28 | June 2017 #juniorgolfmag Visit us at juniorgolfmag.net PART3 OF 6: PHONE CALLS BUT I’M NERVOUS... There’s no question that calling coaches is a daunting task. Where do I find the phone number? When do I call? What do I say? How much should I promote my- self? Will the coach be impressed that I called or just annoyed? Dialing the number and saying “Hi Coach…” is half the battle. Considering that only a small per- centage of athletes ever gather the courage to call, you are already standing out. Now it’s up to you to make a great impression! PHONE CALL REGULATIONS As a student-athlete, you may call coaches at any age, as often as you like. Coaches, on the other hand, are permitted to call after September 1st of your junior year and can only initiate one call per week. Keep in mind, if you are a freshman or sophomore, you have to get Last issue, we analyzed the most challenging part of the college recruiting process – getting started! Building a list of schools and reaching out to coaches with an introductory email, resume and swing video takes a lot of time and energy. Now let’s move on to actually making that call. BY JOHN MURPHY RESEARCH EMAIL １ 2 3 4 5 6 PHONE VISIT ON-COURSE RECRUITING SCHOLARSHIP JOE GOLFER JOE GOLFER'S DREAM COLLEGE the coach on the phone because he or she can’t call you back! WHEN TO CALL? Your best bet is calling weekdays, between 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Ninety percent of college golf coaches spend mornings in the office and afternoons on the golf course. If you don’t get an answer, always leave a voice message and mention that you will follow up later in the week. WHAT TO SAY? Before calling, always spend a few minutes check- ing out the team’s latest tournament results and the coach’s background. Now here are a few questions that a coach may ask you and questions you might want to ask the coach. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER TOP QUESTION Why are you interested in my school and my golf team? ACADEMIC What academic majors are you interested in? MakingtheScholarship ATHLETIC Where do spend your practice time and why? SCHOLARSHIP What are your scholarship needs? RECRUITING What other schools are you currently looking at? QUESTIONS TO ASK TEAM How do you run team qualifying for tournaments? COACH I know you have experience playing professional golf. Do you work with your players on technical aspects of the game? ACADEMIC I am interested in studying business. Are any of your current players business majors? RECRUITING How many players are you looking for in the 2018 graduating class and what can I do to earn one of those spots? HOW TO END THE CALL While on the phone, always address the next step in recruiting between you and the coach. This can be as simple as agreeing to send update emails over the next few months. Ideally, you should suggest interest in scheduling a campus visit or selecting a tournament for the coach to watch you play!