Coach Communication

One of the most rewarding experiences for a young college-bound golfer is the chance to be recognized by a college golf coach. What a thrill! Just think about it. You've lived and breathed golf for a long time, put in the hard work necessary to get better, and successfully dealt with the ups, downs, and occasional frustrating madness that is the game of golf. And now comes the payoff. The chance to be rewarded for the hard work. Rewarded for pushing yourself through the discomfort of tournament play. Rewarded for the hours on the range. Put simply: it's time.

The problem? Reaching out to a coach can be intimidating. And if you're like most golfers, you have lots of questions. When's the best time to reach out to the coach? What age? How? What time of year? Email or phone call? What should I say? How do I make a good impression?

If you have these questions, don't worry! You're not alone. That's what the Hub's for — to provide answers and make your life easier.

Let's start first with the question of when to reach out to the coach. This has two parts: (a) what age, and (b) what time of year is best. We'll tackle age first. The Hub's point of view on this is simple: earlier is better. Why? There are a number of reasons, including:

• Reaching out earlier rather than later allows a coach to follow you and track your progress over time. The Junior Golf Hub makes it easy for them to do this.

• Reaching out early makes you a "known entity" to the coach, and they can watch your scores and recognize your name as you play in state, regional, and national golf tournaments.

• The opposite — reaching out late — can often come at a significant cost. The roster might be full by the time you finally reach out, and you're a new "unknown entity" to the coach.

• There is really no harm in reaching out early. The worst thing that can happen is the coach concludes you're not ready for their program yet. Not a catastrophe! And, of course, you'll contact them again as you grow and progress.

So far, so good. The next logical set of questions is (a) what does early mean, and (b) what skill level do I need to have prior to reaching out? And here's where things get interesting. In our experience, it's acceptable to reach out to coaches even before freshman year of high school, and as early as 13 years of age. Remember that coaches like to keep tabs on prospects and watch them develop over time.

If you are reaching out prior to high school, don't be overly sensitive about how close you are to the team's scoring average. The point is to establish yourself as a young, developing golfer and to request that the coach follow your progression on the Junior Golf Hub. Things change a bit as you move through high school. Our simple rule of thumb is: the later you reach out, the closer you need to be to the team's scoring average, or to the #3-5 players on the team. We recommend being within +/-10% of the team scoring average if you are reaching out sophomore year. If you are reaching out junior year or senior year, then your tournament scoring average should be reasonably close to the team's #3-5 players.

The next question is: what time of year is best? Technically, you can contact a coach at any time, but in our view, there are certain times that are better than others. Most college teams play both a fall and a spring season. The fall season typically starts in September and runs through early November, while the spring season starts in late February or early March and runs through May. Contacting a coach in-season is, in general, not a good idea, as coaches are busy attending to the team, practices, and tournament logistics, and your note may just get lost in the shuffle. In our opinion, it's best to contact coaches in a few windows, including (a) winter (approximately mid-November through early February), or (b) late spring (end of May) or early summer.

The earlier part of the winter window (mid-to-late November) can be appealing because coaches are already deep in recruiting activity, since this window overlaps with early signing periods for athletics aid agreements. Also, contacting coaches in late spring or early summer allows the coach to follow you over the course of the summer and potentially come out to visit you at a tournament or two. Emailing too late in the summer (August) means you miss this opportunity.

Our next slate of questions deals with how to reach out to a coach. What form? Email? Phone call? What do I write or say? Are there templates to help me? How do I incorporate the Junior Golf Hub into my note?

Here at the Junior Golf Hub, we recommend that you utilize all available mediums (email, phone call, handwritten note through mail) when reaching out to coaches for the first time. Why? It demonstrates initiative, courage, and professionalism, and increases your chances of getting on a coach's radar screen. Using only one medium in isolation can be less effective, as a coach may easily glide by an email, and you are limited in the amount of information you can share on a phone call. However, when used in conjunction — with the added special touch of a handwritten note — you are giving yourself the maximum possibility of getting on a coach's radar screen. And that's what we want!

