Golf Equals College

It seems to make no difference what the economy does, college tuition continues to rise. The unemployment rate rises, jobs disappear, businesses close their doors…it makes no difference. College tuition rises.

According to the College Board, the average, per-year cost of a four year private college rose 4.4% for the 2009-10 academic year. And the public schools rise was an even steeper 6.5%! Now I don’t know about anyone else, but I have three kids, my oldest being only six years away from college. So considering the tuition increase every year, how much is college going to cost then? How am I going to afford it? What are my options? Well, I’ve got one hope at least…a scholarship. Specifically, a golf scholarship.

A converstaion recently sparked up between a co-worker and I regarding our kids college tuition. Upon discussing the costs he says to me, “Why do you think I’ve started my kid playing golf? If he’s a half-way decent player that could help get him into a school at least.” So right away, the hamster in my head started running on his wheel.

I’ve mentioned before that my boys are pretty athletic. They’re both good basketball players and this year also proved to be the stars of their baseball team. But considering the popularity of both sports at the collegiate level, a scholarship may be a bit of a stretch.

But golf? Not only is it far less popular on the collegiate level, but scholarships come from places other than the schools themselves. Several outside organizations provide scholarships as well, some not requiring kids to be one of the top golfers on their high school team – they merely require an interest to be shown in the game, or a commitment to participate in some form in the future. Hell, my oldest is showing interest in the game now! And without so much as a single lesson (he’s had nothing more than a few swing tips from me of all people) he’s showing some signs of excelling at golf in the same way he does baseball and basketball. With any luck at all, he can at least get a partial scholarship. Hey, every little bit helps! And this way he can get his foot in the door to a college education and take a bit of the strain off mom & dad!

During my time out of work, I interviewed at many different companies with many different people. Some were the owners of the companies at which I was interviewing. Some were management or in human resources. But no matter where I was or with whom I was meeting, I noticed a strange trend. Many employers seemed to have been less interested in a college degree. Upon meeting with the owner of one company at which I was interviewing, I was asked why I didn’t go further in college than I did. After I answered, his exact words to me were “I personally could care less about a college degree. As far as I’m concerned, college is bull****. It’s where you go to meet people who will eventually help you find a job.”

Pretty funny, and an interesting take on what I found to be a bit of a trend. But despite what I’ve noticed….I still prefer my kids go to college. The problem is going to be paying for it. So any edge I can find, I’m taking it.

Until that conversation with my co-worker, I didn’t look at my kids playing golf as anything more than something for them and I to do together for years down the line. But now I’m looking at it a bit differently. I’m looking at golf as the means to my kids college education. I’m not going to pressure it, but I am going to encourage it.

Right now, my oldest thinks he’s the next Kobe Bryant. So basketball is about the only thing on his mind as far as sports go. But as long as I can keep him interested in golf, the better he’ll get and the better his chances are at getting an inside track on a college education at a discounted rate. And that friends, is music to my ears.