Each month, Coach John Brooks will answer your questions regarding the college recruiting process. To submit a question, please e-mail mailbag@ajga.org. The College Mailbag column will be posted monthly on ajga.org.

For more information on Coach Brooks please see his Web site, www.rednumbersgolf.com. Coach Brooks also authors a "Going to College" column on the Junior Golf Scoreboard and is a contributing writer for the Titleist Performance Institute Web site.

Read on below for the March installment of College Mailbag!

Click here to view the College Mailbag Archive.

I intend to seek an engineering degree at an established university while also playing for their golf team. I hear that many coaches shy away from players seeking such ambitious majors as the student will not have the time to attend all the required labs and classes, as well as play in the golf tournaments. Is there any truth to this?

Quite honestly, there is some truth to this. College golf is a very time consuming sport and one that requires the student-athlete to miss a significant amount of class time. Extraordinarily difficult majors, such as engineering, are rare among college golfers. If you intend to study engineering and are willing to accept what goes along with that, then I suggest you target schools where academics are far more important than athletics. Ivy League schools or certain Division III institutions may be a good fit for you. Make sure you select a major that fits your long-term career aspirations.

As a junior golfer, I have played in many Junior Golf Scoreboard events. It seems some junior golfers ranked on the NJGS withdraw or DQ from a tournament if they do not shoot a low score the first couple days so as not to hurt their rankings. This does not seem fair to those golfers who play and record their rounds, good or bad. Do college golf coaches know that this happens? Does it make a difference?

Justified withdrawals (due to medical or family emergency) happen and are perfectly understandable. You may want to contact the Junior Golf Scoreboard to better understand how their rankings work with respect to WDs or DQs. I am confident that coaches know this occurs at times and would much rather see how well a player can "bounce back" after a poor opening round. Keep in mind that coaches realize all players (junior, collegiate and professional level) have bad rounds. It is part of the game and something that all young players need to learn how to deal with. Players should worry less about their rankings and more about improving. Steady improvement in an event, or over a season, can attract a coach's attention in a favorable way.

How do young golfers from the Northeast get noticed by college recruiters when most of the major junior organizations are in the states from California to Florida. I realize that they are disadvantaged by lack of practice time in the winter but there are ways to work through that. Without spending a small fortune heading south every winter, what would you suggest to get young golfers noticed?

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to your question. Competitive junior golf has become a 12-month sport thanks to organizations such as the Future Collegians World Tour, International Junior Golf Tour, Florida Junior Tour and Texas Junior Golf Tour. During the fall, winter and spring months, juniors have the opportunity to remain competitive in tournaments and to enhance their playing resumes before the summer season begins. Coaches pay attention to results on a year-round basis. Golfers who reside in the Northeast are as a disadvantage due to climate and have little to no opportunity to play in tournaments unless they travel to Florida, Texas or California. I would suggest you attempt to play in at least two or three events during the academic year to make sure you stay visible among coaches who may be interested in recruiting you.

I have been asked to submit my "golf resume." What is the best format to use and what pertinent information needs to be included?

Both the AJGA and the Junior Golf Scoreboard offer player profile services that I recommend you subscribe to. When coaches request a golf resume from you, they are typically looking for your contact information, an academic profile, your most notable golf accomplishments and a list of key references (swing intructor, high school coach, etc.). Resumes should be kept to one page in length and should be written in a "bullet" format. Having a swing DVD available to send to coaches is a good idea as well.

I think the AJGA is the premier junior golf tour and college coaches pay close attention to the AJGA. My son has had more success on the PGA of America in the past. With this summer being his most important for attracting college coaches, should he play the AJGA only and try to break through, or should I have him play a few events from each tour? The PGA of America is not nearly as competitive as the AJGA, but does a top-10 finish in the PGA of America equal a top-10 finish in an AJGA event? How closely do college coaches look at other tours, including the PGA of America?

Coaches are always interested in seeing how low a player can score and who they can beat in competition. The AJGA generally offers the most competitive junior fields in the country as well as tournaments that are contested on championship caliber golf courses. Coaches pay very close attention to AJGA results as well as other major junior tours and stand-alone invitationals. All regional and national tournamentse offer an opportunity for a young payer to gain exposure among college coaches. Wins, low scores and consistent season-long records stand out regardless of which tour the player participates on. The PGA of America is one example of a good option for players to enhance their playing resume and attract the attention of college coaches.

