Communicating with Coaches
Communication with coaches is one of the most important parts of the recruiting process, especially if you are a junior or senior in high school. Creating a strategy for how often and in what form of communication you will use to contact coaches depends largely on how old you are.
However, before you can begin communicating with coaches, you must do your due diligence and research as many schools as possible to develop a list that will give you the best opportunity to find the right fit athletically, academically, and personally. Divide your list into three categories: dream, target, and shoo-in. Be clear and honest about what your goals are during and after college and use them as a guide for selecting schools. Factors to consider when looking at different programs are stroke average of the top three players, make up and size of roster, available majors, geographic location, campus size, academic requirements, etc. It is helpful to utilize a resource such as the American College Golf Guide as it has a tremendous amount of information in one place for over 1,800 schools in the US.
Use the timeline below to help guide you along your journey to finding the right program, and feel free to reach out to our staff member, Erin O’Neil, if you have questions about any part of the recruiting process.
Sophomores & Younger
- You may email a coach as often as you would like; however, they cannot respond to you in any way. A good goal is to send an introduction email with a resume followed by occasional updates with results and upcoming tournaments every few months.
- Create a social media account and post swing videos, tournament photos, etc. This will allow coaches to follow you and watch your progress.
- Follow coaches, teams, and student-athletes on social media and like any posts!
- Always take the time to address the coach by his/her name rather than using the generic "Dear Coach".
Juniors
- Most juniors will need to have a list of approximately 30-40 schools. It is important to cast a wide net when you start your recruiting journey.
- Create a spreadsheet with coaches contact info and track who you have contacted, what info was shared, etc.
- Make at least one phone call/text and one email per month to your top 10-15 schools and send an email/text update once a month to the next 15-20 schools on y
our list. If any coaches on your list respond to you, follow up with them within 24 hours. - Points to include in your communication:
- Tournament results with scores, yardages, and tournament name.
- Statistics from each competition as well as thoughts on what you did well, what can be better, and how you plan on making improvements for next time.
- Let the coach know if you are interested in an unofficial/official visit in the future.
- Carry yardages and launch monitor data points.
- Video from a recent practice session or lesson - show case your full swing, putting, chipping, and bunker from face-on and down-the-line. Keep the video simple!
- Congratulate the coach on any recent team accomplishments on the golf course or in the classroom.
- Always take the time to address the coach by his/her name rather than using the generic "Dear Coach".
- Create a profile on social media and start following teams, coaches, and student-athletes. Upload swing videos, pictures of you playing golf with your friends and family, or anything that lets a coach see who you are as a golfer and as a person.
- You may like any posts on team social media accounts as well as individual coach and student-athlete accounts.
- Create a pros and cons list as you get to know coaches and take more campus visits. This will allow you to have more concrete information as you make your way through the reruiting process and help narrow down your choices.
Seniors
- If you a year or more into the recruiting process, you should be working towards narrowing down your schools to 15-20 with approximately five in each category of dream, target, and shoo-in.
- If you are a late bloomer and are just now starting to research schools, it is wise to create a list of 30-40 schools to contact.
- If you are not receiving communication from coaches, it likely means you have not contacted programs that match your current skill level. Consider all levels of collegiate golf from NAIA to junior colleges and then create a new list. You do not have to play DI to have a great college experience!
- Aim for having some kind of contact once a week whether by phone, text, or email with schools in your top 10-15 and biweekly for the other half of your list.
Points to include in your communication:
- Tournament results with scores, yardages, and tournament names
- Statistics from each competition as well as thoughts on what you did well, what can be better, and how you plan on making improvements for next time.
- Let the coach know if you are interested in an unofficial/official visit in the near future.
- Carry yardages and launch monitor data points such as swing speed, angle of attack, face-to-path, clubpath, etc.
- Video from a recent lesson - can be video of your full swing, puttng, chipping, bunker, etc.
- Congratulate the coach on any recent team accomplishments on the golf course or in the classroom.
- If you haven't done so already, create a profile on social media and start following teams, coachs, and student-athletes. Upload swing videos, pictures of you playing with friends and family, or anything that let's a coach see who you are as a golfer and as a person.
- Create a pros and cons list as you get to know coaches and take campus visits. This will allow you to have more concrete information as you start to narrow your list down.
Recent High School Graduates
If you recently graduated from high shool and are looking for a program to join, you may want to consider a gap year while continuing to contact coaches at all levels of college golf.
What is a gap year?
- A student-athlete is not allowed to compete in more than four seasons of intercollegiate competition in any sport; however, the NCAA allows a one-year grace period, but your eligibility "clock" starts once you graduate from high school.
- Many prospective student-athletes in the 2021-2023 recruiting classes have taken gap years due to the pandemic and it's effects on scholarship availability.
- You may compete as an individual during your gap year, but must stop by the first possible date of enrollment at the institution you will attend.
- You may enroll in classes during your gap year, but you must stay below 12 hours each semester to avoid triggering full-time status.
- When communicating with coaches, let them know of your intention to take a gap year and when you are looking to enroll full-time.
