How to Get a Full Ride

Historically, full ride scholarships in college golf were rare. A new settlement with the NCAA might change that forever. 

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Here’s the scoop. 

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Former DI athletes filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA, essentially claiming it was a big bad bully that took in all the money while going out of its way to make sure athletes didn’t receive a dime. 

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Last year, a judge ruled (preliminarily) in favor of the athletes. The result is that past athletes will receive back pay and there is a new model called revenue share for future payments. The settlement is not final but things are looking good with final revisions ongoing and a target implementation date of July 1st, 2025.

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And here’s where it gets interesting. 

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Once the settlement becomes final, DI colleges that opt into the revenue share can offer full rides to all golfers on their roster. There will also be a cap on roster spots between 8-9 players per team so competition for those spots will be fierce, nevermind competition from the transfer portal. 

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We don’t actually know which colleges will opt in but it’s safe to assume some if not many of the Power 5 will. Sure they’ll have to pay more to their athletes but they have big budgets to begin with and will gain a huge recruiting advantage through the revenue share model and full ride opportunities. 

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So far so good. 

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Now the question is how good do I need to be to play in the Power 5? 

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Dreamit Golf loves data and we have the answer. Here’s the average Junior Golf Scoreboard scoring differential for Power 5 recruits over the last two years. 

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Boys Recruits

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• ACC: -3.8
• Big 10: -3.0
• Big 12: -3.6
• Pac 12: -3.2
• SEC: -4.7

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Girls Recruits

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• ACC: -2.9
• Big 10: -1.9
• Big 12: -2.8
• Pac 12: -5.2
• SEC: -4.2

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That’s great golf! And if you’re within reach and the settlement is approved, you could be on your way to a tidy college golf scholarship. 

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If you’re outside these zones all hope is not lost. There is still the potential that non Power 5 schools will adopt the revenue share. This will depend on their budgets and willingness to pay athletes according to the revenue share model. There is the potential that college golf splits in two camps - the haves and have nots. The former will roll out big budgets, red carpets and a truck of cash for recruits. 

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Lots is set to change over the next year - and admittedly the waters are murky but it’s exciting times in college golf! 

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