December 2010
40 posts
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What do you think about the tournaments that are...
I haven’t been to one yet so I don’t know. Golfweek usually does things very well so I trust they are excellent.
Ask me anything
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Should junior golfers wanting to play college...
I love having players on my team that have played other sports. I played other sports. I find that those that play other sports tend to understand the “team” concept better and also take coaching better. I also think they tend to be tougher.
Certain sports might make a full golf commitment tough—like baseball or other sports in the same season. I quite baseball as a Little...
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What is your opinion of golf academies?
I really don’t know enough to give a good opinion on golf academies. I’m looking for well-rounded and independent type people that are self-motivated and talented. If the academies can provide that environment, great.
Personally, I really enjoyed my local high school experience and would never have traded that for the academy experience, but for some it seems what they are looking...
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Where do coaches recruit the most from? Or where...
Just on numbers alone I would have to say the major junior events (US Junior, Jr. World, Orange Bowl, PGA Jr., Western Jr., Insurance Youth, etc.) and the AJGA events. However, each coach has his/her own strategy and may or may not go to those events. Some really prefer to watch players in smaller and more local events. Generally, coaches recruit most in their own region.
Many coaches are now...
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Is it better to play in a couple of local...
I think a good mix of local and national tournaments is best. AJGA has very nice events, but they aren’t the only option. The most coaches are probably at the US Junior and some others like Jr. World, etc. Many people start to think that they have to only play national events and that just isn’t the case.
When you think about what events to play think about two goals: 1) Developing...
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What options are open to JUCO players? Wide open?...
I’ve seen an uptick in interest in JUCO players by 4-year college coaches. Admissions are more difficult than ever at many schools and transferring between four-year schools can be tricky. As such, the JUCO route is becoming more attractive to many out of high school
JUCO players are especially in demand when something unexpected comes up like a player turning pro early or somebody...
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If you had already used up your scholarship money...
There are just a couple of things I could try to do: 1) Have them come for little or no scholarship, and 2) Talk about scholarship for the future.
Quite often players who could get large scholarships at certain schools will choose others even though they get little or no scholarship. To them, the cost of college is worth the experience that is made available by certain programs.
Scholarship is...
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I've only been playing for a 3 years. I'm a...
Just keep improving. Play the best competition you can find and beat them. There is still time. If you show significant improvement again this year coaches will probably see that and believe you will continue to improve at the same pace. Make a case that your learning trajectory is steep.
The key is to just become a great player. Obviously, academics and everything else is important too,...
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Will coaches recognize a player that turns it on...
Absolutely! There may be a small percentage of schools that have completed recruiting 2012 by this summer, but the vast majority will still be recruiting. Have a great summer and many opportunities will still be there.
Ask me anything
Christmas Card From Recruits?
I recieved a couple personally prepared Christmas cards from recruits this week. That was pretty impressive.
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What information do college coaches look for from...
All coaches are different. I like personal contact. I prefer specific emails and letters and phone calls. Others may use more video than I do. A resume is best if it is only a page or two that focuses mostly on recent results. Letters that are generic and obvious form letters where the coach’s name is changed, but the same letter is sent, are not effective.
Each coach has their own...
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How is the recruiting process different at the low...
I know mostly about DI recruiting so I may not be the best to answer this. I think it would be fair to say that DI schools generally have greater resources for recruiting so they would spend more time traveling and focusing on recruiting on a daily basis. Often non-DI coaches have other jobs as well that keep them from dedicating as much time to recruiting as the typical DI coach. They are...
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Is a player that has a scoring average of 74...
Scoring average is a very difficult matrix to use to measure junior golfers. All courses bring a different level of difficulty and all tournaments set up their course in their own way. So I don’t think most coaches will use scoring average too much in recruiting because it is such a disparate measurement based on conditions, setup, and course features.
What coaches want to see is where a...
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What is your stance on scholarships? I realize...
This is a tough one. Most coaches wish it were easier to decrease scholarships to align them more with performance on a year to year basis. However, NCAA and university rules make it extremely difficult to reduce scholarship based on athletic performance. Usually, the only way that happens is if the student agrees to a decrease or if major team/university/other rules are violated.
Nearly every...
