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

[rolopolo]

You and I could not be more in agreement as far as Dan goes.

The whole point of the exercise is to prove/disprove that talent is overrated. Dan clearly is not one of those people who can just pick up a sport and play to a great level in a short time. That is the very reason why his project is so interesting.

[rkim291968]

Dan's goal was to become a PGA Tour Player, not a 2/3/4 handicap if you want to believe that his handicap is legitimately that low.  We have guys on this site that work full time, raise a family and still managed to achieve a better handicap than Dan has with no outside interruptions.  Would it be fun to just forget about all my real world responsibilities and just play golf, sure, but doing so would be irresponsible, not courageous.

As for entertainment factor, I equate Dan to Kim Kardashian and her sisters, I read the content here and discuss him in this forum mostly out of disbelief that he's gained this level of celebrity without having an ounce of talent.

I don't follow Kim K so I would not know how Dan compares to Kim.  I (and most others) didn't believe anyone (or Dan) can become PGA Tour Player that easy so I never gave credence to Dan's stated goal.   I thought it was an overstated goal and looked at the experiment as just that, an experiment.   We knew the outcome.  A few may even rooted for Dan to come through with his goal.   If anyone took him seriously and reacts accordingly, I don't get that.  Of course, YMMV.

[Pretzel]

That would be the point if he actually tried. The fact that he hasn't actually put forth much effort into the various avenues of success, whether they be instruction, nutrition, or exercise, shows that his main goal really is to just golf as his day job for however long it takes.

Currently the whole point of the exercise, or at least what it appears to be from an outside observer, is to try and get enough people to give money so that he doesn't have to get a real job for another four or five years and can instead just play golf.

I have no sympathy for his lack of money, just because (to an outside observer, again) he isn't doing anything to solve that! The easiest way for him to reduce his expenses is to finally realize he needs to seek employment at a golf course. Most courses don't require a full 40-hour week of all their employees, and if Dan could get a part-time job at a course he would both earn some money and score free golf and range balls as an employee benefit. Instead Dan chooses to piddle away the money he has on a private club membership instead of putting that towards any instruction or physical training. He's just expecting handouts or some sudden windfall to change his fortune, as opposed to actively seeking out ways to improve his situation and the "plan".

[k14]

The 10,000 hour countdown portion of the blog, which is supposed to recount daily activities, would take less than 5 minutes a day to update.

Exactly! The way he goes on it sounds like the mere fact that he is attempting to do this means he is entitled for sponsors to queue up to give him their cash. If he can't even organise himself enough to update minor things such as that why would a sponsor want to pay him to do it? I certainly know I wouldn't (if I had the $$ to chuck at stuff like that).

One of the best golf books I've ever read was called Paper Tiger (By Tom Coyne). Brilliant book and from what I could tell in the book he was very dedicated (and had the ground level talent to possibly succeed). I think if he tried it he could have had a lot more success than Dan at gaining sponsorship and who knows what may have happened if he had a bit more $$ behind him.

[iacas]

Come on now, that's a bit harsh. I'd be willing to concede that Dan is in the top 95%. Now the top 5% on the other hand.....

Yeah, sorry, I goofed. You know what I meant. He's not in the top 5%. :) Thanks for catching that.

To me someone with a 2 or 3 handicap is very close to an expert and I would say someone with a scratch handicap has mastered the game of golf. I would consider a golf pro with a scratch handicap enough of an expert to go to him for instruction.

As others have said, I don't know that he's actually been a 2/3/4 handicap. And a 4 handicap is a LONG ways from a scratch golfer.

I agree that a scratch golfer would be "expert status." I disagree that a 4 handicap is expert status. And Dan's goal, as others pointed out, was to play and make a cut on the PGA Tour.

Sure he did mention qualifying for the tour in his first few posts, but he has also said that the goal is to see whether he can become a pro.

To be pedantic… anyone can be a "pro." You just have to declare yourself one.

Halfway though his 10k hours, Dan was at a 4 handicap. That to me is not far from expert level when talking about golf. We all know that learning and skill aquisition is not linear and ive no doubt that Dan can reach a scratch handicap by 10k hours. That to me would prove that the 10k hours transformed him from knowing nothing to being an expert.

I disagree…

Too many people focus on the PGA tour bit if his mission. That really is not the point of the exercise.

As I understand it, it was his goal. He chose it. Thus he set the expectations and defined what success/failure would be.

[RandallT]

so much criticism towards Dan and his lack of "dedication" and "hard work". what the man has accomplished is simply unbelievable and i think his experiment is already a big success.

If this is a success, I shudder to think how failure might look.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFKFREAK

You and I could not be more in agreement as far as Dan goes.

The whole point of the exercise is to prove/disprove that talent is overrated. Dan clearly is not one of those people who can just pick up a sport and play to a great level in a short time. That is the very reason why his project is so interesting.

Here is Dan's page:

WHO IS DAN?

Dan is an average man by most standards. When The Dan Plan began, he was a 30-year-old commercial photographer with no previous experience as a competitive athlete, nor was he in particularly good physical condition. Dan is slightly under average height and weight, had never played a full 18 holes of golf, and had only been to a driving range a handful of times. He was not even sure if he was a left-or right-handed golfer. Dan currently resides in Portland, Oregon.

