Fear of Water Hazards in Golf: Joël Bernard
Whether the water is on the left or the right, does your ball seem to be drawn to it like a magnet? Joël Bernard answers a student’s question: this apprehension stems from the way we talk to ourselves. A negative instruction actually attracts exactly what we want to avoid.
To be continued
What the lesson shows
Joël Bernard draws on a test conducted on two groups of 15 golfers of equivalent difficulty, placed about ten meters from the hole. At the first one, they say: “Don’t fall short.” Result: 70% of putts fall short. For the second shot: your ball must go past the hole. 90% exceed. The reason, according to him: The subconscious does not understand negation.. If someone tells you not to think about an orange, the orange pops into your mind. It works by inclusion: as soon as attention is focused on the water hazard on the left, it includes it, and the ball goes there.
He sees this negative reaction as a cultural habit, like a school test where you circle the mistakes in red. The solution is simple but requires discipline: express one's intentions in a positive way, “I want to pull this shot off” rather than “I can’t slice this one.” And to take it a step further, put yourself in a mindset of challenge and motivation rather than the fear of missing: “I want to sink this putt.” By combining the two, he promises immediate results.
The Exercise, Step by Step
- When you encounter an obstacle, identify the phrase that spontaneously comes to mind.
- If it contains a negation—such as “don’t go to the right” or “don’t slice”—rewrite it.
- State what you want to achieve: “I want to make this shot,” “I want to get past the hole.”.
- Turn it into a desire: “I want to pull this off.”.
- Apply this discipline to every shot under pressure, including short putts.
Key Takeaways
Mistakes to Avoid
- Tell yourself, “Above all, don’t go in the water,” before you start playing.
- Give yourself instructions like “don’t come up short” when putting.
- Think about the slice you want to avoid rather than the shot you want to make.
- Playing out of fear of failure rather than the desire to succeed.
Driving Range Mode
Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.
- 10-yard putts with the positive instruction to “go past the hole”
- Repeating his instructions aloud before each shot
- Shots taken in front of an obstacle with an intention expressed as a desire
Your Questions
Why does my ball always end up in the water hazard?
For Joël Bernard, this stems from our internal dialogue: by telling ourselves, “Above all, don’t go in the water,” we focus our attention on the water, and the subconscious takes that on board.
What did the test show about the two groups of golfers?
When told to “don’t come up short,” 70% of the putts came up short. When told to “go past the hole,” 90% of the players went past the hole.
How do you rephrase an instruction?
By saying what you want to do, not what you want to avoid: “I want to make this shot,” and then adding some desire: “I really want to sink this putt.”.
Why do we instinctively phrase things in the negative?
He sees this as a cultural habit, stemming in particular from school, where the focus is on what's wrong rather than what's right.
Learn More
Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Joël Bernard). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons without hosting them.