Signing season opens November 11. Here's what to have ready.

The college golf early signing period opens on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, for the Class of 2027, and runs through August 1, 2027.

That date matters, but it is not the finish line. It is the day a written offer of athletics aid can be signed. The old National Letter of Intent was retired in October 2024, so what a player signs now is a written offer of aid — read it as an offer, not as a ceremony.

If your junior is in this window, here is what to have ready before November 11, not after it.

1. Your list, in order

Know the schools you would actually say yes to, and the coaches you have actually spoken with. A long list is not a plan. A short list, with a coach who knows your game and your scores, is.

If you are working with us, your coach list and the recruiting timeline are already in one place. Ask us for access if you do not have it yet.

2. Your scores, in one place

Coaches recruit on tournament scores, not practice rounds. Have your recent tournament scoring average ready, your Junior Golf Scoreboard ranking if you have one, and your schedule for the rest of the season. Keep the name spelling identical at every event, so your ranking history stays in one place.

3. Your video, current

A short, current swing video — face-on and down-the-line — says more than a paragraph about a swing change. If your video is from last season, it is not your video anymore. Update it before you send it.

4. Your questions, written down

Before you sign anything, know what you are asking: what the aid offer covers, what happens if you are injured, what the team expects in the fall, and who to call with a question after signing. Write the questions down. Do not rely on remembering them in the room.

What signing does not do

Signing does not end the work. It starts the next part of it: the grades, the scores, and the practice that make you ready to compete when you arrive. The players who handle signing best are usually the ones who treated it as a decision, not a deadline.

If you are earlier in the process

For younger juniors, the dates to know are simpler: Division I coaches may contact you from June 15 after your sophomore year, and official and unofficial visits with recruiting conversations open August 1 before your junior year. Division II coaches may contact you anytime, and Division III coaches may contact you anytime. The work before those dates is the same: play tournaments, keep your scores straight, and build a game a coach can trust.

If you want a second pair of eyes on your list, your scores, or an offer before November 11, book a Discovery Call and bring the list with you. That conversation is a lot more useful than a last-minute scramble in signing week.

— Doug Spencer, Spencer Golf Academy