|
Approximately 30 percent of all college golf
teams compete in NCAA Division I. The
remaining programs are members of NCAA
Division II, NCAA Division III, the NAIA
(National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics), or the NJCAA (National Junior
College Athletic Association). Many of these
golf programs are highly competitive and offer
student-athletes an excellent opportunity to
compete in intercollegiate athletics during
their college years.
The main differences between Division II/III
and Division I programs result from limited
financial resources. The first sign of these
limited resources is scholarship funding. The
NCAA allows men’s Division II programs to
award 3.6 full scholarships annually (vs. 4.5
in Division I) while women’s Division II
programs can award 5.4 full scholarships
annually (vs. 6.0 in Division I). Division
III programs are prohibited from awarding any
athletic scholarships. Also, Division II and
Division III programs typically have smaller
operating budgets (travel, equipment,
facilities, etc.), and in many cases, the
coaches have additional university
responsibilities to supplement their coaching
salaries. Scholarship and budget deficiencies
for Division II and Division III programs are
where the differences end.
Some of the most talented college golf coaches
are found in Division II and Division III
programs, and in many cases, these schools are
outstanding academic institutions that offer
excellent environments for student-athletes to
succeed both in the classroom and on the golf
course. During my four years as a Division II
coach, I was fortunate to have several
outstanding teams and numerous highly skilled
individual players. These players and their
teams were committed to excellence and never
felt like they were being slighted in any way
as Division II players.
All collegiate players and coaches, regardless
of their membership classification or
conference affiliation, aspire to constantly
improve and to ultimately succeed in
postseason championships. For many student-
athletes, opportunities to compete in Division
I may never exist, but these players can still
enjoy a wonderful college golf experience by
competing in another division. Competing is
the key, and no player, regardless of team,
will ever improve as a player if he is not a
member of the team’s five-person traveling
squad. Some Division I players, who face this
exact situation, would be much better off as
either Division II or Division III players.
My recommendation is for junior golfers to
remain open-minded about where they want to
attend school and play golf. There is no
exact path that a player must take if he
aspires to someday compete as a professional
golfer. Players from Division II and junior
colleges have won both the U.S. Open and PGA
Championships along with countless PGA TOUR
titles. The fact remains that golf is a sport
where you earn your way into a championship
and then the scores you shoot determine your
ultimate ranking. In golf there is no
professional draft to deal with, and
regardless of where you played collegiate
golf, you have an equal opportunity to
ultimately earn status on the PGA TOUR.
Remember, if your best option is to play golf
at the Division II or Division III level, make
the most of that opportunity and have a great
college experience! |
Back to Going to College
(3).gif)
