The journey to securing a spot on a college golf team is competitive and demanding, with a showcase video often serving as your first impression. After your initial outreach to college coaches—whether through email, phone, or in person—a well-crafted showcase video is an excellent way to keep the conversation going and strengthen the relationship you’ve begun. This article outlines how to create a video that highlights your skills, tailored to the specific needs of your targeted college program, enhancing your chances of earning a scholarship.

Understanding the Purpose of Your Golf Showcase Video

A showcase video is more than just a compilation of your best shots; it’s a strategic tool designed to demonstrate your skills, technique, and potential to college coaches. It provides a visual resume of your abilities and your style on the course, helping coaches assess whether you might be a good fit for their program.

Planning Your Video

Before you start filming, it’s crucial to conduct research on the home course of the college team you’re targeting. Understanding its characteristics can help you tailor your video to highlight skills that are most relevant and advantageous:

Long Courses: Emphasize your driving power and ability to play long holes.
Narrow Fairways: Showcase accuracy and precision.
Small Greens: Highlight finesse with approach shots and proficiency in the short game.
Course Hazards: Demonstrate strategic play around obstacles.

Filming Techniques

Introduction to Filming Techniques After your initial research and outreach, a showcase video serves as a powerful tool to further engage with college golf coaches. It allows you to dynamically demonstrate the skills that make you a valuable candidate for their program.

Camera Setup Utilize both a tripod for stable shots and enlist the help of a friend to capture dynamic angles that add life to your video. If you don’t have an expensive camera, most cell phones today are more than capable of allowing for you to make a quality video.

Angles and Perspectives There are 2 primary angles and perspectives that are used and you probably have used them with your swing coach to analyze your swing.

• Down the Line: Position the camera behind you to show the path and trajectory of the ball, which is crucial for evaluating technical skills.
• Face On: Set the camera facing you to capture the mechanics of your swing from a frontal view, providing a comprehensive perspective on your technique.

Lighting and Conditions

Choose a day with good natural lighting and aim for early morning or late afternoon to avoid harsh shadows and ensure the best video quality. Similarly, don’t make the person being filmed squint and have to look into the sun.

What to Include in Your Video

Skill Variety: Display a range of golf skills to show versatility. It may take more than one video to get off of these on camera and packaged up. That is OK, it gives you an opportunity to make multiple contacts with the coaching staff.

• Driver and Tee shots
• Long Irons and fairway shots
• Wedges and approach Shots
• Chipping and shots around the green
• Putting including lag puts and reading greens
• Specialty Shots like greenside and fairway bunkers, knock down shots etc.

Personal Introduction: Start with a brief introduction of yourself, outlining your academic and golf achievements.
Highlight Key Achievements: Use text overlays to point out significant accomplishments, enhancing your profile.

Editing Your Video

Software Recommendations: Suggest using accessible editing software like Adobe Premiere Rush or iMovie.
Editing Tips: Keep the video concise and engaging, ensuring smooth transitions and a professional appearance.
Music and Sound: Optionally, you my select unobtrusive background music to complement the visual content without distracting.
Length: Try to keep the video under 3 minutes. You want to give the coach an impression and with the shorter length it gives you the opportunity to follow up with other videos.

Finalizing and Sending Your Video

File Format and Size: Ensure your video is in a compatible format like MP4 and keep the file size manageable.
Where to Upload: Host your video on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo and provide links in your communications.
Follow-Up: Follow up a week after sending your video to confirm receipt and reiterate your interest in the program.

Final Thoughts on Your Golf Showcase Video

Creating a standout golf showcase video can significantly impact your visibility in the competitive field of college recruiting. By carefully planning, filming, and editing your video, you can showcase your golf skills in a manner that resonates with your desired college team, making a memorable impression that could lead to more opportunities.