Personal Statement
My name is Ian Arnold and I am writing not only to introduce myself, but also to inquire about
opportunities to learn more about you, your coaching philosophy, the golf program/team, and your
University’s culture.
Allow me to share some highlights of my background, academic accomplishments, golf achievements,
and character and leadership skills to give you a perspective on what I can contribute not only as a
potential new recruit and teammate, but also as a part of the greater student body and culture.
My passion for the game of golf really crystallized in middle school. Although I was a multi-sport athlete,
including being an Elite Tier I ice hockey player, I made the decision in 8 th grade that I wanted to refocus
my athletic career 100% on golf. Subsequently, I refocused the entirety of my efforts on improving my
golf skills with the goal of making the high school team as a freshman. Not only did I realize this goal,
but I was also the first freshman in the school’s history to participate in all-league matches. As my skills
and passion for the game continued to progress and develop, I then set my sights on playing golf at the
collegiate level. I quickly realized this would be difficult to achieve from my home in northeast
Pennsylvania which would put me at a disadvantage to other southern-based athletes who enjoyed the
benefit of year-round training. With that realization, I knew that I would need to make some significant
changes and sacrifices to achieve my goal of playing NCAA golf and set about the task of finding a
southern-based premier golf academy that would better suit both my academic and golf aspirations.
After much research, I identified the Junior Professional Golf Academy (JPGA) and Heritage Academy on
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina as an ideal fit. As a result, I left my family, my friends and my school,
essentially all I had known for the first fifteen years of my life and moved to HHI to pursue my dream. I
am proud of the fact that I was able to transition successfully from a structured environment to one that
required me to be independent and self-disciplined to be successful both academically and from a golf
development perspective. Although this transition was an emotional, academic, and athletic challenge, I
was quickly able to achieve honor roll-level performance in a university-like environment along with
lowering my golf scores on a month to month basis.
In terms of leadership, I have had the opportunity throughout my athletic career to mentor new and
younger athletes and have also realized the value of community service thru volunteering. I have also
been trained in Habitudes which provides lessons in self-leadership as well as leading others.
When evaluating who I am as a student athlete, I will share with you that I learned many of my key
attributes from my father who was not only an NCAA scholarship athlete but is also a coach himself. He
taught me the value of 3 key things that I strive to apply to my golf game and daily life:
Achievement Drive- The desire to succeed, work hard and be your best regardless of who’s
watching
Coachability- Realizing that those before you have wisdom and experience that is extremely
valuable and are willing and eager to apply their teachings
Commitment- Work ethic often supersedes talent (the “Grit” concept), practice when everyone
else is reflecting on their achievements
I would welcome an opportunity to meet with you in person to discuss your ideal candidate
characteristics, and how my skills, accomplishments, and personal attributes align with your program
needs. I would be most grateful if you would advise on what our next steps could be to that end.
In the meantime, I’d invite you to learn more about me through my profile. Also, please contact
my private golf coach, Tim Cooke (Head of Golf at Sea Pines resort), at 843-422-6166 for additional
insights.