A few years ago, there was an entertaining television commercial which featured Arnold Palmer advising young and old golfers to simply, “Swing your swing”! What did he mean? Why shouldn’t all golfers try to emulate the swing of a professional golfer in hopes that they can improve their own golf game?
Of all the golf swings to emulate, most golfers from my generation did not have enough athletic ability to copy the great Arnold Palmer’s golf swing. I have been reading a recently-released book on Arnold Palmer’s life and laughed at how Palmer himself called his own swing “herky-jerky” with that high finish and a bit of a windmill action at the top. He said that he proudly “owned” that swing. He compared the vast differences between his swing and Jack Nicklaus, whose power came from the waist down and tree-trunk (Arnie’s words) legs versus Palmer’s power originating from his shoulders, arms, and hands.
Just how unique was Arnold Palmer’s golf swing? In the book, Arnie mentions that, in his rookie year on the PGA tour, he was hitting balls on the practice range at a tournament when a couple of golfers were observing him. When one player inquired who was that young man hitting practice balls, the other replied, “That’s Arnold Palmer”. The first golfer smugly stated, “Tell him to get a job. With that swing of his, he’ll never make it out here”!
Nobody has the same fingerprints, DNA, or golf swing. We are all unique. Though my own golf swing may look and feel more like a composite of Palmer, speedy-swinging Nick Price, and “Happy Gilmore“, I have often attempted to learn a slower tempo by watching a smooth-swinging golfer like Ernie Els. I often tried to s-l-o-w-ly take the club back and say, on a two-count, “Er-nie” and then start my downswing to the word “Els” on the third count. Needless to say, it didn’t work very well. Reason? I’m not Ernie Els!
Arnie was right. You cannot and should not attempt to change your own unique golf swing. Own it. Take whatever talents God gave you and just give it a good rip. Then, move forward and do it again!
You know, those words also work pretty well in business and in your personal life, too. With enough personal determination along with hard work and practice applied, you can strive to become the best “you” in the entire world! That is one terrific lesson in golf and life from my golf hero, Arnold Palmer.