2024–25 NCAA Women’s Golf Recruiting Rules and Calendar
When can women’s golf coaches begin to contact potential recruits? It’s the first question student-athletes ask as they kick off their recruiting journey. In general, college coaches can contact student-athletes starting June 15 after their sophomore year. They can call, email, text and make verbal offers. However, a lot of recruiting takes place before this point.
College coaches follow national rankings, evaluate golf scores at top tournaments and analyze swing videos to build their list of potential prospects. So, this section not only explains the women’s golf recruiting rules and calendar, but it also goes into detail on how coaches recruit during—and around—these regulations.
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How to use the NCAA women’s golf recruiting rules and calendar
Each academic year, the NCAA establishes a recruiting calendar that outlines when and how college coaches can contact student-athletes. The NCAA golf recruiting rules are designed to prevent coaches from emailing and calling student-athletes too early and too often.
Understanding the contact rules will help you maximize your opportunities and establish relationships with women’s golf coaches at the schools you’re interested in. Plus, it’s an easy way to check that your recruiting is on track. For example, if you know coaches are allowed to reach out to athletes after their sophomore year, then you want to make sure to get on their radar before that point.
When can college golf coaches contact women’s golf recruits?
NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 golf coaches follow specific regulations established by the NCAA. They can begin to contact recruits starting June 15 after their sophomore year, which includes calling, texting, emailing and sending direct messages. They can even make verbal offers to student-athletes at this time.
Beginning August 1 before junior year, recruits can partake in unofficial and official visits.
Division 3 and NAIA college coaches, on the other hand, aren’t required to adhere to the same set of rules and can reach out to recruits at any point in high school. But most of these coaches start recruiting during junior year and into senior year when test scores become available.
Don’t read that and think that recruiting starts junior year – A lot of work is done before this point. Women’s golf coaches are actively researching and evaluating recruits, so they know exactly who to contact when the time comes. They keep a close eye on national rankings, such as the Junior Golf Scoreboard, the American Junior Golf Association and Golfweek, evaluate swing videos, track scoring averages at tournaments and prioritize high academic recruits.
If you’re interested in competing at a top golf program, it’s important to be proactive early on. Research the different division levels to understand what scores and tournament experience you need to be recruited, and register for the NCAA Eligibility Center to ensure you meet academic requirements. Then, you’ll need to create a profile that highlights your swing video and start emailing it to college coaches.
NCAA Division 1 women’s golf recruiting rules
NCAA Division 1 sports adhere to the most restrictive set of rules:
- Any time: College coaches can send recruits general materials, such as questionnaires, camp information, non-athletic information about the school and materials published by the NCAA.
- June 15 after sophomore year: Student-athletes can receive personal contact and recruiting materials. Coaches can call athletes, send text messages, direct messages and emails, and make verbal offers to their top prospects.
- August 1 before junior year: Recruits can take unofficial and official visits to schools. Student-athletes are permitted to take unlimited official visits, with one visit permitted per school.
NCAA Division 2 women’s golf recruiting rules
NCAA Division 2 recruiting rules are slightly more lenient than Division 1, mostly around visits:
- Any time: Like Division 1, coaches can send recruits general materials, including questionnaires, camp brochures, NCAA materials and non-athletic information about the school. Student-athletes can go on unofficial visits and aren’t restricted in the number of unofficial visits they take.
- June 15 after sophomore year: College coaches can call, text, email, direct message and conduct off-campus contact with an athlete and/or their family. Student-athletes can also begin taking official visits at this time. They’re allowed one visit per college, with unlimited total visits to Division 2 schools.
NCAA Division 3 women’s golf recruiting rules
NCAA Division 3 doesn’t have limits on when coaches can contact recruits. The only restrictions in place are around off-campus contact and official visits. Golf recruits will find that most Division 3 coaches recruit during junior year and into senior year as well.
- Any time: Student-athletes can receive recruiting materials. Coaches can call, email, text and send direct messages to student-athletes. Recruits can go on unofficial visits at any point during high school and aren’t restricted in the number of unofficial visits they take.
- After sophomore year: Coaches can contact student-athletes off campus.
- January 1 of junior year: Student-athletes can start taking official visits. They’re allowed one visit per college and can take as many unofficial visits to Division 3 programs as they like.
2024–25 NCAA women’s golf recruiting calendar
Throughout the school year, there are periods when women’s golf coaches are restricted from talking with a recruit and/or their parents in-person. In other words, during a dead period, coaches can’t talk to recruits on their college campus, a camp, or the athlete’s school.
NCAA Division 1
Dead Period:
- November 11–14, 2024
- November 28 – December 1, 2024
- December 9–11, 2024
- December 24–27, 2024
NCAA Division 2
Dead Period: November 11–13, 2024
NCAA Division 3
Year-round recruiting permitted
National signing day for golf
For all Division 1 sports, except for football and basketball, the signing period for seniors starts November 13, 2024 and ends August 1, 2025. Getting a verbal offer from a college coach is exciting, but nothing is official until you sign the National Letter of Intent (NLI).
The NLI is a binding contract between a prospective student-athlete and the college: the student-athlete is solidifying her commitment to the school and in return, the college is promising to provide an athletic scholarship for that academic year. Signing the NLI essentially marks the end of a recruiting journey.
