Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Thank you for letting me be part of this journey as the RecruitPKB College Consultant. I look forward to another great year of sharing content and insight. Brandi Jackson
Listen up 2026 recruits... First, let me start by saying that it is very competitive and there are a lot of really good players. Plus there are a lot of really good academic girls. That's a great thing! Really good academic female golfers are not the exception, they are typically the rule. Again, that's a great thing! I know that may not ease the stress you’re feeling but it is just to state some truths which is what you have to at least accept first. Then you can face things head on knowing what you are up against and where you fit with the timing for the process. There are currently approximately 264 girls in the 2026 recruiting class with a scoring differential below 2 on JGS. This group of players (plus some international recruits) has been the majority of the focus for coaches as they try to [...]
As we look to say goodbye to 2024 in a few weeks, it's also a great time to reflect on what you learned this year. This is a great topic to share with the coaches that you have been reaching out to and give them some insight into your year. While you want to focus on the year ahead, take a few minutes to consider what you have learned this year and some of the ways you have grown as a student-athlete. Did you learn any new skills? Have you developed better habits? What did you learn to appreciate more? What obstacles and challenges did you overcome? What were some of the highlights of the year? Jot down a few of these and reflect on them as you shift your sights on the new year! Written by: Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For more information [...]
Making a good first impression on a coach (or anyone) is such an important skill to master. Start by practicing your handshake. Here are some tips: Smile: A big smile always makes a good first impression Hearty Hand: Firm grip but don’t overdo it Address: Address them by name if you know it. Or just introduce yourself by name and say “nice to meet you” Keep Eye Contact: Maintain good eye contact. Try not to look down or away. Smile with your eyes Enthusiasm Wins: Good energy and excitement to meet them. -Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For questions or to schedule your free PKB 30 Minute Initial Consultation send an email to bjackson@pkbgt.org
A few years ago, one of my graduating seniors shared this with me for what how she felt when she looked back on the recruiting process. “I feel like I grew up so much through this process” - High School Senior At the end of the day, there is no guarantee for finding the perfect fit, or even a college golf fit period. There are a lot of factors and pieces that have to fall in place just right for that to happen, especially these days with the many changes going on in the recruiting world. But if you’re willing to fully embrace this process and not expect it to be easy, then you will learn so much about yourself and develop skills that will go far beyond your golf goals. Many times when the process seems easy, then college golf will hit you with a major [...]
First, we are going to assume the NCAA rules allow the coach to respond (current 2025 and 2026 recruits). Once that is established there are several reasons why you may not get responses with the most common usually being that you aren’t being realistic with the strength of the golf program. But here are a few reasons why the coach may not be responding to your attempts to contact them: 1. The golf program isn’t realistic for your resume 2. Your academics aren’t strong enough for the school 3. It was a poorly written intro email 4. Your email or resume doesn’t have all the necessary info 5. They are done with your recruiting class 6. They are busy and just not focused on recruiting right now 7. Some coaches just ignore emails and don't reply no matter what I know it’s very frustrating to not receive [...]
A dad recently commented to me "Aren't scores just scores?" regarding the field size and field strength a player is competing against. While that may initially sound like a simple answer, it's not so simple when you really think about it. Imagine the difference in playing your club championship on your home golf course vs playing the US Open on your home golf course. Same course but totally different field of competitors. Or the difference in playing against 3 of the best players in the world vs 30 of the worst players. Smaller stronger field vs bigger weaker field. Or you play in a field of girls you see all the time vs a field of girls you’ve never met. The field you play against has a factor in how you handle the “conditions” and therefore your score is typically going to reflect that. If it’s more [...]
"Perfection is motivated by fear. Excellence is motivated by love." One thing I've noticed in the 14 years of consulting, evaluating, and watching female golfers, is their tendency to seek perfection and overachievement in the game of golf. The girls have a mentality that creates fear because they are motivated by perfection. That if it's not perfect then it's not good enough and the fear sets in and begins a downward spiral. And to make matters worse, many times their expectations are well above what is realistic, even for the average tour player typically. Many girls expect every shot to be perfect because bad shots mean they did something "wrong", they made a mistake, or it wasn't an A+ when in reality, most golf shots can be around a B average and still produce the lowest round of your life. Ask any college or tour player and [...]
I wanted to share a conversation I had with a young lady on Instagram. Her: What are your thoughts on taking a break from golf? I mean not picking up a club for two to 4 weeks? Me: I see absolutely nothing wrong with it if you feel like it’s needed and necessary. I would almost encourage it at some points through the process, especially if you’ve never taken a break like that before. Her: Thank you. I just see other girls still grinding it out but I don’t want to get burned out. I just need to learn to focus on me and not have FOMO (fear of missing out). Thank you! Me: Yes exactly! Everyone is different. I promise that a couple of weeks off will not hurt you in the long run. There is no reason to feel like it should or worry about [...]
Parents have been told over and over that they should allow their children to take the initiative with the recruiting process and do all of the communication. While this is true, it has caused many parents to believe that they should never interact with the coaches during the process. However, there comes a time during the process when the parents should feel comfortable asking the coaches some questions. Parents certainly need to be involved as the offers are given and it's closer to decision-making time, especially when the topic of money is discussed. Parents may have to be honest with their child and coach about the amount of scholarship they will need to get their child to that school. This is certainly an acceptable conversation for the parent and coach to have before any decision is made. Also, a parent may want to discuss the housing situation [...]
