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

[Pretzel]

Latest blog and he's still going on and on about equipment. You better golfers out there please help me here. I believe good golfers are good, almost irrespective of equipment (within reason, of course). Is that your experience?

Provided that his equipment is within reason for his swing (which the x-flex isn't, I don't think), there shouldn't be this large an issue. I was used to my new irons I bought over the summer within a week, and it wad the same with the driver I recently purchased. Reshafting is an even shorter adjustment period for me, with me being used to it within a few rounds of hold out sessions on the range. Even when I'm not used to clubs, for example when I rent them on vacation, I'm still not shooting more than two or three strokes higher than usual. Dan's grasping at straws to explain why he isn't on track with his plan. I don't think it's realistic for anyone to expect him to be on track with his plan, and honesty ("I'm behind pace and need to work on x, y, and z to help me get on the right path") would probably be the best policy at this point IMO. EDIT: I think this is my most edited post ever... I had about six typos to fix.

[nevets88]

I switch between iron sets, woods and drivers not all the time, but enough times during the season, plus I have different sets at home and at the parents and at relatives. I don't think switching really affects my score that much. They're different style heads and brands but same shaft stiffness. I'm biased though. I think really think it's a lot of indian, arrow, to an extent, but not so much as the manufacturers would make you believe.

[DrvFrShow]

I wonder if Dan's shafts are too stiff?

[RFKFREAK]

I was reading the comments a  couple of people pointed out that Dan seems to change equipment very often and Dan responded to these folks and said, amongst other things that, :

Quote:

I think I talk about changing gear a lot, but the truth is, I have had 3 sets of irons and wedges over the past 4 years and basically one driver and 3-wood for the past two years that are not quite right.

3 sets of irons and wedges in 4 years.  That seems a lot to me.

[Golfingdad]

3 sets of irons and wedges in 4 years.  That seems a lot to me.

That's beyond excessive.  I've had three sets of irons since 1989.  And I'd have to go back to my mom's hand-me-down clubs to get to 4 sets of wedges, and that would be around 1986 maybe?

He's spending way too much time worrying about stuff that just doesn't matter to him at this point.

[RFKFREAK]

That's beyond excessive.  I've had three sets of irons since 1989.  And I'd have to go back to my mom's hand-me-down clubs to get to 4 sets of wedges, and that would be around 1986 maybe?

He's spending way too much time worrying about stuff that just doesn't matter to him at this point.

This might be his way of justifying why he's not playing to the HC people would expect him to be at and can be something he points to in the future once his plan fails as the reason why it failed.

[Pretzel]

That is a good number in only four years for sure. I can understand it though if he's getting them for free. I'd replace my wedges as often as I was allowed to with whatever deal he has worked out with Titleist. He probably had one starter set of GI irons then went straight to the AP2's would be my guess, with him having used two sets of those so far. I'm still confused as to how he managed to snap the shafts on his irons while playing normally. I've never seen it happen once before (with irons), even living in Colorado where the ground can behave like concrete.

[nevets88]

Maybe he's getting high pressure pitches from manufacturers, reps, salesmen. He's getting them for free I think so I guess the attitude is take it, why not, not paying for it?

[Oz Max]

Maybe trying to fix swings probelm with changing gear? like:" I have a bad hook....get X-stiff shafts", I keep duffing my pitches...bounce on the wedges ain't right" instead of working on his swing mechanics.

Having said that you need to make sure your gear is not hindering your swing...like improper length or lie

[Pretzel]

Maybe he's getting high pressure pitches from manufacturers, reps, salesmen. He's getting them for free I think so I guess the attitude is take it, why not, not paying for it?

In that car though, there is absolutely no reason not to take it. Changing equipment doesn't really affect my game for more than a week so I know I'd take every bone they tossed me in Dan's shoes.

[RandallT]

Updated graph. A bit busier! This has some more updated rounds. Plus I found a swath of scores in his "countdown" that we missed from 2013.

We also added the actual handicap in YELLOW and actually calculated a pseudo-handicap in RED . The pseudo-handicap is based on raw score only (but averages the best 10 of the last 20)- no differentials, no regard for tees played. It tracks fairly well actually.  Some divergence lately, but I think they shut down their handicap system for the winter.  The pseudo-handicap system in red does NOT shut down for winter!

This demonstrates Dan is basically a 5 handicap, I'd say. Maybe a 4?

[Shorty]

Maybe he's getting high pressure pitches from manufacturers, reps, salesmen. He's getting them for free I think so I guess the attitude is take it, why not, not paying for it?

Do you really think they give  a crap about this guy?

They aren't going to be encouraging an occasional 70s shooter to represent them.

They give Dan him a  few hundred dollars worth of stuff. So what?

He's hardly a good advertisement for anything golf related. Especially when he's snapping perfectly good shafts left right and centre.

If anything, he's the opposite.

[Oz Max]

Do you really think they give  a crap about this guy?

They aren't going to be encouraging an occasional 70s shooter to represent them.

They give Dan him a  few hundred dollars worth of stuff. So what?

He's hardly a good advertisement for anything golf related. Especially when he's snapping perfectly good shafts left right and centre.

If anything, he's the opposite.

You could argue that he's statiscally closer to the target  market than the pros, also his potential in representing  a brand might be more to do with how poular his blog and his overall plan are. I mean he's been talked about on this very thread for 141 pages!!!

[Shorty]

You could argue that he's statiscally closer to the target  market than the pros, also his potential in representing  a brand might be more to do with how poular his blog and his overall plan are. I mean he's been talked about on this very thread for 141 pages!!!

So you think that any type of publicity is good publicity?

His only supporters know nothing about golf.

[Oz Max]

So you think that any type of publicity is good publicity?

His only supporters know nothing about golf.

As long as he says nice things about his gear, or at lest doesn't complain about it, I don't see it as bad publicity. But then again, I'm not the company trying to sell clubs! It's exposure as far as they're concerned.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shorty

So you think that any type of publicity is good publicity?

His only supporters know nothing about golf.

As long as he says nice things about his gear, or at lest doesn't complain about it, I don't see it as bad publicity. But then again, I'm not the company trying to sell clubs! It's exposure as far as they're concerned.

He complains about his gear in his blogs. . .

[Oz Max]

He complains about his gear in his blogs. . .

I read when he broke his shafts, really amazing he had so many break like that!

At the moment he seems happy with this new Titleist gear.

Are we even sure he gets free clubs?? I didn't read the WHOLE blog

[flopster]

That's beyond excessive.  I've had three sets of irons since 1989.  And I'd have to go back to my mom's hand-me-down clubs to get to 4 sets of wedges, and that would be around 1986 maybe?

He's spending way too much time worrying about stuff that just doesn't matter to him at this point.

Maybe for us but Dan plays quite a bit more than we do so I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt some to him but if that were just a normal 50 rounds a year guy then yes that's a lot of gear changing going on.