High School golf tryouts - is this expected?

[BigMac]

I'm not sure what recourse his parents might have - I guess it depends on how willing the Athletic Director is to undercut the coach's decisions. I'd be willing to bet that unless there's clear evidence that the coach made a hugely egregious mistake, the AD is going to let his decision stand as is. Coaches are usually given latitude to make their own decisions, and an AD publicly kneecapping a coach isn't a good look.

 

[thewilderside]

interesting. when i played we counted 4 of the 5 scores to our team total and then the team with the lowest total won. *shrug*

Not to be a jerk but how does that make sense? Yes it's the 4 best scores of the 5 on the team, but unless they're playing some kind of format other than best ball it's still 4 entirely individual scores. Admittedly I didn't play in high school, but when I played in college the score I posted for my "team" was comprised entirely of the strokes I made during my 18 holes.

 

[davis20]

Sounds like they should have playoffs every week to decide who "starts" for the team. For wrestling, you had to earn your spot every week if there were multiple people at a weight class. You were never guaranteed your spot without a wrestle-off.

Seems like having a single round tryout isn't the best way to pick a team to me, even if you only pick the players with the lowest scores.

You said what I was going to say. Individual sports need weekly "tryouts".

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Daluteh]

I don't have much to add specific to the golf front, but I would say that it's the unfortunate reality of everything. I only played team sports in high school and college, even though there were individual aspects (track 400 and 4x400 etc) but I did do an individual sport outside of school which was boxing. While the combat sport was the most violent one I did it was also the most civil, no preferential treatment, no politics or optics really and no nepotism at all. If you won a fight you moved up if you lost you went down. I think the unfortunate reality is that there are often if not always politics involved with school sports. It's great if you're on the golden ticket side and it sure sucks if you deserved a spot by statistics and still didn't get in.

I would say that the best thing you may be able to do is ask for a meeting, in private, and find out how / why that happened. Depending on the size of the school it could be the athletic director, coach or principle - they may also even bring in the local super, who knows but at least that way you could get an answer as to what happened. Otherwise it seems to be a bunch of people on the internet with very different opinions and you won't get a resolution from us.

 

[RealPretendPsychic]

While I don’t think tryouts should consist exclusively of one 9 hole score, this coach failed in his communication of expectations and how tryouts would be structured.

 

[golfguy2021]

While I don’t think tryouts should consist exclusively of one 9 hole score, this coach failed in his communication of expectations and how tryouts would be structured.

It is not one 9 hole score. It is average score of 9 hole score in three days tryouts.

According to my sister, my nephew is locking himself in his room and crying. Being on the golf team means a lot to him and now it is being taken away because of an a**hole golf coach.

 

[tequila4kapp]

My nephew has just finished the golf tryouts for his high school team, and he didn't make the team. I would like to know how the golf coach evaluates who can be on the golf team. This is public school and the golf coach is also a teacher in social studies and history. There are 25 kids tryouts on the team and they take only 12.

My nephew scored 45 each day on a 9 holes course, and he has been playing golf since August 2020. He double bogey two holes, birdie a hole, and bogey the rest of the hole. His score is the 9th best on the team and yet they select three kids with worse score than my nephew to be on the team. The coach reason is that those three kids have been in more tournaments than my nephew and they just have three bad days during tryouts so they got selected over my nephew. My nephew has zero tournaments experience so he didn't get selected to be on the golf team.

Is that even possible? Can the coach do that? If that is true, what is the purpose of the tryouts when the coach has already decided the outcome even before tryouts ended. Is there an recourse for this?

His mother, my sister, is very upset at the moment.

Well...some high school golf coaches are a**holes. When I tried out my junior year of high school something similar occurred. I went back in after cuts and asked him why I didn't make the team and his exact words were sorry kid you have no natural ability. TO THIS DAY....I regret not taking that insult and turning it into a personal mission to shove his words where the sun don't shine.

He was gone the next year and I made the team

I bet @Jman has some insight to add as well.

These two posts reflect my son's experience trying out 2 years ago. His scores beat people who made the team. He was cut. When he asked the coach he got the "no talent" answer. I will be the first to admit my son isn't going to be the next Tiger but in a sport that records scores ... scores have to matter, otherwise why even have the tryouts. Yes, I'm still kinda pissed off about it.

