From Hopeless to Hopeful - Rodrigo Barahona | IMG Academy Golf

The mind is a powerful ally, but it can quickly become a foe. Even the greatest athletes fail because they lose confidence in their ability to perform. When Rodrigo Barahona felt a pain in December 2020, he discovered an overgrown bone in his hand. The only way to correct the issue was surgery.

“I was in a bad spot,” said Barahona. The surgery required extensive time away from the golf course to recuperate and heal, which affected his confidence. “Everything seemed downhill, like maybe I’m not going to recover. I wasn’t even hopeful anymore.” This setback forced Rodrigo to abstain from any golf training for several months.

As Rodrigo recovered, he could feel the pressure of getting back on the links weighing on him. That’s when Michael Urban, IMG Academy’s Senior Mental Coach, entered the scene. “Adversity is like gravity,” Urban explained, “It’s always present and there’s always going to be something that’s going to bring you back down.”

While his emotions, frustration, and doubt could have kept him stagnant, Coach Urban helped Rodrigo focus on "mindset over injury." This approach improved Rodrigo’s confidence and his mental game, and in his first tournament back, he finished stronger than he ever thought possible.

Watch Rodrigo’s process unfold in this exclusive video from IMG Academy. To sign up for a golf camp, explore our boarding school program, or to see all of our available youth programs, check out the links below.