If you’re a golfer who dreams of playing professionally one day, you’ll want to read this post. In it, we’ll discuss tips on getting the attention of golf talent scouts. Many people don’t realize just how competitive the world of professional golf is, and if you want a chance at making it big, you need to do everything in your power to stand out from the competition. Keep reading for our top tips on getting noticed by golf talent scouts!

How Scouts Recruit

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of what you need to do, it’s helpful to understand the process behind how scouts recruit. There’s no one way to recruit, but there are general methods that coaches and scouts use. First, coaches often send materials like recruiting questionnaires to high school students to find interested players. You must respond promptly to such messages if you receive them. If you haven’t received any, you can go to an athletics program’s website, and they will typically have resources there that you can fill out.

Factors to Consider

Once a coach or scout has a list of interested players, they start eliminating candidates from the list. Players must participate in national golf tournaments during this time since this is how scouts will rank their prospects. Your average scores, overall experience, and in-person evaluations will all be factored in. They will also consider these if you have an online profile and videos of your swings emailed to them. If you aim to be recruited by a college, your grades and test scores are also deciding factors.

What You Can Do

The most important thing you can do during this process is to be proactive! When scouts first start compiling their lists of candidates, they may be considering hundreds or even thousands of names. Introducing yourself first will help you stand out from the crowd and show that you are seriously interested. Conduct yourself politely and professionally, and you will be well on your way.

How to Get Noticed

Beyond being proactive, there are many things you can do to increase your chances of being noticed by scouts. As follows:

1. Exceed the academic requirements of your program. In any collegiate program, your grades will be a factor. You must understand the requirements to keep on track. However, the best way is to exceed the standards you are being held to. Scouts will be more likely to recruit a player with outstanding academic achievements.
2. Know the scoring requirements and tournament experience needed for your program. As with grades, different programs have different standards for scores and experience. Your team’s roster should tell you where you rank regarding these standards.
3. Attend multi-day tournaments and become nationally ranked. Most scouts will not consider scores from courses less than 6,600 yards. This standard means they rely on national tournaments and rankings to judge players. When choosing which tournaments to participate in, prioritize them based on difficulty. You should participate in tournaments with at least 36 holes.
4. Make an online profile if you don’t already have one. Unfortunately, golf scouts can’t meet every candidate in person, even when they attend tournaments. Luckily, we have the internet. Ensure your online profile includes golf scores, handicap, swing video, academic information, athletic achievements, and interest in the program. Remember to update your profile regularly.
5. Follow up with scouts and coaches. Don’t wait to be noticed. This area is where your online profile comes into play. If you start with an email to the scout or coach in question, you can include your online profile, so they get a sense of who you are as a student and an athlete.

What Tournaments to Compete In

By this point, you’re probably wondering which of the all-important national tournaments you should participate in. Golf coaches tend to ignore high school competitions in favor of national tournaments, making them even more critical. If you want to be recruited by a particular school, you will need to know which tournaments attract which schools. There are a few options that may work for you:

• National Golf Tours. The American Junior Golf Association, the Future Collegians World Tour, and the International Junior Golf Tour hold multi-day competitions across America. These often attract scouts and high-scoring recruits. However, you should be aware that they can be expensive and might require a membership to attend.
• Junior Golf Scoreboard. Searching the site of Junior Golf Scoreboard gives you a list of certified multi-day tournaments that will factor into your national ranking. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Arizona, and California host competitive tournaments, but there are over 2,000 tournaments available.
• United States Golf Association Championships. These are the most prestigious junior and amateur golf tournaments in the country. You must pass a challenging qualifying try-out to participate, and only the best junior golfers do so.

What to Put in Your Golf Recruiting Video

If you haven’t heard of a golf recruiting video, you may not know what to feature in it. Since this is one of the most critical pieces of your online profile, you must know how to make a good golf recruiting video. First, your video should showcase you performing a variety of swings and clubs on different parts of the course. This includes:

• 2-3 swings with a short iron/wedge from a “down the line” angle and a “face on” angle
• 2-3 swings with a mid/long iron from a “down the line” angle and a “face on” angle
• 2-3 swings with a driver from a “down the line” angle and a “face on” angle
• Several chips, pitches, and bunker shots from both angles
• Short, medium, and long putts from both angles
• Straight putts from 5-10 feet from both angles

You should film your video at a golf course and in good lighting conditions. The angles scouts are most interested in are down-the-line and face-on footage. Using a phone camera to take the video is fine as long as the video is clear. Going at an average pace to demonstrate your swings should take about 10 minutes.

Get Help at the Indian River Golf Foundation

At the Indian River Golf Foundation, we are always excited to see young people interested in the great sport of golf. We host various golf-related events, including golf camps, competitions, and tours. The Indian River Golf Foundation promotes golf for all ages and training levels, including athletes who want to be scouted. Gain a mentor and a friend through our golf instructors. Call the Indian River Golf Foundation today!