 

[rlefig]

unfortunately this is how it is in high school sports. All 3 of my kids played them and there were some coaches that liked what they brought and other coaches that did not. It did piss me off. Hopefully your nephew can use this as motivation and a learning experience

 

[jmix18]

 

[tequila4kapp]

I'm not sure what recourse his parents might have - I guess it depends on how willing the Athletic Director is to undercut the coach's decisions. I'd be willing to bet that unless there's clear evidence that the coach made a hugely egregious mistake, the AD is going to let his decision stand as is. Coaches are usually given latitude to make their own decisions, and an AD publicly kneecapping a coach isn't a good look.

Assuming this is a public school the parents have no recourse. The coach gets to decide.

 

[RealPretendPsychic]

It is not one 9 hole score. It is average score of 9 hole score in three days tryouts.

According to my sister, my nephew is locking himself in his room and crying. Being on the golf team means a lot to him and now it is being taken away because of an a**hole golf coach.

I maintain my stance of not exclusively basing the decision on a couple rounds of scores IF the coach has other criteria in mind. As for your second point, I think that’s a stretch unless you know something you haven’t shared. As a high school coach I had no time for parents with attitudes.

 

[leftshot]

My wife and I have coached teams of various sports at both the junior high and high school level for years. I know you are upset, but there isn't anything you described in the coach's evaluation that is unreasonable. It's unfortunate when in a situation where you can't take everyone you'd like. But that is reality.

I would suggest that a far more productive approach for your nephew would be to have a constructive conversation with the coach that goes something like this. "I realize I would benefit from more experience and I'd really like to make the team. How can I get the instruction and experience I need to get there?"

Most coaches would LOVE that attitude and challenge. Most junior high and high school sports have summer leagues and camps where your nephew can develop. I wouldn't be surprised if that coach coached a team in the summer or participated in a camp. Most coaches do. He might even be so impressed with your nephew's attitude that he would let him practice with the team.

 

[Jeff Spicoli]

If I remember correctly for my high school golf team, the best scores made the team. If you have someone who took up the game a year ago and beat three players who it sounds like have more experience, not only he did straight up beat them, he probably has more potential too.

 

[GolferDad66]

@golfguy2021 - Having been through various tryouts in various sports (for my kids that is) I can tell you it is never clear cut in picking teams.

Most tryouts are not blind. its a fact of life. It is based on prior work, experience. You can't help that. The fact that the coach has seen a few kids and knows their game is an advantage to them. Maybe they were on his team before. That never gets discounted. There are also other factors - given his 12 team limit - he may want to spread out the kids per grade- don't take 6 juniors and no freshmen (you need a mix to have the program continue year to year, even if the freshman shot a little poorer).

Its a bummer for your nephew. So what's your nephew to do? He can give up. But if he is serious about golf, he can work even harder; ask the coach what tournaments he should do over the summer, and join a club golf team (or whatever you call it)-there are teams that compete over the summer - giving your nephew good experience as well as more golf practice. He's got to put himself where the coach can see him play some more. Then that extra exposure with the coach/experience + better scored next year will get him on next year's team.

 

[GolfTravelDude]

So 20 years ago my son was trying out for his HS team. He made the team but was not named a starter. During the qualifying he scored 2nd best. This was his Sr year and he played on the team all of the matches as a Jr. He comes home and tells me this. I blow a gasket and go in and have a face to face with the coach. His reason was that my son was a homer...As in he played all of his golf at the public course in the town where we lived and that was where this private school played all of their home matches and the try outs....and because they played all over he wanted players who were not homers....I look at this ASS and say I'm a member at a private club and my son plays all of his golf at that private club....He was dumbfounded and just garbled BS answers...I said play my son first match and if he isn't medalist he'll ride the bench and be fine....Didn't happen.
Son went on to college and played Division 1 as starter his Jr/Sr year. It took him two years to get any acknowledgement from his coach as he entered as a walk on who wasn't even a full time first team player as a Sr in HS.....
So Golf team set ups are just like so many things in life.....Just not fair. So learn, move on, work harder, kick some ass.

 

[annsguy]

Would love to hear JMan's take on this.

 

[Jman]

My nephew has just finished the golf tryouts for his high school team, and he didn't make the team. I would like to know how the golf coach evaluates who can be on the golf team. This is public school and the golf coach is also a teacher in social studies and history. There are 25 kids tryouts on the team and they take only 12.

My nephew scored 45 each day on a 9 holes course, and he has been playing golf since August 2020. He double bogey two holes, birdie a hole, and bogey the rest of the hole. His score is the 9th best on the team and yet they select three kids with worse score than my nephew to be on the team. The coach reason is that those three kids have been in more tournaments than my nephew and they just have three bad days during tryouts so they got selected over my nephew. My nephew has zero tournaments experience so he didn't get selected to be on the golf team.