Factors in Recruiting You Should Consider
Here is a easy list of things I think you should consider in the recruiting process (in no particular order). All of these are reasons someone might give for why they’ve chosen a school. I’ve discussed several of them in older posts and will go into others in the future. I think it is a good idea to think about what is important to you in each category and then rank pull out those...
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My 2012 son has 1.73 scoring average. He has 5 top...
I’ll assume that the scoring average you cited was 71.73? I’d be curious to know more about where you are from and what specific tournaments your son has played. You can email if you want to talk about your specific situation in more detail.
Knowing nothing about you, but thinking like a coach, my first order of thinking is…..
1. Are these very small events?
2. Are you...
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great web-site
Thanks! Site needs some work, but hopefully the content is helpful.
Ask me anything
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How important do you feel mental training, fitness...
This is one that would be answered very differently depending on the coach. I might lose a lot of friends if I told you everything i think about this question. This would be a very revealing question to ask the coaches you are considering in the recruiting process. I believe mental training, fitness training, nutrition, swing coaches, etc. all have a place in someone’s quest to becoming a...
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Matt, Great site and congrats to you for having...
Thanks! Just trying to help where it’s needed.
I’ve been thinking about your question for a day. Usually these questions are easy to answer, but this one is tough. I don’t see college golf ever becoming quite like college basketball which is really crazy with the “Sneaker Wars.” Manufacturers certainly want the good, young, players using their product, but if...
PGA Tour Q-School Grads 2010--Which College?
I want to post a list of the latest PGA Tour Q-School graduates and the colleges they attended. Once again, this is not necessarily a list of the “who’s who” of college golf. Special thanks to Sean Martin of Golfweek for providing me with this list. Feel free to follow Sean on Twitter @GolfweekSMartin.
Billy Mayfair — ASU
William McGirt — Wofford
Ben Martin —...
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I know its a personal decision but do you think it...
Always better to compete than not to compete. If you truly “ride the pine” for your whole career I would choose a mid-major where you could “start.” However, most assume that after a couple years they will improve enough to be a “starter” at any school. If that is indeed true (which it often isn’t), it may be worth riding the pine for a couple of years....
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Mr. Thurmond, I am an assistant coach at a low...
Good question. Not sure I’m much of an expert on this, but I’ll give you my best shot.
Assuming you want to get to a “high major D-1 program” I think there are two options: 1) Get an Assistant Coaching job at a program like the one you want to be Head Coach someday, and 2) Have great success as a Head Coach at a smaller school.
I think the first of the two options gives...
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Hi Mr. Thurmond,
Do you feel there are certain...
I really don’t think it will impact a coach’s decision at all. The only ways I can imagine your academic preference impacting recruiting could possibly be: 1) A major that has all of it’s classes during practice times, and 2) a school doesn’t really offer what you desire to study.
Depending on the size of school sometimes there aren’t enough classes to make sure...
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I am in the class of 2012 and have been struggling...
I would definitely communicate this to coaches, especially those with whom you have regular contact. If you know they are specifically interested in you and following your progress I think you should let them know about this. If you don’t have a personal relationship with the coach you may hold off for now. Many young people (including some in my program) have used health challenges to...
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Should you let the coaches you've been in contact...
Most coaches watch all results and will see the bad results whether he sends them or not. It may take them a couple of weeks to get around to looking at those specific results, but most likely they will see them at some point.
I recommend emailing (at least those with which you have regular contact) them regardless of score. One of the things coaches like to learn about recruits is how they...
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Is it better to call or email coaches? If you do...
It depends on your interest level. Coaches get thousands of emails every year. You can differentiate yourself with email, but you need to find a way to make your emails personal and interesting or they will look like every other. Calls, on the other hand, are far more rare and effective. They allow you to tell more about yourself. If you really want to get a coach’s attention, a call...
THANKS FOR ALL THE QUESTIONS
Thanks to everyone for the questions. I’ve posted the questions and answers for questions appropriate for public on this site. Feel free to keep them coming. It is much easier to discuss what you want than to try to figure out what you want. As always, they are anonymous and I’ll try to answer as sincerely as possible.
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Are golf scholarships primarily a set dollar...
How the scholarship is communicated varies from school to school. I usually go by percentage, but also give the dollar amount of scholarship and a summary of what a family will be accountable for.
