Robert Thompson, Bruce Smith Capture PGA Senior-Junior Team Championship

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PGA of America 

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. --Texans Robert Thompson and Bruce Smith got off to a fast start Wednesday (Jan. 19)and held on to win the 53rd annual PGA Senior-Junior Team Championship Presented by Premier Golf and United Rentals at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

A front-nine better ball score of seven-under par 29 led to a final round of 64 on the Ryder Course and a 33 under 255. Still, they only won by a shot as Dennis Winters of Bishopville, Md., and Rick Schuler of Chester, Va., were second at 63-256.

"We played better on the front nine than we had been," said Smith, 44, PGA director of instruction at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. "We only made two birdies on the front Sunday," enroute to a 63, "three Monday (a 65) and three Tuesday (another 63)."

Smith birdied the second and third holes, both birdied the fifth and seventh; Thompson the sixth, eighth and ninth. Thompson made their only birdie on the back nine, a 15 footer from the edge at the par-3 16th with Smith's tee shot just three feet from the cup.

They did not make a bogey in 72 holes. "That was huge," Smith said, especially since Winters and Schuller had one, when both three-putted the par-4 15th hole on Tuesday. "It's a thrill to win a national championship for the first time," Smith added.

Thompson, 54, PGA teaching professional at Whispering Pines Country Club in Huntsville, won the Senior PGA Professional Championship in October. He will be conditionally exempt on the Champions Tour this year. He was fully exempt in 2009.

PGA of America Winter Championships
Senior-Junior Team Championship
Ryder Course, Par 72: seniors, 6,585 yards; juniors, 6,985 yards
(leaders - seniors 50 years and older listed first)