WHY?

Through his journey Dan hopes to inspire others to start exploring the possibilities life affords them. Though his isn’t an easy endeavor and is quite possibly impossible, if it inspires even one person to quit their day job and find happiness in their own plan, then the Dan Plan is a success.

THE DETAILS

On April 5th, 2010, Dan quit his day job as a commercial photographer and began The Dan Plan. Having never played 18 holes of golf in his life, Dan started the 10,000 hour journey with just a putter.  After five months of putting, he received his second club, a pitching wedge. Just before the first anniversary of The Dan Plan dan took his first full-swing lesson.  After 18 months he swung a driver for the first time.  On December 28, 2011 he played his first full round with a full set of clubs.  Since then it has been off to the races.

Logging in 30-plus hours a week he will hit the 10,000 hour milestone by December 2016. During this time, Dan plans to develop his skills through deliberate practice, eventually winning amateur events and obtaining his PGA Tour card through a successful appearance in the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School, or “Q-School”.

THE THEORY

Talent has little to do with success. According to research conducted by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, Professor of Psychology at Florida State University, “Elite performers engage in ‘deliberate practice’–an effortful activity designed to improve target performance.” Dr. Ericsson’s studies, made popular through Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers and Geoff Colvin’s Talent is Overrated, have found that in order to excel in a field, roughly 10,000 hours of “stretching yourself beyond what you can currently do” is required. “I think you’re the right astronaut for this mission,” Dr. Ericsson said about The Dan Plan.

I agree that the whole point is that "talent is overrated," as you say. He specifically addresses that in the theory section above. He pretty much states that he will excel in the field and that he has little talent at the outset.

So to be a success, we agree Dan must become an expert. From there, we part ways.

Must he reach his goal of "winning amateur events and obtaining his PGA card" for him to be an expert and declare it a success? I'd say yes. It's fine that you think otherwise, of course. But I doubt you'll change my mind.

The other elements of success are in the manner he went about his endeavor:

- consistent, insightful blogging?

- did he document his deliberate practice (a key element upon which the project is based) for others to learn from?

- did he approach the learning and application of the skill in a manner that makes sense (hiring the right coaches, etc)?

- did he adequately fund the effort?

- did he track his goals effectively? His stats? Did he clearly state when he was on track or missing targets he had set with his goals guru?

Those items can all be soundly answered "no."  (and have been pretty resoundingly documented in this long thread)  Should he have done all of that list well for his project to be a success? I'd say yes- particularly the "deliberate practice" aspects of his blog. Maybe you think he's done those things well, or that it is not critical?

But Dan gives an escape clause above to make it all a success... you see the line he threw in there?.... "if it inspires even one person to quit their day job and find happiness in their own plan, then the Dan Plan is a success."

THERE IT IS: SUCCESS!

(for those reading carefully in the thread, this is one of my pet peeves when the media interviews anyone for any endeavor... they do it not for themselves but to inspire. Puke. I admire the sentiment, but it has become cliche)

Putting aside success/failure, there are bigger picture reasons why the whole project didn't make sense as well:

- was Dan's single data point of an experiment going to really prove anything? If he failed, did it debunk the theory? If he made the PGA, did it prove it? No and no.

- did Ericsson really mean to include athletic endeavors in his 10,000 hour theory? I believe I've read that athletics was not what he meant to address.

- had the debate moved further than Dan realized right as he was starting the project or very soon thereafter (e.g., http://sportsscientists.com/2012/03/10000-hours-vs-training-debate/). Many people were already diving deeper into the theory, to the point where it seemed like Dan's description of the 10,000 hour theory was stale and people had moved far deeper into the interrelated ideas of talent and hard work. Dan's project seemed to be in slow-motion while there was tons of debate going on around him, with lots of case studies already documented. It almost felt like an Emily Litella "never mind" moment.

The project is just entertainment. It's not rigorously academic, nor is it of much value to academics I would think. Pass the popcorn, let's see how it all ends.

[tdiii]

What RandallT said.

[newtogolf]

I don't follow Kim K so I would not know how Dan compares to Kim.  I (and most others) didn't believe anyone (or Dan) can become PGA Tour Player that easy so I never gave credence to Dan's stated goal.   I thought it was an overstated goal and looked at the experiment as just that, an experiment.   We knew the outcome.  A few may even rooted for Dan to come through with his goal.   If anyone took him seriously and reacts accordingly, I don't get that.  Of course, YMMV.

If his stated goal was not to be taken serious then that completely discounts the efforts and purpose of the experiment imo.

[BerkeleyRehab]

I would think after that Southwest article, he would be updating his website regularly, especially since he has more time with his injury. ***Every step of Dan’s journey from novice to professional golfer will be documented.*** ...or not. Where is his tournament summer schedule? If he wants money, it would be interesting to see all of the costs associated with this project so far as well as his future budget.

[mchepp]

I would think after that Southwest article, he would be updating his website regularly, especially since he has more time with his injury.

