The Dan Plan - 10,000 Hours to Become a Pro Golfer (Dan McLaughlin)

[Slice of Life]

I'm not saying that we can't improve our body speed slightly. I am saying we can't improve it very much.

Luke Donald will never hit a ball as far as Rory McIlroy no matter how many weights he lifts.

Greg Maddox could never throw as fast as Sandy Koufax no matter how hard he worked at it (and he was a bigger stronger guy).

You might take a guy that runs a 5 flat 40 and get him down to a 4.8 but he'll never be a 4.3 guy. Another guy might run a 4.4 the first day he walks on a field.

We can of course improve our technique and get the most out of what we've got.

Edit: The guy on the bottom picture you posted can bulk up all he wants and he still won't be a sprinter. He has slow twitch fibers and the sprinter has fast twitch fibers.

Agree completely...mostly because it doesn't contradict me.

[nevets88]

It's amazing how this thread just keeps going.

Trying to figure out what makes golfers good is always going to generate a never ending discussion.

As for me, I keep coming back with pretty much the same points.  Some of the info he is passing out is not good - not all of it, but the gist of it. It bothers me, but I guess it's nothing new, with all the pros out there right now who aren't that great.

Hey, there's about 4 more years of this till it resolves. Dig yourself in, break out the popcorn.

[nevets88]

So according to a Flightscope rep, his clubs are not flat enough. Let's wait and see after he gets his clubs adjusted how much improvement there is. http://thedanplan.com/flightscope-ready-and-some-d-plane-thoughts/

[flopster]

So according to a Flightscope rep, his clubs are not flat enough. Let's wait and see after he gets his clubs adjusted how much improvement there is.

http://thedanplan.com/flightscope-ready-and-some-d-plane-thoughts/

I believe it will help to some degree but ultimately his own ability will be the final factor. I have always measured out to standard lie, length, with every clubfitter I have ever seen but this was done in a very basic process and not with a launch monitor, that is something I have always wanted to have done and am more determined to do if I want to get to the next level the equipment does matter.

[RFKFREAK]

So according to a Flightscope rep, his clubs are not flat enough. Let's wait and see after he gets his clubs adjusted how much improvement there is. http://thedanplan.com/flightscope-ready-and-some-d-plane-thoughts/

[Quote]That’s the beauty of forged irons: you can play around with lie and loft and always go back if it’s not working.[/Quote] Is this true?

[Lihu]

Is this true?

Yes, forged are easier to bend.

They allow a lot more customization.

The passage here:

reminds me of. . .

http://thesandtrap.com/t/32564/how-do-you-hit-170-yards-with-7-iron

Read a few of the posts for a good laugh.

According to Dan he hits it as fast as the average tour pro, but with a much higher smash factor!

Funny.

[RFKFREAK]

Yes, forged are easier to bend. They allow a lot more customization. The passage here: reminds me of. . . [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/t/32564/how-do-you-hit-170-yards-with-7-iron]http://thesandtrap.com/t/32564/how-do-you-hit-170-yards-with-7-iron[/URL] Read a few of the posts for a good laugh. :-D   According to Dan he hits it as fast as the average tour pro, but with a much higher smash factor! [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/107927/] [/URL] Funny. :-$

Never realized the average swing speed of the shorter clubs is slower than the longer clubs.

[flopster]

Yes, forged are easier to bend.

They allow a lot more customization.

The passage here:

reminds me of. . .

http://thesandtrap.com/t/32564/how-do-you-hit-170-yards-with-7-iron

Read a few of the posts for a good laugh.

According to Dan he hits it as fast as the average tour pro, but with a much higher smash factor!

Funny.

In Dan's defense it may be possible the flight scope like he said will not throw anything out that is not solid evidence, however I find that highly unlikely, Also the guy/salesman with the flight scope is doing a good job hiding the fact he's trying to sell Dan a new set of sticks would be more believable. I'm not doing it but it sure would be funny if someone were to post this info in his blog. Also Dan may be full of crap about his numbers and lies to make his donators feel as if they are supporting something worthwhile. Lastly, is somebody now flying this clown to Europe on their dime again? First Australia now Switzerland? I do however have to give credit where credit is undoubtedly due, he knows how to sell himself pretty good or is it just the law of averages if you shoot an arrow aimlessly at a herd of buffalo your chances of hitting one are better than average.

[Lihu]

In Dan's defense it may be possible the flight scope like he said will not throw anything out that is not solid evidence, however I find that highly unlikely, Also the guy/salesman with the flight scope is doing a good job hiding the fact he's trying to sell Dan a new set of sticks would be more believable. I'm not doing it but it sure would be funny if someone were to post this info in his blog. Also Dan may be full of crap about his numbers and lies to make his donators feel as if they are supporting something worthwhile. Lastly, is somebody now flying this clown to Europe on their dime again? First Australia now Switzerland? I do however have to give credit where credit is undoubtedly due, he knows how to sell himself pretty good or is it just the law of averages if you shoot an arrow aimlessly at a herd of buffalo your chances of hitting one are better than average.

