High school golfers have plenty of options to continue playing the game they love in college even if they don't make varsity.
Transitioning from high school to college is a milestone life event. You have a big party with all your family and friends when you graduate high school, and then in August you start in school again for another four years.
For many high school athletes, the transition is even tougher. Only a small number will go on to play their sport in college at the varsity level. If you played football in high school, and did not receive a scholarship to play on your college team, there are not many options if you want to continue playing.
According to the website Scholarship Stats, a site that provides statistics on college scholarship odds, in 2011-12 there were 152,725 boys that played on their high school golf team, and only 12,147 spots available on college golf teams!
Those numbers mean only 8% of high school golfers could go on to play on their college varsity team. The percentage was only slightly higher for girls, with 8.6% being able to play in college.
What the statistics show is that while it may be a goal of many high school golfers, playing on your college varsity team is a tall task. There simply are not enough spots to go around.
However, the journey does not have to end. There are still plenty of competitive playing opportunities available during your college years.
Nextgengolf's collegiate tour, the National Collegiate Club Golf Association, provides golfers in college the opportunity to compete as a team against schools and individuals all across the country. Teams and individuals compete in two weekend tournaments in the fall and springs semesters against teams and individuals in their regions, vying for a chance to compete in the national championship. The NCCGA is a great option for golfers looking to stay competitive in college. If you want help starting a team on campus, we are happy to work with you to help you fundraise and get course discounts.
Compete this Fall in NCCGA Tournaments
For summer play, the Hurricane Collegiate Golf Tour helps college-aged golfers 17-23 stay in the game. The HCGT runs 1-Day, 36-Hole competitive tournaments during the summer. One of the unique aspects of this tour is that it contains a combination of high school seniors about to enter college, varsity golfers, club golfers, and recreational golfers. The Texas Collegiate Amateur Tour is another junior tour now expanding to host tournaments for college golfers during the summer.
College golfers also have the option to play in intramural events, as well as scrambles at their University and local golf courses. While each of these options is unique in their own way, they all have one common theme: college-aged golfers playing the game of golf.
**Travis Richardson helps grow NCCGA college golf teams in the Southeast part of the US, contact him @travis_richson is you want help starting a club team on campus
