Becoming a college golfer – particularly at NCAA Division I level – is a rare achievement. Figures show that even though there are approximately 220,000 high school golfers in the US in any given year, only around 10% reach college level, with around 5,000 men’s and women’s golfers reaching NCAA Division I level.
Those numbers confirm the inevitable: you need to play the game to an impressively high standard to make it to the top of the college system. But what handicap do you need make it to college golf?
Per college recruiting service Next College Student Athlete (NCSA), there is no set handicap for anyone to compete for an NCAA golf team, although for men, a good rule of thumb is to have a handicap that is 3.5/4 or better.
However, that would likely only be enough to make it to the NCAA Division III level. To make it into an NCAA Division I or II team, the site states that men’s golfers “typically have a 0 to +2 handicap”.
For women’s golf, it states NCAA Division I level players would need a maximum handicap of 3, with that number rising to 8 for Division II players, a maximum of 12 for Division III golfers and a maximum of 20 for NAIA players.
Further information comes from an overview of college golf published by the Argentine Golf Association, which states: “The standards to compete in college golf are high. On elite college teams of NCAA Division I, a sub-zero handicap and regular scoring average below 72 for men or a two handicap and scoring average below 76 for women is expected.”
While handicaps can be a factor in whether a player earns a scholarship, several other elements will be considered, and some players can be recruited even if they fall outside the recommended handicap.
Per PGA.com, Blaine Lynch, the former Head Golf Recruiting Coach for the NCSA, suggests that the three key factors in being considered for scholarships are, rather than golf handicap, academic performance, character of the athlete (for example, a strong work ethic and positive attitude) and the quality of tournament experience of the player. Blaine adds: “College coaches do not care what your handicap is.”
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