255 – Robert Thompson, Huntsville, Texas, and Bruce Smith, Lewisville, Texas, 63-65-63-64. $10,000 (team)
256 – Dennis Winters, Bishopville, Md., and Rick Schuller, Chester, Va., 61-63-69-63. $8,000
257 – Don Reese, Defuniak Springs, Fla., and Gary Rusnak, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., 61-67-65-64. $5,000
257 - George Glenn, Tulsa, Okla., and Tim Graves, Oklahoma City, Okla., 68-63-61-65. $5,000
258 – Darrell Kester, Glen Cove, N.Y., and Matt Dobyns, Manhasset, N.Y., 64-66-67-61. $2,810
258 - Gary Robison, Canton, Ohio, and Dennis Miller, Canfield, Ohio, 63-65-65-65. $2,810
259 – Peter Serafimoff, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., and Jeff Sorenson, Blaine, Minn., 68-65-61-65. $2,250
260 – Gary Trivisonno, Aurora, Ohio, and Dwayne Randall, Findley Lake, N.Y., 64-64-69-63. $1,910
260 - Ed Sabo, Tequesta, Fla., and Vince Ramagli, Mount Laurel, N.J., 65-65-64-66. $1,910
260 - John Deforest, Accord, N.Y., and Craig Stevens, Dallas, Ga., 64-71-65-60. $1,910
260 - Rob Phelps, Fayetteville, N.Y., and Jeff Reader, East Syracuse, N.Y., 64-66-64-66. $1,910
261 – Sonny Skinner, Sylvester, Ga., and Brett Melton, Washington, Ind., 67-67-65-62. $1,577.50
261 - Dick Von Tacky, Kiawah Island, S.C., and Tony Traci, Pittsburgh, Pa., 62-66-67-66. $1,577.50
261 - Dave Laudien, Wall, N.J., and Keith Grassing, Somerville, N.J., 62-63-70-66. $1,577.50
261 - Quinn Griffing, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Bob Sowards, Dublin, Ohio, 61-68-65-67. $1,577.50
262 – Scott Cruiel, Cumming, Ga., and Tim Weinhart, Alpharetta, Ga., 69-65-66-62. $1,368
262 - Mark Faulkner, Marion, Ill., and Nash Haxel, St. Louis, Mo., 65-66-65-66. $1,368
262 - Michael Zaremba, Pueblo West, Colo., and Micah Rudosky, Cortez, Colo., 65-65-66-66. $1,368
262 - Mo Guttman, Sarasota, Fla., and James Burke, Newton, Mass., 64-64-68-66. $1,368
262 - Brad Rollinson, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and Brian Varsey, Willoughby, Ohio, 67-64-63-68. $1,368
263 – Robert Linville and Simon McGreal, Greensboro, N.C., 66-68-65-64. $1,210
263 – Jim Sheerin, Rye Beach, and Michael Menery, Andover, Mass., 66-68-65-64. $1,210
263 – Jerry Tucker, Stuart, Fla., and Michael Tucker, St. Louis, Mo., 67-67-64-65. $1,210
263 – Bob Gaus, Orlando, Fla., and J.C. Anderson, O’Fallon, Mo., 67-63-67-66. $1,210
263 – Fran Marrello, Plymouth, Conn., and Brian Keiser, Avon, Conn. 63-62-71-67. $1,210
264 – Roy Vucinich, Moon Township, Pa., and John Aber, Pittsburgh, Pa., 67-65-68-64. $1,100
264 - Rick Sargent, Kissimmee, Fla., and Dirk Schultz, Hagerstown, Md., 66-67-65-66. $1,100
264 - Mike Parrish, Madison, Ala., and Kevin Savage, Melbourne, Fla., 65-67-66-66. $1,100
265 – Chris Dachisen, Wayne, N.J., and Frank Esposito, Florham Park, N.J., 64-66-70-65. $1,040
265 - Kevin Morris, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Frank Bensel, Purchase, N.J., 68-65-66-66. $1,040
265 - Gary Ostrega, Westfield, N.J., and Jeff Seavey, Homosassa, Fla., 66-63-69-67. $1,040
265 - Brian Fogt, Wildwood, Mo., and Mike Small, Champaign, Ill., 63-67-66-69. $1,040
266 - Bob Ralston, Little Rock, Ark., and Brian Gaffney, Rumson, N.J., 69-65-66-66. $960
266 - Ken Martin, Wellington, Fla., and Chris Krueger, Rehoboth Beach, Del., 65-69-66-66. $960
266 - Cary Hungate, Kokomo, Ind., and James Ousley, Monticello, Ind., 69-66-64-67. $960
266 - Jerry Impellittiere, Palm City, Fla., and Spike Gareau, Hobe Sound, Fla., 65-67-65-69. $960
267 – Kris Smith and Stan McLennan, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 70-65-65-67. $880
267 - Daniel Koesters, Las Cruces, N.M., and Bill Harvey, Albuquerque, N.M., 68-65-67-67. $880
267 - Bud Lintelman, Purcellville, Va., and John O’Leary, Chantilly, Va., 67-66-66-68. $880
267 - Scott Spence, Middletown, R.I., and Eric Barlow, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 65-67-67-68. $880
269 – Rick Bronson, Mexico, N.Y., and Dennis Colligan, Cazenovia, N.Y., 65-66-69-69. $820
269 - Mike Zinni, Mankato, Minn., and Daniel Callahan, Chaska, Minn., 65-65-69-70. $820
271 – Randy Helton, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Loren Personett, Antioch, Tenn., 69-65-66-71. $800 

The new role model

The changing role of receptionists means they can play a key part in easing NHS patients’ concerns over the decision to go private, writes...

Looking back on 2005, it is clear that we have all had to go through far-reaching changes to ready ourselves for the challenges we face in this new year.

Most receptionists we have spoken to tell us that because of the new PDS contracts their practices are withdrawing their commitment to the NHS. Having decided not to accept a contract, they have informed patients of their new terms of business and begun working under the new regime.

Informing NHS patients of such decisions can be stressful for everyone in the practice, particularly receptionists since they often have to bear the brunt of patients’ initial reactions, which can range from dismay to anger. In recent years many practices who have opted out of the NHS have identified a clear sequence of patients’ reactions, these being denial, anger, depression and then reconciliation before reaching the acceptance stage.

