College Selection Process:

To help you select the best college and golf program to attend, give some thought to these questions and attempt to answer them to the best of your ability.

•    How far away from home are you willing to go to attend college?
•    What climate is acceptable for you to live in during your college years?
•    How tough do you want college to be for you from an academics perspective?
•    What academic degrees are you interested in seeking?
•    How important is a golf scholarship to you at this time?
•    How important to you is a guaranteed roster position for your freshman year?
•    What type of coach would you like to play for in terms of personality, golf
background, etc?
•    What size university would you like to attend (in terms of enrollment)?
•    How important are a team's practice facilities and schedule?
•    Are you willing to compete at the Division II or Division III level if the right
situation is available to you?

To further assist in this process, work on the following:

•    Review a list of the nation's most outstanding golf programs (top 25) and select
three or four of these schools that interest you.
•    Consider the second tier of golf programs (ranked 25-100 nationally) and select
another eight to 10 schools that interest you.
•    Select several "underdog" programs (ranked outside top 100) that interest you.
•    Based on the questions above, develop a list of criteria that will help you decide
which school you would like to attend-add more criteria if necessary.
•    Create a rank order list for these criteria and assign values to each item.

College Recruitment Timeline-What You Should Know

9th Grade

Key Terms: Prospective Student-Athlete, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Evaluation, and Unofficial Visit

Student-Athlete Responsibilities:

Students should meet with their guidance counselors on a regular basis to discuss criteria for college acceptance, and to determine which courses they should take throughout their high school career. Additional information regarding required courses and tests that apply to college-bound student-athletes can be found at:  http://www.ncaa.org/library/general/cbsa/2003-04/index.html

Students may take an unlimited number of unofficial visits throughout the recruiting process. Unofficial visits are arranged and paid for by the prospect versus the host school. While traveling to tournaments, junior golfers are encouraged to visit schools both en route to and near the tournament site. This practice will save money and broaden the prospect's knowledge as it relates to college campuses. For more information on the location of certain schools, refer to the PING American College Golf Guide. Copies of the guide may be ordered by visiting:  http://www.collegegolf.com

Applicable NCAA Rules:

A student becomes a prospective student-athlete when he/she starts ninth grade. At that time, coaches may evaluate the prospect in competition or practice but cannot make any type of contact (face to face, telephone, email, written, etc.). Additional information regarding the specific rules and regulations that apply to college coaches and prospective student-athletes can be found at:  http://wwwl.ncaa.org/membership/membership svcs/eligibility¬recruiting/indeX.htm1

10th Grade

Key Terms: PSAT and PACT Student-Athlete Responsibilities:

Students are encouraged to take the PSAT and PACT exams as soon as possible to target academic areas that may require additional focus and attention. SAT and ACT prep courses are important tools that prospects should use as they prepare for the actual SAT and ACT exams. Additional information regarding SAT and ACT practice exams can be found by visiting the Princeton Review's website at: http://www.princetonreview.com

Applicable NCAA Rules:

The same NCAA rules apply in both 9th and 10th grades.

11th Grade

Key Terms: SAT, ACT, TOEFL, NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse and Contact Student-Athlete Responsibilities:

Prospects are encouraged to take the SAT and ACT exams as often as necessary to earn the necessary scores for the university they are interested in attending. There is no limit on the number of times a prospect may sit for the exams and to determine a student's overall SAT score, the aggregate of their best math and best verbal sections is compiled. International students should prepare for and take the TOEFL (test of English as a foreign language) as most universities will require international students to provide a TOEFL score. Visit the following websites for additional information on these three key exams:

• For the SAT, visit http://www.collegeboard.com

• For the ACT, visit http://www.act.org

• For the TOEFL, visit http://www.ets.org/toed/index.html

Students should register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse after the completion of their junior year in high school. At that time, a current high school transcript should be sent to the clearinghouse and should include their SAT/ACT test scores. Students are encouraged to elect on the test applications to have their scores forwarded directly to the clearinghouse. For additional information regarding the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse, visit their website at:  http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

Applicable NCAA Rules:

College coaches may write and/or email prospective student-athletes beginning September 1St of the prospect's junior year in high school. College coaches may call and/or contact prospective student-athletes July 1St following the prospect's junior year in high school. Calls are limited to once per week and a total of three contacts may be made throughout the recruiting process. For recruiting purposes, a contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospect and a coach that exceeds a casual greeting. Additional information regarding the specific rules and regulations that apply to college coaches and prospective student-athletes can be found at: http://www1.ncaa.org/membership_svcs/eligibility-recruiting/index.html

12t" Grade

Key Terms: National Letter of Intent and Official Visit Student-Athlete Responsibilities:

Prospective student-athletes are permitted to participate in no more than five official visits during their senior year of high school. This restriction forces recruits to narrow their list of potential schools down to five or less. An official visit is one that is arranged and financed by the host school. Official visits can last up to 48 hours. Additional schools may be visited on an "unofficial" basis as mentioned above.

Seniors may only sign a National Letter of Intent during one of the two designated signing periods. The early period occurs for one week in mid-November whereas the regular period begins in mid-April and continues until August 1St. For additional information on the National Letter of Intent, visit: http://www.national-letter.org

Applicable NCAA Rules:

Students are allowed five official visits (financed by the school) during their senior year. Coaches can call prospects once per week and a total of three face-to-face contacts can be made between the coach and the prospect unless the contact is made on the coaches campus.

Questions for College Coaches

Recruiting

Your team has____ seniors and____ juniors--how many players do you expect to recruit/sign from 2011 and 2012?

Who are some other players in the 2011 and 2012 classes that you are recruiting?

How competitive (on a national level) do you expect your team to be over the next several years and why?

Will your tournament schedule in future years be similar or different from your current 2010-2011 schedule?

The Culture and Process

How do you structure the practice week for the team to balance

"team-together" practicing and also allowing time for players to work on their individual needs?

How do you determine which players on your roster make the traveling team (qualifying, coach's selection, or a combination of both)?

Given that the qualifying process for tournament spots is competitive, how do you maintain team chemistry when eight to ten times each year the players are trying to beat up on each other to make the tournament team?

Specifically, how do the coaches interact with the players during practice in an effort to improve their games?

What golf courses and practice facilities do your players have access to and is the access allowed seven days a week?

How do most of the team members get around? Does everyone have car? For those that do not, how do they get around?

Does your team have a mandatory strength and conditioning program and if so, what does it include?

What about nutrition and nutrition management? Said another way how do you insure the players are eating properly?

What is your coaching style during tournaments specifically while the players are on the course competing?

What are some specific examples of things players work on during off weeks or during the off season?

Do most of the players have their own swing coach? If not what is their plan to get better? How do you expect them to get better?

What is the typical scholarship range for a freshman of my caliber and what do I have to accomplish in college to maintain/increase my scholarship? 

Academics

In the last five years, what percent of those players in the program have graduated?

What arrangements are made to insure that a player gets all of his needed courses in the morning and early afternoon?

Who makes the arrangements for tutors with student athletes?

Are tutors available for golf-team members and if so, how are they scheduled? By the athletic department or on my own?

if a player has to miss practice to get caught up in school do you penalize that player?

Places and Facilities that you want to visit:

The Golf Course
The Practice Area
The Video Room
The Strength and Conditioning Area
A dorm or house where the team players Live Also visit where they eat