Los Angeles, CA— College Golf Experience (CGX), the leading college golf camp company exclusively endorsed by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA), announces the acquisition of The Universal Golf Rankings (TUGR). TUGR provides the most comprehensive, accurate, and transparent player ranking system in junior and professional golf.
“TUGR’s algorithm was created to solve one of golf’s biggest pain points - unbiased and inclusive rankings through a head-to-head methodology,” said Joshua Jacobs, CEO of CGX. “The result gives college coaches the most accurate analytics and transparent data to make informed decisions. TUGR ensures the entire junior golf and professional golf ecosystem has access to the most reliable and predictive rankings in the game.”
TUGR will be run and guided by three Boards of college coaches shaping the platform’s vision and direction domestically and internationally. Building value through additional features and partnerships, TUGR will deliver greater impact for coaches, competitive players, and parents – ushering in a new era of data and rankings.
“TUGR is the next greatest thing in rankings, stats, and data,” said Mark Hankins, Head Men’s Coach at USC. “It’s a critical part of our recruiting process at USC. We have thousands of recruits to compare, and TUGR’s technology allows us to customize our searches to prioritize what we feel is most important for predicting future college success. We use it every day, trust the head-to-head data-driven approach, and really appreciate the convenience and depth it provides.”
Unlike traditional systems, TUGR evaluates golfers through a strokes-gained, head-to-head model that accounts for tournament field strength, course conditions, and performance relative to peers. The platform breaks down performance across tournaments, states, and tours played, while advanced scoring analysis highlights everything from birdie and par percentages to strengths and weaknesses on par 3s, 4s, and 5s. Unique resilience metrics like bounce-back rate, give-back rate, and blow-up rate provide a true picture of consistency and mental toughness. Even weather is accounted for, with insights on how juniors perform in different temperatures, wind, and rain.
By ranking players across a wider spectrum – including 18-hole junior, amateur, and professional tournaments and qualifying events – TUGR offers a more inclusive and predictive measure of talent than other platforms. It also captures 30 percent more tournaments and 25 percent more players than any other junior rankings platform.
For years, junior golf rankings have been dominated by platforms that primarily evaluate players based on raw scores and the differential from par to course rating; measurements that parents and players have figured out how to game. By comparing performance relative to competitors playing the same course on the same day, TUGR produces a more pure and accurate ranking; one with no arbitrary assumptions. No scores are thrown out, and every shot counts, which encourages players to compete more often.
The result is a universal ranking that reflects not just who a player competed against, but how well they truly performed in context. For coaches, that means a clearer view of a player’s potential in college golf settings. TUGR also saves valuable time by offering customizable tools to filter, compare, and track players across thousands of rounds of data. Instead of relying solely on exposure through select tours, coaches gain insight into:
- Consistency and scoring ability across different course setups.
- Progression over time, showing each player’s development curve.
- Identification of hidden talent thriving in strong fields but overlooked on traditional lists.
For families, it delivers confidence that their junior’s achievements are fairly evaluated and provides the clarity they need to understand national standing and make smarter scheduling and financial decisions.
“We made the decision to move to TUGR because of the variety of data the platform provides our coaching staff,” said Golda Borst, Head Women’s Golf Coach, University of Kentucky. “We really like that we can see the players’ trends over time, and it has helped us tremendously as we make our decisions about future players for our program. I personally like how quickly the site updates its data so that when I’m out on the course watching a player, I can get the most up-to-date information. The value of TUGR has been tremendous for our coaching staff.”
Since its inception, CGX has become the leading organization connecting junior golfers and their parents with college coaches through educational camps, helping them and their families better navigate the complex college golf recruiting process. Incorporating TUGR into CGX will enhance a new college golf content platform, which will be launching in October. The three companies will present a one-of-a-kind data and education resource for college coaches, competitive players, and parents.
To explore the rankings or learn more about upcoming features, visit TUGR.org or collegegolfx.com.
About TUGR
The Universal Golf Rankings (TUGR) was born out of the clear need for a new system to rank golfers from professionals to juniors. With over 100 years of combined business, data analytics, and golf experience, the TUGR team created a ranking system that leverages player-to-player matchups and cloud computing to produce the world’s most accurate, understandable, all-inclusive, and unbiased golf rankings. TUGR Junior is the largest and deepest database of junior golfers available. Its mission is to help golfers make smarter decisions, shoot lower scores, and have epic golf days through better tools, data, and information. TUGR is bringing golf competitive rankings into the 21st century with unmatched rankings and analytics. Visit TUGR.org
About College Golf Experience
College Golf Experience (CGX) was founded in 2021 with the exclusive endorsement of the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). CGX connects junior golfers and parents with College Coaches through immersive camp experiences focused on exposure, education, and preparation. Camps feature college-style practice and play, interactive seminars, and one-on-one time with college coaches. CGX is committed to helping players and families better understand the college golf landscape—and what it takes to find the right fit. Visit https://collegegolfx.com. Follow @CollegeGolfX on Twitter and Instagram.
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