Golf made simple From seat-of-the-pants improvisations, instructor decides key strength lies in ‘sequence of the swing’
IN THE LAST 50 YEARS, golf clubs, balls, gadgets, clothing and even course design have been transformed by technology, but one thing remains stubbornly constant: the average golf score, which hasn’t dipped even a point in all that time.
That’s where Canadian golf professional Rob Bernard of Kitchener hopes to make his mark, by shaving five points off the national average score of about 100 in the next five to 10 years because so many golfers will have learned his Center of Gravity Golf techniques. Why does it matter? Bernard quotes the U.S. National Golf Foundation, which says passion for the game increases as scores fall. On a scale of one to 10, the passion of a golfer shooting 100 is zero or one, compared to maximum passion (nine to 10) which kicks in when a golfer shoots 85 or better. Bernard thinks his program has the potential to increase passion for the game by teaching skill sets rather than tips or theories. This year, Bernard and Doug Denoon, his business partner and friend since childhood, are establishing a new base for Center of Gravity Golf here in Waterloo Region. Their longterm goal is to teach the program to golf pros across Canada, and franchise Center of Gravity Golf academies in other parts of the country.
“When you have a group of professionals all talking the same language, it creates confidence in golfers,” Bernard says. And of course, the language they want the pros speaking is Center of Gravity Golf.
As the native Prince Edward Islanders envision it, what began as Bernard’s cruise ship coaching of passengers now has the potential to transform the way golfers of any age or experience level learn to hit the ball.
The shipboard experience was pivotal. So many passengers didn’t speak English that Bernard was forced to abandon golf vernacular and strip his lessons to the basics. In doing so, he found “everyone was getting it” regardless of their native language or golfing ability.
Janet Peddigrew of Waterloo, Bank of Montreal’s vice-president for midwestern Ontario, can vouch for Bernard’s uncomplicated methods.
Peddigrew has played the game occasionally, usually for business purposes, for five years. She doesn’t have much time to practise and hesitates even to call herself a golfer, but she wanted to improve. On the tee, “I was thinking too much about how to position myself” and a tendency to straighten up mid-swing meant she sometimes didn’t connect with the ball.
On the recommendation of friends, she and a neighbour took three or four >>