusual time I wanted to share a few ways to connect with the college coaches during this time. While recruiting is somewhat limited and there aren't any tournaments going on coaches are still expecting to hear from recruits. Email and phone updates are still a great way to connect but here are a few additional ideas. Please keep in mind if you are being realistic with the school and program when asking for the coaches time for some of these though. Ask to have a Zoom, Skype or facetime chat if you are a 2020 or 2021 recruit (starting June 15th if you are a 2022 recruit).  Don't wait for the coach to suggest this, take the initiative Engage with them on social media. Comment and like their posts. Tag them on your posts if it's something you [...]

Since many of us are craving some face to face time these days I thought I would share this week's article as a video blog. I hope you enjoy and get some valuable insight into what is going on with the NCAA decisions and how it impacts college recruiting. Watch Here Written by: Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For more information about college recruiting, please contact Brandi at bjackson@pkbgt.org

How are you taking advantage of your time? Don't feel too overwhelmed to accomplish everything just because you have more time available during this period of social distancing and quarantine. But do take advantage of having the opportunity to focus on things you weren't able to before when school and golf were majority of your days and weekends. This is a great time to start a new project, pick up a hobby, try a new sport, read a book, exercise, or help someone else. Obviously we all need to follow the guidelines in place to protect our health and the health of others, but within what is allowed take advantage of this time. If your golf course is still open set aside practice time and focus during that time. Some days it's ok to go out there and not have a plan, but most days you [...]

As we all are fully aware we are in the midst of a very crazy time in the world. Many people are being affected in much more serious ways than just the outcome of the college recruiting process but I will allow the news to cover all of that information and focus on how this may or may not be affecting you as a student-athlete. First thing, there has been a mandatory DEAD PERIOD put into place until at least April 15th for all DI and DII coaches. This means that a coach can't have in-person contact on or off-campus with a prospective student-athlete and they can not watch a student-athlete compete. Also, NLI signings have been suspended until April 15th as well. Coaches are however ALLOWED to communicate via electronic communication (phone, text, email, social media) during this temporary dead period if you are a [...]