Focus Pocus

I played today a course where I've played probably 50 times previously, and as recently as 10 days ago. The 18th hole is a 180-yard par-3, a very simple hole. As I stood on the tee, however, something jumped out at me: a small but steep-sloped bunker, right smack in front of the right side of the green, was staring me right in the face.

When did they put that thing in? I was absolutely positive this bunker did not exist when I played this hole just a week and a half ago. And boy, what a difference it makes in how the hole sets up, how it looks from the tee.

When I finished playing, I stopped in the clubhouse to ask about the bunker. "When did you put that in?" I asked. "It's always been there," the pro told me.

Whaaaa? It's always been there? Wow. I would've sworn that bunker was brand spankin' new. Obviously, in the 50 or so times I'd played this course, I'd never hit into it. It had never even been a concern. It couldn't have been, or I wouldn't have been so shocked when I noticed it today.

Today, when I finally did notice it, I hit a weak fade right smack in the middle of it. The moral of the story? The more you focus on trouble, the more trouble you're going to find.

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