Just How Big is College Golf?

Parents Can Expect Some Return on Their Investment

The NCAA allows Division I programs a maximum of 4.5 scholarships for men and 6 scholarships for women. Assuming these programs are funded conservatively at 50% of their maximum and that the national average cost of education is $25,000 (tuition, fees, books, room, and board) as of 2015, there is over $9 million available in total Division I golf scholarships (men and women) for each high school graduating class. The total amount grows significantly if you also include Division II, NAIA, and NJCAA. Keep in mind 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!