The Gate November 2018 | Page 11

HOW TO BUILD A BETTER GOLF RESUME A junior golf resume is a very important document in the recruiting process, much like your professional resume when applying for a job. First and foremost, the “content” of the resume is really the most important thing. As a wise man once told me, “You had better be good at something”! Therefore, my best advice to any junior golfer wishing to play at the collegiate level is to do well in school, study hard for your entrance exams (SAT/ACT) and be very dedicated to becoming the best player you can be. If you can do all of these things, you’ll have a nice story to tell on your resume and coaches will take notice. So what do I need to put on my golf resume? It’s essentially some factual information about you that gives the college coach some insight to you as a person, student and player. It’s a summary of your golf and scholastic career to date. Here is a list of the information that should be on your resume. Personal Information– Address, home phone number, cell phone number, e-mail and date of birth. Academic Information– Cumulative GPA, core GPA, SAT/ACT results with sub-scores, TOEFL results (if applicable), high school name, high school address and intended area of study. Academic Honors– Academic awards and prizes (if any). NCAA Eligibility Center– Provide your ID number. Golf Credentials– Scoring average, scoring differential, rankings (AJGA, NJGS), order of merit (on a tour for example). Golf Swing– Link to swing videos. 12 THE GATE | NOVEMBER 2018 Golf Information– Home club, academy, coach, coach’s e-mail and coach’s cell phone number. Upcoming Tournament Schedule– Provide a list of your tournaments over the next few months. Career Highlights & Honors– List your best finishes, highlight some low scores and list any teams you’ve earned a spot on. Competitive Playing Record- List your tournament scores in reverse chronological order (meaning your most recent tournament first), and include information such as date, tour, tournament name and course, yardage, your scores (1.5 to 2 years of scores is fine), where you placed in the event and the size of the field. Parent/Guardian Information– Name, cell phone number, e-mail address. References– Name, cell phone number, e-mail address. As a final piece of advice, I am always sure to tell young recruits that they need to spend time on making their resumes look very presentable and professional from an appearance standpoint as it is a reflection on them as a person and represents how serious they are about being recruited. Paying attention to formatting, grammar and spelling are all very key things. I also suggest placing a quality photo in the upper right hand corner of the first page of the resume. It can be a professional headshot as in a school photo or you posing in the finishing position of your golf swing. Either works well and it goes along way toward making a great first impression!