While most of the scholarships are awarded based on sports and academic excellence, Golf Scholarships are not an exception. The idea of free funding of higher education based on sports or any other reason is quite attractive to many students.
Sports or athletic scholarships often require dedication, focus, and success in the field. But this alone is not enough, as a student, you also need to be successful in academics. Thus, most athletic scholarships are usually attained by students who are best in both academics as well as sports.
Nowadays, Golf is gradually becoming a popular and competitive sport in a higher education institution. This growth is both in women as well as men, as such, golf scholarships are being offered to attract more talented golfers. Therefore, if you have blessed hands and exceptional golf skills, consider yourself lucky for financial aid.
But how can you get the golf scholarship? Let’s find out…
- Fundemental Requirements
- What are the Various Options Open to You?
- What is the Probability of Attaining a Golf Scholarship?
- National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Scholarship for Golf
- National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) scholarship for Golf
If you are a potential college athlete for NCAA D1 and D2, then you need to find an NCAA center that is eligible for registration. In the registration process, you will have to submit your academic certificates as well as answer questions that you will be asked concerning your status as an armature. Thus, to secure the financial aid, you will need to meet certain minimum requirements that are in line with the NCAA. The requirements include:
Apart from achieving great scores, your character is a crucial factor if you wish to be eligible for a golf scholarship. At times, some coaches go as far as considering a perfect swing of the golf to note an athlete with the potential to succeed.
You will have to submit your academic qualifications in order to secure a chance to qualify for this golf scholarship. These include SAT or ACT test scores, your transcripts, and GPA scores. An important point to note, you need GPA scores that are strong to qualify for scholarships.
However, these tests vary across NCAA centers that are eligible for scholarship registration. It’s therefore imperative that you do a thorough background check and specific requirement for each requirement. This will give you an idea of the test scores and GPA you need to qualify for this financial aid.
Note, high school golf tournaments are the least indicators to prove your achievements or performance. Therefore, you might want to consider summer golf competitions to prove your ability. Such events include- AJGA, state association, and USGA tournaments.
Thus, having experience in tournaments is vital as well as great average scores for the attractive stat. What’s more, your physical challenges are the least concern for coaches, all you need to have is the best performance and they won’t think twice about choosing you.
With thousands of recruits trying out their luck for financial aid every time there is an opening, it’s quite impossible for coaches to meet you in person. It’s for this reason, why you need an online profile.
Ensure you build a profile that showcases every strong point you have and outstanding skills and performance that will sway coaches to your side. Thus, the online profile serves to enable the coaches to evaluate your athletic abilities as well as fundamentals about you.
Surprisingly enough, every level on Golf sports is highly competitive to an extent that top D3 can crush teams in division-1 and division-2. Therefore, before you opt for a level, figure out what your needs are for the college experience. An important point of all, leave beyond limitations since there are greater chances than D1 out there.
What are the Various Options Open to You?
Based on Skills Scholarships
Scholarships on the basis of skills are perfect for talented athletes with exceptional skills in golfing as well as in academics.
Based on Membership Scholarships
There are scholarship opportunities from organizations such as PGA and Youth-First-Tee junior tours to students with active participation and members of their company. thus, you should engage in junior tours and have a chance to qualify for golf scholarships through it.
Based on Employment Scholarships
You don’t have to be a golfer to earn the golf scholarships. Working alone in a golf course either in the maintenance area, beverage, food department or pro shop is enough to make you eligible for this scholarship. This is even handier especially to students who are pursuing hospitality courses.
What is the Probability of Attaining a Golf Scholarship?
To successfully apply for a golf scholarship, you must fast understand the various divisions available. Get to know the qualifications you need for each one of them. For example, what are the minimum requirements for academic excellence as well as field performance? Also, getting to know the number of slots available will come in handy in enabling you to make the right choice.
NCAA also is known as National Collegiate Athletic Association is the main sponsor of student-athletes. Therefore, many scholarships that golfers benefit from are governed by their rules.
How many D1 scholarships are available?
NCAA offers a maximum of 4.5 scholarships for D1 men and 6 for D1 women per team. Often, coaches break the funds for scholarship into the partial amount to cover multiple athletes. In most cases, it’s the top seven best performers who are honored for their talent.
Thus, in this division, it’s hard to find full-ride scholarships. In this case, if you opt for this division, you will have to source more funds from somewhere else to cover the left out liability. And this is whether it’s based on needs or liability.
The scholarships are available for both men and women as mentioned earlier. Thus, each division has a precise number of scholarships available for each gender.
