New England women’s college golf has steadily improved over the last two decades. In 2015, Williams College became the first northeast-based school to win a national championship. Scores have crept lower, too, along the way. Fifteen years ago, teams used to win events with a score of 340. Now they’re closer to 310.
A wide variety of options and opportunities exist for players looking to play college golf. Most recently, Babson has announced it is launching a Division 3 women’s program.
However, with opportunity comes competition, and golf teams tend to be the smallest rosters on campus. Most rosters don’t exceed eight players, and matches usually include just five.
The Hollywood version of college recruiting doesn’t exist for most athletes. Waiting for a letter from a coach ready to offer a full scholarship is futile. Golf coaches have more inbound recruiting from interested players than outgoing letters. Proactive recruits make their own opportunities and grab half the available spots on a golf roster.
We spoke to college golf coaches across New England to learn about their process and filters for picking recruits and building a team.