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

[David in FL]

That's just not going to get it done. Ick. Also, ick here: I posted a comment to his blog. I took a screenshot too. Odds it will be published? I say 30%. Someone let me know if it sees the light of day.

I bet he wouldn't have missed the green from 50 yards out had he bunted his hybrid up there.....

[fr0sty]

120 yard 8i stuck close to the pin???

How the heck can he manage that? 45 degree open face and a half swing???

I took that to mean he was 200+ out, hit half an 8i to 120 out and was standing there with a wedge of some description in his hand.

I bet he wouldn't have missed the green from 50 yards out had he bunted his hybrid up there.....

This is the truth (my foursomes inability to hit a green from 50yds out in charity scrambles notwithstanding).

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

I still want to know what he's smoking, must be really good?

DJ Short Blueberry. 26.8% THC.

Downside: He spent a lot of money and he's going to miss his goal. He has to get his resume together.

Upside: He got to be decent enough of a player to where he'll be able to enjoy the game. He has memories of this experience.

Thanks, IDK much about this type of stuff. . .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

120 yard 8i stuck close to the pin???

How the heck can he manage that? 45 degree open face and a half swing???

I took that to mean he was 200+ out, hit half an 8i to 120 out and was standing there with a wedge of some description in his hand.

There are just so many clubs to hit to 120 (or even 80 to 150?? IDK what 200+ means to his game because it is almost reachable with a good iron shot for me (13HC)).

I just don't understand why an 8i? That seems a lot more difficult to do. . .

[golf-noob-bruce]

Originally Posted by iacas

I posted a comment to his blog. I took a screenshot too. Odds it will be published? I say 30%.

Someone let me know if it sees the light of day.

A little cryptic maybe?

[Golfingdad]

120 yard 8i stuck close to the pin???

How the heck can he manage that? 45 degree open face and a half swing???

It's a 540 yard par 5 and he doesn't carry a 3 wood and after his drive he is too far out to reach with his hybrid so he hit his 8 iron to 120 yards.  There is no information in there about how far his drive went and what kind of shot he hit with the 8 iron either.  A decent drive of 260 or so would mean that a full 8 iron of 160-ish would put him in the 120 range.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

120 yard 8i stuck close to the pin???

How the heck can he manage that? 45 degree open face and a half swing???

It's a 540 yard par 5 and he doesn't carry a 3 wood and after his drive he is too far out to reach with his hybrid so he hit his 8 iron to 120 yards.  There is no information in there about how far his drive went and what kind of shot he hit with the 8 iron either.  A decent drive of 260 or so would mean that a full 8 iron of 160-ish would put him in the 120 range.

Yeah, right he had something like 280 yards left with some kind of forced 220 yard carry I guess. . .sure that makes sense. Took me a couple posts to get it. Doh.

EDIT: Just looked at the hole. That play he made makes no sense at all. Driver hybrid would make some sense. On google earth a 260 yard drive would put you in between the trees in the fairway. The next shot is 244 to the center over the green. A more sensible second shot could be to aim for the right bunker with either a hybrid or 3i. You're left with a 30-50 yard chip/pitch shot.

[shortstop20]

His left leg is doing some really weird stuff. Goes straighter at first (good), then gets bent even more than it was at address before the top of the backswing(bad!), then gets even more bent on the downswing(badder!).  Nevermind that takeaway!

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iacas

His left leg is doing some really weird stuff. Goes straighter at first (good), then gets bent even more than it was at address before the top of the backswing(bad!), then gets even more bent on the downswing(badder!).  Nevermind that takeaway!

It's pretty clear he's not a 3 handicap through decent ball striking, I suppose his short game is killer good.

[Shorty]

T. Odds it will be published? I say 30%.

I know you are an optimistic and positive type, iacas, but this is ridiculous.

The odds are 0%

[Shorty]

It's pretty clear he's not a 3 handicap through decent ball striking, I suppose his short game is killer good.

I wouild suggest that his short game in NOT killer good.

[GHIN0011458]

Quick side question- may have already been answered in the 158 pages but how many hours should a round of golf count for?

[Golfingdad]

Yeah, right he had something like 280 yards left with some kind of forced 220 yard carry I guess. . .sure that makes sense. Took me a couple posts to get it. Doh.

