Women’s Golf: NCAA Rules of Athlete Recruitment
INTRODUCTION
Recruiting for women’s golf is a process that begins even before official contact between coaches and athletes start. Remember that even before a coach contacts the junior golfer, that junior golfer must prepare to showcase their skills so coaches will identify them as a good candidate for athlete recruitment.
It starts with the junior women’s golfer creating an internet profile to showcase their:
tournament calendar and history,
swing videos,
ranking on junior golf tournament rankings, and
transcripts.
You can create your profile in the PGA Gateway Section for Junior Golfers which is one of the most referred to Junior Golf Hubs in the country.
Posting these highlights promotes the golfer’s profile and gives the golfer greater visibility with the NCAA college coaches thus creating an advantage in the athlete recruitment process.
In addition to creating an online profile, the golfer should be vigilant in checking their national rankings like the High School Golf National Invitational and the Junior Golf Scoreboard, and should proactively research what makes a golfer competitive for the highly selective Division 1 and Division 3 colleges. Remember that golfers interested in joining a highly selective Division 1 golf team must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center in their sophomore year.
The NCAA rules and calendars will vary depending on whether the college belongs in Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3. The recruiting calendar determines when you can initiate conversations with coaches, as well as when you can speak in-person to the head coaches on and off-campus.
The purpose of these stringent athlete recruitment rules is to ensure that NCAA athlete recruitment is fair and that all athletes have equal opportunity to get recruited, and no one receives an unjust advantage, or feel forced to accept an offer too soon.
In general for Division 1 colleges, their head coaches may send athletes surveys, camp details, NCAA resources, and non-athletic institutional publications to potential women’s golf athlete recruits at any time. The head coaches may start making phone calls and begin electronic correspondence with athletes on June 15 before their junior year.
Division 3 colleges are generally left to their own devices when creating rules and schedules, however they tend to contact athletes during their junior and senior years.
Recruiting Calendar and Rules for Women’s Golf
There are strict rules governing the timeline of communications between a potential women’s golf athlete recruit and the head coaches of the NCAA teams. The rules are the strictest for Division 1 colleges, while Division 3 colleges are generally left to set their own rules. These rules generally include:
when you can initiate a discussion with a head coach,
when head coaches can initiate discussion with you,
where and when you can begin in-person communication with a head coach
the medium of communication (phone call, e-mail, text, in-person)
the content of the interaction (particularly, when you can speak about recruitment)
the distinction between “official” and “unofficial” visits
when are unofficial visits allowed
when are official visits allowed
when is contact disallowed during the recruitment cycle
Whenever a coach says more than “Hello” to the athlete or his/her parents during a face-to-face interaction off-campus, a “contact” is made, according to the NCAA. The rules surrounding contact are very rigid. Many Division 1 NCAA coaches approach cautiously and will absolutely not interact with parents or players at games beyond a simple “hello” until between the player’s junior and senior year.
The rules and calendar vary between Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 colleges, so please pay careful attention to which Division the highly selective college that you are interested in belongs.
Division 1 NCAA Athlete Recruitment Rules and Calendar for Women’s Golf
Freshman and Sophomore Year
At any time, an athlete may receive recruitment surveys, camp brochures and non-sports recruiting publications from Division 1 coaches.
June 15: After this date following sophomore year, coaches may send athletes institutional publications, along with all other recruiting materials, as well as begin electronic correspondence with athletes. Athletes may call coaches and coaches may call athletes starting this date.
Junior Year
Starting August 1 prior to the start of Junior year: Off-campus contact is allowed, however contact is limited to the athlete’s college or home. Athletes may conduct both official and unofficial visits to the campus. Coaches may make verbal offers to athletes.
Starting August 1 prior to the athlete’s junior year, no more than three of the seven recruitment opportunities referred to below may be contacts.
Between September 1 and May 31 of Junior year, a total of seven recruitment opportunities (contacts + evaluations) per athlete are allowed.
Senior Year
Except for designated “dead periods”, there are no restrictions on contact between the head coaches and the potential athlete recruit.
Dead Periods
Potential women’s golf athlete recruits must also observe the “dead periods” of the recruitment calendar.
A Dead Period is defined by the NCAA as that period of time where conducting in-person (face to face) recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the campus are not allowed, and the colleges are not allowed to conduct official or unofficial visits for potential recruits to the campus.
In 2021, the Division 1 Dead Period was from November 8 to 11, 2021. The 2022 Dead Period has not yet been announced by the NCAA
Contact Periods
Contact Period (Recruiting Period): A contact period is the time frame during which coaches may make in-person (face to face) contact with athletes and evaluate potential recruits off-campus. All periods not designated as “dead period” should be treated as contact periods.
Women’s Golf Division 1 Athlete Recruitment Timeline Chart
Women’s Golf Division 1 Athlete Recruitment Timeline
Division 2 NCAA Athlete Recruitment Rules and Calendar for Women’s Golf
Note that there are no highly selective colleges in NCAA Division 2
Freshman and Sophomore Year
At any time, a coach may send an athlete recruitment surveys, camp brochures and non-sports recruiting publications.
Junior Year
June 15 prior to junior year: NCAA coaches are permitted to contact athletes via phone calls, texts, emails, social media direct messages and more.
Coaches can send athletes institutional publications, along with all other recruiting materials.
Athletes can begin making official campus visits, while coaches can begin meeting with recruits off-campus.
Coaches can approach a recruit's coach during contact periods at a competition.
Division 3 NCAA Athlete Recruitment Rules and Calendar for Women’s Golf
Freshman and Sophomore Year
There are no set Division 3 recruiting calendars - NCAA Division 3 college coaches are not restricted from recruiting during dead periods, recruiting periods, or silent periods. All recruiting material, phone calls, digital correspondence and unofficial visits are permitted starting sophomore year. Coaches may make as many calls as they like to athletes. Athletes may also make an unlimited number of unofficial visits to colleges.
Off-campus contact is permitted starting sophomore year.
Junior Year
January 1: official visits are permitted.
Senior Year
There are no restrictions on the potential athlete recruit or head coaches on contact.
Women’s Golf Division 2 & 3 Athlete Recruitment Timeline Chart
NCAA Division 2 and 3 Athlete Recruitment Rules and Calendar for Women’s Golf