Ways You Should Be Communicating With Coaches During The Recruiting Process

 

There are many different ways you should be communicating with coaches during the recruiting process. This post will share the primary ways in which you should be communicating, as well as provide recommendations for when is the ideal time for each kind of communication.

 

Email

Email will be the primary form of your communication with coaches. It’s the best way to initiate contact with coaches early in the recruiting process. Email is also the easiest way to share updates and the key pieces of information coaches are looking for. Your transcript, tournament schedule, swing video, and test scores are all best shared via email. 

 

Phone Call

Once you have initiated contact with coaches, the coaches that are most interested will offer to have a phone call with you. A phone call is often the first “live” interaction you will have with a coach, and it’s a great way to learn more about the school, golf program, and personality of the coach. Most PSAs also have several phone calls with coaches as they get deeper into the recruiting process to talk through things like scholarship offers and the admissions process.

 

Text Message

Once you have initiated contact with coaches via email and had a phone call with a coach, you can start to have a slightly more informal relationship and conversation. Text is a great way to “take the relationship to the next level”. It’s a great idea to send a quick text to a coach you’ve talked to on the phone after a tournament or to share a quick video update, like a short clip from a recent lesson.

 

Written Mail

This one might seem crazy to a lot of people. That’s part of the reason why it’s on this list — because so few people do it! I recommend sending a written thank you note to a coach after a visit and meeting on campus. Coaches take a lot of time to make these visits happen, so it’s important that you appropriately acknowledge that effort. So few people take the time to write a physical thank you note that your effort will really help you stand out!

 

Social Media

Following teams, coaches, and current team members on instagram is a great way to learn about college golf in general, as well as team culture and personalities. It’s also a great way for you to show a coach a different side of your personality! It’s ok (and sometimes really good) to show a lighter side of yourself. Just be sure that you are still representing yourself in a “polished” light as well. You can follow teams and coaches at any point before and during the recruiting process.

 

Online Questionnaires

Some coaches use these more than others. To see the different ways, check out my post on online questionnaires. In general, filling out a questionnaire can be a nice way to further demonstrate your interest.

 

Face-to-face

Meeting with a coach face-to-face will be one of the later interactions you have. An in-person meeting happens after most other forms of communication. As per NCAA rules, you are allowed to meet with a coach after August 1st before your junior year. Junior year is a great time to plan visits to school and ask coaches for an in-person meeting while you are on campus.

You might also see coaches face-to-face at summer tournaments and camps. At tournaments, you can say hi, but that’s all. The coaches are there to observe. At camps, you’ll have a lot more interaction with coaches but keep in mind that camps aren’t a primary recruiting tool for coaches.