Golf is a wonderful sport that more and more people take on, but it can be the sport to get you an opportunity for higher education if you’re looking to attend these easiest colleges for golf scholarships.
Of course, if golf isn’t exactly your thing, you may want to look into these 10 easiest fellowships and scholarships to get in 2017. But, since you’re reading this article you’re probably quite passionate about golf, maybe even already looking into securing one of the many scholarships set up for golf players hoping to get a college education for free.
pixfly/Shutterstock.com
In order to get your hands on one of these scholarships, it is for the best to put in the effort and actually get in contact with college golf coaches, keeping them updated on your progress in tournaments. Unlike football, golf coaches don’t go recruiting at high school games whenever they feel like it. Instead, they come see you and your evolution once you’ve established contact with them and proven you’re actually a serious recruit.
In order to improve your chances for a scholarship, you shouldn’t ignore your grades either. In the end, if you have more schools you qualify for with your grades alone, the higher your chances to earn a scholarship to cover the costs. Of course, the better you are as a player, the higher the chance for the coaches to offer you a spot.
For our list today we visited a lot of sites providing information about the best colleges for golf players, offering rankings for both men and women’s players, or presenting the best-golfing programs for men or women. Where the colleges were presented in a definitive ranking, we handed out scores – the higher, the better. Then, when we didn’t have any specific rankings, we offered 5 points for each presence on one of the many lists we checked out. In the end, we came up with the list of the easiest colleges for golf scholarships.
10. Florida State University
Score: 33
Florida State University’s golf program has quite a history, going back some 68 years. Called the Seminoles, the team managed to win 13 conference championships over the years.
Nowadays, it’s not exactly in the best shape, managing to only score 24th out of 25 on NCAA’s list of the teams of college players.
On the other hand, the women’s team, which has been around for 49 years, having won three conference championships and one national championship, is faring much better today. In fact, Florida State ranks 6th on the same NCAA list, but this time dedicated to women.
Pixabay/Public Domain
9. Duke
Score: 33
Duke’s Blue Devils have been quite successful in recent years, particularly the women’s team, managing to win quite a few championships. In fact, it won the national championships in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2014, and managed a 13-year streak of ACC championships wins.
Duke’s women’s team ranks 7th on NCAA’s list of best ranking teams, while the men’s team only landed on the 18th spot out of 25.
Since Duke is also one of the world’s top universities, ranking 24th, you are also going to be getting a really good education by the time you graduate.
Konstantin Sutyagin/Shutterstock.com
8. Vanderbilt
Score: 35
Vanderbilt’s men’s golf team managed to rank first on the NCAA’s list for college golfers. Although quite successful, Vanderbilt’s Commodores golf team aren’t very present in the media, with other sports taking precedence. In the past year, however, they’ve managed to place first in several tournaments – such as the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational, the East Lake Cup, the SEC Championship and the NCAA Championship and managed to occupy three other second spots, and two third sports in other locations.
One of the most famous Commodore golf players is Brandt Snedeker, who graduated in 2002. Just recently, he announced he would be funding a scholarship alongside his wife, called the Snedeker Golf Scholarship, which will support future team members.
Pixabay/Public Domain
7. Georgia University
Score: 36
Up next on our list of easiest colleges for golf scholarships is the University of Georgia, the only institution of higher education that owns and operates its own PGA Tour professional golf tournament. The location has already hosted numerous Southeastern Conference Championships, as well as several NCAA Women’s Championships. One of the Men’s NCAA Regional Tournaments was also hosted here some years back.
The men’s team has managed to land 23rd out of 25 on NCAA’s list, but the women’s team is faring much better, landing on the eights spot of the same chart.
Pixabay/Public Domain
6. UCLA
Score: 38
Up next on our list of easiest colleges for golf scholarships we have UCLA, where the Bruins are quite famous. The men’s team has won the NCAA Championship twice, as well as several Pac-12 Conference Championships. The women’s team has also been quite successful, winning the national championship in four different years.
In fact, the UCLA landed on the fourth place on NCAA’s latest list, thanks to the great results it managed to bring home.
Mikael Damkier/Shutterstock.com
5. University of Texas
Score: 40
Over in Texas, we have one of the Universities with the strongest golf traditions. In fact, the Longhorn men’s team managed to win three national titles and some 47 Conference Championships. The women’s team has also done quite well, managing to win 13 Conference Championship titles over the years.
According to NCAA’s latest rankings, the University of Texas ranked 12th with the men’s team and 18th with the women’s team, which are both commendable feats.
The University of Texas offers quite a few sports opportunities, including American football, basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, volleyball, swimming and diving, rowing, rugby and, of course, golf.
Pixabay/Public Domain
4. Oklahoma University
Score: 42
Over at the Oklahoma University, we find the Sooners. The men’s golf team managed to win 13 Conference Championships across the years, with the most recent resounding success being in 2006. The NCAA Championship was also won by the team twice – once in 1989 and once in 2017.
NCAA’s latest rankings put Oklahoma University on the third spot, although the women’s team also managed to land on the 19th spot, showing some positive results over the years.
Pixabay/Public Domain
3. University of Florida
Score: 57
Up next on our list of easiest colleges for golf scholarships is the University of Florida, whose Gators have been quite successful over the years. With a history going back to 1925, there’s really no surprise they’ve managed to win fifteen SEC championships and four NCAA championships, with the most recent success story being written in 2001.
NCAA’s most recent ratings put the University of Florida’s women’s team on the fifth spot, while the men’s team landed on the same spot, indicating the consistency of the University’s golf programs, regardless of the student’s gender.
Pixabay/Public Domain
2. University of South Carolina
Score: 66
The South Carolina Gamecocks, one of the easiest colleges for golf scholarships has been in the competition circles for decades, scoring its first major tournament success in 1964 at the ACC Championship. Ever since then, the team has managed quite a few successes, winning tournament after tournament, and, when it couldn’t manage to rank among the first finalists.
The women’s golf team was ranked twelfth by the NCAA in its most recent listing, which was updated a couple of months back.
Pixabay/Public Domain
1. Stanford University
Score: 68
Finally, at the top of our list of easiest colleges for golf scholarships, we also find one of the world’s top educational institution – Stanford. That means that besides offering students top-notch education, they’re also allowing them to stretch out as athletes, putting together some of the best teams out there.
The Stanford Cardinals golf teams have been quite successful. For instance, the men’s team has won the NCAA Championship eight times, with the latest success being registered in 2007. They have also won 10 Pac-12 Conference Championships.
One of the biggest name to come out of Stanford in the world of golf is Tiger Woods, although he never did graduate. That’s mostly because at the age of 20 he had already gone professional, winning three PGA Tour events by the age of 21. Up until now, he’s managed to win 79 PGA Tours, 40 European Tours, and numerous others competitions.
While Woods hasn’t exactly retired, he went through several surgeries to alleviate back and leg pain over the past few years, which has greatly affected his game.
The Stanford women’s team has also seen some success over the years.
The NCAA latest rankings place Stanford fourth on the men’s list and second on the women’s list.
That being said, we hope you’ve managed to get some inspiration about the best places where you can get a good education and prosper as a golfer, hopefully with the help of a scholarship to take on the tuition fees and other costs that may otherwise keep you away from your study and your training. These have been the easiest colleges for golf scholarships.
Pixabay/Public Domain
