I just wanted to take this time to say a very Merry Christmas to all of the PKB Girls Tour members and their families. This is such a wonderful time to spend with family and friends. I hope you are enjoying the holiday season as much as I am. Safe travels to all of you who are on the roads this time of year.
"As a DIII coach, I see families who overlook the experience that can be had at a DIII level for a strong player." This was the answer to “what is the biggest mistake you see junior golf families make in the recruiting process?” John Rogers, Head Coach at DIII Bridgewater College gave a great answer to shed some light on the experience you can receive playing DIII college golf. Yes, it’s great to have a big goal of playing DI golf but that isn’t always the fit nor the best opportunity for many players. And don’t be scared off by the absence of “golf scholarships”, I have seen numerous players get as good if not better packages at a good DIII program than any DI or DII program was going to offer. Coach Rogers full quote: “As a DIII coach I see families who overlook the experience [...]
How do you handle adversity, challenges, and setbacks? With a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? One of my favorite and most influential books is Carol Dweck's Mindset. She has conducted numerous studies and research on the difference in those who possess a fixed mindset and those who have a growth mindset. This past weekend I had the opportunity to sit down with a top 50 ranked DI college golf coach to discuss plans for one of my players who would be playing there. We wanted to create some steps and goals to help this player be more prepared for when she stepped foot on campus in the fall. A lot of our discussion centered around mindset and creating more of a growth mindset when it comes to challenges and getting better at all areas of golf and life. I thought I would share a little insight into to [...]
"I always appreciate it when a recruit has done a little research on college golf, and my team in particular." - Emily Kuhfeld, GA Southern Women's Head Coach Part of the recruiting process is to learn more about the school, coach, and golf program as you communicate with a college coach, but do as much initial research as you can. You can learn a lot thru the resources that are available online such as the school and team website, PING College Guide, CollegeBoard.com, Golfstat.com, Golfweek.com, and social media. Also doing your research on the NCAA rules will show a coach that you’re serious about this process and understand what can and can’t happen at different stages. This will help you not make mistakes or misunderstand why a coach may not be responding to your emails or phone calls. If you do the research you will be much more prepared for [...]
Growing up I was a master hula hooper. I could keep a hula hoop going for hours if I had to, even two or three at a time. My hips don't move quite as fast as they use to so I've found a new purpose for hula hoops these days. They are awesome, inexpensive practice tools. You can use them for a number of different drills. Below are just a few of them: Chipping: Lay a hula hoop about 5-6 feet on the green and practice landing different clubs inside the hoop. Take a few steps back farther off the green and continue landing balls in the hoop with all of your wedges, 9iron, and 8iron. Set a goal to get so many out of 5 inside the hoop with each club before you move on to another club. Pitching: Lay a hula hoop about 10 feet [...]
I know it may feel like everyone else signed their NLI last week but don't worry! There are still opportunities out there and coaches who need players. You can still find an opportunity to play college golf and sign during the regular signing period in April if you put some work into the process. Keep a good schedule of tournaments lined up throughout the fall, winter, and spring. Let the coaches know where you will be playing. Focus mostly on DII, DIII, NAIA and JuCo schools, as most DI programs will have finished their recruiting. There are still some DI coaches looking for players into the spring of senior year, but it's a more rare occurrence so don't put many eggs in that basket. Try to consider some colder areas of the country as those programs tend to fill up their roster later. The better academic schools usually [...]
As we wrap up the NLI Early Signing Period, I wanted to share some insight on FAQs about signing an NLI. What is the NLI? The NLI (National Letter of Intent) is an agreement signed by the student-athlete, parent or guardian and the institution that states the student athlete’s commitment to attend the institution for one full academic year, in return the institution agrees to provide athletic financial aid for one full academic year. How is it different from a verbal commitment? The NLI is different from a verbal commitment in that it is legally binding and it's an agreement between the student-athlete and the institution (not the coach). Also, the NLI can only be signed during designated signing periods (see below) whereas a verbal commitment can be made at any time. When is the NLI signed? For golf, there are two signing periods, an NLI can only be signed [...]
Knowing the NCAA rules and regulations will not only help you navigate the process better but it will also show a coach that you are serious and prepared. Keep in mind, a student-athlete can always make phone calls, send emails and take unofficial visits at any point as long as it is on their own time and money. These rules below are in regards to when and what coaches are allowed to initiate themselves. Similar to the Rules of Golf there are many different variations and interpretations of the rules. If you aren't sure of the rules you can contact the NCAA, Eligibility Center or me if you have any questions. Dates to Know: September 1st of Junior Year: Division I coaches may send recruiting materials/emails to recruits. New Update: As of August 1, 2014, coaches may also make phone calls, send texts and use any other [...]
The fear of failure is quite possibly the biggest detriment to a golfer's success, even for junior golfers. While kids tend to have a "no fear" attitude about many things, fear can easily creep into their golf game when the pressure is on. Growing up I was fearless. My sister and her friends would dare me to do something and without fear I would do it. From cutting flips off the monkey bars to jumping out of the hayloft to cutting flips off the high dive, you named it I would probably do it. Please do not try any of these though, I also ended up with 2 broke arms and a broken collarbone from my childhood antics. But the point is I did these without any fear of what might happen. But now as an adult, many times I look at an activity or task and [...]
"Just wanted to let you know that for 2020 we have one verbal commitment and another offer out. Assuming that gets accepted we would only have walk-on opportunities available for 2020." - Top 25 Ranked DI Women's Golf Program In consulting my 2020 recruits, I have received several responses like this from coaches who are already wrapping up their 2020 recruiting class, during the fall of a recruit's sophomore year. I know it's hard to believe and part of me doesn't like to share this because I know it makes players panic and stresses them out. But I have also seen the lack of knowledge and understanding of the reality of the recruiting process and they find out this information too late. Thankfully on a positive note, I have also had several 2018 recruits, current seniors, who have just wrapped up their recruiting process by making their decision in [...]
