Dental Practice Advice- Learn from Arnold Palmer
It is hard to believe that you could apply dental practice advice from the famous golfer, Arnold Palmer.
He always scoffed at the idea of swing gurus until he overheard a young teaching pro giving advice one winter day at the Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta, California. Doug Mauch, the director of golf back then at the Tradition, wasn’t talking to Palmer, but he was talking to a friend of Palmer’s about the things he thought Palmer was doing wrong in his golf swing.
“What did you say?” Mauch recalled Palmer asking. Mauch, 34 at the time, swallowed hard and began to go over the flaws he thought Palmer had developed in his swing. Within a day they were working together on Palmer’s swing. He got to try out the work a week later at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Palm Springs, California.
Success was not instant; Palmer shot 78 in the opening round. However, Mauch’s ultimate goal was to get golf’s most popular player enjoying the game again at the age (at that time) of 72.
Palmer had his doubts expressing- ‘Dougie, I just can’t do it anymore,’ Physiologically, there was no way to go back in time 20 years and play the same game but he could still play a very good game driving the ball 270 and hitting his 6 iron at 165 yards. That’s plenty of length to play.
Palmer ultimately admitted he had had no coach, mentor, or teacher since his father taught him to play!! His statement, “I played so poorly last year that if my game doesn’t get better I’m not going to keep playing,” summed up what would happen if Mauch hadn’t spoken up.
With Mauch’s help, Palmer got back to a place where he was happy again. Here’s more thoughts on what good advice meant. “My outlook is better than it has been in recent years. I’m practicing more. I’m working harder on things that I think will help me. Even more importantly, “Golf is still fun for me. Hitting good shots turns me on.”
It’s doubtful that many reading this will be 72. (If you are there’s still no reason to pursue whatever dream you still want from the profession). The parallels of this story to those in professional life are many.
Doug’s universal advice even applies:
* “Don’t give up. “You can always get better if you’re willing to make adjustments.”
* “Stay flexible.” Don’t let resistance keep you from addressing what’s needed in the here and now.
The biggest lesson of course is that without other sets of eyes and insight, we can easily hide from doing what’s really necessary to be at the top of the game as you can play it with the skills you have at any given time. I offer the sets of eyes and insights in both my books on Amazon. If you are serious about upping your sales and marketing game, check out my website where you will learn how to ethically sell, enjoy more dentistry and increase your case acceptance.