The good thing about getting a percentage instead of dollar amount is that tuition will inevitably go up. As it does, the dollar amount of your scholarship will go up with it. So if you can, I would...
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at this point elite golfers in 2012 class are...
This is really a quiet time for recruiting relative to other times of year. Mainly, because coaches aren’t on the road recruiting a lot and there are a relatively small number of junior events to watch. Other than playing in whatever tournaments you can, this is mostly of time of communication with coaches. Since it is sometimes hard to let your clubs do the talking this time of year, it...
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Do college coaches prefer players that consistenly...
Coaches prefers players that consistently shoot in the high 60s and low 70s :).
That depends on the coach really. Often in recruiting coaches (erroneously I think) look only at the best scores of a player. Low scores are evidence that they can do it and a coach tends to think, “if he can do it sometimes he has potential to do it all the time.” I’ve found that inconsistent...
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What are the 5 biggest turnoffs to you when...
That’s a tough one. I’ll just answer with my first impression on this without thinking about it too long:
1. Over-involved or over-intense parents
2. Bad behavior or attitude on the course
3. Recruits who will choose only by the biggest scholarship
4. Really slow players
5. Recruits more concerned with who is watching than focusing on their own game. (A colleague calls them...
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When is the next signing period and what happens...
The next signing period for golf begins on April 13 and extends through April. Here is a PDF from the NCAA that has lots of information about NLI signing: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/85bbf0004e0dc6ec94fef41ad6fc8b25/NLI+Guide+2010-11.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=85bbf0004e0dc6ec94fef41ad6fc8b25
Ask me anything
Football Recruiting Compared to Golf Recruiting
NLI Signing day is less than a couple of months away for college football. Everywhere you turn there is a verbally committed recruit changing his mind and going somewhere else. I’m so glad golf isn’t that way. With just a couple of exceptions, in golf, when a recruit makes a verbal commitment he keeps it. I hope that never changes.
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I am in the class of 2012 and I have sent some...
I’m surprised they would say they can’t talk to you until July 1 of your junior year. I think what they mean is that they are not allowed to call you or meet with you off-campus until after July 1 entering your senior year. You can still call them and you can email back and forth.
First, definitely get your schedule to those coaches that asked for that and feel free to update them...
College Coaches Put Recruiting Calendar in NCAA... →
I wrote about the “recruiting calendar” issue a while back. Here is the latest. Mostly a bunch of nonsense as I doubt the NCAA will approve what we put forward. We’ll see what happens. I don’t like the plan presented as I feel it has too many allowable days to be significant change, and the many different quiet periods and dead periods take too much flexibility from...
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In a previous blog you mention you are spending a...
Official visits are visits taken by recruits after Sept 1 of their senior year of high school. They can be completely paid for by the school and can include travel, meals, some entertainment, off-campus contact, etc. Each recruit is allowed a maximum of five “official visits.”
Unofficial visits are when a recruit pays their own way to visit a campus. Unofficials can take place at...
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What is the first thing you look for in a recruit...
The first thing would just be their presence or aura. I want to try to get a feel for what the recruit thinks of themself and how good they truly believe they can be. I’ve found that those with a very deep inner belief and faith in themself will learn how to do everything else with time and coaching.
Ask me anything
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I'm a 2012 recruit and my question is about...
Great question. I’ve had some other posts about “early recruiting” that might help. Those are in the archives.
Make your decision when you are ready. If you feel like you’ve done your research and you are happy with your options I wouldn’t hesitate to move forward.
Sometimes waiting can limit opportunities as spots fill up with other committed recruits.
However,...
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How much of a factor is distance when college...
This would be a completely different answer for all coaches. To some it is really important and to others it isn’t. I’m much more interested in the ability to hit the ball solidly than far. I do think a coach needs to believe that a recruit can compete on the longer and much more difficult courses they will play in college. Everyone develops at a different time. A guy that hits it...
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The Best Source for the Real Story
In an recent exchange with someone very intimately involved with college golf on the subject of recruiting he said to me, “Past/Current players are your greatest testimonials.”
I always encourage everyone I recruit to contact the past players and parents of past players to ask about our program and the other schools they are learning about. It may sound like a good idea, but...
