Compiled By Brett Avery
Illustration By Mark Matcho September 2007

Anyone who follows college sports knows the importance placed on "playing" polls and rankings during a season. These snapshots of the top-performing teams though might bear little relation to the overall quality of a college or its program. The top college rankings on the following pages differ from playing polls in four significant ways:

1. The Golf Digest rankings examine the entire school and the opportunity it affords a student-athlete.

2. They measure beyond an individual season.

3. They are designed to make student-athletes better aware of the choices available when researching schools.

4. They place all three NCAA divisions on equal footing because most students research colleges in multiple divisions.

Our rankings are based on mathematical computations and the best available data, and they don't include value judgments that are the hallmark of playing polls. Our rankings don't take into consideration national titles, tournament victories, All-Americans, etc. There is no way to mathematically quantify such achievements. We expect students and their families to weigh those attributes. We believe our rankings (Golf First, Balanced and Academics First, the latter available online) will help golfers make an informed, well-rounded decision on the school that best fits them as a student and golfer.

We rated colleges in five categories, weighting the value in our overall formulas to correspond with what student-golfers are looking for in institutions. We graded each category on a curve with top scores assigned 100 points and the lowest scores 0; overall totals are actual point values. "Golf Only" subtotals reflect points earned in team adjusted scoring average, player growth and facilities/coaches.

1. TEAM ADJUSTED SCORING AVERAGE

Golf First: 40%
Balanced: 24.5%

Spans the four most recent seasons (2003-'04 to 2006-'07). Applies the formula used by NCAA committees to select postseason teams. Equalizes raw scores to par 72 and equalizes variables such as weather, course difficulty and course setup. Unlike USGA Course Rating and Slope, which disregard weather, the formula corrects for days with high winds or precipitation. Source: golfstat.com.

2. PLAYER GROWTH

Golf First: 19.5%
Balanced: 12.5%

Spans the four most recent seasons. Determines whether players on a program's roster improved during the last four seasons. The first measurement (improve/decline, 50 percent of category) counts the percentage of players who improved their adjusted scoring averages over the previous season. A score of 12/10 means 12 players improved, 10 declined. The second measurement (rate, 50 percent of category) shows a team's cumulative improvement (declines appear as negative numbers). Players must meet a minimum number of rounds. Player Growth is designed to help compare programs with similar team adjusted scoring averages. A complete explanation of the statistic is available in the online College Guide. Source: golfstat.com.

3. ACADEMICS

Golf First: 14%
Balanced: 36.5%

New formula from 2006. Utilizes statistics compiled from U.S. News &38; World Report's 2007 guidebook, America's Best Colleges. To treat all schools in the NCAA's three divisions equally, the metric does not include peer assessment, alumni giving rank or other calculations made by U.S. News within its 10 college groupings.

4. CLIMATE

Golf First: 12%
Balanced: 12%

A 30-year average of the number of playable days between Sept. 1-May 31. It uses a weather model customized for golf to calculate the number of days a team could play. The model allows for play in poor weather but not in extreme, dangerous or snow-covered conditions. Calculated in half-day increments. Maximum: 272 days. Source: Longitudes Group.

5. FACILITIES/COACHES

Golf First: 14.5 %
Balanced: 14.5%

New formula from 2006. Measures quality, difficulty and proximity of campus-affiliated or "home" courses used for nontournament practice rounds; quality of up to seven additional courses used by a team (including, where applicable, spring trips for northern teams); practice facilities at home courses and stand-alone facilities on or near campus; other resources; coaches' experience and past performance. Quality calculations incorporate evaluations by Golf Digest's nationwide panel of more than 800 golfers, which are used to select America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses and Best in State rankings. Colleges were asked to report data as part of Golf Digest's second annual Coaches' Survey; 255 men's colleges and 192 women's colleges responded with full information. Schools not reporting data were assigned a minimum score of 45 in the category and are indicated by an asterisk in the rankings. Sources: Golf Digest, collegegolf.com, individual colleges.