Are you ready to start aiming for that athletic scholarship?
If so, hold up for a second. There is a right way and a wrong way to go about applying for a scholarship. Applying for American golf scholarships with evidence of a few tournament wins might impress your mother, but it is not going to beat out the rest of the competition. Whilst we could write a book on applying for a scholarship, we are going to stick to the quick and simple.
Here are a number of quick and dirty tips for landing that athletic scholarship.
1. An Outstanding Student
Academic performance is essential. Long gone are the days where basketball and golf scholarships in America could be gained with a high school degree alone. Coaches want to know you are disciplined to handle sports and academia at the same time. They also do not want to take risks on students. If you are at risk of not getting out of high school, they will not take a chance on you.
2. Good Teammate
Coaches want to know that you are going to fit into the team without irritating everyone else. Do not be that guy who whines about every bad refereeing decision or bad shot. Enthusiasm can do a lot to cover for the fact that you aren’t the star prodigy of your state. Be a good teammate and show that you can be a leader. This is often more valuable than personal skill alone.
3. Can’t Do it Don’t Do It
If you are no good at making three-point shots or making trick shots with your hockey stick, don’t do it. All you are doing by showing off to a coach is exposing your weaknesses. Coaches don’t just look at the star players. They look at how everyone else fits in behind the star player.
4. The Little Things
NCAA golf scholarships are not always awarded by your final score. This is something that can be altered later. They search for potential. The little things matter more than scoring. Show how good you are at putting or driving. Demonstrate how you walk up to assess a hole. Illustrate all the qualities you would expect from a sporting professional. It is the little things in your sport that is going to make you stand out.
5. Maximise What You Have
College athletes have to dedicate every day of the year to their sport. Not everyone can be born athletically gifted, but this is no barrier. You do not have to have more skill or more natural talent than the person next to you, although it helps. Maximise what you have by giving it your all. Show to a coach that you are conditioning yourself throughout the whole year.
If you have the discipline to follow a specific programme, a coach is going to be all over you. What people forget is that your performance as a freshman makes no difference to a college. They want to know what sort of athlete you are going to turn into by the time you’re 21. Their goal is to spot what the finished product is not what state the product is in at this moment in time.
United Sports USA understand what it takes to win American golf scholarships. They have helped many students get golf scholarships in America despite the fact they were not naturally gifted athletes.