Where college students go for golf

Every college golfer has their own story. A unique journey that brought them to their campus, to pick their major, and to continue playing the sport they love. Truth be told, only a small percentage of high school golfers will play varsity golf in college. A survey conducted by the NCAA to determine the estimated probability of competing in college athletics found that only 6.2% of men and women who golf in high school continue competing at the collegiate level. So where does that leave the other 93.8% of high school golfers? 

Our long standing partner GolfBuddy has always been extremely supportive of our players. This year was no different, not only do all Nextgengolf community members receive discounts on rangefinders, GolfBuddy also worked with us to support our leaders and other select players to receive the new LR7 Rangefinder. Below are just a few Nextgengolfers that got hooked up by GolfBuddy this season.  

We've been waiting all winter for this. The Spring 2017 season is finally here, and over 300 teams in 27 regions will soon begin their journey towards qualifying for the NCCGA National Championship at Hot Springs Country Club in Arkansas. 31 teams and 8 individuals will make up this season's field, with the first ticket already punched by the defending National Champions: University of Georgia.

Golf in Minnesota has had it’s fair share of excitement over the past few months. Between the Ryder Cup madness that was bestowed upon Hazeltine and the surrounding communities, there has been no shortage of excitement for the game in and around Minneapolis. That includes the NCCGA Twin Cities Region.

The start of the Fall 2016 NCCGA season is less than two weeks away! The #drivefordisney will officially begin in Georgia as the South Region will host the first regional of the year on Sept 17/18. Over 300 college golf club teams are expected to take part this season, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the NCCGA National Championship at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Only 30 teams will qualify, meaning the only guaranteed way to make nationals is to win your qualifiyng region.

The beginning of the season means it is time to finally unveil the Fall 2016 Preaseason Top 25 college golf rankings!

When I was a senior at Weddington High School, I was accepted to 6 different schools but still didn't know where I wanted to go. All I knew is I wanted to play varsity golf in college. I had played golf in high school, and also on the AJGA and HJGT summer tours. With less than two months remaining before graduation, I accepted an offer from Belmont Abbey College to play on their men’s golf team.

My name is Matt Hahn, I was the President of the University of Delaware Club Golf Team, and the NCCGA President in 2016 (Meet the NCCGA President). As I write this article, our official club membership count sits at 135 players.

The most frequent question that I get when I tell people that I transferred from Clemson University to play golf at Greensboro College is, “Why did you do that?”. Clemson is like a dream college, and Greensboro College is a very small school that sits in the shadow of University of North Carolina-Greensboro. I always say that while I loved Clemson, I followed my dream to pursue golf in college.

From the United Kingdom to the United States, and from Division 1 college golf to NCCGA college golf, Daniel Park of Auburn University has quite a story when it comes to his golf career.

Years ago, when only 96 players in total were invited to nationals, determining how many teams per region would qualify for nationals was very simple. But as the NCCGA has grown from 5 regions in 2009 to 28 in 2016, much has changed in the way the top teams from across the country are selected to represent their region at the NCCGA National Championship.

As we’ve all heard plenty of times, “money makes the world go round.” In an ideal world, golf would be free and grades wouldn’t exist but hey, this is the real world. I might not be able to help you hit it on the green but I can definitely help you keep your #ClubGolf team in the green.

There is a common misconception that golf is an acronym for “gentlemen only, ladies forbidden.” While this is far from true, the statement is not so far off base. The origin of the sport itself has often been attributed to a way for gentlemen to get away from their wives and female friends. Golf has been a male-dominated sport for far longer than women have been allowed to play, and this has made it difficult for women to wedge their way into the game without confronting prejudice today.

Yes, sports fans, it’s Game Week.

Club Presidents encounter many challenges during their time starting and maintaining a club golf team. One of those issues is recruiting. How do I find students that want to be in club? We hear from a lot of students, typically during the summer after graduation, that need some help finding students to be in the club.

As the former president of the University of Florida Club Golf team, I wanted to share my tips on how to effectively recruit students and spread awareness of the club throughout campus. These tips should not only help you find plenty of college golf club team members, but can set you on your way to developing a more competitive roster. This is the part of series of tips intended to help NCCGA students run their clubs. Let me know if you want to see me tackle a specific issue.