Division One Recruiting with ASU Women's Golf Head Coach, Missy Farr-Kaye
Tori sat down with two very special guests recently - Missy Farr-Kaye, the head coach of the Arizona State University (ASU) women's golf team, and Tara Bateman, a former Division I women's golfer herself. Their conversation covered a wide range of topics related to recruiting and coaching at the highest levels of collegiate golf.
Missy's Winding Path to Coaching Greatness
Missy never envisioned herself becoming a golf coach. In fact, coaching was never part of her plan at all. She grew up playing competitive golf with dreams of following her talented older sister Heather onto the professional tour.
"My journey was to follow my sister on tour. And everything I did, from the time I was seven years old was to follow Heather."
But life had other plans for Missy. When Heather was diagnosed with cancer at just 24 years old, their worlds were turned upside down. After losing her sister, Missy stepped away from competitive golf for a few years to focus on healing and spending time with family.
She eventually returned to the game she loved, competing at high levels again while also starting a family of her own. But when the head coaching job opened up at her alma mater ASU, her friend and former teammate Melissa Lewellen convinced her to come aboard as an assistant.
"We walked into a team that was very divided and we both looked at each other like, what have we signed on for?"
It didn't take long for Missy to realize coaching was her calling. She and Melissa helped turn the program around, leading the Sun Devils to multiple conference championships and a national title over their tenure together.
When Melissa later decided to take the head coach position at another school, Missy was faced with a choice - take over the helm at ASU or step back to focus on her young kids. She chose to carry on the legacy, leading her alma mater for over 20 seasons now. Her teams have won several more conference and national championships under her guidance.
The Art and Science of Recruiting
These days, recruiting might be the single most important part of a coach's job at the Division I level. We're not just talking about evaluating talent and potential - coaches must build relationships with prospective student-athletes and their families years in advance. They must sell not only their program but the entire college experience.
"My recruiting board shows 26, 27 and 28, which means I'm watching sophomores, freshmen and eighth graders."
Yes, you read that correctly - coaches are scouting kids as young as 13 and 14 years old. The best players are often committed before they even start their junior year of high school, which means coaches have to get in early.
NCAA rules prohibit coaches from contacting student-athletes before June 15th after their sophomore year. But savvy coaches start building their prospect list long before that.
"How many of you do your own laundry at 16? And nobody raises their hands."
Missy often asks this question when meeting with recruits and their parents to make a point - learning to take care of yourself, manage your time and develop discipline are critical skills for success in college athletics.
She also emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation rather than being pushed by parents or coaches. The ones who make it are almost always self-driven with an internal fire.
The Rapidly Shifting Landscape of College Sports
The panel discussed several recent changes that are dramatically altering the landscape of college athletics:
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) - This new policy allows student-athletes to earn compensation for use of their name, image and likeness by third parties like sponsors and advertisers. Coaches cannot facilitate deals directly, but major NIL collectives have already formed to attract top recruits with endorsement deals worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
The Transfer Portal - The portal is an online database that allows student-athletes to explore transferring to another school without needing permission. Tampering still isn't allowed, but it's now much easier for student-athletes to transfer and coaches to plug open roster spots.
The Extra COVID Year - Due to the pandemic, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility so athletes could make up for lost seasons. But not all schools can afford additional scholarship years, making the transfer portal more enticing for those hoping to compete another year.
These changes have college athletic directors, compliance officers and coaches scrambling to understand the new landscape. For better or worse, money now moves the needle more than ever in recruiting and roster management decisions.
Key Takeaways for Junior Golfers and Parents
Tori closed out the podcast by asking the panel for advice they would offer to aspiring junior golfers and their parents navigating the recruiting process:
Do Your Homework
- Research schools thoroughly - talk to coaches, players and alumni to understand the culture and expectations. Don't just get wowed by facilities or other surface-level attributes.
- Ask good questions - understand transfer and roster turnover trends and what contributed to them.
- Quantify scoring averages appropriately - amateur tournament scores often don't directly translate to college. Coaches apply their own formulas to project potential.
Manage Expectations
- Playing college golf is akin to a full-time job - practices, workouts, travel and academics take priority. Social life and free time are limited.
- Improvement plateaus are common - scoring averages often stall or even go up initially in college.
- Going pro still isn't likely - only a tiny percentage of D1 athletes play professionally. But the college path sets you up well for life on and off the course.
Know Your "Why"
- Ideally your motivation for pursuing a college golf career comes from within rather than from parents or coaches pushing you.
- Make sure your academic and long-term career goals align with your athletic aspirations when choosing a school.
The college recruiting landscape continues evolving rapidly, but the keys to success remain largely unchanged - hard work, resilience, and understanding your personal "why." Prospective student-athletes would be wise to soak up all the knowledge they can from experts like Missy and Tara.
Missy's Competitive Fire Still Burns
Despite her responsibilities as a head coach and overcoming multiple bouts with cancer, Missy continues to compete on the amateur circuit. She discussed both the physical and mental challenges of playing at a high level after so much time off:
"I'm angry and I'm doing everything that I coach my players not to do. And I've like, and so now my sons are coaching me like, okay, we've heard you say these things for all these years and you have got to, I'm like, okay."
But her competitiveness and love of the game continues to drive her. She shared how having competitive goals helps fuel her motivation during tough times.
"I need a carrot. I've just done that my whole life. I need something to, to play in or even just going and playing with friends and getting invited to go play some great golf course."
Key Takeaways
A few final words of wisdom from coach Missy Farr-Kaye:
"If you have to ask if I'm competitive, then I'm not doing a good job and you don't know me."
After over 20 years leading the Sun Devils, Missy shows no signs of slowing down. She continues to build the ASU Women's Golf program into an elite national contender through tireless recruiting and development. Her competitive spirit and dedication to her players is an inspiration.
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