If he said his swing speed was 93 with the 7i, it would be a little more believable than his smash factor being 4-5% more efficient than a PGA pro. I still wouldn't buy it.

[flopster]

If he said his swing speed was 93 with the 7i, it would be a little more believable than his smash factor being 4-5% more efficient than a PGA pro. I still wouldn't buy it.

Unless the shaft in his 7 iron is somewhere around 43"  Dan can't swing a 7 iron that fast, nowhere near that fast.

[nevets88]

I just think at his level, better fitting clubs aren't going to help as much as a good pro and smart and effective practice and just nitty gritty hard work. As he progresses, his swing might change and he'll need to be fit again. If he were a lower handicap, then, yeah, custom clubs are going help more than practice in the short term. And there is a disconnect between his as of late luxury accommodations, world travel, expensive training and the donate button. At least to me. If he was getting a free ride on good and effective instruction and posted useful stuff for people to learn from, fine. Basically a not trivial portion of his blog consists of products and services he has gotten pro bono, so he is exposed to those with the most aggressive and or opportune marketing, not necessarily the best and or relevant product/service. So if he gets really good or meets his goal, he's gonna tell us to take this vision mental class? It sounds expensive and money better spent elsewhere. But this mental camp, the world travel and his tv spots test driving high performance cars is a turnoff, at least in terms of golf, learning and instruction wise. The blog seems to be veering away from learning swing to marketing opportunity. If you were the professor of the deliberate study he is putting into practice, would you be happy how The Dan Plan is going? He's not exactly helping to support the professor's theory so far.

[iacas]

Never realized the average swing speed of the shorter clubs is slower than the longer clubs.

Always. The club is heavier and shorter. A shorter radius will almost always be swung more slowly.

I just think at his level, better fitting clubs aren't going to help as much as a good pro and smart and effective practice and just nitty gritty hard work.

I could beat Dan using my wife's set of clubs.

[nevets88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nevets88

I just think at his level, better fitting clubs aren't going to help as much as a good pro and smart and effective practice and just nitty gritty hard work.

I could beat Dan using my wife's set of clubs.

How about Preston playing righty? That would be interesting. Don't mean to put you on the spot Preston :-)

[iacas]

http://thedanplan.com/flightscope-ready-and-some-d-plane-thoughts/

"I digress, though, and will post a thorough review once I have had the new machine for a month or two. "

They gave him a FlightScope????

[johnclayton1982]

Quote:

I'm not saying that we can't improve our body speed slightly. I am saying we can't improve it very much.

Luke Donald will never hit a ball as far as Rory McIlroy no matter how many weights he lifts.

Greg Maddox could never throw as fast as Sandy Koufax no matter how hard he worked at it (and he was a bigger stronger guy).

You might take a guy that runs a 5 flat 40 and get him down to a 4.8 but he'll never be a 4.3 guy. Another guy might run a 4.4 the first day he walks on a field.

We can of course improve our technique and get the most out of what we've got.

I would shift this slightly.  I've posted this before, but I find it interesting, so here goes.

I don't think you are born with it, I think what you do in very young years matters a whole whole lot.  I'm (obviously) not sure what ages or details etc.... but I don't think its genetic, I think there is some period that is formative that is really, really important.

I could serve a tennis ball when I played in college about as hard as the average ATP player.  I swung really, really fast.  I also had a tennis court at my house growing up and have pictures of me as a baby/toddler swinging tennis racquets around.  I remember trying as a little kid to hit a ball over a particular tree over and over and over, swinging as hard as I could.  I grew up hitting a tennis ball *hard* and when I got older I could hit it hard.

I swing a golf club decently hard, but nowhere near (relatively speaking) by overhead motion with a racquet.  Even today, I can clock that racquet extremely hard, close to pro speeds, and I don't play anymore.

If it was muscle speed or something biological then it shouldn't be different.  I think there is a big-time connection between what you do at young ages and what you can do when your older.  Some way the muscles learn to move and let go.

Who knows, but I think this is more likely than being born with it.

[nevets88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nevets88

http://thedanplan.com/flightscope-ready-and-some-d-plane-thoughts/

"I digress, though, and will post a thorough review once I have had the new machine for a month or two."

They gave him a FlightScope????

Loaner, no? We loan it to you, you write up a good review? Tit for tat?

[iacas]

Loaner, no? We loan it to you, you write up a good review? Tit for tat?

Probably. Since he did mention "training" too. Plus it may just be an Xi+ or something. The Xi is only $2500 or so.

Pretty sure he still hasn't read (or even bought) LSW. :)

[nevets88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nevets88

Loaner, no? We loan it to you, you write up a good review? Tit for tat?

Probably. Since he did mention "training" too. Plus it may just be an Xi+ or something. The Xi is only $2500 or so.

Pretty sure he still hasn't read (or even bought) LSW. :)

How is he qualified to write a decent review though? He's just going to regurgitate the marketing/instructional materials. Nothing against Flightscope. This is how you do marketing. It's how I would do it.

Someone else post on LSW on his FB or blog - I don't want to repeat myself.