For junior golfers everywhere, their schedule seems to never slow down. Tournaments, practice, homework, and workouts can really add up, making It easy for a junior golfer to become overwhelmed. Let’s discuss the junior golf calendar and what a player should focus on each given season to set you up for the most success.
Winter
During the winter months, use this time to focus on your golf fitness. You do not need to spend hours in the gym to be successful, but instead can use these simple and effective workout routines that focus on your core strength and flexibility.
This time of the year is very important when pursuing a college golf scholarship and talking to college coaches. The winter months are one of the most active times for coaches when it comes to recruiting. Two of the most important items for you to accomplish this winter are to create a college golf resume and and to send introduction emails to coaches that you are interested in. Set a goal of reaching out to at-least 2-3 programs every week and ensure that each email is detailed and personalized.
If you have already started to email college coaches, be sure to follow up via phone call within 2-3 weeks after initial contact. Always keep in mind that it will take more than one touch-point to get through to a college coach.
Spring
During the spring months, it is important to remember college golf coaches are busy with the spring season. Rather than sending off countless emails, be strategic about your outreach, look at their tournament schedule before emailing or calling a coach – avoid reaching out on days they are at tournaments or days prior to the event.
One of the most important items to send over to a college coach is your upcoming summer tournament schedule. Create a simple word document with dates of your tournaments, name of the event, and what courses it will be on. A goal of yours should be to have a college coach watch you play in the summer, but you need to get your schedule in front of them months in advance.
Summer
Summer means one thing for a junior golfer, tournament time! Where there is not a perfect number of events to play in over the summer, Competing in at-least 7-10 events is usually sufficient. Set your focus and goal on competing in multi day events (36 holes or longer) at yardages close to 7,000 yards for boys and 6,000 yards for girls with a field size of 30 or more players. Events such as the 2019 High School Golf National Invitational will look great on your tournament resume and will stand out to college coaches.
Keep in mind that you need to be the one communicating to coaches on your play during the summer months, don’t assume they will look up your results. Every two-three weeks, you should send a quick update on your tournament play and results, you can list your tournament finishes such as:
AJGA Coca-Cola Junior Champ. Boyne Highlands Resort – Moor Course July 1-3, 2019 74-74-69 6808/73.5/134
Fall
Since college golf is a two season sport, the same advice from spring applies to the fall months. I would suggest following up with coaches you have been in touch with over the summer months to learn of opportunities to come for a campus visit. Seeing a school up close and in person can either make or break your decision to attend.
If you are a senior, it is important to make sure that you have filled out your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and that you have applied to the college to ensure you are accepted (GPA and test scores). If a college coach offers you a scholarship, it’s important to ask what the decision timeline is so you can weigh your other college options.
The junior golf calendar is a 365 day a year operation, and if you are able to strategize your tournaments, school work, fitness, and outreach to college coaches, you can be successful. If you have specific questions regarding what to do during a certain season, feel free to contact me directly at chris@highschoolgolf.org.