Why did you choose to pursue the US College pathway over other potential pathway options?
There were a few reasons I thought the college route would work best for me. Going to a college with a great golf coach was something I felt I could benefit from having face to face coaching for 5 days a week. Living in a different country and travelling is a great way to mature faster and get to know what being away from home is like, which you see in the life of a professional golfer. Being able to play and practice whilst also having a degree built into the 4 years I was there. This also means you have more options once you leave if you decide that golf isn’t the direction you want to go. 

How were you recruited (Contacted directly by US Coaches, did my own recruiting, utilised a Recruitment Agency)?
I went through an agent in Melbourne. He gave me an example resume as inspiration to make mine from and then I created a video that I put on YouTube. My agent then sent out a blast email to his contacts and from then coaches contacted me directly.

What were your greatest memories of being a Student/Athlete at US College?
Competing alongside your best friends in a team environment whilst travelling with them was some of the greatest fun I have had around golf. 

What were some of the challenges you faced during your time at US College? How did you overcome these challenges?
Being homesick in my first year was definitely a major challenge. There were times where I just wanted to leave and go home but to get through that I surrounded myself with good people and lent on them.

Managing schooling, golf, and social life is definitely a juggling act but making sure you have good time management and your priorities in the correct spot it’s easily managed

How did US College prepare you for your career?
The whole college experience helps in numerous ways. Maturing as a person is a major part of it all. Travelling to golf tournaments and getting used to playing brand new courses and adapting quickly is a big help for one’s golf development. The relationships you build whilst being over there are connections that will last forever and you can have friends all across the world even past your time in college 

What advice/tips/recommendations would you provide to anybody considering going to US College?
Understand what weather the state usually gets when selecting where you want to go. Practicing in the snow and cold is not overly fun for long periods of time.

Decide what’s most important to you when selecting where to go. I.e., having great practice facilities and coaching, or having the best swing instructor you can find as a coach, team playing schedule, or university degree. It is very difficult to find the perfect fit for all factors in one school.

Try and talk to some of the members of the team to get an insight into what they are like as you are going to spend a lot of time with them.

What (if any) are the common traps/pitfalls/mistakes people make in the recruitment process or when selecting to pursue the US College Pathway as their desired option?
Not understanding exactly what they are trying to achieve by going over to the US. I have seen and heard of many people not enjoying their time in the US as you are thrown into the deep end in a different country and culture and their time doesn’t fit their expectations. Paying too much for an agency to handle the recruitment process. It is obviously going to be more work for the individual but it is entirely possible to go through the process without using any agency at all. Coaches are constantly looking for new players for the next year and always looking at their emails. Virtually every college team has a recruitment form on their website.