Creating a College Golfer

A few years ago, I attended a seminar hosted by Mike Small, the University of Illinois Men’s Golf Coach. Mike played the Tour a little bit, and he is clearly one of the most accomplished players in the PGA of America. When the seminar broke for lunch, I asked him: “what are the top two things you look for when you are assessing a possible recruit?” His answer on creating a college golfer may surprise you, and yet they are so simple:

  1. Recruit needs to be able to COMPRESS the golf ball. Many players merely swing at the ball…the best compress it. We all know it when we see it.
  2. Recruit needs to SCORE…he needs to be able to go low. If you can clearly compress the ball, but you can’t go low, there might be psychological limitation. I will take a kid who can shoot 65, then 75 or a kid who shoots 71 both rounds. To win at the highest level, you need to be able to take it deep under par.
Creating a College Golfer
Mike Bender and Zach Johnson

Parents, Are You Creating a College Golfer?

For all the parents out there, who might one day be lobbying for your child’s golf scholarship, this is incredible insight from a coach who might be one of the best in the business.

So your question might be…Golf Course Owner Guy have you ever seen a junior player go on to be a great college player. 20+ years in the business, I’m still waiting to see my first.

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