The transition from high school to collegiate sports can be difficult to navigate. From compliance rules to how to gain exposure to college golf programs, there are many different things that athletes and parents need to navigate.
Sanford Health and Todd Kolb Golf Academy collaborated on May 15 to help athletes and their parents get answers to these questions and more.
The evening started out with a peek into Sanford Sports Science Institute Sports Science and Biomechanics Lab and its new 3-D golf assessment capabilities. Golf pro Todd Kolb and Lisa MacFadden from the Sanford POWER Golf Academy provided an overview of the unique testing a research capabilities of the lab and how those could be leveraged by golfers to improve their game.
Following the open house was a panel discussion focused on navigating the transition from high school to collegiate golf. The panel consisted of Sam Vosler, head women’s golf coach at the University of Sioux Falls; John Vining, assistant men’s and women’s golf coach at the University of South Dakota; Brian Hammer, parent of two collegiate players; McKayla Poppens, member of the Augustana University women’s golf team; Abby Vlastuin, director of compliance at USD; and Andy North, two-time PGA US Open golf champion.
They offered insights into collegiate recruiting, compliance, how to work with and guide young people through the process and a perspective on what it takes to be an elite golfer. The main topics of discussion were the influence of social media, when to start the college process, and what does it take to become a collegiate golfer.
Each panel member agreed that social media was becoming more of influence in today’s society and is something to be conscious of when starting the recruiting process. Starting the college search can start as early as freshmen year. Vlastuin encouraged young people to check a school’s compliance website before visiting or reaching out to a university to avoid conflicts with rules or regulations.
Panel members encouraged athletes to consider the academic culture of the school and not just the golf program, and that as long as they have passion and grit, everything else would fall into place.
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Posted In Golf, News, Sanford Sports
