Best Universities for Golfers

(RELEASE) — Choosing a college can be a challenging time for students when considering all the factors that affect a decision. Between career choices and tuition rates, throwing a varsity sport into the mix makes the process even trickier.

If you’ve played golf competitively up until high school graduation, chances are you’re going to want to pursue golf in college and may even be looking for golf scholarships. Division I golf teams are very competitive and many of these universities have competitive admission processes as well.

Carl's Golfland gathered data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and College Scorecard to form a list of best value universities for students hoping to join a Division I golf team. Although these institutions are ranked by best value using Carl's Golfland's choice of criteria, students should thoroughly research options to determine the best university for their specific situation.

Criteria Used

- Top 100 Golf Teams – NCAA Rankings of the Top 100 Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams
- Average Cost of Attendance – College Scorecard calculates this metric by adding the advertised tuition fees, average living costs, and subtracting the average financial aid. For public schools the average cost is calculated for in-state students.
- Average earnings 6 years post enrollment
- Average earnings 10 years post enrollment – Both these metrics are gathered by College Scorecard and are determined by former students’ (who received federal financial aid) median earnings 10 years after enrolling at the institution.

Spoiler alert: Both the University of Florida and University of Texas fared very well for men and women, alike, as did Duke and Wake Forest.

Although choosing a university can be daunting, it is an exciting time for prospective students who want to pursue golf on a college level. Competitive golfers can look forward to playing on quality courses and receiving top notch coaching during their studies, and there are numerous benefits to being part of a university sports team. Playing on a Division I team may be unattainable for some golfers, but there are many quality Division 2, Division 3, and club teams that enable students to continue golfing while they pursue a higher education.

To view Top 100 lists for both men and women, click HERE.