I committed for golf in my freshman year to a college in the city I live. I was recruited during a time when my golf wasn’t that good, compared to my competitors. I was lucky to have connections with the coach and was fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to her.
The coach was so nice and I fell in love with her instantly. She invited to me for an unofficial visit because she loved my enthusiasm and love for the game. I don’t think I was that interested in the school because I knew the area and it wasn’t that new to me. But after walking around the campus and athletic centers, I realized how cool it was there. I still wasn’t convinced that I wanted to stick around the city I lived(even tho it was still 30 mins from my house.) However, I met one of the girls on the team who was also from the city and she convinced me that the school was amazing and it didn’t even feel like you were home.
My parents never went to college and no one in my extended family went to college in America. I had no idea what it was like. I knew the coach had faith in me and was about to trust that I improve immensely in the next four years, after all it is top 50 NCAA 1. I was excited about the school and decided to verbally commit a few weeks later.
It’s about a year later and my older friends are leaving for college, it all seems really exciting. I’m started to think if I’m loosing a lot by staying in my city. It’s a pretty massive city and I’m not even that much of a city person. My golf game has improved and I am good enough to play elsewhere. It is not common to decommit in the golf world and you get a bad reputation by simply talking to another coach about what they would offer scholarship wise. I think I made a mistake because the school doesn’t excite me as much as I think it should. A new NCAA ruling (for golf as i know) doesn’t allow for any interaction between players and coaches until June of junior year. This means that colleges can’t talk to me, but they most likely wouldn’t if they know I’m committed.
Should I wait another year before I make a decision to decommit since I have no other offers for backup? The coach has believed in me when I hardly believed in myself and she has trusted me to improve as a player. If I were to break that trust and decommit I would feel terrible. I committed to early and I’m just now feeling that regret. I know this isn’t a specific question and it’s kind of confusing. I committed to early but is it worth loosing my ride, education, and great coach just because I don’t really want to go to the college?
@bjkmom she was a 9th grader when she committed! 13 years old. I know about athletic recruiting, though not specifically about golf. Kids decommit all the time, which is much much better than going to a school that’s not a good fit, then transferring out. OP, I would educate yourself more about golf recruiting as I suspect, despite the fact that coaches can’t contact you until June 15, you should be reaching out to them. I also suspect you should decommit before contacting other coaches. Anyway, take my post and the earlier one with a grain of salt as neither of us know golf recruiting.
It happens so much I don’t even pay attention until the kid actually goes to school. Great pitcher played against S in HS. The buzz was he was a Notre Dame commit. Following yr he was a Wake Forest commit. Went to South Carolina. Coaches have to deal with this stuff all the time.
Not saying I like it but it’s common. At the end of the day, make an informed decision that’s good for you. Don’t base it on “older friends are leaving…and it seems really exciting”. Base it on things that really matter like quality of the program, quality of the school, your opportunity on the team, overall academics and your area of interest specifically, etc.
You’re finishing up sophomore year, is that right? So you haven’t even applied anywhere yet, if I’m reading correctly.
I’m not clear though, when you say your ride. I’m not seeing info about the financial aspects. We’re you offered a full ride or what? In that case, talk to your parents because it’s possible they can’t afford another option for you.
Meanwhile, if you’re only a soph, yes, decommit. Check NCAA rules, but I don’t think there’s anything to stop you. You don’t need to rush this. Do more research as to where you’d be interested in attending college.
I know a little bit about this. Although not specifically about golf, so I’ll page @Golfgr8 for insight
Right or wrong, that is not the way it works in athletic recruitment, and it’s folly to give such advice, for this situation, to a 14 year-old.
Athletes decommit all the time. But to show that this is not a one-way street, coaches withdraw their commitment all the time. I would certainly not base any decision on what your friends do, but I do think you would benefit from adult guidance. Your parents have no experience in this particular area, but your own golf coach should know a little something. And hopefully, some golf experts can chime in.
I would be honest with the coach, tell her as you have aged you think you maybe made a rash decision and want to open your recruiting back up and take your official visits. Explain you are not decommitting (at this point) but want to explore your options. If she is as caring a coach as you believe she will have no problem with this. She realizes you were 14 years old when you made your initial decision and are having second thoughts.
