In 2003, college golf changed for the better when the Southeastern Club Golf Association started. The organization sought to provide college students in the southeast an opportunity to participate in organized, competitive golf. The Southeastern Club Golf Association grew to become the National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) and is the governing body for club golf nationally. Today, fifteen years later, the NCCGA is a doing amazing things under the umbrella of Nextgengolf. Golf entrepreneurs and Nextgengolf founders Kris Hart, Matt Weinberger, and Mahesh Murthy were the guys behind making this happen. The NCCGA had 30 teams in 2009, and is now represented by 350+ programs including a wide spectrum of universities from Stanford, to the University of Florida, to Black Hills State University. With participation in the 10,000s, Nextgengolf is positioning itself to play a bigger role in the college and junior development scene.

Of the roughly 220,000 high school varsity boys and girls golfers, only about 17,000 will go on to play collegiate varsity golf. “Less than 8 percent of high school golfers will play any level of varsity golf in college,” Kris Hart, CEO of Nextgengolf, explained when describing the vast, pivotal industry segment.    

Club Golf teams play a fall and spring season with over 60 tournaments being offered in the spring of 2018. These tournament allow both individuals, as well as teams, to compete on a regional and national scale. No matter the size of your college or skill level of your game, every college-aged golfer has a place to play and compete. Tournament entry fees are $95 on average per player for a two-day, weekend event at quality course. There are additional membership dues of $400 per team or $60 per individual as well. Teams are comprised of 8 players, with the top 5 scores from each team counting to form a team score.

Of the fall 2017 tournaments, 44 percent of them had an individual winner with a score under par. The lowest winning 36-hole score of the fall was by Ben Harden with a two-round total of 134 (10-under par). The average winning score in the fall of 2017 was 748 for 36 holes, counting 5 players per round. This means that the average score of a player on a winning team was 74.8. The average 5th place team score was 820 (averaging 82 for counting scores).  

For junior golfers and their families, Nextgengolf provides an amazing opportunity to combine academics with competitive golf without having to worry about the recruitment process! Mason Wicks from Illinois State said “Club Golf is the perfect opportunity to play competitive golf in college without having the same time commitment as varsity golf. Through club golf you will meet lifelong friends and enjoy competing against many cool people all across the country.”

Club Golf has really carved out a segment quite complimentary to NCAA varsity golf. Varsity golf will always be the top destination for the top-ranked golfers, but many high school students are beginning to see the benefits of choosing a university for academics, on-campus experience, and club golf as opposed to subjecting themselves to varsity scholarship opportunities at schools they may not otherwise choose to attend.

“We have seen many varsity golfers transfer to bigger schools,” said Matt Weinberger, COO of Nextgengolf. “Ben Harden, the fall 2017 top ranked player, transferred from New Mexico State to Arizona State since he wanted to experience a larger school and was tired of each day being varsity practices and workouts, made a conscious choice that club golf was better suited for him.”

Each year, Club Golf continues to grow and the scores are dropping lower and lower. It wouldn’t be a surprise if we eventually see an elite player who used Club Golf as a path in their long-term development. College coaches are also starting to notice the strength of the players on club teams. Casey Luban of Michigan state said, “”I truly believe that club golf is a wonderful opportunity for players to continue to share their passion for the game and competitive golf outside of the Intercollegiate Athletics environment. I have always believed that in order for the game to continue to grow moving forward, we need to keep as many opportunities as possible out there for those who want to compete. Additionally, our game fosters and promotes relationships that can last a lifetime. I am a huge believer in club golf and I have been impressed by the accomplishments of these fine players.”

When deciding on where to go to college, club golf should be at the forefront versus an afterthought. The NCCGA provides a valuable service allowing anyone at any school to play college golf.