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 [...]

By |2017-09-13T12:08:49-04:00February 27th, 2015|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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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? [...]

By |2017-09-13T12:08:49-04:00February 20th, 2015|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Preparing for a College Visit

As the fall season for both high school and college golf wraps up, many young girls are taking advantage of the time by scheduling college visits. See last week's article on "Scheduling Visits". It is easy to allow the fall and winter months to go by without putting much time into the college recruiting process. Instead, take advantage of this down time to get ahead in the process. Schedule some visits, take campus tours and meet with college coaches. Below are some tips for you to consider as you prepare to take a college visit and meet with a coach. Do the research: Jot down a few key facts from the coach and assistant coach's bio. Know how the team finished up the previous year or season. Look over the team roster. Learn more about the school and what it offers outside of the golf program. Get [...]

By |2017-09-13T12:10:34-04:00October 27th, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Putting Line

One of my favorite putting drills from my college and professional days is something very simple but extremely effective at building confidence and putting a little bit of pressure on making those short putts when it counts. There are several different variations of this one drill which is why I like it so much. Below are a few options to get you started. 3, 5, 7, 9ft line - Place a tee at 3ft, 5ft, 7ft and 9ft in a line on one side of hole. Begin with a fairly flat putt. Start at the 3ft putt, if you make it move back to the 5ft putt, if you make that move to the 7ft. If you miss then you must start back at the 3ft putt 9, 7, 5, 3ft line - After you have gone up the line start from the 9ft putt and move [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:30-04:00October 10th, 2014|Player Performance Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Parent Influence on a Coaches Decision

žžžThis week's Recruit PKB: Recruiting Process article from the series "Parent Role in the College Recruiting Process" will cover a parent's influence on a coach's decision. How a parent talks, reacts and interacts with their daughter, the coach and other competitors and parents can have a major impact on a coach's decision. Ultimately the coach is recruiting the player but parent behavior can force a coach to lean one direction or the other if they are on the fence. Below are a few tips for parents to be aware of throughout the process. žAlways stay positive: Do what you can to always stay positive and keep a good attitude, even if your daughter is playing bad. Any negativity will not only affect how she plays and responds, but may also deter a coach from recruiting your daughter. They need parents who will be supportive no matter how [...]

By |2017-09-13T12:10:35-04:00September 19th, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Parent Role with Coaches

žžThis week's Recruit PKB: Recruiting Process article from the series "Parent Role in the College Recruiting Process" will cover a parent's role with college coaches. The relationship a parent builds with a college coach through the process can have a major influence on the coach's decision. Below are a few areas to be aware of as a parent so that you as well can make the best impression on your daughter's future coach. Say hi to coaches at tournaments but don't approach them: Because recruiting rules can vary so much depending on a player's grad year, always stick to the side of caution when you see a coach at tournaments. Be friendly and say hi but try to allow them to begin a conversation if they choose to. Some coaches are more talkative and will carry on conversations with parents, others just want to be left to themselves [...]

By |2017-09-13T12:10:35-04:00September 1st, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Parent Role at Tournaments

žThis week's Recruit PKB: Recruiting Process article from the series "Parent Role in the College Recruiting Process" will cover a parent's role at junior golf tournaments. I cover parent behavior quite often throughout my seminars and articles because I know the influence it can have on a young girl's golf career. I also know the influence it can have on a college coach's decision to recruit a player. 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 insure 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 [...]

By |2017-09-13T12:10:36-04:00August 24th, 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: 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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