Ben James’ journey to the PGA Tour and why he ‘was never tempted to move south’

My grandfather got my dad into the game at a young age. Neither played competitively, but they both became single-digit handicaps and loved it. I had plastic clubs when I was 3. I grew up playing at Great River Golf Club, a semi-private course in Milford, Conn., where my grandfather worked as a starter. I’d stay at the practice area, and he’d come check on me. I started taking lessons from the pro, Tom Rosati, before I was in kindergarten and still work with him.

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When I was 4, we went to Pinehurst for a family vacation. The U.S. Kids World Championships happened to be going on. My dad asked if I could play, and we learned you have to qualify. I’m sure I threw a fit. The next year, I started playing tournaments. It was fun to travel around the state and play against other kids. We went back to Pinehurst and finished at the bottom of my division. We kept trying each year, then when I was 10, I won it. I thought maybe I could be good at this, maybe I could play in college. It was so fulfilling because I knew how much work I’d put in, and how much effort it was for my dad to take time off work, drive me all the way to North Carolina and be on the bag for me.

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The travel became more serious for AJGA tournaments. The courses were great, the competition was so strong; it really is a tour for juniors. I loved it. I went to a private high school, Hamden Hall Country Day, where the teachers were supportive of my travel and doing schoolwork on the road.

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Most people see being a golfer in New England as a disadvantage. I get it. Many top juniors I knew moved to Florida for the winter or spent significant time there. I never moved south and was never tempted to. I liked my life and friends. I played basketball and loved having a team around me, which was a nice break from being alone on the golf course. Our family would go south for spring break occasionally, but that was it. I think my game benefited. I learned how to play in the wind, rain and cold.

A few towns north was an old indoor tennis facility converted into a golf practice area called Fore Seasons. They just turfed the whole thing. There was a section for hitting full shots into a net, a putting green and a sand pit for bunker shots. It was $10 for the day. As a teenager, we’d get the guys together and go hit balls for hours and hours.

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My freshman year of high school, I went through a huge growth spurt. My swing looked and felt funny. I was playing in a tournament and knew a coach from UVA was watching. I shot 79, then 66. Coach Sargent gave me an offer the next day. He saw how I compressed the ball and the variety of shots I could hit, and also that I had the gear to go low. Academics are important to my parents, and Virginia not being too far from home was a bonus. It was an obvious yes. I didn’t even visit. I verbally committed myself as a freshman and officially signed my junior year.

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At UVA, our practice was structured the exact opposite of how most juniors think to practice. Each day we’d hit balls for only 45 minutes and then spend over two hours in the wedge and short-game areas. Practicing that way with a group of great players, that’s what really gets you scoring. I won seven times and had 35 top-10 finishes.

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My final stretch of college tournaments was intense. I was at the top of the PGA Tour U rankings and staying there would guarantee a tour card for one year. Every tournament felt like a job interview. Dr. Bob Rotella directed the psychology department at UVA for years and still comes to see the golf team twice a semester, so that was a nice contact to have during this period.

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Dr. Bob and I talked about how there’s so little you actually control in golf. It’s a game that forces you to lose all the time. To play for a long time, you have to have some fun with it. That helps you get into that carefree mindset where you’re swinging well. Easier said than done, of course, but for me, embracing randomness has helped. I’ve hit terrible shots that ended up in great spots; I’ve hit great shots that ended up in terrible spots. If you can accept the uncertainty, you can try as hard as you possibly can while still not getting in your own way by taking it too seriously.

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I earned my card and was a legit tour pro the day after I graduated. I led at the RBC, my debut. Battling in that familiar northeastern wind, I had a solid T-23 at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock. The Travelers Championship was also like a home game. My family’s been out a lot my first year, but going forward I’ll be more by myself. I’ve got a good crew to hang with. Jackson Koivun, Luke Clanton, Nick Dunlap, Gordon Sargent and I have known each other since AJGA.

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I’m not a goal setter because I don’t want to limit myself to anything. I still like coming back to Connecticut, hanging out at Great River because it’s important to me to be whatever kind of mentor I can for the junior golfers there. But I am a tour pro, so I’ve finally caved and have a place in Florida now, too.