By handling it this was you are giving her the same opportunity to really sell her school/program and if it is a top 50 program she will have the confidence to let you look around. It is worse for her to find out you want to transfer after a year than maybe knowing you are not available to her 2 years earlier.
Good advice above. I think you need to be honest with the coach, but I think it’s ok to tell her that you probably shouldn’t have made the commitment that early, and while you are still really interested in her program you feel like you need to look around a bit to be sure.
You need to be honest and upfront with her, because in most sports the coaches all know each other, and talk to each other more than you would think. Different sport, but S went on a recruiting visit 1500 miles from our home. The head assistant coach at that program ended up being good friends with the head coach at our local D2 school, and they had discussed S with each other. We didn’t know this until the meeting.
As was stated above, the coaches know this happens, and it occasionally happens both ways. The coach also knows it is more likely to happen with a first generation student who is only 14. Just be honest and polite and don’t burn any bridges with her.
There is a reason why you cannot sign a commitment when you are a freshman in high school - you are too young. In fact, the NCAA no longer allows verbal commitments or for the coaches to make offers to younger students just for students like you. The coach can’t even guarantee you admission to the school at this point. We had two sisters committed to our team and suddenly they were gone (and playing for another school in our conference). Rumor was that the older one didn’t get admitted, so they both went to the other school. They were the only ones who committed as younger students and it didn’t work out. Shortly after that, the recruiting rules changed for our sport and the coach couldn’t even have made the offer to the younger sister.
Be honest with this coach and tell her you are re-opening your search because you want to look at schools in other cities, big schools, rural schools. It’s possible she may withdraw the offer but if she does, is she the type of coach you really want to play for? I think she’ll understand that you want to look at a few more colleges and that you don’t have a lot of help searching for schools. If you have a high school coach who can help, ask for that help.
Under the recruiting rules, the coaches can’t contact you but you can contact them. You can call or email, but do let the coach you committed to first. Don’t decommit, tell her you are still interested in the school but you feel you need to look a little farther from home.
Sorry, @bjkmom but a verbal commitment isn’t worth the paper it’s (not) written on, and this recruit shouldn’t feel pressured by something agreed to as a freshman. There is a reason firm commitments aren’t allowed until the NLI is signed, and that those can’t be signed until senior year.
Sorry to jump in late to this thread, but agree with @happy1 and others above…this is why I get upset that 13 & 14 year olds were targeted for recruitment. Yes, people decommit and schools decommit. You have not yet signed, right? Some more thoughts for our student @surf16 !
Giving you major “bumps” for getting recruited for golf, and at such a young age - you must be great!
More “bumps” to you on your ability for self-reflection and obvious maturity
Like @skieurope stated, do speak with your golf coach at the high school
Do follow advice from others and contact NCAA to get the real dates for contact. Just saying for others reading this post who may be in another sport and want information (some sports are Sept 1 now, not June). I did call NCAA about another issue and they were very helpful. They also have updated fact pages that are good for parents.
Yes, students do decommit in almost every sport you can think of....even golf....but, if your city is “LA” that is more like a small town for collegiate golf, rather than a big city. Everyone seems to know each other.
You’re being smart and thinking about the big picture of college, as well as your personal growth outside of golf. I am being honest, I had friends that golfed for some big name schools and they had a very stunted collegiate experience.
Be honest with the coaches you talk to about how you were only 13 or 14 when you committed and not even yet in high school.
Do more reflection and discussion with your folks about YOUR goals. Write these down. Visualize what college life and playing golf there will be like for you. What do you want to get out of college, not just collegiate golf? This will help you find a best fit.
Do seek information on CC collegiate threads @golf if possible, these golfers can give you insights on their experiences at their schools.
When you do speak with the coach @ your commit school and then others, you must NOT be ambivalent...coaches will sense this like an alligator on the scent of a golfer near a water hazard at Doral!
As I say on the golf course and in the workplace, @surf16, if you are going to take a risk then you better know what your goals are!?⛳️
Although not specifically about golf, so I’ll page