Create a college golf resume. Sounds simple enough, right?

Wrong.

After 15 years of working with junior female golfers through the recruiting process, I have seen just about every version of a recruiting resume you can imagine — and I am here to tell you that a bad resume can quietly end your chances with a coach before the conversation ever really begins.

I have seen resumes that are nearly impossible to read. Resumes with no tournament scores — which is the single most important thing a coach needs to see. Resumes that are buried behind a broken link or locked behind a file that a coach cannot even open. And resumes that are beautifully designed but missing half the information a coach actually needs to evaluate a recruit.

Here is the truth: you may only get one shot to capture a coach’s attention. If they cannot quickly find what they are looking for, they will move on. They are busy, they are evaluating dozens of recruits at a time, and they are not going to spend extra time hunting for information that should have been right in front of them.

Format Matters Less Than You Think — But Accessibility Matters Everything

The good news is that coaches are not picky about how your resume is formatted. A Word document, a PDF, a personal website, or an online resume service are all completely acceptable options. What coaches do care about — deeply — is that your resume is:

  • Easy to access — no broken links, no files that require a special login or download
  • Easy to read — clean, organized, and not cluttered with design elements that distract from the content
  • Complete — containing everything they need to make an initial assessment of you as a potential recruit

Pick the format that works best for you and that you can keep updated — then make sure it checks all three of those boxes before it goes anywhere near a coach’s inbox.

What Every College Golf Resume Needs to Include

This is a high-level overview of the essentials. If you are unsure about the details of what to include or how to present any of these items, please reach out — because getting this right matters.

✔️ Name and graduation year — This should be at the very top, front and center

✔️ A current photo — Coaches want to put a face with a name

✔️ Personal contact information — Email and phone number so a coach can reach you directly

✔️ Tournament results — This is the most important section on your entire resume. Your scores, tournaments, and overall competitive experience need to be presented in a clean, easy-to-read format. No tournament results means no way for a coach to evaluate your game. Do not skip this.

✔️ Stats and rankings — Scoring average, JGS/TUGR/WAGR ranking, state ranking, scoring differential, launch monitor, or any other relevant statistical information

✔️ Academic information — GPA, SAT/ACT scores, intended major, and any academic honors

✔️ Extracurricular activities — Who you are beyond golf matters to coaches. Show them.

✔️ Awards and accolades — Golf, academic, and any other areas where you have been recognized

✔️ Volunteer and community involvement — Character counts, and this is one of the ways coaches evaluate it

✔️ Coach contact information — Your swing coach, high school coach, and/or other coaches should both be listed with contact information

✔️ Parent contact information — Coaches appreciate having this available

✔️ A link to your recruiting video — This should be easy to click and immediately accessible

✔️ Upcoming tournament schedule — If available, this allows coaches to come out and see you play in person

The Bottom Line

Your resume is often the very first impression a college coach has of you as a recruit. It needs to work hard on your behalf — representing your game, your character, and your potential clearly and professionally.

Do not let a resume that is hard to read, hard to access, or missing critical information be the reason a coach moves on before he/she ever really gets to know you.

If you have questions about what your resume should include or how to put it together the right way, I am here to help. That is exactly what I do.

Brandi Jackson is the RecruitPKB College Consultant and the founder of Brandi Jackson Golf, where her mission is simple: Helping Young Women Find Their College Golf Home.

To learn more, click here to schedule your free 30-minute Intro To The Process Recruit PKB Consultation, or reach out directly at brandi@brandijacksongolf.com.