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When it comes to choosing a college for golf, it's important to consider various factors such as the coaching staff, the potential for playing time, and the overall fit for your academic and athletic goals. While it may be tempting to aim for a top-ranked school, it's important to remember that success in golf and transitioning to a professional career doesn't necessarily hinge on attending a top program. There are plenty of professional golfers who have come from community colleges and mid-major schools. It's crucial to have a game plan for your practice rounds and preparation, and to be able to make sound decisions on the golf course. Coaches often look for players with good course management and the ability to make the right decisions in the moment. Additionally, don't be afraid to consider schools that may be viewed as lower level or not as highly ranked. It's more about finding the right fit for your skills and aspirations rather than simply going to the most prestigious school. Ultimately, it's important to weigh all your options, consider your priorities, and find a college that aligns with your academic and athletic needs while also providing opportunities for your future goals in golf.

Garrett Engle | Tennessee Chattanooga Golf

Like I think that's something that's super important because golf at the end of the day , you don't need to be the number one program in the country to play professional golf or to get to the next stage of your career , whatever that is like , you can go to a lower level , mid major or , or ad two school for that matter . Like there's plenty of professional golfers that have come from community college , Ducos D 3D 2 , like , all throughout . It's not just you go to the best , top 10 schools in the country or you're , you're , you're done .

Garrett Engle | Tennessee Chattanooga Golf

Um , so that was the hardest part for me is , you know , I had all these schools that I had talked to before and then I suddenly didn't know , where they stood at all and I come back my junior year and I was , you know , I didn't know what offers I would have or anything like that and it ended up working out well . Um , I had plenty of offers and plenty of , plenty of places to go and school is still interested , but it's just hard to stay calm not knowing . And I think that , that , that's something that , you know , someone who's a little bit of a late bloomer and doesn't really have any contact with coaches until they're , you know , a senior kind of goes through the same thing .

Garrett Engle | Tennessee Chattanooga Golf

Like there's plenty of professional golfers that have come from community college , Ducos D 3D 2 , like , all throughout . It's not just you go to the best , top 10 schools in the country or you're , you're , you're done . Um , and I think that's something really important if you like a coach at a smaller school .

Garrett Engle | Tennessee Chattanooga Golf

Um , because I had this stretch before , um , before I was a sophomore where I could talk to coaches . Um , and I was lucky enough to have a lot of contact with coaches and coaches were contacting me and , um , I was able to talk to a lot of colleges before the cut off started . But then , um , suddenly they changed the rules and I wasn't able to talk to any coaches at all my sophomore year .

Garrett Engle | Tennessee Chattanooga Golf

The pins are a lot harder , the conditions are a lot harder . So they're gonna pick a guy who has good course management and a little bit less ability over someone who has more ability and is making stupid decisions pretty much every round .