Are there unused scholarships for girls?

According to the NCAA, it was estimated in 2009 that over 200 of the approximately 1800 female golf scholarships were not used. While this is great news for an aspiring junior girl golfer it does lead to some misconceptions that it’s easy to get a scholarship as a female golfer. The fact is, many of these unused scholarships are at very small schools in rural areas or very expensive private schools. Many girls decide they would rather go to a bigger school and not play golf, than attend a really small school in an unfamiliar area. Finances can play a factor into the scholarships going unused as well. While it’s great news to learn the school is offering you scholarship money, you may still be looking at a substantial remaining balance for tuition/room/board.

Many of the unused scholarships are in colder states where it’s difficult to recruit players and fill rosters. In the warmer states, scholarships and even roster spots are very tough to come by because the competition is much stronger and many northern players are hoping to come play in warmer weather. While there are unused scholarships each year this does not always mean the coach will give the scholarship away to just any player. In many cases they are still looking for a certain caliber of player, if they are unable to find that player, they will save the money for the next recruiting class.

Because of this misconception, many good players find themselves nearing the end of the recruiting process with very few opportunities. They have been told it’s easy to get a scholarship as a female golfer so they assume the opportunities will just fall into their lap. While there are unused scholarships each year, competition for scholarship money is getting stronger and stronger. Check out the Women’s College Recruiting Breakdown to get a better idea of what it takes to get recruited at each level.