Scholarships for Skilled Golfers

by Bill Harrison on 11.24.2009

Make no doubt about it, golf is fast becoming one of the most competitive of college sports, especially in women’s sports. Here is a practical look at the college golfing scholarship opportunities you must not miss.

NCAA GOLFING SCHOLARSHIPS

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) provides golf scholarships to both men and women. The NCAA sponsors 289 Division I and 210 Division II Men’s golf programs. Sounds like a lot of potential dough? What you must understand is that the NCAA places scholarship limits on athletic programs. Each D1 men’s golf program is permitted 4.5 scholarships and each D2 men’s program is permitted 3.6 scholarships. That’s just over 2056 men’s golf scholarships.

Women’s golfing is faring even better. The NCAA sponsors 235 D1 and 128 D2 Women’s golf programs. D1 women’s golf teams are limited to 6 scholarships and D2 teams to 5.4. That’s a bit over 2101 women’s golf scholarships permitted for NCAA teams.

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT GOLF SCHOLARSHIPS

Golf is an equivalency sport . Coaches may divvy up their scholarship dough as many ways as they want. For example, Coach “Abe” at University of Z has 4.5 scholarships for his D1 men’s golf team. He is only limited by the dollar amount contained in 4.5 scholarships, but he doesn’t have to limit his scholarship dollars to 4.5 actual golfers; he can split it up, offer partial scholarships to as many golfers as he would like.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?

There are most likely many more golfing scholarships than the numbers show; many are partial and could even be augmented with academic and need-based scholarships in order to recruit the right athletes.

Many college sports enthusiasts regularly report that the level of golfing at D3 schools is exceptional. However, D3 programs are not sanctioned to offer athletic scholarships in any association. Guess what? This does not mean that coaches have no recruitment strategy in place. No one said D3 schools couldn’t offer academic and need-based scholarships and plenty do just this. Their strategy? Attract the best student golfers they can that have equally impressive academic records or are able to demonstrate a deep financial need for monetary aid. You could be one of these student golfers.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A GOLF SCHOLARSHIP

Student golfers must typically be a bit more market savvy than say their football or basketball counterparts. Here are basic pointers for making sure your golf game is ready to be sold to coaches:

If you will try for NCAA scholarships make sure you register with the NCAA’s Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse, a requirement for athletes shopping NCAA scholarships.

Improve your chances with coaches when you prove experience in a variety of tournaments, including various video segments from tournaments that demonstrate your versatility with different types and skill levels of players and a variety of courses.

College coaches are unable to talk to you about recruitment until your junior year in high school.