In 1988, when I was searching for the right school to play my college golf, it was an exciting, stressful and time-consuming task at best!

There was no such thing as the Internet!  The library, magazines, “snail mail,” and a landline phone proved to be my only means of researching the “right” college for me.

Luckily, Dean Frischknecht had just come out with his PING College Golf Guide, which proved to be, and still is, a great resource to navigate the college golf recruiting process.  Fortunately, I found my opportunity to play at the collegiate level at the University of Oregon.

Now with information so readily available, especially on the Internet, there is so much more to decipher and sort out.  The fact remains, however, it’s still a daunting task.

So you might be asking, “where do I start?”  Well, it starts with YOU!

The first task is to sit down with your parents and conduct a personal assessment and be sure to write down your answers.    You need to ask yourself a number of questions such as:

• What do you want to get out of your college golf experience?
• Why do you play golf?
• Do your parents say you have to go to college or is it something that you want to do too?
• What are your priorities?

Here are some examples of the answers you might have:

• Get a degree and graduate
• Be a part of a team
• Be an active participant of a team
• Become a touring professional
• Become a PGA/LPGA club or teaching professional

Be thorough in your assessment and list your responses in order of importance to you.

This honest, personal assessment is critical to your future success academically and athletically.  It may seem elementary right now, but it will serve to give you purpose for your 4-5 years in college.

Once you are in college, you are going to be spending the majority of your time either in class, studying, practicing or playing golf, not to mention competing!

Playing golf or any sport at the next level is a major commitment.  You want to be prepared and ready for it.

You can do it!  Good luck!