This article was written in collaboration between Brendan Ryan and Estefania Acosta. To research more on the subject of college golf from these authors, please check out their book, The College Golf Almanac, that is now for sale on Amazon for $19.99.

Almost all junior girl golfers aspire to play for a team in college. However, many of these girls only set their eyes on the possibility of playing for a Division I team.

While being a Division I collegiate athlete is very impressive, players can often get the same, if not a more rewarding experience playing below the DI level. In my opinion, a junior player should never rule out the possibility of playing for a Division II, Division III, or NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes) college team. Even though the average scores may be higher in these divisions, players still get an opportunity to travel the country and play golf at a competitive level. And, as you will see in this post, these opportunities are much more abundant than you would think.

I took a look at the list of the 2016 Early Signees found on the National Junior Golf Scoreboard (NJGS). For this story, I will be examining girls that signed to DII, DIII, and NAIA schools and compare them with the National Junior Golf 2014 Class Ranking, as well as the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Using the data that I have collected, below is a bird’s eye view on what it takes to be recruited in these three divisions.

In 2016, 267 girls signed early to women’s teams, 39 of which signed to Division II schools. Thirty six of these girls were from the United States and six were international players. There were only three girls who signed to Division III teams and 11 girls who signed to NAIA teams, all of whom were from the United States. Because the number of girls who signed to DIII and NAIA schools was so small, I decided to average the NJGS rankings of DII, DIII, and NAIA early signees together. The average NJGS Ranking for these girls was 1343, which sets them out to have a scoring average of about 85. The average WAGR for the Division II early signees was 2158, meaning that international players held a scoring average of about 82.2. Therefore shooting in the mid-to-low 80s by the time a girl begins her recruitment process as a junior will give her a great shot at playing Division II, III, and NAIA golf.

Please note that these scoring and ranking averages are slightly skewed given the fact that 17 of the girls that signed to DII teams and 7 of the girls signed to NAIA teams were not ranked in either the NJGS or the WAGR

Golf is only one half of the student-athlete experience, however. After all, a player is always a student before they are an athlete. DII, III, and NAIA programs take this very seriously. Because there is less of an academic commitment as it relates to schools below the DI level, students have more of an opportunity to focus on their studies. Moreover, while it is of course expected that a player wants to be recruited to a team to follow her passion, a girl can use golf as a vehicle to get a better academic experience. The fact of the matter is that women’s DII programs can award 5.4 scholarships and NAIA programs can award 5 grants annually. So playing for a DII or NAIA school can make it a lot easier on the family finances. While DIII schools are not permitted to award scholarships, many of these schools are superb academic institutions. Mount Holyoke, Williams College, Ithaca College, Washington & Lee, and Washington University in Saint Louis are just a few colleges that offer Division III women’s golf. So if you happen to get contacted by a coach from one of these divisions, it is definitely worth taking a look at a school’s academic programs and standings before you before you cast it to the side.

All three of these collegiate divisions offer programs that are easier to play for than DI programs and still offer a superior level of play. Yet, despite the fact that there are 191 colleges with Division II women’s golf teams, 196 Division III women’s golf teams, and 138 NAIA women’s golf teams, many junior golfers believe that they are “too good” to play below the Division I level. As a result, they will earn a spot on a DI team, but remain on the practice squad for all four years.

Although it is indeed nice to say that you play on a DI team, being on the practice squad won’t necessarily make you a better golfer if you never actually getting an opportunity to travel. In his article on the NJGS website, Coach Brooks, a former Division II coach states:

“Competing is the key, and no player, regardless of team, will ever improve as a player if he is not a member of the team’s five-person traveling squad. Some Division I players, who face this exact situation, would be much better off as either Division II or Division III players.”

The fact of the matter is that players could probably get a more competitive college experience if they played for one of these schools. So don’t sell these schools short. You might be able to get a better experience at them than you’ve ever imagined.

Related

• College Golf Search: Don’t count out Men’s Division III just yet 
• How difficult is it REALLY to play Division I men’s golf?