Just How Big is College Golf?
Parents Can Expect Some Return on Their Investment
Revised July, 16, 2019
There are five classifications in College Golf: NCAA Divisions I, II, and III (non-scholarship), NAIA, and NJCAA (Junior College). In Division I alone, there are 299 men's and 267 women's programs available for junior golfers to explore and possibly play for one day.
The NCAA allows Division I golf programs to award a maximum of 4.5 scholarships for men’s teams and 6.0 scholarships for women’s teams. Assuming these programs are funded conservatively at 50% of their maximum allowance (realizing some NCAA Division I teams award no golf scholarships while others award the maximum allowable amount) and the cost of education is estimated at only $30,000 annually (tuition, fees, books, room, and board), the math then tells us that well over $10 million in NCAA Division I golf scholarships (including both men’s and women’s programs) is available for each high school graduating class. The total amount grows significantly if you also include NCAA Division II, NAIA, and NJCAA. Keep in mind NCAA Division III programs do not award athletic scholarships.
Parents need to understand that a potential ROI (return on investment) does exist for all the money they spend on their junior golfer's career. If, however, a full ROI is expected, they may be disappointed in the long run. Very few full scholarships are awarded in men's college golf and while more are offered for the women, not everyone is guaranteed a full ride to college.
Outside of Division I, many other opportunities exist for graduating high school golfers to consider. The table below illustrates this point and recognizes that a total of 2,228 college golf programs are currently in place.
So, how big is College Golf? Pretty big I would say!
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Play well!
Coach Brooks
Red
Numbers Golf®