span style=”font-weight: 400;”>The collegiate golf recruiting process is one that takes time and patience from a junior golfer. What typically happens is a junior will send out their resume and introduction emails to coaches only to find that they get no response. In order for you to get attention from a college coach, following up in a phone call is a must. Let’s examine when and how to best call a college coach.
Before you make your call, be sure to have done proper homework and research on the school you are targeting. What majors do they offer? How does your academic resume stack up to their admission requirements? What does the golf team roster look like and how did they finish in recent events? Doing some research shows the college coach that your interest is genuine and you are being proactive in the recruiting process. Be sure to send over your college golf resume and introductory email before initiating a phone call.
Keep in mind that you, the junior golfer, are able to initiate a phone call to a college golf coach at any point. College golf coaches, on the other hand, do have restrictions on when they can call you and return voicemails.
- An NCAA D1 Coach cannot proactively call you or return your voicemail until Sept. 1st of your Junior year in high school
- An NCAA D2 Coach cannot proactively call you or return your voicemail until June 15th the summer between your Sophomore and Junior year of high school
- There are no restrictions on when a NCAA D3 or NAIA can call you or return a voicemail
In short, if you are to call a NCAA D1 or D2 Coach before the dates above and if they pick up, you can have a conversation. However, they cannot return a voicemail or call you proactively before those dates.
Once you are ready to make your phone call, ensure you are calling on a day the team is not at a tournament. Pro tip: Always check the team’s schedule before calling. Calls made in the morning hours when coaches are not in season, will have the best opportunity to be picked up.
If the coach picks up, be confident when introducing yourself, “Hi Coach _____, this is Chris Noble, I am a Sophomore at Niles High School in Michigan and I wanted to follow up regarding my recent introduction email that I sent you. Is this a good time?”
Be sure to have a few questions prepared that you want to ask before the call. A few examples could be:
- What are you looking for regarding a golf and academic resume for an incoming freshman on your team?
- Typically, when do you finalize your recruiting class for my graduation year?
- Are there any tournaments or events that you look at more closely than others?
- How often would you like me to stay in contact with you moving forward? Would you want me to keep you updated on my tournament schedule?
- What is the easiest way of getting a hold of you and what days/times work best?
The main item to remember is to have a plan going into the call. Be sure to have questions prepared that help you better understand how stack up to what the coach is looking for in a recruit. Do your best to understand the easiest way to keep in touch moving forward and how often. If the coach doesn’t pick up, leave a message stating your name, graduation year and let them know you’ll try back another time.
Coaches receive upwards of 100 emails a day but typically receive less than 10 calls in a week. Initiating a phone call is a perfect way to stand out from the pack when targeting a college program. Above all, be yourself on the call and show that you have done your research on their program. I hope these above tips will help you make a successful phone call to college coaches!
If you have specific questions about how to call a college golf coach, you can contact me at chris@highschoolgolf.org