Men, D1 scholarships
- Number of scholarships in every team: 4.5
- Total number of D1 golf teams: 289
- The average size of each team: 10
Women, D1 scholarships
- Number of scholarships in every team: 6
- Total number of D1 golf teams: 235
- The average size of each team: 10
How Many D2 Scholarships are Available?
Just like D1 scholarships, D2 scholarships are also based on the equality model. In this case, the coaches often receive the pool of funds and find the best technique for allocation.
For maximum utilization of these funds, most of the coaches allocate these funds as partial scholarships. Through this, they will recruit more talented golfers with limited funds.
But when it comes to allocation of these scholarship funds, the top performers are the major beneficiary. Nonetheless, many D2 coaches adopt equitable distribution of funds across the student golfers on their team. However, similar to D1, you will still need to cover the remaining bulk since it’s not a full-ride scholarship.
Men, D2 scholarships
- Number of scholarships in every team: 3.6
- Total number of D1 golf teams: 210
- The average size of each team: 10
Women, D2 scholarships
- Number of scholarships in every team: 5.4
- Total number of D1 golf teams: 128
- The average size of each team: 10
How Many D3 Scholarships are Available?
Typically, D3 coaches have no sanction to scholarship distribution for the recruitment of student-athletes. However, it’s true to say they have a recruitment technique. Often, D3 coaches work closely with the department of admission in order to find great chances for work-study, academic scholarships, grants and even scholarships that are based on merit.
Thus, since D3 comprises of private institutions mainly, they often have their sponsorship funds available when needed. Technically, it’s clear to say that about 82% of D3 athletes of NCAA are allocated financial assistance.
Thus, this division has a great opportunity through competitive to be allocated with a scholarship that covers most of your institution fees such as boarding fees, tuition fee and much more.
- Number of scholarships in every team: 0
- Total number of D1 golf teams: 304
- The average size of each team: 11
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Scholarship for Golf
NJCAA scholarship program for golfers has three divisions. If you opt for this level, there are many athlete scholarship chances. At times, the coaches can have a maximum of 8-scholarships for each team with an average of 7-players. With this financial aid, the athlete can cover their tuition fee, course books and much more.
Opting for Junior college is a great stepping stone if you want to develop your athletic abilities as well as academic excellence before enrolling for a four years college institution.
- Number of scholarships in every team: 8
- Total number of D1 golf teams: 212
- The average size of each team: 7
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) scholarship for Golf
In offering scholarships, NAIA functions similarly to NCAA. They have a maximum limit of scholarships that will be awarded to every team. In this, case, the coaches have a maximum limit of 5 financial aid to offer. However, they often split them for the optimum recruitment of new athletes.
Thus, if you consider NAIA from a competitive point of view, you will note that this scholarship program is actually the same as NCAA D3. However, it’s only a few academic requirements that are needed. Generally, NAIA is the best financial aid program to opt for if you have a late recruitment journey in high-school. And this is because; it has a wider window of opportunity to utilize. With NAIA, the coaches often allow for more time to apply.
- Number of scholarships in every team: 5
- Total number of D1 golf teams: 93
- The average size of each team: 20
To what extent will your skills and achievement be handy in getting you the scholarship?
Technically, your skills and achievements will come in handy depending on the type of scholarship program you opt for. For instance, if you targeting Division-1 level, then your skills and field performance in making the best shots is crucial. Such skills will leave you outstanding among your fellow competitors.
In most of the program’s requirements, mid-seventies and high eighties are the best shot to have a better chance of qualifying for a golf scholarship.
When it comes to women, shots in mid-low seventies are perfect for a great chance to get the scholarship through a division-1 learning institution. Nonetheless, if you can manage mid-seventies and high eighties, you still have a great opportunity as a woman.
What are the Misapprehensions About This Type of Scholarship?
Actually, they are a couple and the greatest of all is avoiding NAIA and D3 levels with the idea that they are less competitive. Division-1 and Division-2 levels shouldn’t be the only ones in your bucket list. For instance National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics- sixteen shot in the nationals. It’s quite hard to challenge this competition level.
It’s hard for some athletes to envision themselves past D1 or D2 level. Considering, it’s only 1 to 2 percent top players get a chance to compete at the Division-1 level, eliminating NAIA and Division-3 levels is like getting rid of 50% play option which is equivalent to 465 programs.
Thus, you should never get rid of minor divisions unless you have been granted an opportunity to a higher level institution. Additionally, NCCG is also a feasible option for athletes in pursue of Division-1 level institutions.