Where college students go for golf

While we are excited to be able to offer amazing tournaments and other golf opportunities for our college golfers, the NCCGA understands that college golf is about more than just golf. It is the lifelong friendships, volunteering in the community, and team traditions that players will remember. It is for these reasons that the NCCGA will be repeating the #ClubGolf campaign this spring.

Every week students reach out to the NCCGA and are relieved to find that there is club golf at their school, and they do not have to be disappointed if they did not get an athletic scholarship. The fact is that getting a scholarship is not easy to do. Since golf teams are very small and golf is not a financial asset to a college, golf scholarships are hard to come by. We put together the list of resources below that can provide a deeper context and consultation about getting a golf scholarship.

Also check out our blog article on "How to get a golf scholarship" - featuring a Q&A with the head golf recruiter at the NCSA and a deeper look at earning golf scholarships.

As the NCCGA continues to grow rapidly so does its student leadership team. Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to be chosen as the NCCGA Director of Campaign and Social Media. Coming into a new leadership position was intimidating with only a few months to prepare for the season. However, with the help of Cormac Kelly, the previous Director of Campaigns, and the entire NextGenGolf Staff the transition into my new role has been smooth and exciting.

The second week of competition, the NCCGA Spring Season traveled to South Carolina. Clemson University defended its title as Southeast Regional champs, winning their fourth consecutive regional tournament.

Club Golf Academy takes a deeper look into two more important aspects of the the rule book. The USGA Rules of the Week are Rule 17 and Rule 18, concerning relief from penalty areas and how to proceed when you hit your ball out of bounds or lose your ball.

So far, throughout the short NCCGA season, poor weather conditions have been a recurring theme. Not only has winter postponed regionals, but it has forced me to shorten my NCCGA Spring Preview considerably. The cold temperatures and snow have drifted as far south as Texas and Alabama, causing postponements in both the Ozark and South Regions. With that being said, the only tournament play this weekend will take place at Hunters Creek Golf Club where the competitive Southeast Region will play in their first Regional Tournament.

In order to improve the NCCGA tournament experiences, the NextGenGolf team has decided to gather volunteers to help with each regional tournament. To further understand the role these volunteers will play, we caught up with Nick Heyrman, Director of Tournament Operations.

Each week, I will cover a rule that frequently comes into question during amateur golf tournaments. This weekly Club Golf Academy segment will be covering rules that I believe all NCCGA players should know and understand.

February 21-22^nd was a weekend of firsts in the NCCGA. We had the first Regional Tournament of the Spring 2015 season in the Southwest as well as two teams making their first NCCGA appearances. Point Loma Nazarene University and the Golf Academy of America-Carlsbad demonstrated talent and the potential to give defending regional champs, National University, competition in the #Battle4Bryan.

Over the years, high schools and middle schools have adopted a two-tier system with junior-varsity and varsity teams to help build their programs. By following this system, junior varsity player get ample practice time while still being able to develop in a competitive setting. This allows golfers to build up their confidence and skill in preparation for the varsity team.

The NCCGA Spring Preview can only mean one thing; Its Golf Season. Club golfers from around the country have gotten the itch to get back on the course after a long winter break. The wait will end this weekend as the Spring 2015 season begins in California. The Southwest Region is hosting the first NCCGA regional tournament of the year at Yucaipa Valley Golf Club. Yucaipa is a beautiful golf club nestled in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, about an hour east of Los Angeles.

As the weather begins to warm and snow begins to melt (everywhere except for Boston), club golf teams around the country are preparing for another NCCGA college golf season. With the new season rapidly approaching, it’s only right to give the best teams in the country the recognition they deserve. 28 regions around the country will begin regional tournament play in the next couple months, with the Southwest Region starting the schedule this weekend February 21/22.

It seems that Jamie Ehrhart was destined to play golf. Being born and raised in the small town of Quincy, Illinois, a town producing touring pros like D.A. Weibring and Luke Guthrie, success is not uncommon. Through the years, golf has become a part of Jamie’s life. Since the age of three she has owned clubs and played golf competitively. She caught on quickly, only needing one year to win her first tournament at the ripe age of four years old. That win was the beginning of a tremendous career Jamie has continued into college golf.

Before, during, and after each semester, we here at the NCCGA talk a lot with the various Presidents of club golf teams across the country. The topics include tournament experiences, how we can improve, and what their biggest struggles are. One of the common struggles we hear from students is the lack of funding.

We all know that golf, at times, can be a slow sport. It is one of the slowest paced games out there, yet it is also one of the most widely played sports. There is the waiting on the tee box for the group in front of you, waiting in the fairway to hit your approach shot and sometimes waiting in the line at the restroom when making the turn. The waiting can be one of the worst parts of a college golf round.