Which ranking system do coaches pay the most attention to, the Junior Golf Scoreboard or Golfweek Titleist?

Honestly, I think the answer is neither. Coaches will use rankings only to help them identify all the players who are in a particular graduating class and that reside in a certain state. Rankings are never used by coaches to determine if one player is better than another player. While it is nice to be ranked as high as possible, never overlook the importance of working hard and improving. Low scores and top finishes in regional and national tournaments will take care of your ranking.

Some coaches hardly pay attention to the rankings at all. They prefer to establish their own rank order for prospective student-athletes they consider recruiting.

I have learned Division I schools can offer 4.5 scholarships per year. Does that mean that at any one time, thay can have only 4.5 scholarships awarded? For example, if they give three scholarships to three incoming freshmen this year and 1.5 next year, will they not have any left to awar for two years when the first athletes graduate? Do most of the coaches split up the scholarships? If so, how small will they split them? I hear some players say they did not get any tuition money but are getting their books paid for. How does that count against the 4.5 limit?

The NCAA allows Division I men's golf teams to award 4.5 full scholarships per academic year. A full scholarship includes tuition and fees, books and room and board for one academic year. Most golf scholarships are awarded on a partial basis. Freshmen typically receive 25-50 percent their first year with an opportunity to earn more throughout their college career. Some players may only receive a 5-10 percent scholarship (books) while full scholarships are rare. NCAA Division I women's golf teams are allowed 6.0 scholarships, which lead to more full scholarships. For further information on this very important topic, I recommend that you read my December 12, 2003 "Going to College" article on the Junior Golf Scoreboard, entitled "What is a Full Scholarship?"

If a student-athlete gets recruited by a university to play Division I golf out-of-state, and the university offers a half golf scholarship, is the student-athlete required to pay out-of-state tuition for the remaining half? If so, it appears that the university is at a disadvantage recruiting out-of-state athletes versus in-state athletes because some students can't afford to pay the increased out-of-state tuition. Do universities offer additional financial assistance to combat the additional expenses?

Typically, coaches will try to recruit primarily in their home state for the very reasons you offer in your question. Obviously this applies only to public institutions where tuition rates are based on a student's residency. For private schools, all students pay the same tuition regardless where they are from. Need-based financial aid is available at most universities and can be researched and applied for via the Internet.

Coaches generally have some information on additional scholarship programs their schools offer as well as a good contact person in the Office of Fianacial Aid who understands NCAA requirements and bylaws. Some institutional financial aid (other than athletic aid) does, in fact, count against a team's scholarship limits. Always apply for as much financial aid as possible even if you are unsure how it affects the team's scholarship cap. The worst case scenario is that some financial aid may have to be declined.

To be eligible for college recruitment, I think I am supposed to sign-up with the NCAA. I am a sophomore in high school. When and where am I supposed to do this? Why is it necessary?

Juniors in high school need to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse will examine your high school transcripts and SAT or ACT test scores to ensure that you have met NCAA freshmen-eligibility requirements. This applies to student-athletes who wish to compete at the Division I or Division II levels. No one is exempt from this process.

Over spring break, my wife and I are taking our son to visit a few schools. What should we be looking for in a school? Academics are a must, but for golf, does it matter if there are practice facilities on-campus or how close the school is to courses? Should we ask to see where he might live on campus?

The best thing to do is show your son several different types of schools. Small, medium and large campuses all appear different in person. That's a good place to start. Additionally, you want to know what the academic standards are at a particular institution and whether or not they fit your son's academic profile. In most cases, juniors are very interested in seeing a school's practice facility and knowing just what type of access a team has to them. Finally, I recommend touring various on-campus housing facilities while at each school. This can be a deal breaker in many cases.

When would you recommend high school players start writing letters to college coaches at schools they are interested in?

Since coaches are allowed to write and e-mail prospects once they are juniors in high school, I recommend you start identifying good fits and sending them information early in your junior year. The key is to do your homework and write schools that are truly good fits from both an academic and athletic standpoint. The PING American College Golf Guide is an excellent resource to help you work toward identifying your best fits.

Pay attention to the cost of education, academic standards, size and ranking of the team, climate and facilities before writing coaches. My April 6, 2004 "Going to College" article on the Junior Golf Scoreboard entitled "Where Should I Attend College to Study and Play Golf" can greatly assist you with this project.