Such observations are valuable for practices still planning to make the change. Even though practices decide to withdraw from the NHS only after much soul-searching and consideration of patients’ best interests and the viability of the practice, we have not heard of any patients viewing this withdrawal as wholly reasonable and justified. We do hear, however, about the unfavourable reactions to this move that can make working on the front desk so stressful.

As a cautionary tale, research in 2005 into the helpfulness of retail staff found that customers think shop assistants are becoming less helpful, while staff said customers are becoming ruder and more demanding. This suggests a downward spiral in customer relations which, unless we are careful, could happen in dental practices.

So when practices change their terms of service, it is essential to ensure patients understand that the changes will bring added value. This process begins with the aspects of care that patients really understand, such as consideration of their comfort and practical needs. And, with a structured patient education programme, it can go on to show the benefits of the greater clinical freedom afforded by removing NHS constraints.

Last November, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt told GPs to extend their surgery hours to fit in with patients’ working patterns. Yet many dental practices already offer appointments early in the morning and late at night And demand from our patients for this flexibility will grow as their perception as consumers grows. So it is important to keep a dialogue open to ensure we are aware of changing perceptions and can therefore respond appropriately.

Receptionists play a pivotal role in developing the service aspects of dental care. And their role is going through a major change, as the traditional nurse-receptionist is replaced by one who has been recruited for their customer care and administrative skills.

This comes with new training needs to enable these new, non-dental receptionists to work efficiently on the front desk. Their training must cover a basic knowledge of surgery procedures, charting an awareness of the needs of their team colleagues. In return (since their previous dental experiences will have been as patients), they will have an enormous amount to contribute to the team as patient advocates and will have a real understanding of patients’ perspectives.

We are asking receptionists to be proactive in developing their new role, and it is this that will be the focus of the BDRA 2006 Annual Conference in Blackpool on 4 March. If you want to play a part in shaping this vital team role, join us at the conference and have your say. To join the BDRA, or to attend our conference and see what we are doing, call us on 0870 081924 or visit our website: www.bdra.org.uk

The BDRA has always been aware of the need to identify the broadest possible range of training opportunities, such as workshops, home learning and in-house training, for the whole team. In many cases we have negotiated discounts for members and our website has links to the training providers.

Valuing your business

Agonising over whether to sell his NHS practice, George Antoniades sought the help of a valuation company specialising in the dental industr...

Buying or selling a practice can be a difficult and stressful experience and George Antoniades was one such dentist who finally decided the time was right to sell in June 2005.

Cypriot by birth, George grew up in South Africa where he graduated as a dentist at the University of Stellenbosch in 1992. Following several positions and locum work in South Africa, Antoniades headed for England where he set up a new practice in Bedfordshire in 2001, Premier Dental Care. His business quickly grew into three practices and in June 2003 he brought a private practice from a retiring dentist, Premier Smile Studio. In June 2005, Antoniades sold Premier Dental Care through practice broker Frank Taylor & Associates (FTA).

As an experienced dentist George invested a considerable amount of time and money in his practice, and realised that at some point during his career he would want to know what all his hard work had amounted to financially. George appreciated that it would be a mistake to think his practice could be valued using simple like-for-like mentality. ‘I know that comparisons to recently sold practices cannot be applied to my own practice to gauge a realistic value. There are so many factors that affect the value of any business.’

He explains how his options were either to sell his NHS practice or to amalgamate it with his existing private practice. ‘Keeping both practices would have required more time than I had to reach the standard I want in my practices. In selling my NHS practice I could release the goodwill that I had built up and invest some of the money into improving my existing private practice, focusing 100% on the highest level of care possible,’ he says.

George had his NHS practice valued to make an informed financial decision. ‘I decided to sell as this put me in a stronger position financially to increase the potential of my private practice.’

As managing director of Frank Taylor & Associates (FTA), a leading valuer and consultant to the dental profession, Chris Strevens presided over the sale of George’s NHS practice. During his 12 years association with the dental profession, Strevens has developed a special interest in the effective use of the dental team and the maximisation of profit in partnership with patients. He has presented at many lectures throughout the country and here offers a few pointers on how to maintain a financially viable practice.

