I’m an incoming sophomore and I started playing golf about 3 months ago. I am interested in playing for the golf team at Harvard. I have very good greats and the extracurriculars. What do I have to shoot on either 9 or 18 holes in order for me to get on their scouting radar?
From the Harvard golf web page. “While other factors will be weighed for tryouts and the following benchmark is not to be construed as a definitive qualifying number, prospective team members who average 76 or below in highly competitive tournaments (state amateurs, national tournaments, etc) and in tryouts will generally have a reasonable chance of making the team.”
thanks, do you know if they recruit players, or is it only tryouts?
^^ http://gocrimson.com/sports/mgolf/faq#Recruiting
The above wording seems to indicate that while the golf coaches DO recruit players, the coaches are not given slots from the Admissions Office. As a result, the coaches probably submit a list of “preferred players” to Admissions and Admissions picks who they want from that list. If you are interested in playing golf at Harvard, you should contact Harvard golf coach, Kevin Rhoads (hgolf@fas.harvard.edu), as your chances of acceptance are going to be better if you’re on the coaches list.
Also, notice this statement
When I am applying, will they calculate my GPA for classes only taken in high school, or will they include high school classes taken in middle school like biology, algebra 1, and geometry?
Without my middle school grades I have a 3.86 UW and with them I have a 3.65 UW
Admissions (and the golf coaches) will use whatever grades appear on your high school transcript. If bio, algebra 1 and geometry from middle school appear on your high school transcript, that means you took advanced classes in middle school and Harvard (and all colleges) will use those grades when calculating your GPA.
My daughter had a similar issue. Her 8th grade Spanish and Math class appeared on her high school transcript and were sent to colleges. That because she normally would have have taken those classes her freshman year of high school, but because of her advanced ability took those classes during middle school. I imagine it’s the same with you.
I would speak with your guidance counselor for confirmation. As I’m sure you know, an unweighted 3.65 GPA is low for Harvard where the average self-reported unweighted GPA of incoming freshman is a 3.9.
I don’t know how anyone who just started playing golf three months earlier could possibly hope to be recruited to a Division 1 team like Harvard a year and change later. (But I guess Hooe Solo never played a minute of goalkeeping until she got to college so I guess anything is possible.). You need to get out there and play in as many AJGA type tournaments as possible starting this summer to establish a ranking. Coaches may meet you or want to see videos of your swing but golf is pretty straightforward in terms of being able to assess your potential. Your handicap and how you fare under pressure in tournaments are pretty objective measures of whether or not you can succeed in college. Good luck!
FWIW, Hope Solo was the leading scorer in HS in her state so she wasn’t a complete novice to soccer like you are to golf.
I’m an incoming sophomore so I have plenty of time. I have already dropped 20 strokes from where I was 3 months a ago and I’m hoping to be scratch by the end of my sophomore year.
What’s your handicap now?
I currently do not know, I have been playing a few months and I am currently shooting around 40 for 9 holes.
^ It would be helpful to know your handicap. Especially with guys, competitive junior golf is fierce. You need to be getting yourself out there, perhaps starting with local tournaments and moving to AJGAs or USGA qualifiers, and just playing a lot so you can give coaches your Rolex or JGS ranking to look at.
& You need to work on raising your GPA. When I was being recruited, there was something called an Academic Index, which takes into account your standardized testing, GPA, and other numbers. I would say your GPA needs to be at least 3.8 UW, 3.7 at the very least.
About recruiting - they are different from other schools in that they don’t give an NLI or anything set in stone, and you still have to apply. But the coach does tell Admissions about their top recruits, who will almost always 90% of the time be admitted early or with a likely letter.
The reason why playing in as many tournaments as you can is just so important - many can shoot even par, especially when it comes to junior golf. But what matters is how well you do under pressure and in certain conditions, and also your composure and attitude out on the course.
- Some more advice. Definitely email Coach Rhoads about your interest in playing golf for Harvard, and also attach a resume and your upcoming tournament schedule.
But all in all, if you’re truly passionate about golf, keep practicing and playing! You’ll definitely improve lots, seeing how you’re now shooting 40 for 9 after a few months. Keep honing your game for the next few years, and good luck.
I would suggest that you look up the player profiles on the Harvard golf team and see what their HS accomplishments were. You will likely be amazed. When you look at their college scores keep in mind that they are often playing under windy, rainy, and chilly conditions. Shooting “around” 40 for nine holes is admirable after only a few months (I’ve never seen that before in 25 years of playing). However, shaving each successive stroke off on your way to becoming a scratch golfer becomes exponentially harder even with tons off practice and commitment. As stated before, start playing in tournaments as soon as you can. I hope you live somewhere where you can practice year round because only playing 7 or 8 months a year up in the Northeast is tough way to improve.
Good luck with everything!
To the OP: I agree with some of the feedback you are getting. It is great you have discovered golf and are improving fast, but to be recruited to play at a place like Harvard is a very heavy lift. To have a chance, you must play top junior events and excel, soon. This is on top of a stellar academic record (top grades and test scores). And one thing anyone who knows golf can tell you - shooting 40 in a casual 9 hole round on your home course is light years from consistent, competitive play in tournament conditions over several days – where the rules are strictly enforced, conditions are hard, and the players mostly are very good. I’ll bet the Harvard coach gets 800 inquiries a year from high school golfers wanting to play on that team, and he will only be able to recruit a handful each year - 2-3 per year. Bottom line - keep your options open and cast a wide net.