Scholarship criteria

Saints Golf Performance Scholarships are awarded to players who show clear potential to perform at the highest levels of university and amateur golf, while contributing positively to a high-performance team culture.

Undergraduate/Postgraduate

Scholarships are open to male and female golfers, and to both undergraduate and postgraduate applicants. Awards are made on the basis of applicant quality and overall programme needs rather than fixed quotas.

Applicants must demonstrate:

• A sustained commitment to high-performance golf
• Professional attitudes to training, competition and self-development
• The ability to balance academic and athletic demands within a performance environment

Where possible, applicants will be assessed in person, including observation in competitive play.

• Handicap
  

  Applicants must hold a current and verifiable World Handicap System® Handicap Index® of:

  • +2.5 or better (men)
  • +1.0 or better (women)

  Handicap alone is not considered a sufficient indicator of performance level. Assessment is based primarily on proven competitive results.

  Applicants must submit a complete and transparent handicap record demonstrating:

  • All qualifying rounds returned correctly
  • Evidence of performance across a broad range of competitive events, not solely General Play scores

  A minimum of one full competitive season is required, with longer performance histories strongly encouraged. A playing standard of scratch or better is regarded as the baseline expectation for scholarship consideration.

  Handicap record requirements

  The most recent 20 submitted scores must include:

  • No more than four General Play scores
  • A minimum of four Competition scores
  • A complete record of 20 returned scores

  Applications exceeding these limits may be subject to further review. Where a variance of more than two strokes exists between Competition and General Play score differentials, applications may be deemed ineligible. The University reserves the right to decline applications where handicap records do not accurately reflect competitive ability.

• WAGR
  

  Suitably qualified applicants are expected to hold a current World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) or Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR) at the time of application.

  Applicants without a current ranking must provide clear evidence of competing at an equivalent performance level through consistent results in elite national, regional or international events. While the absence of a ranking does not automatically preclude application, objective competitive evidence must support the expected standard of ranked amateur players.

• Tournament records
  

  Applicants must demonstrate a clear commitment to a strong and progressive tournament schedule, with ambition to access higher-level competitions over time.

  Suitable events may include:

  • National championships (e.g. English, Scottish, Welsh and British Amateur Championships)
  • Age-group national championships (Under-16, Under-18)
  • Elite regional, county or pathway events
  • International amateur tournaments and nationally ranked open championships

  For current or former university squad members, performances in BUCS and R&A-sanctioned competitions form a key component of assessment.

  Applicants must be prepared to provide:

  • Up to two years of tournament results, including round scores and seasonal stroke averages
  • A proposed tournament schedule for the upcoming season

• Key attributes
  

  Saints Golf scholars are expected to demonstrate:

  • A strong work ethic and professional attitude
  • A structured and purposeful approach to practice
  • Effective time-management skills to balance academic and athletic demands
  • The ability to contribute positively to an inclusive, high-performance team culture

• Launch monitor data
  

  Applicants are required to submit verified launch monitor data to support performance assessment.

  Driver

  • Swing Speed
  • Carry Distance
  • Club Path
  • Face Angle.

  7 Iron

  • Swing Speed
  • Carry Distance
  • Club Path
  • Face Angle
  • Angle of Attack
  • Low Point

• Swing footage
  

  Applicants must submit swing footage for Driver and 7 Iron, filmed from:

  • Front-on
  • Down-the-line

  Technique is not judged in isolation. Footage is used to contextualise launch monitor data and support a holistic understanding of each applicant’s performance profile.