Careful planning and consideration for finances is a key responsibility for any business, advises Chris. However, with the majority of dental practices this is often overlooked. Generally speaking once a practice is up-and-running and things appear to be going well, you rarely review your finances. When a review does take place it is usually at a time when a new purchase is required, and this is then normally undertaken by the company wanting to lend you the money, not you yourself.

The typical practice will have three types of finance in place that will cover a range of needs from working capital (overdraft) to practice purchase. The finance options will differ depending on why the money is needed so each must be considered as a separate issue.

An overdraft is a short-term borrowing on a bank account to finance running costs. The size of overdraft should be based on realistic requirements, not just a figure plucked out of thin air. The danger with the latter approach is that the overdraft is not sufficient for your needs, and continuously exceeding your limit will bring high penalty charges. If you have this problem, calculate your overdraft requirements using a cash-flow forecast, and ask your bank to increase your overdraft accordingly. An increased overdraft is not a financial burden as long as your practice is profitable and can support your lifestyle.

There will inevitably come a time when you need to purchase a fixed asset for your practice. A fixed asset can be anything from a dental chair to an X-ray machine and the first decision to be made is whether or not you want to own the asset. Your decision will dictate the type of finance package you need in order to purchase the asset.

If you want to own the asset the finance options available to you are a loan, hire purchase or lease-purchase agreement. If you would prefer non-ownership, then leasing, contract hire or rental schemes are options. The difference between the two is how the asset is accounted for in your annual tax return. If you own the asset then you can claim tax deduction on depreciation. Any allowable deduction from your profit and loss will reduce your net profit and in turn reduce you taxable contributions. It is also possible to deduct the interest charge of the item from your profit and loss, but it is only the interest charge and not the entire monthly repayment.

The tax implications for non-ownership of an asset are different. As you do not own the item there is no

entitlement to depreciation; however, in most cases you are able to claim the total monthly repayment. This will help reduce your net profit and in turn, tax payable at the end of each financial year.

Another form of finance often required by a dental practice is a commercial loan or mortgage. These options can be used for partnership buy-in, practice purchase, premise purchase or practice refurbishment. Contrary to what you may have heard about these options, they are easy to arrange if you can provide your lender with all the financial documentation required.

When a lender considers a request for a loan it can only really make a guess as to whether or not you can regularly meet the repayments. Despite the assessments that the lender will undertake on your finances and general business management, it will ultimately be an informed assumption based on the information that you provide that will guide the final decision.

Therefore the more information that you can provide the easier the lender can assess your ability to meet repayments. Ensuring you are organised and well prepared in your approach for a loan or mortgage will increase the chances of your application being accepted.

It is also worth considering that interest rates for mortgages and loans can vary considerably from one lender to lender. Do not accept the first offer, shop around for the best deal available and check to see if any early repayment penalties exit – you may be able to have these wavered.

Finally, regular review of the terms and conditions of your loan is essential. If you have more than one outstanding loan it may make financial sense to combine them into one larger loan in order to receive a more favourable interest rate.

Finding funding loopholes

Financing schemes can boost your revenue and net profit, explains Arun Mehra.

Patient-financing or treatment-financing schemes have been around for a while. As the retail industry continues to grow due to high consumer borrowings – especially during the last year – patient-financing schemes have become more popular among both dentists and patients.

This is evident each time I visit a dental practice, especially a private one and I hear about new treatment financing companies and administrators. At our test practice, The Neem Tree, patient financing has been a strong aid to selling further higher priced treatments.

Patient financing simply means that a third party will finance the private dental treatment sought by customers. With more dentists turning private and more patients opting for private dental treatment, there’s certainly a growing need to finance expensive private dental treatment.

Several companies have identified this need and now offer various financing schemes to assist patients with short-term finance to support cost of treatment. Nowadays, a treatment plan involving two implants, including the relevant crown work or a treatment plan that involves two molar root canals, six crowns, five fillings, tooth whitening, two veneers would amount to over £5,000. A patient with a treatment plan like this will find it hard to pay for the treatment in one go, so it is likely they will either postpone the required treatment until funds become available or seek NHS treatment.