***Every step of Dan’s journey from novice to professional golfer will be documented.***

...or not.

Where is his tournament summer schedule?

If he wants money, it would be interesting to see all of the costs associated with this project so far as well as his future budget.

Yeah, he has kinda gone silent. The injury must be worse that he reported or he isn't having much progress. I guess a combo of both.

[Lihu]

I would think after that Southwest article, he would be updating his website regularly, especially since he has more time with his injury.

***Every step of Dan’s journey from novice to professional golfer will be documented.***

...or not.

Where is his tournament summer schedule?

If he wants money, it would be interesting to see all of the costs associated with this project so far as well as his future budget.

Too bad he got injured just in time for golf season.

I just met a golfer from Portland, and told him about Dan and he had no idea there was a "Dan Plan".

Quote:

Originally Posted by BerkeleyRehab

I would think after that Southwest article, he would be updating his website regularly, especially since he has more time with his injury.

***Every step of Dan’s journey from novice to professional golfer will be documented.***

...or not.

Where is his tournament summer schedule?

If he wants money, it would be interesting to see all of the costs associated with this project so far as well as his future budget.

Yeah, he has kinda gone silent. The injury must be worse that he reported or he isn't having much progress. I guess a combo of both.

Can you still contact him on a personal basis?

[mchepp]

I just met a golfer from Portland, and told him about Dan and he had no idea there was a "Dan Plan".

Unless you play at a few clubs in Oregon you wouldn't know who he was up here. A few people from Columbia Edgewater know who he is because he was a member there for the first year or so of the program and now Riverside where he is currently a member. A few members from Riverside know who he is. Otherwise, unless you are very serious and heard about him through other press, happened to read the Southwest article (I fly a lot and I rarely see people read the magazine), or are an esteemed member of this forum you likely have never heard of him.

Can you still contact him on a personal basis?

I can send him an email, but he is spotty at replying. I could send it but it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to 15 days before he replies.

[k14]

I can send him an email, but he is spotty at replying. I could send it but it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to 15 days before he replies.

Sounds a bit like his blog updating schedule. No blog or twitter activity for about 2 weeks. I think this might be the beginning of the end.

[BerkeleyRehab]

The problem was that he was/is a novice golfer and designed the 10,000 hours around his lifestyle. He needed a dedicated person to control the 10,000 hours. And then perhaps he could say he reached his full potential whatever that is. This is 10,000 hours of goofing off at a local course. He was also doing a decent job on the marketing experiment side. But he has even let that lapse. His lack of playing tournaments has made each one now seem so important. If I was in charge, I would have him do 30 tournament rounds in the next 60 days. Does he want to at least pretend to attempt to being professional golfer? The ones that are really good and trying are so much more passionate about their game and golf than Dan. They will play a one-day Pepsi Tour event in Fresno if they have to. They will sleep in their cars.

[Covert]

He's obviously going to fall short of his

I would think this point has been covered; I didn't go back and read everything: natural talent is also required to be very good at a particular physical activity. Ability to fight/box is an example. When I was young and got into fights, I quickly learned that formidable size and strength didn't mean a guy could punch effectively and fight. Natural coordination and skeletal leverage were big factors, as I am sure they are also in the ability to shoot good golf. I am doing something in my retirement similar to Dan, but not nearly to the extent. Starting a year and a half ago, from almost not playing before that, I have played or practiced five days a week. I've also taken a number of lessons. I have nothing else to do and I'm pretending golf is my job with the intent of becoming a scratch golfer, albeit as an old man. I have shot as low as one over par for nine holes on par three executive courses, but haven't yet broken 80 on a regulation course, and I'm not sure I will. I was sure when I started and will keep up the quest at least another year.

[Lihu]

From what I have read and concluded from Dan's blog is that he would not be able to play every other day much less under the stress of tournament conditions. The last tournament he played he was afraid of hurting his wrist on a half inch root.

[BerkeleyRehab]

From what I have read and concluded from Dan's blog is that he would not be able to play every other day much less under the stress of tournament conditions. The last tournament he played he was afraid of hurting his wrist on a half inch root.

From his updated blog that goes on and on about some injury.

***Sorry for the long delay on posting, my mind has just not been on golf lately as I can’t do it and don’t like to think about what I am missing out on.***

This sums it up.  He is not a guy who plays golf.  He is not a golfer.  The golfers that I know LIVE it.  It oozes out regardless if they are playing it or not.  They wear golf gear, follow the PGA Tour, and are always talking golf.

Dan just comes off very lost.  In life and this plan.

[newtogolf]

From his updated blog that goes on and on about some injury.

***Sorry for the long delay on posting, my mind has just not been on golf lately as I can’t do it and don’t like to think about what I am missing out on.***

This sums it up.  He is not a guy who plays golf.  He is not a golfer.  The golfers that I know LIVE it.  It oozes out regardless if they are playing it or not.  They wear golf gear, follow the PGA Tour, and are always talking golf.

Dan just comes off very lost.  In life and this plan.

Anyone know what the injury is?  I agree, he seems to lack passion for the game.