Let's explore your email outreach to start. Your initial email should include the following at a minimum:

• Introduction

• Vital stats

• Personalization

• Goals and commitment

• Junior Golf Hub profile and follow request (use the Share Profile button on your profile page and copy and paste the link)

• Make sure to include pictures, photos, contact information, tournament scores, upcoming tournament schedule, academic information, and more

• Conclusion and request for follow-up

Here is a sample introductory email. Feel free to customize as necessary:

Dear Coach (last name),

Hello, my name is Steve Davis, and I am writing to introduce myself. I am a high school junior, graduating in the class of 2028. I am actively looking to play golf in college and would love to learn more about the golf program at Elon University. (Paragraph 1: Introduction)

I currently live in Ridgefield, CT, and attend Ridgefield High School. I started playing golf when I was ten years of age and instantly fell in love with the sport. I currently have a 3.6 GPA, an SAT score of 1350, and am in the top 10% of my class at school. My golfing tournament scoring average is 74.8, and I recently finished first at an AJGA event in Aspen shooting rounds of 73-72-74. I also played on my high school golf team and had a 9-hole scoring average of 36.9. (Paragraph 2: Your Story & Vital Stats)

I have been to Elon's campus twice and look forward to seeing it again. Both my mother (class of '67) and brother (class of '15) attended Elon University and love it. There are courses at the School of Business I am extremely interested in. I love the feel, the pace, the scenery, the people, and the strong academic focus of the university. (Paragraph 3: Personalization)

I want to play Division I college golf and have dedicated myself to this goal. I know the sacrifice that it takes. I work very hard in school and have learned to study well while on the road at tournaments! I take challenging AP and honors classes. I've proven to myself that I can manage tough classes with the demanding schedule of traveling for golf. (Paragraph 4: Goals and Commitment)

Here is the link to my Junior Golf Hub profile and golfing resume: [Insert link from Share Profile page here]

My Junior Golf Hub profile includes pictures, my golfing highlights, swing videos, tournament scores, top finishes, upcoming tournament schedule, academic information, and detailed contact information. I would kindly request you "Follow" me on Junior Golf Hub to keep updated on my progress. (Paragraph 5: Junior Golf Hub Profile and Follow Request)

Thank you for your consideration. As a next step, I would love to have a conversation with you to learn more about the golf program. I would also love to schedule a visit with you when convenient. I look forward to hearing back from you soon. (Paragraph 6: Conclusion and Request for Follow-Up)

Sincerely, Steve Davis

In addition, here are a few Hub rules as they relate to email etiquette in general:

1. Keep it short and sweet. A coach is more likely to read your email if it is brief and to the point.

2. Check grammar and spelling. Double- and triple-check for grammar or spelling mistakes. Typos or obvious errors can make a bad impression (see what we mean?).

3. Do your research. Make sure you have done your research before sending the email. Make sure you understand all the pertinent details of the golf program — team scoring averages, team ranking, season highlights, and more.

4. Personalize. Mention why the specific school interests you so much. You can also wish the team luck on their upcoming tournaments or compliment the coach on their team's most recent finish.

5. Say "thank you." Always be generous. Thank the coach for their time and be genuine.

Now on to phone calls. Phone calls are different from emails because they are dynamic, not static. Emails are scripted well in advance, and often there can be a lag time between the email and a response. If you get a coach on the phone, it's a living, breathing, dynamic conversation (unless, of course, you get voicemail). Think of emails as golf with a walk in between shots, and phone calls as tennis with a volley back and forth.

As we noted above, we recommend pairing an email with a phone call for maximum effect. Here is a sample phone script for your initial outreach:

"Hi Mr. (or Coach) [Last Name], my name is Steve Davis. I'm currently a sophomore at Ridgefield High School in CT, and I'm calling because I'm very interested in playing for your golf program. If you have a minute, I'd love to tell you more about myself.

(Pause for the coach to respond.) I have been playing golf since I was 8 years old and have fallen in love with the sport. I have competed in tournaments successfully for the past 5 years. My tournament scoring average over the past twelve months was 74.8 and has dropped every year. I recently finished first at an AJGA event in Aspen shooting rounds of 73-72-74. I have been researching your golf program and believe I can really help your program compete and win in the conference. I am considering majoring in finance as well and think the School of Business would be a great fit for me. I have also sent you an email with a link to my Junior Golf Hub profile. As I mentioned, I'd love to have a discussion with you about your golf program and whether it may be a fit for me."

