In today’s fast-paced recruiting landscape, your swing video might be the first time a college coach “sees” you play. The days of relying solely on emails and tournament scoreboards are over; The Hub has heard from many college coaches that social media, particularly Instagram, has become their most convenient way to passively track, learn about, and quickly digest key updates on junior players.
Think of your Instagram account as your always-on, digital scouting report. It’s a chance to tell your complete story—not just the scores, but the commitment, the personality, and the work ethic behind them.
Ready to leverage the ‘gram? We spoke with Nicole Katz, a golf mom who’s learned how to master the ‘gram, and here are the must-do steps to turn your feed into a powerful college golf recruiting tool.
The Non-Negotiables: Profile Setup
A confusing or private profile is a missed opportunity. Make it easy for coaches to find and track you:
- Make it Public: This is essential, especially as you reach prime recruiting age (around 16). Coaches need easy, instant access to your content without the hassle of requesting to “follow” you.
- The Power Signature: Your bio is prime real estate. Always include your full name, graduation year (e.g., ’27), and home state (e.g., CT). This gives coaches all the critical filtering information they need at a glance.
- Link It Up: Ensure your initial email outreach to coaches always includes a reference to your Instagram handle (@username) so they can jump straight to your profile. Your Junior Golf Hub Profile has an area to include this information!
The Content Strategy: Go Beyond the Scorecard
Posting only low scores or wins is only half the story. Coaches want to recruit a complete athlete, and that means seeing your commitment both on and off the course.
- The Tournament Scoreboard Post: When posting results, be thorough. A great tournament post should include a reel of action shots plus a caption with key details: Event Name, Duration (18/36/54 holes), Your Final Score, Finish and Number of Participants, and important course details like Course Rating/Slope and Yardage.
- The “Good, Bad, and Ugly” Rule: Don’t delete a post because you had a bad round. Coaches want to see your resilience. Posting about a challenging day, and maybe a follow-up video showing you working on a correction, demonstrates coachability and mental toughness—traits coaches covet.
- Show the Grind: Coaches want a peek into your daily routine and overall work ethic. Post short clips of practice sessions, what you’re working on with your instructor, or even your fitness routine. This content provides insight into your relationship and interaction with your coaches and shows you putting their recommendations into action.
The Engagement Edge: Be Proactive and Professional
Using the platform effectively involves more than just posting your own content; it means engaging thoughtfully with the golf community.
- Follow and Support: Be sure to follow the golf programs you’re interested in. Reposting a celebratory win on your story or commenting on their success shows genuine interest and support. Research their staff, and if the coaches have public accounts, follow those, too!
- Schedule Alerts: Use your feed or stories to post your upcoming tournament schedules. For local events, tagging coaches from interested programs can be a great, direct way to alert them that you’ll be playing nearby. Pro Tip: Use moderation when tagging. Over-tagging can be inefficient and overwhelming for coaches who are already in-season.
- Always Be Gracious: This is a huge separator! Always, always thank the golf course, the tournament tour/staff, and the volunteers in your post captions. It shows respect and maturity.
- Keep it Clean and Mute the Explicit: Your posts should be clean across the board. Coaches will review your account for a purview into your “non-golf life,” so keep it professional. Also, be cautious with music choices. Explicit lyrics are a definite no. Many coaches also prefer to hear the actual tournament background noise, as it helps them better assess the sound of your shots, your reactions, and your overall attitude/communication during a round.
By following these guidelines, you’re not just posting pictures—you’re building a compelling, easy-to-digest narrative that makes a coach’s job simpler and puts you directly on their radar.