Many of our GGGA Student-Athletes are talking to college golf coaches to prepare for the next phase of their athletic journey and career. Student interest and conversations with college coaches are able to start during junior year and continue through the senior year.
Here are a few things to consider to make the most out of every conversation had with a College Golf Coach:
FOLLOW UP
When a coach says “keep in touch, let me know how you do,” they really mean it! They are not only interested in how you’ve played in tournaments but also how well you communicate and your commitment to being in contact, so stay in touch.
BE POSITIVE & SPECIFIC
When in contact with a coach being open and honest is extremely important but so is being positive and specific. For example, “Coach, I had great success on the putting green and made 4 of 5 putts inside 10 feet. I continue to work on dialing in my accuracy off the tee” is much better than “I couldn’t hit a fairway today, but I’m working on it and I three putted four times.” A coach can appreciate an athlete who celebrates their advances while acknowledging their opportunities for improvement. It’s all about the delivery!
DO YOUR RESEARCH
If you want to be taken seriously, then you need to be serious and do your research! If there is a school that you are interested in, spend some time on that school’s website. Get to know the coach’s name, their assistant’s names and look at their roster to find out how many seniors are graduating. Find out what Conference they are in and how they placed last year. You will stand out and show your commitment to excelling when you are able to say with confidence “Coach, I know your top individual took 3rd in the Conference Championship, but your team took 7th. I want to be part of making the team better!”