However, with the treatment-financing option, the patient can opt for short or medium term finance. Often short-term financing will be interest free and the medium term will carry a small amount of interest. Nevertheless, patients who qualify for patient-financing will quite readily opt for the most suitable scheme to spread the cost over a longer period.

A patient who wishes to get private dental treatment will be more than happy to pay a small amount of interest and administration charges to have the required dental treatment, rather than waiting for the funds to be available in the future, which often doesn’t happen. From a patient’s point of view, this is an ideal way to have the required private dental treatment without putting pressure on short-term cash requirements.

From a practice’s point of view, this would mean more customers through the door and increased revenue. As in the case of any big purchase decision, a credit facility will definitely facilitate the buyer’s decision-making process. If you were the owner of the private dental practice who had not operated a treatment finance scheme, it is likely that you’ll lose the patient concerned and the potential revenue of £5,000. I strongly recommend patient financing as a must for practitioners who offer private dental care.

There are a few patient finance providers who offer financing for private dental treatment with varying terms and conditions and commission charges, so it is important to tie up with the right partner.

You will need to consider the commission percentages for different credit options, whether the provider can set up a seamless operation that will minimise the administration work for you and your staff, the cost to the patient in terms interest that they will incur and any other charges. The impact on the patient can not be ignored because if the scheme is not attractive in the eyes of the patient the entire effort is wasted. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate both financial and non-financial aspects when choosing the right partner for your practice.

On the other hand, implementation of a patient-financing scheme should be well supported by new internal systems and procedures. This is important because certain treatment plans could last for several months resulting in a need to monitor the total value of treatment carried out so far, at any given time, in comparison to the amount of credit approved and paid to you upfront by the finance provider.

This will ensure that patients on a financing scheme do not exceed the total value of treatment that they are entitled to. On the other hand, by systemising a patient-financing scheme, any charges involved such as commission charges levied by the provider could be properly allocated to the relevant dentist especially when associates are involved. Finally one important thing that should never be forgotten is to apply for a consumer credit license before the implementation of the scheme.

With more dentists turning private and growth in demand for both general and specialised private dentistry, patient-financing schemes will become more popular among dentists and patients. For the dentists, it will boost the revenue and profitability. For the patients, they will have access to the much needed short-term funding to undergo required private dental care and for the patient finance providers, increased income in the form of commissions.

It is not a bad idea to introduce a patient-financing scheme to your practice, if you haven’t got one. But it is also important to evaluate the available schemes and the providers, as to both financial and non-financial aspects, so that you select the best scheme/provider for you and your patients.

＜速報＞池田勇太が単独首位！松山英樹は6位タイに浮上

2011年07月30日15時43分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 池田　勇太 -14
2 平塚　哲二 -13
3 K・アフィバーンラト -11
4 井上　忠久 -10
5 丸山　大輔 -9
6 松山　英樹 -8
岩田　寛 -8
J・チョイ -8
9 S・コンラン -7
K・バーンズ -7


順位の続きを見る


＜サン・クロレラ クラシック　3日目◇30日◇小樽カントリー倶楽部(7,471ヤード・パー72)＞

　北海道にある小樽カントリー倶楽部を舞台に開催中の国内男子ツアー、「サン・クロレラ クラシック」は3日目の競技を終了。トータル6アンダー4位タイからスタートした池田勇太がスコアを8つ伸ばして単独首位に浮上した。

　池田勇太は前半でスコアを2つ伸ばすと後半で爆発。10番から13番まで3連続バーディ、14番パー5ではイーグル、15番でもバーディと5ホールで6つ伸ばして一気に首位にリーダーズボードを駆け上がった。

　1打差の2位には2日目まで首位に立っていた平塚哲二。他の選手がスコアを伸ばす中、この日はイーブンパーに終わり順位を落としてしまった。3打差3位にはタイの新鋭、キラデク・アフィバーンラト、4打差4位には井上忠久がつけている。アマチュアの松山英樹は池田と同じくスコアを8つ伸ばしトータル8アンダーで昨日の40位タイから6位タイに大幅に順位を上げた。