Going to College is devoted to helping junior golfers and their parents better understand the college recruitment process and to providing insight on what qualities are necessary for young players to compete successfully at the collegiate level. Each month, a popular topic will be discussed to offer advice and counsel to interested juniors and their parents.

Going to College Authors

As a former college golf coach and someone who has worked with talented junior and collegiate players for 20 years, John is well qualified to help families navigate junior golf and manage college placement. For this purpose, he founded Red Numbers Golf in 2003. Since then he has worked with over 150 dedicated families who are focused on helping their junior golfer realize the dream of playing collegiate golf. His extensive coaching experience at the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division I levels has allowed him to witness the commitment and work ethic necessary for student-athletes to transition successfully into college.

Realizing that the college placement process can be complex and somewhat overwhelming, John strives to help each client employ a "best fit" philosophy when identifying and targeting potential colleges and golf programs to attend. During his 14 years of college coaching, John has met and built meaningful working relationships with hundreds of college golf coaches and other key members of the golf industry.


Email John Brooks

Ted Gleason founded Road To College Golf in 2006 to assist junior golfers and their families with the college placement process. Formerly the Head Golf Coach at both the University of Southern California and Southern Methodist University. Ted has 7 years of coaching experience at the Division I level, 5 years of experience as a professional golfer and 4 years of college golf at UCLA. Over this time he has experienced the personal and professional commitment necessary to compete at the collegiate and professional level.

While coaching, he took on an active mentoring role with his collegiate players and assisted them in developing the skill sets necessary to be successful student-athletes. Now, through Road To College Golf, Ted utilizes the aforementioned experiences to assist families better understand the world of junior golf and identify universities that meet the academic and golf profile of their junior golfer.

Email Ted Gleason

What Should I Do if I Didn’t Sign a National Letter of Intent in the Early Signing Period?
By Ted Gleason

Stay proactive in the process and be open to exploring all of the possibilities.

For those of you (2010 graduates) who did not sign a National Letter of Intent this past November, do not be discouraged or feel as if no options remain. College coaches are continually looking for good players who fit the academic and athletic profile of their teams and universities. There are many coaches who annually look for the “late bloomer” or the player who comes on strong in the winter and early spring of his/her senior year. During my college coaching years I signed some of my best players during the spring signing period.

There are numerous actions you can take over the months ahead, prior to the spring signing period, to garner the interest of college coaches. The main keys are:

• Review the early signing period signees on Junior Golf Scoreboard (http://www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com/early_signees.asp) to see which schools have potential roster positions to fill.
• Review your “best fit” list of schools to determine if additional schools should be researched and added based on your recent tournament results, academic standing, corresponding interest from coaches, and your objectives as a student-athlete.
• Remember to use the PING American College Golf Guide (www.collegegolf.com) for a comprehensive listing of all college golf programs, and consider the varying levels of competition and academic requirements that exist. It is worth noting that there are over 1,200 colleges that have men’s golf programs and over 800 that have women’s golf programs. Be open to exploring all possibilities.
• Maintain a competitive tournament schedule this winter and spring to continue to build your resume and demonstrate your abilities to college coaches.
• Make sure that you update all of the schools on your “best fit” list with the following: recent tournament results, current academic standing, upcoming tournament schedule, key references, and a recent swing video.
• Continue to be proactive in your follow-up communication with college coaches and make sure to have questions formulated that will help you better determine their interest level in you as a prospective student-athlete, what they are looking for with respect to a golf and academic profile, and the timeline they have for finalizing their respective recruiting decisions.
• Continue to make unofficial and/or official visits when appropriate.
• Attend college golf tournaments that include the schools on your “best fit” list. To view a complete college golf tournament schedule, visit www.golfstat.com or go to your local university’s athletic website to view that program’s tournament schedule.
• Finish strong academically and continue to work hard on your golf game and fitness.

Most essential is staying proactive and positive throughout this time. It can be frustrating to not know where you will be next fall; however, if you stay focused on what you can control and do your proper due diligence, you will identify a fit for youself. There are many different means to an end, and having the experience of being a student-athlete at any college is a worthwhile experience.

Happy Holidays!

Coach Ted Gleason