The Illinois Junior Golf Association hosted the 2020 College Golf Seminar at Medinah Country Club on January 25. The panel was made up of 12 coaches representing NCAA DI, DII, DIII and Junior College schools. A big thank you to all the coaches who made the trip and to the members and staff at Medinah CC who allowed us to host this informational event.
The College Golf Seminar is a panel discussion where the attendees hear multiple perspectives about collegiate golf. Topics that are typically covered at the seminar include: recruiting, what it takes to be a college golfer, a typical week, and financial aid. The coaches that were in attendance in 2020 include:
- Justin Bardgett – University of Illinois Men’s Assistant Coach
- Brian Bruha – Lake Forest College Men’s Head Coach
- Andrew Frame – Northern Illinois University Associate Head Coach
- Pina Gentile – University of Illinois Women’s Assistant Coach
- Erik Hoops – Loyola University Men’s Head Coach
- Jason Hyatt – College of DuPage Men’s Head Coach
- Kim Kester – Northern Illinois University Women’s Head Coach
- Sam Osborne – Millikin University Director of Golf
- Jim Ott – Illinois Wesleyan University Men’s Head Coach
- Carly Werwie – Loyola University Women’s Head Coach
- Tyler Wollberg – University of Wisconsin at Parkside Head Coach
- Justin Wyeth – Aurora University Men’s and Women’s Head Coach
The panel discussed a variety of different topics with the most common being the differences between DI, DII and DIII schools. One of the biggest differences seemed to be the time commitment that was expected of the athlete. The golfers at DI schools have a larger focus on their athletic commitments, with most players practicing outside of regularly scheduled team practices. While at DII schools have a more balanced focus on school, work and athletics. The DIII coaches described their programs as more of a “part-time job,” with the higher focus being on academics, but that doesn’t mean their players don’t also put work into their games.


“If you want to be more competitive, then you have to put more into it,” said Coach Ott from Illinois Wesleyan University.
Work ethic is something that coaches look for during the recruiting process. Most coaches want to learn who a recruit is as a person. This means watching how you react to failure or things not going your way on the course. One of the other things coaches notice is how much a parent is involved with the recruiting process. A parent who is over involved and is the one asking all the questions could be a red flag to a coach, the player should be the person asking questions.
There are lots of moving parts when it comes to recruiting, including all the NCAA rules that are in place. Some tips for when you are reaching out to a coach is to email them directly and include all the information that they need so they don’t have to chase it down. Good information to include in a first contact includes:
- Your high school graduation year
- NCAA Clearing House Number
- Playing resume – this would include scores from tournaments you have played in
- Unoffical Transcripts
- Unoffical Test Scores
- Swing Video – it’s ok to include a slow-motion version but make sure to include a full speed as well
- Trackman Data – if available
When choosing schools to tour and coaches to contact, consider what you want out of a school. You want it to be the right fit as a school, as well as a good fit for golf. Think about what your goals are after college, will the school you are choosing help you achieve those goals? You should not rule out a school before you have visited, which means visiting more than just your top choice.
Something that was brought up many times was to not be afraid to ask questions when you are visiting the schools, whether it is an official visit or unofficial visit. Examples of good questions to ask include:
- How is practice typically broken down?
- What is expected of me during the team downtime?
- What kind of financial aid is offered? Athletic/Academic
- What majors work best with your program?
These were just a few of the many topics that were covered in this year’s College Golf Seminar. This event is held every other year, with the next seminar being in 2022. If you have questions before then, reach out to our staff and we would be happy to assist you if possible.