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On Course with Rob Bernard
Where’s Your Focus?

In the game of golf, the ability to focus is paramount to success. While the ability to focus is important, what you focus on is the key. Mark Twain once said, ”The inability to forget is infinitely more devastating than the inability to remember.”

While golfers have an infinite store of memories to choose from, while they play, their tendency is to recall the “bad” memory of the last time the hole or shot was played.

While teaching a lesson recently on balance and grip, the student I was working with mentioned she absolutely could not hit her 7 iron. When I asked her why, she said, "I don’t know, I just cannot get it up in the air." With that statement I handed her the 7 iron and said “show me.” She set up and hit the most beautiful iron shot, up and to the target.

“Sure !” she said, “I can do it here, but when I get on the course it’s a different story.”

After convincing her that her 7 iron does not change from day to day, or shot to shot, I shared a quote I had read about Fred Couples and how he approaches every golf shot.

Freddy said, “ I don’t know much about psychology, but when I stand up to the ball, I remember the very best shot I ever hit, with the club I have in my hand, and I go with that feeling.”

I advised my student that the ability to forget the bad experiences and remember your best will carry you far in this game. I suggested that when she is faced with a 7 iron shot she should remember the one I just saw her hit.

A player’s focus on the golf course is a funny thing. It’s very easy to see and focus on hazards, trees, and out of bounds and all the other trouble in front of you, but here are the facts. Our golf course sits on approximately 125 acres of land. The actual cut portion of grass, including fairway and rough is approximately 110 acres. That leaves only 15 acres of trouble and hazards to deal with. When you think of it that way, your chances of hitting grass are ten times better than all the hazards combined. The odds in your favour are overwhelmingly, so learn to focus on the grass and the positive. There’s much more of it out there.

Rob Bernard is head pro at Belvedere Golf & CC,
Charlottetown, PEI

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