Where college students go for golf

A recent post was made on the Nextgengolf blog by Corey Stamper, who transferred from playing club golf team at a large state university to a varsity team at a much smaller college. My situation was exactly the opposite; I went from a Division II golf program to Florida State University’s club golf team.

One of the most important aspects of building a club golf team, and maintaining it, is a solid recruiting plan. Even if you have the best college golf club team in the nation, eventually the players will graduate and you don't want to be standing there with an empty cupboard. Even if you attend a massive school, failing to spread awareness to the student body will prevent your club from growing beyond a few people.

Does your school have club golf?

Here at the NCCGA we hear all kinds of challenges that club golf teams face each season. One of the most common problems we hear about semester after semester is funding. Many teams don't receive funding support from the school, or only receive a small amount, leaving the team to foot the rest of the bill. Fundraising for your team can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be!

We have seen and heard all kinds of great ideas from teams around the country. These ideas have ranged from extremely simple to execute, to moderately difficult (but financially worth it). These fundraisers do a great job of bringing in money to support the club's expenses, but are also fun to do as a team. After all, you can’t spell fundraiser without FUN (corny joke, I know).

Here are 6 fundraiser ideas we've heard from club golf teams across the country:

Interested in starting a club golf team but not sure what to do before school starts? It can seem tough to start a team during the summer, when the large majority of students are off-campus. However there are a lot of things you can do to really get the ball rolling and ensure your club will be up and running as the new semester begins.

Here are five steps to start your journey before school starts:

We are excited to announce the dates and locations for the NCCGA Fall 2016 season! In less than two months over 300 college golf club teams will begin the journey to the National Championship at Walt Disney World Resort. One team has already punched their ticket, the University of South Carolina, as the defending national champions. 29 more team spots, and 16 individual, are up for grabs.

Written By: Matt Weinberger | @bergsUD

Written By: Chris Johnson | @ChrisJohnson776

Coming out of high school, I faced a decision that many high school golfers face after graduating. While I wasn’t good enough to play varsity college golf for a big Division I school, I could have taken the route of playing for a smaller Division III or NAIA team in college. Going to one of those schools also meant that I wouldn’t have been able to pursue the kind of engineering degree I would like to earn, as I wanted to go to a large university setting for my secondary education.

Written By: Travis Richardson | @travis_richson

5 years ago marked the beginning of a dynasty. It was the beginning of a historic run, and it all started in Ohio. Five years ago refers to the Spring 2011 NCCGA National Championship. Taking place at Firestone Country Club in Akron, the championship shows just how much the NCCGA has grown in that time. 12 teams faced off in Akron for the National Championship, compared to 30 in the Spring of 2016. It was, however, no less competitive.

The forecast for Round 1 of the NCCGA National Championship called for 70 and sunny, with only a 5% chance for precipitation. The precipitation came in the morning, raining on the first wave of tee times. The sun came out briefly, but then the fog started. And it didn't stop.

South Carolina's journey to a National Championship began last Fall, at TPC San Antonio. The Gamecocks had big ambitions, entering last season's nationals as the #4 ranked team. Unfortunately, travel issues knocked the team from contention.

The biggest golfing weekend of the year was made just a little bit bigger with how much was on the line for club golf teams across the country. As Spieth climbed, and dropped, the Masters leaderboard, NCCGA teams were punching their ticket to the Spring 2016 National Championship.

The pinnacle of each club golf season is the NCCGA National Championship. It's where the top club golf teams and individuals from all across the country meet to determine a champion. The Spring 2016 Championship will be hosted at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, West Virginia.

Hey Golfers! My name is Matt Hahn and I'm the new president of the NCCGA for 2016. I'm extremely proud and excited to represent our 12,000+ members this year. The Nextgengolf team, 28 regional coordinators, and I will be working hard this year to bring you all great regional and national tournaments as well as our new Spring Break Open this coming March in Myrtle Beach.

Who said Club Golfers Couldn’t Shoot in the 60’s? The NCCGA is lucky to have many talented golfers all across the country. These golfers included accomplished high school golfers, former AJGA junior golfers, former varsity golfers, as well as those that just love the game and have improved throughout their non-varsity college golf career.