For Nick Maff, it was definitely about the mental part of the game.

The Bethlehem Catholic junior admitted that he struggled with his overall game during the summer, but he regained his confidence and focus to stake his claim as one of the better golfers in the Lehigh Valley.

Maff capped his claim when he recently captured the inaugural Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) boys' title when he fired a five-over-par 77 (39-38) to win the title by one stroke over Pocono Mountain East's Ryan O'Malley. He hit 13 greens and had 37 putts in the process.

Winning isn't anything new to Maff, who won the District 11 Class 3A championship as a freshman in 2012. From winning the EPC title, Maff went on to play in the Lehigh Valley Amateur.

After a slow start this season, Maff began to slowly piece his game together.

"I have been playing a lot better than I was during the summer," he said. "I struck the ball great (at the EPC championship), but my short game was not great. I'm happy with the way I'm striking the ball.

"I have been playing a lot and everything started to come back to me. I know I am a good player. A couple of weeks ago, I started hitting the ball really well. I was happy (to win the EPC) and then move on to the Lehigh Valley Amateur. It was a great honor on both accounts.

"I knew I had to keep my focus and just concentrate on hitting one shot at a time."

With two stellar year behind him, Maff expected the bar to be raised his junior season. He credits Bethlehem Municipal PGA assistant Greg Cogorno with helping his overall game. The Bethlehem-based course is Maff's home base.

"I knew I had to keep working on my small game, and I put a lot of pressure on myself," said Maff. "But it was just a matter of relaxing and doing what I had to do. He (Cogorno) workedon different parts of my game and he really helped me get through the summer."

Bethlehem Catholic head coach Tim McGorry knew it would just a matter of time before Maff surfaced.

"He had his issues during the summer," said McGorry. "But I wasn't surprised to see him end up where he was. He is a talented player and has the composure to keep going. Nick has been very solid for us over the past three years." Maff knew he had to keep everything in its proper perspective.

"I put too much pressure on myself when I was struggling and probably tried to do too much," he noted. "I just had to focus on my game once I did that."