Watching the Presidents Cup last weekend I was intrigued by the consistent answer of the Americans on why they played so well. They all attributed their great golf to having fun with their teammates off the course and that enjoyment was felt while playing. I get a kick out of how professional athletes think that if they are ultra serious that leads to better performance. The key is to understand the best state to play the game at and usually if one is having fun, relaxed, and focused the performance is very good. The athletes I work with talk about playing tournaments as something different than just playing for fun. Yet when they play for fun they play better. Staying loose and just ‘playing’ will in the long run produce better results. Even professional sporting events are labeled “playing the game”, not working at the game. Let’s get the play back into our performance.