Is that even possible? Can the coach do that? If that is true, what is the purpose of the tryouts when the coach has already decided the outcome even before tryouts ended. Is there an recourse for this?

His mother, my sister, is very upset at the moment.

To be to the point, yeah the coach can do that. If he knows those others are tournament players who had a bad day it has to be taken into consideration. It sucks, but it’s up to the coach.

I don’t cut at my program, boys or girls, but given the brevity of the season I understand why many do.

As to what you can do? You can raise a stink, but if the coach is following policy and it’s his discretion then it is what it is. Additionally, it’s smart to keep in mind you’re getting one side of the story, and it’s one you have an emotional toe to.

Personally, I’d use it as motivation for the future.

This is a big reason I’m a no cut program, it saves headaches and gives kids motivation to improve.

 

[jfox789]

This is rough. When I was a freshman and tried out, I had three rounds at +9, but I made the last spot, an existing team member was cut.

Ironically, high school golf doesn't matter, and top golfers I played with in college often didn't play high school because it was more of a distraction. Good golfers in high school were more focused on AJGA qualifies and amateur events.

I worked really hard to go from a +9 average to a +1.5 average within the next year and eventually made it to college golf. I think the moral of the story is head down, and one coach or one experience does not predefine outcomes.

 

[aljaklaw]

sounds like coach is buddy buddies with certain people who just happened to make the team

 

[Jman]

Not to be a jerk but how does that make sense? Yes it's the 4 best scores of the 5 on the team, but unless they're playing some kind of format other than best ball it's still 4 entirely individual scores. Admittedly I didn't play in high school, but when I played in college the score I posted for my "team" was comprised entirely of the strokes I made during my 18 holes.

Many HS tournaments in season now use Modified Maxwell format where it’s the four best per hole, not the four best 18 hole scores. This isn’t used for postseason play however.

 

[Jman]

sounds like coach is buddy buddies with certain people who just happened to make the team

You really think the coach is buddy buddies with HS kids?

 

[Jman]

This is rough. When I was a freshman and tried out, I had three rounds at +9, but I made the last spot, an existing team member was cut.

Ironically, high school golf doesn't matter, and top golfers I played with in college often didn't play high school because it was more of a distraction. Good golfers in high school were more focused on AJGA qualifies and amateur events.

I worked really hard to go from a +9 average to a +1.5 average within the next year and eventually made it to college golf. I think the moral of the story is head down, and one coach or one experience does not predefine outcomes.

Love this.

 

[chile]

This is rough. When I was a freshman and tried out, I had three rounds at +9, but I made the last spot, an existing team member was cut.

Ironically, high school golf doesn't matter, and top golfers I played with in college often didn't play high school because it was more of a distraction. Good golfers in high school were more focused on AJGA qualifies and amateur events.

I worked really hard to go from a +9 average to a +1.5 average within the next year and eventually made it to college golf. I think the moral of the story is head down, and one coach or one experience does not predefine outcomes.

i wanted to say something similar to this...i didn't make my basketball team as a freshman...it sucked...but my sophomore year, i made varsity. i don't know how that worked but yeah, take the loss for what it is and get better.

 

[Bucketsofjoy]

Things that are true:

1. This sucks for your nephew
2. The coach builds his team
3. How your nephew responds to this adversity is the most critical element in his future on the team and in golf.

Worth nothing
1. It is awesome that your school has so many kids interested in joining golf
2. It sucks that something is limiting the number of kids that are allowed to participate. Might be the coach or the course. Either way, I would raise questions here.
3. You / his parents chewing out the coach won't help. Ask him what (specifically) your nephew can do to earn a spot. Hold him to it.

 

[golfinnut]

It is not one 9 hole score. It is average score of 9 hole score in three days tryouts.

According to my sister, my nephew is locking himself in his room and crying. Being on the golf team means a lot to him and now it is being taken away because of an a**hole golf coach.

Tell him to not let it bother him. In the end, it's not worth it. Go out & continue to play & practice hard. Continue to improve over the next year & try out again the following year. I mean practice with a purpose & that purpose being ... "kicking their a**es!" That should be his drive. Trust me, it will work.
I was on my high school golf team for all 4 years, as well as 2 years in college. So I know how competitive it can be. For what it's worth, 25 people trying out for 12 spots is pretty decent of a turnout. We were lucky to field a team in order for scores to count sometimes back in high school.