The team at Junior Golf Hub (JGH) recently returned from the GCAA and WGCA College Golf Coaches Conventions in Las Vegas, and the energy was incredible. We spent the week connecting with hundreds of college coaches to discuss how we can continue bridging the gap between aspiring student-athletes and collegiate programs.
It’s clear that coaches are leaning into data more than ever, and they are increasingly relying on the specialized college coach environment we’ve built for them. Here are the major takeaways from our conversations in Vegas that every junior golfer should know.
1. The “Rankings Snapshot” is a Game Changer
Coaches told us they love our new Composite Rankings feature. Instead of hopping between different websites, coaches can now see a player’s Junior Golf Hub ranking alongside their Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS), AJGA, and WAGR ranks—all in one place.
Why it matters: This provides coaches with an immediate “rankings snapshot” of your development. It helps them see the full picture of where you stand across various platforms without the manual legwork.
2. Smart Recruiting via the Player Recommendations Engine
One of the biggest hits was the newly launched Player Recommendations engine available to college coaches exclusively on Junior Golf Hub. This tool suggests players to coaches based on their current team’s Clippd scoring statistics. If a coach’s team has a specific scoring profile, our engine identifies junior golfers whose data suggests they would be a “statistical fit.” This makes the recruiting process more scientific and helps coaches find “diamonds in the rough.”
3. PDI Leaderboards & Watchlists
Coaches are looking for more than just tournament scores; they want to know about your athletic ceiling. * PDI Leaderboard: Coaches are using this to find players who have undergone a Player Development Index assessment to see physical performance, mental skills, and golf skills.
- Watchlists: Coaches can now follow you, organize their recruiting by grad year, and receive weekly reports on your ranking trends and tournament results.
The “Golden Rule”: Update Your Schedule
If there was one recurring theme in Vegas, it’s this: Coaches need to know where you are competing before the tournament happens. They want to track live results, see the rest of the field, or even shoot you a “good luck” text. If your JGH schedule isn’t updated, you are invisible during the most important weeks of the year.
The Pro Strategy: Leave a “Paper Trail”
Perhaps the most important takeaway for players is understanding the “next step.” When a coach finds you on Junior Golf Hub, they need an easy way to move you into their official system.
College athletic departments use compliance software (like ARMS) to ensure every interaction follows NCAA and recruiting legislation. To get recruited, you must make it easy for them to stay compliant:
- Market Your Contact Info: Ensure your email, phone number, and social media handles are front and center on your JGH profile.
- Fill Out Questionnaires: Almost every program has a recruiting questionnaire. Use the Hub to find these and fill them out.
- The Paper Trail: Emailing a coach and filling out their questionnaire puts you into their formal database. This creates the “paper trail” coaches need to legally recruit you.
The Bottom Line: Junior Golf Hub is your marketing suite. Use it to catch their eye with data, then provide the contact info and “paper trail” they need to take the next step in the process.