EDIT: Just looked at the hole. That play he made makes no sense at all. Driver hybrid would make some sense. On google earth a 260 yard drive would put you in between the trees in the fairway. The next shot is 244 to the center over the green. A more sensible second shot could be to aim for the right bunker with either a hybrid or 3i. You're left with a 30-50 yard chip/pitch shot.

No forced carries on that hole.  He just felt uncomfortable about hitting his hybrid and wanted a "good distance" for his third.  Of course it makes no sense - that is the entire reason why Erik brought it up, and why he said "ick."

Quick side question- may have already been answered in the 158 pages but how many hours should a round of golf count for?

No freaking clue.  If I was the one doing this I'd probably count a round as one or two hours towards my total, I guess.  Certainly not 4.

[GHIN0011458]

No freaking clue.  If I was the one doing this I'd probably count a round as one or two hours towards my total, I guess.  Certainly not 4.

Yeah- I am trying to estimate how many hours I put in this year. I mean you hit the ball very little during a round of golf- he counts it as 4, I would say maybe an hour although there are other things that are learned on the course I guess? I will put an hour I guess. I don't know why you would make it 4 if you are playing on your own as a 3 handicap you should be able to get done in 2 hr 45

[Nosevi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

No freaking clue.  If I was the one doing this I'd probably count a round as one or two hours towards my total, I guess.  Certainly not 4.

Yeah- I am trying to estimate how many hours I put in this year. I mean you hit the ball very little during a round of golf- he counts it as 4, I would say maybe an hour although there are other things that are learned on the course I guess? I will put an hour I guess. I don't know why you would make it 4 if you are playing on your own as a 3 handicap you should be able to get done in 2 hr 45

I'm not really sure I'd count it as any. I practice my skills off the course, I apply them on the course. The premise is that through 10,000 hours of deliberate practice you can become expert at a given activity. I'm not sure you can class a round of golf as deliberate practice of a skill, surely it's more applying and assessing that skill?

[Golfingdad]

I'm not really sure I'd count it as any. I practice my skills off the course, I apply them on the course. The premise is that through 10,000 hours of deliberate practice you can become expert at a given activity. I'm not sure you can class a round of golf as deliberate practice of a skill, surely it's more applying and assessing that skill?

Consider if you had never picked up the game and never played it once, and you practiced for 10,000 ONLY hitting balls at a range.  (and short game areas and putting green, of course, but never actually played a round.)

Now consider a guy who's done all of the exact same stuff that the guy above has done but only for 6000 hours, but has also played 1000 18 hole rounds of golf.

Do you think that there is really any realistic chance of the first guy ever being able to hold his own against the second guy in a match?

To compare it to the original violinist study, it would be like suggesting that performing with a symphony, where you might only actually be playing 10-20% of the notes doesn't count towards practice.  But a guy who spends 10k hours in his basement is never going to be able to play a concert expertly without playing a lot of concerts.

It definitely counts for something.

[acerimusdux]

Quick side question- may have already been answered in the 158 pages but how many hours should a round of golf count for?

Technically, I would say none, based on my understanding of the actual research I've read.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't play some rounds, but that this is something EVERYONE does, and whether you play 1 round a week or 5 isn't actually a big seperator on who improves.

What should count as "deliberate practice" is 2-4 hours a day, every day, of intense drills. Basically excersises that are challenging, and goal focused, with immediate feedback. Designed to build on or improve existing skills. According to the research, doing more than 4 hours of this doesn't seem productive, and only 2 is actually enough to see significant steady progress.

I'm sure you still need to actually play some in order for that to translate to success on the course, but it's possible you might only need to play even a few full rounds a month to do that if you are seriously doing those every day drills. This may be assuming though that what applies to other things, like musical training, applies as well to golf.

[GHIN0011458]

I'm not really sure I'd count it as any. I practice my skills off the course, I apply them on the course. The premise is that through 10,000 hours of deliberate practice you can become expert at a given activity. I'm not sure you can class a round of golf as deliberate practice of a skill, surely it's more applying and assessing that skill?

That would be crazy to not count any lessons learned towards your golf. You have to realize that the rounds are "practice" rounds. You may be applying what you are working on but I am deliberately trying to get the ball in the hole so I would count it at least an hours worth.

[iacas]

120 yard 8i stuck close to the pin???

How the heck can he manage that? 45 degree open face and a half swing???

I think you figured it out by now, but he laid up to 120 yards WITH his 8-iron, @Lihu .

More here: https://twitter.com/thedanplan/status/575331849976705025