How to Get a Golf Scholarship - An Expert's Advice

Getting a golf scholarship can be a long and winding road. According to Blaine Lynch, the former Head Golf Recruiting Coach for NCSA Recruiting, high school students should focus on three key things to land a scholarship offer at all levels.

The biggest change in the recruiting process is the accessibility the coaches have to student athletes. There are about 150,000 men and 75,000 women competing at the high school level just in the US looking to play in college. Coaches have a lot more opportunities to get in touch with people and there are a lot more recruiting resources available to them than there has been in the past. Another big change is the offer process. Coaches are putting out offers earlier and earlier now. This trend is going to continue when coaches can find top talent early.

There are both academic and athletic scholarships. It depends on the school how many scholarships are available. There is an opportunity to qualify for academic scholarships for a specific amount above and beyond an athletic scholarships. It really depends on the division of the school for the scholarship opportunities. For example, D3 programs cannot offer any athletic money. D2 schools can only offer 3.6 scholarships on the men’s side and 5.4 for the ladies. Scholarship amounts vary for both men and women.

It depends on the program. If you are looking to compete at the D1 level and get a scholarship, you will need to show the ability to shoot even par and break even par to get a scholarship. For most programs mid to low 70s is important for a scholarship. As a rule of thumb, you need to be shooting in the 70s.

For women, if you are shooting in the 70s in events, you have a very good chance of getting a scholarship at a D1 school. If you shoot mid 70s to high 80s there is opportunities for scholarships for women.

The biggest misconception is that D3 and NAIA programs are not competitive. D1 and D2 is not an end all be all. For example, the NAIA National Champion shot -16 in the National Championship. You cannot argue about that level of competition. Some people can’t get past just being a D1 player. Only the top 1-2% play at the D1 level. If you eliminate the D3 and NAIA programs, you are eliminating 465 programs to play at 50% of your options. Never eliminate a division level until you actually have an offer from a higher level school! Fortunately the NCCGA is another option for many students looking to do to D1 schools. Clubs golf teams at these D1 college are also competitive and can be varsity programs at smaller school.

Be realistic. Be proactive. You can’t wait for coaches to find you. You need to find them and show them who you are.

Blaine is from Neenah, WI. He was a 3 sport athlete in high school (basketball, soccer & golf) and recruited to play at multiple programs across the Midwest. Blaine played collegiate golf at Carroll University (DIII school in Waukesha, WI), 3x 1st Team All-Conference, 4x Letter Winner, 2x Team Conference Championships & National Qualifiers. Blaine is an expert on the subject of college golf recruiting and is a resource to over 1800 families annually.