You Have Completed the College Placement Process—Now What? |
Staying focused during your senior year ensures a successful transition to college |
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The college placement process can be a long
and arduous task for families and junior
golfers. Researching schools, writing and
emailing coaches, completing college
applications, and visiting campuses expends a
lot of time and energy. It can be a very
rewarding process as well, especially when a
junior player is offered and accepts a
scholarship to play for a school that fits his
or her needs both academically and
athletically.
Oftentimes I have witnessed cases where
players will lose their focus after committing
early to a coach or signing the National
Letter of Intent in November, and as a result,
their golf games will suffer. It is very
important to set intermediate goals between
your junior golf career and the time you
enroll in college. With the rush to commit to
coaches so early these days, players can have
12, 18, or even 24 months remaining before
they will actually begin their collegiate
careers.
So what should be done to stay sharp once you
know where you are going to attend college and
play golf?
Maintain a once-per-month tournament
schedule that includes some amateur
competition (state amateur, USGA qualifiers,
regional amateur events, etc.).
Continue to work hard on improving all
areas of your golf game.
Work regularly with your support team
to make any necessary improvements (swing
instructor, strength and conditioning coach,
etc.).
Have your golf equipment reviewed
annually and, if necessary, updated by a
qualified club fitter.
Attend several college tournaments to
better understand what the next level will
require of you.
Learn to become an effective time
manager, balancing golf, school, and free
time.
Speak regularly with your future
college coach to learn more about the team,
his coaching philosophies, and what you should
expect in the first semester.
Set realistic goals for your freshman
year (both golf and school).
Continue to work hard on your
academics.
Once a student-athlete has completed the
college placement process and knows
definitively where he will attend college and
play golf, it is important to focus
immediately on his future goals. Also, he
should understand that college placement is
only one step in a competitive player’s long-
term development. Earning a college golf
scholarship is a great accomplishment, but if
the player fails to have additional
aspirations as a golfer, then his game is
likely to plateau and, in some cases, even
begin to decline.
The bottom line is that all players,
regardless of where they stand with the
college placement process, need to continue
working hard to maintain focus in an attempt
to become the best student-athletes they can
be.
Good luck!
Coach Brooks
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