HART HIGH'S SMITH GETS OUT OF THE ROUGH AS SOPHOMORE GOLFER.

Byline: Lee Barnathan Daily News Staff Writer

To Hart High School golfer Charlie Smith, confidence is everything.

"It's mainly a mental game," he said the other day. "It's been weird trying to take it one hole at a time. I've been plugging along . . . With confidence, if I feel like I'm a good player, I go out and shoot well."

Smith has been right up there with the top Hart golfer, senior Jason Semelsberger, even beaten him three times this season.

Not bad for a sophomore who couldn't stick on the varsity as a freshman.

But many say Smith is much different than he was last year. He's grown 5 inches, gained 40 pounds, taken private lessons that improved his swing and competed in numerous summer tournaments. Add in all the practice time and you've got a golfer who could keep the Indians prominent for years after Semelsberger graduates.

"He's a really good player and he's improved his mental game, and that's a big difference," Semelsberger said.

Last year, as a scrawny 5-foot-6, 120-pound freshman, Smith said he had trouble staying focused for an entire round. He would start well, but as soon as he struggled through a hole, he would feel shaky and start thinking things like "I hope I don't hit it left."

Because he wasn't among the team's top six golfers, he was demoted to the junior varsity.

Seeing Semelsberger's teacher, Jim Petralia, the teaching pro at the San Gabriel Country Club, helped, he said. With Petralia's guidance, and the occasional pointer from Semelsberger, Smith shortened his swing and made it more compact.

Over the summer, he entered several tournaments. His best finish was a third place, but he said he was most proud of a sixth-place finish at Los Coyotes Country Club. He led the 92-player field after the first day of the two-round tournament.

If he wasn't in a tournament, he was out hitting balls or playing a round.

"It's hard work, and I'm out there every day with my friends just practicing," he said. "Practicing's not the funnest thing in the world. I still like it, but don't practice and someone else will come in and win, so you've got to get out there and grind it down."

He continuously grew and lifted weights. Semelsberger said Smith told him the bulking up affected his flexibility. Now, Smith lifts light weights, "which all golfers are supposed to do," Semelsberger said.

When the season began, the team played a two-day qualifying tournament to determine the top golfers. Smith finished sixth and made varsity.

Then he won three straight meets, beating Semelsberger by one stroke each time. In the most recent three meets, he's been behind Semelsberger by three strokes once and two strokes twice, including Thursday's meet against Westlake that saw the Indians lose by just three strokes.

Semelsberger never minded being beaten.

"I think he can't think negative thoughts," he said. "The thoughts you've got to have is to put golf into what it is, and it's just a game."

Hart coach Dennis Ford said he's seen quite a turnaround.

"He has confidence," Ford said. "You can't play a golf game without confidence, and he knows every shot he hits is gonna go where he wants it to go."

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Photo (SAC only) Charlie Smith lost varsity standing last year. This year he's bested Hart High's top golfer, senior Jason Semelsberger, three times. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News