When you think of college golf, you probably think of the men’s and women’s NCAA championships on the Golf Channel or any of the high-level collegiate events aired each spring and fall. You think of PGA Tour University and Ludwig Aberg, Austin Eckroat and Michael Thorbjornsen earning their PGA Tour cards. You think of J.T. at Alabama, Tiger at Stanford and the many PGA Tour professionals who came out of the University of Georgia.
What you don’t think of is Sandhills Community College, the Georgia Military College or the State University of New York (SUNY) system of community colleges. Well, as the coach of the men’s golf team at SUNY Ulster in Ulster County, New York, I have players who shoot in the 70s and others who struggle to break 110. That’s the state of our Division III junior college golf programming at the moment. Where we’d love to have players with lower scores across the board, I’ve found that many of the better players in our area are going to four-year schools. I was, however, proud to coach my own son last year as he earned 11th place at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DIII National Golf Championship in Chautauqua, New York, with four rounds in the 70s, including an even par 72 in his third round. He looks forward to attending Methodist University this fall in the PGA Professional Golf Management Program.
Back home, most of my 2025 team moves on to bigger and better things, and I’m looking to replenish my roster with young athletes who enjoy the game and are willing to learn. After all, one of the selling points I have is that my team is coached by a PGA of America Golf Professional. I’ve been teaching for two decades and coaching high school and college golf for 15 of those years. In addition, I promote the stellar course where we practice and play, and even tout the Pro V1 golf balls our players get throughout the season.
One of my two national championship players from this season, Austin (pictured above), did not play high school golf. This was his first experience in a competitive golf setting. After averaging 89 in our regular season matches, he shot 82-86 in our regional tournament and posted four scores in the 80s at nationals, improving with each round.
“I think I played much better in the big tournament than in the regular season,” Austin explained. “It was a very challenging course, and I improved each day, which was my goal. I drove and putted the best I did all season when it counted the most.”
My guys enjoyed being away for a week, playing golf six days in a row, meeting players from all over the country, and even one from Vietnam and another from Ireland.
We hit the range after most of the rounds and took it easy after a couple of rounds, during which the hot early summer sun beat down all day.
Jessie (pictured above left), the grandson of a longtime PGA member, battled a wrist injury but refused to withdraw, even with our county championship qualifier slated for the day after we returned. He enjoyed playing with players of similar ability to him, shooting in the 80s and 90s, and others who flirted with par every day and even posted some scores in the 60s.
The point is that the experience these golfers gained from two years of junior college golf and a national championship setting will live with them forever. They’ll always think back with fondness on our time together. They appreciated my passion for the game as a PGA of America Golf Professional and coach, and they will continue to work hard to get to the next level. In fact, Austin will be attending SUNY Delhi as a member of its professional golf management program this fall. He wants to work in golf - he loves the game.
“My playing partners all four days were great,” Austin added. “I got to play with a great guy named Nam Nam, who is from Vietnam, and even got to become friends with him. Even seeing him after the rounds we didn’t play together, we’d talk and laugh about how our rounds went.”
I asked my players what advice they had for high schoolers who want to play golf in college but don’t think they’re good enough.
“I would tell any high school or junior college kid who plays golf, even if it’s just with their friends, to think about playing on their school's golf team,” Austin shared. “This year was an amazing experience that I will always remember. We got to play a lot of free golf, and if you’re serious about getting better, it’s good to be around the game and learn from coaches and even your teammates. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are….playing on a golf team is a great experience.”
For more information about NJCAA golf, check out its website here.