July 2017 | 5 O ver the past decade I have watched the best junior players in the world play here at PGA National. From the Optimists, to the Polo (AJGA) and the Honda Junior Championships, I have seen them all. What I noticed about all these players wasn’t their size, their swing or their equipment. It was the 6-inch space be- tween their ears (the brain) that made the difference between failure and success. Golfistough,thecompetitionisfierce,the travel can be horrendous and the weather horrible. The cost – in time, money and sacrifice – is steep. And it is all up to you, unlike team sports where your team- mates can pick up the slack when you have an “off” day. Considering all this, it’s the mind that separates the most successful players. So if it all boils down to what’s in our head, how do we condition our mind for suc- cess? The first question I would ask is, “Why do you want to be a professional golfer?” Is it because you will be famous or make a lot of money? Or is it because you are inspired and passionate about playing the game and want to be the best golfer that you can be? If you choose the first answer, you are probably destined to fail. If you choose the second one, then you have a better Where the Mind Goes, the Body Follows BY DR. JAMES CIMA GIGLGirlsShareTheir InterestinJuniorGolf! Members of the Girls Independent Golf League (GIGL) took a break from their friendly competition to check out the pages of Junior Golf. Their motto is “Golf Needs More Girls and Giggles,” and, if not giggling, they were certainly smiling. Send us your favorite photo of you or your group supporting Junior Golf magazine and we’ll print the most memorable one each month. Have fun with your shot and send it to: Junior Golf, P.O. Box 8376, Jupiter, FL 33468. It’s the mind that separates the most successful players. So if it all boils down to what’s in our head, how do we condition our mind for success? chance for success. Passionate, inspired people do what is required to become a champion. They love and practice all aspects of the game for hours, days, weeks, months, years and decades to become exceptional. They are not look- ing for fame, glory or money; they are looking to be the best they can be – and nothing else. According to Bagger Vance in The Leg- end of Bagger Vance, “Golf is a game that can't be won, only played.” What Bagger meant is that you have much more fun and success when you play golf as a game and realize that you will drive yourself crazy if you try to win at it. So does that mean you’re not supposed to focus on winning? Absolutely. You are to focus on your game and nobody else’s. You are to focus on the beauty of the game, the freedom of the shots you make and, to paraphrase Ty Web in the classic movie Caddy Shack, become “one with the ball.” When you do that, you play “lights out” golf. This is what great athletes call “flow” or “in the zone.” You are no longer think- ing about making the shot; it was already made in your head seconds before and all you have to do now is execute it. This is when you truly arrive, seeing the shot in your mind’s eye and then playing it exactly the way you saw it. I get greater enjoyment making phenom- enal shots in golf than I do beating my opponent. When that is your approach, the rest takes care of itself. So focus on creating instead of competing and you will be the best golfer you can be. Until next time, hit ’em straight. Dr. James Cima heads the Cima Health and Wellness Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Cimahealth.com Subscribe today at juniorgolfmag.net Scan It: Quick & Easy!!! FREE Digital SubscriptionOffer! Follow us at: #JuniorGolfMag THE MENTAL GAME