Feel free to customize the note above for individual schools, and adjust it depending on whether you get the coach's voicemail (quite likely!).

Here are a few good additional rules and tips for phone conversations:

1. Preparedness is essential. Do your homework! Having a solid knowledge of the school, team, coaches, recent team results, and individual player results really helps. Visit the program's page on the Junior Golf Hub and pore over the team website in advance of the call.

2. Remain talkative. You should be the one engaging in the conversation. Make sure to lead with questions. Show your sincere interest in the golf program.

3. Personality. Let your personality come through over the phone, and strive to be confident, just like in your golf game.

4. Independence. No need to three-way call or have your parents call for you. This is between you and the coach.

Drilling down further on preparation, we recommend that you have solid answers to the following questions before calling the coach:

• Why my school? (Be prepared for a personalized response!)

• Can you give me your background and tell me a bit about yourself?

• What is your upcoming tournament schedule?

• What are some of your recent results? You should know this off the top of your head — the conditions you played in, the field, etc.

• Are you currently doing some sort of strength and conditioning program?

Of course, you can ask questions too. Here are a few good ones:

• What factors do you look for in potential recruits?

• Are there roster spots still available for my class year?

• I'm considering a campus visit — can you let me know a good time to come and meet you on campus?

• What is your team's practice regimen?

• How much total practice time is there, and how is it allotted across each part of the game?

• What is the team's routine on the road?

• What are the academic services available to student-athletes?

• Is there a mandatory study hall?

• Do you work with players on course management, swing, short game, mechanics, and the mental game?

• What are the goals of the players on your team? Do they want to play professional golf? What are their typical majors?

Now we've covered emails and phone calls. Brace yourself, but the Hub is about to go old school. Our last recommendation is to send the coach a handwritten thank-you note in (hold your breath…) the regular mail. Why? Too many reasons to count. It demonstrates initiative and adds a much-needed personal touch in a digital age. Also, regular mail is three-dimensional — you can touch and feel it, versus email — and that can help you stand out more. For these reasons, we recommend you take the high road and send a personalized thank-you note.

The last topic for our email section is follow-up. Follow-up has a few different components: What happens if the coach doesn't respond? How often should I follow up? And, secondly, if I'm on a coach's radar screen, how often should I keep them updated?

Let's address the coach-not-responding scenario first. The reality is that, in many cases, the coach simply will not respond to your email or call. We wish it were different, but the reality is that many coaches get inundated with hundreds of resumes per year, and for some programs it may be in the thousands. With such high volume, it can be tough to get a response. Our recommendation: be persistent. Don't send the coach one note, fail to hear back, and then give up easily. Keep trying, and trying some more. We are not, of course, recommending that you send the coach three emails a day, but we do recommend following up regularly. Don't be bashful — what do you have to lose?

If you have connected with the coach and moved onto their prospect radar, we recommend you keep the coach updated fairly regularly with your progress. Feel free to send the coach an email every two weeks or every month outlining your recent tournament scores and progress. Remember that out of sight is out of mind, and the goal is to stay on the radar. Even better, send the coach occasional notes outlining your development plan, including how you recently started working out with a TPI-certified trainer 4-5 times per week, and have made positive changes to your practice schedule. It's fine to communicate that you're on top of it and making progress toward your goal. It will help you stand out!

Lastly, don't forget NCAA rules and regulations. You may call or email college coaches at any time and as often as you like. NCAA D-I and D-II college coaches, however, may only email or call you during select windows. This means that if you reach out outside of those windows, you may either not receive a response, receive a somewhat limited response, or receive a computer-generated form response. Communication will, of course, pick up during junior year of high school with more extensive back-and-forth. In the meantime, the coach can keep updated on your progress and status through your Hub profile.

Wishing you the best of luck! As we said at the beginning of the article, this is where the payoff comes.

Enjoy your Journey!