This week I tackled 3 questions that were submitted by players and parents on my IGTV series. 1. How important is course length for a tournament resume for college recruiting? Is 5800 yards the minimum? 2. What was my favorite part about playing college golf? 3. When is the ideal time to commit? WATCH HERE -Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For questions or to schedule your free PKB 30 Minute Initial Consultation send an email to bjackson@pkbgt.org
This is an assignment that I can not emphasize the importance of enough, go watch college golf tournaments. The spring season is getting underway this week and there are some great opportunities to plan a trip to a college golf tournament. If you are in the midst of the process and talking with several coaches then you need to go watch them "in action". It is one thing to sit across the desk from a coach and ask questions, maybe even chat by phone and get to know each other, but you MUST get a better feel for how they are when they are coaching during a tournament. There are a lot of different coaching styles and not all are going to be ideal for your personality. If you get the chance to watch, pay close attention to how they interact with their players and how the [...]
Below are a few things for both girls and their parents to keep in mind when taking visits. For Junior Golfers: Dress appropriately. Golf attire is fine or a nice casual outfit. Wear comfortable shoes. Always go for more conservative, nothing too short, thin straps, or low cut. Leave your phone alone. To keep you from even being tempted to check your phone during the visit it is best to just leave it in the car or your bag while you are on a visit. Look the coach in the eye and firmly shake their hand when you walk into their office. Sit up straight in the chair. Don’t slouch and slump. Be enthusiastic. Make sure the coach knows you are excited to be there. Ask questions. The worst thing you can do when a coach asks if you have any questions is to say “no”. Jot a few questions [...]
For both 2022 and 2023 recruits, it is that time of year for official and unofficial visits. While visits are more often going to be offered on the coaches' end, you can still request to take an unofficial visit if you have an interest in the school and golf program. There is a lot of misleading and misunderstood information about unofficial vs official visits. As with so many areas of this process, this comparison is going to be very situational based on the coach and athletic dept, but I wanted to address a few things to help you better understand the differences. Unofficial visits are paid entirely by the prospect, with the exception of 3 complimentary tickets to a sporting event. You can take as many unofficial visits as you would like throughout your junior and senior years. Official visits are paid either entirely or partly [...]
Last week's article talked about the difference between practice rounds and tournament rounds for scoring. Below are some thoughts on ways to maximize your time during a practice round and better prepare for the tournament. Please keep in mind that this is not to encourage slow play during a practice round nor break any rules that a junior tour has enforced regarding practice rounds. Only apply these if and when they are applicable and acceptable. If you have a yardage book write down targets that you plan to aim at off the tee (ex. edge of a bunker, tree trunk, etc). Write down if you might hit a different club off the tee other than a driver or if you will have a different strategy if the wind or conditions change. Write down lay-up yardages on par 5s so you will know where you want to leave [...]
“She shot 72 in her practice round, why can’t she do that in tournaments”. As a long-time competitive player, I simply want to say, “it’s just not the same thing” and expect people to take that as an answer. Obviously, it doesn’t work that way so let's see if I can create some of the feelings of playing tournament golf that just can't be simulated in practice rounds. Even if you take your practice round seriously, count every stroke, and play with intent there are still no consequences to your shots and decisions. From the minute you wake up on tournament day there is a different mentality and feeling in your body. This can vary based on which day of the tournament it is, the caliber of the tournament, where you stand on the leaderboard, your playing partners, and the potential for college coaches to be [...]
Now that we are in the full swing of summer golf, many of you have accumulated an array of tournament results. If you haven't been updating the coaches on a regular basis, then it's a great time to make sure you put them together in a nice format and send them out to college coaches. The results need to be easy for a coach to read and understand. Putting them in a chart or bullet point list is recommended. You need to include the date, tournament name, golf course, scores, finish, and stats. Stats would include the par, yardage, slope, and rating if available. A big majority of coaches will know the conditions and strength of the field for many of the tournaments but if you are emailing coaches outside of your region they may not know them all. If you have already sent an intro email [...]
It's that time of year when you will start to see more college coaches out watching the tournaments. For many players, it is the first time they really get those nervous jitters on the golf course. It can be tough to concentrate and focus on your game. You feel the pressure that you need to play well or else you may lose your chance to impress that coach. You have a few bad holes and wonder if that was it. You may see that the coach is leaving so you start to think they didn't like what they saw. Or maybe you play well and make a really good impression. You drop a few clutch putts, make a couple of birdies, or have some really good saves. So many thoughts and emotions can go through your head that can affect your game. Below are a few things [...]
This week I want to share some tips on what to do after a coach has come out to watch you play. Some of these are relative to where you are in the process with that particular coach but it should give you an idea of things you can do if you know the coach was watching you play. Give them a call. If it is past June 15th prior to junior year, you can give them a call after they came out to watch you play. You may not reach them and get a chance to talk with them but it's a great time to call and get some feedback on what they saw of your game while it's fresh on their mind. You can also give them insight into your game and how you felt about your play which can make a huge difference [...]
Based on the timing of the NCAA rules, with the COVID dead period recently ending, you will need to schedule and take visits so that you can meet with the coaches and get a chance to see if it’s going to be a good fit. While visits, especially official visits, are more often being offered on the coaches’ end, you can still request to take an unofficial visit. Be prepared for your visits if you are meeting with the coach. Use the research you did before to have topics of discussion. Be sure you are up to date on how the team played this past season. Make sure you have questions to ask and that you are prepared for any questions you may get asked. Get to know the coach as much as possible. Be observant and attentive. Be gracious and courteous. Say thank you. Sit [...]
