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

[Golfingdad]

Without sounding too cynical (if that's possible) it just occurred to me that this may be Dan's new plan. His exit/transition plan. Hear me out: So Dan knows he isn't getting better and isn't going to get better. He isn't really trying to get better. But now he can say "I was gonna make it, but I got hurt. I can't play any more at a pro level. But if I hadn't gotten hurt, I could have done it" (play Rocky music) He has to be sure that he doesn't really fully recover from this injury for this gig to work out. And he transitions into Inspiration Guy full time, inspiring others to follow their dreams. Motivational speaking. Reach for the stars! Be like me! Appearing at fundraisers, golf related charities, etc. Raising money full time. A beacon of hope to hackers (and non-golfers) everywhere. You can do this! I did it (or was going to, I got this close! But it's the journey is what's important!) Write an inspiring "follow your dreams" book. All the angst, depression, haters, and then the final triumph through strength and perseverance! Transition into a sports celebrity, not just a golf celebrity. Maybe a golf instruction book "How to go from a complete beginner to a 3 handicap in 3 years" Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he's not that calculating (he really hasn't been so far). But I think he's giving up on his "tour dream" and looking to turn this into some sort of peripheral golf celebrity gig. Note all the recent charity stuff, and lack of interest in serious golf stuff. But he's gotta do it quick before the few people who have heard of him completely forget about him. Getting the article in SW magazine was maybe the first step in the new plan. But press like that won't come easily, he better move fast!

The first part of your theory is pretty much exactly what Anthony Kim is doing, no? ;) But instead of making his living as a motivational speaker he's just living off insurance money (or so the rumor goes).

[tdiii]

The first part of your theory is pretty much exactly what Anthony Kim is doing, no? ;)

But instead of making his living as a motivational speaker he's just living off insurance money (or so the rumor goes).

Except AK was a three time Tour winner, with about $12M in earnings, not an 8 handicap trying to pass himself off as a 3.

[nevets88]

I want all the time I spent in this bloody thread back.

But seriously, I learned a lot from the astute observations of those who posted here, but I can't really think of anything I learned directly from the plan, helpful to me w/respect to improving in golf. The Plan to me, makes golf look even harder than it is. If I would make a summation of the plan, it simply is three words. Golf is hard.

[Nosevi]

but I can't really think of anything I learned directly from the plan, helpful to me w/respect to improving in golf.

Interesting to note you're speaking in the past tense - "I learned" rather than "I am learning". deliberate or subconcious ?

[nevets88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nevets88

but I can't really think of anything I learned directly from the plan, helpful to me w/respect to improving in golf.

Interesting to note you're speaking in the past tense - "I learned" rather than "I am learning". deliberate or subconcious ?

Subconscious. Learn should be the verb tense. Again, to reiterate. I learned a lot from everyone who participated in the thread, but I'm kicking myself for my own naivete thinking there was merit to the plan as it was carried out when others long since thought otherwise.

[b101]

I've certainly thought and learnt a lot about how to practise from this thread, and for that I am grateful. I definitely now catch myself whenever I'm lapsing into mindless hitting mode and play a load more short game 'games'. Most importantly, my practice is now purposeful, which it wasn't always before :-)

[nevets88]

I've certainly thought and learnt a lot about how to practise from this thread, and for that I am grateful. I definitely now catch myself whenever I'm lapsing into mindless hitting mode and play a load more short game 'games'. Most importantly, my practice is now purposeful, which it wasn't always before

At the risk of posting something you may have already read: Simple, Specific, Slow, Short, and Success - The Five "S"s of Great Practice

[flopster]

Maybe a golf instruction book "How to go from a complete beginner to a 3 handicap in 3 years"

Problem here is he probably never legitimately became a 3, I gotta say I'm mildly surprised it took this long for him to finally injure himself doing that poor swing so many times over the past 4+ years.

[acerimusdux]

I thought this was interesting, in a recent article about Lydia Ko :

Quote:

Beyond her natural talent enhanced by instruction, Ko certainly put in the time. Wilson and Niethe believe in a theory published by Swedish psychologist K. Anders Ericsson in a 1993 study and popularized by Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 book "Outliers: The Story of Success" that 10,000 hours of "deliberate practice" is the key to world-class excellence.

Whether it was the evenings after dinner at the Takapuna range -- where she would try to keep up with Ahn in the adjacent hitting bay -- skipping down the sloping fairways of Pupuke or locking up after a late session with the key she was given at the Institute of Golf, many in greater Auckland observed how much Ko put into golf.

Quote:

Lydia couldn't hit the ball more than 50 yards at first. Most of their time was spent on, or around, the green.

"Someone is not going to be able to double their distance in three or four months, although they definitely might be able to chip it twice as close," Wilson says. Ko practiced her short game extensively, and it is among the best on tour. "That's probably the majority reason she's so good around the greens now," Wilson says. "She's got the instinct of a 40- or 50-year-old the way she sees things."

When they worked on Lydia's long game, Wilson -- in contrast to a popular teaching philosophy that says junior golfers should learn to hit the ball hard, then learn to control it -- discouraged her from "trying to create more power than she could." Influenced by physiotherapists at the Institute of Golf that he co-founded after leaving Pupuke, Wilson believed such an approach would have wrecked her swing and eventually her body.

"If our goal from day one was to get her to hit it as far as she can, she wouldn't be playing golf anymore," he says. " She'd be busted, her back would be done. We always said that rhythm was good."

Of course, Lydia was 6 years old, not 31 years old, when she started out spending all that time on and around the greens.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

The first part of your theory is pretty much exactly what Anthony Kim is doing, no? ;)

But instead of making his living as a motivational speaker he's just living off insurance money (or so the rumor goes).

Except AK was a three time Tour winner, with about $12M in earnings, not an 8 handicap trying to pass himself off as a 3.

I think he really was a 3 at some point, and now is roughly a 5. That's still a pretty good golfer in my mind. He just lacks oomph to get the distances and flights he needs to get to scratch without some super human short game.

[Phil McGleno]

I think he really was a 3 at some point, and now is roughly a 5. That's still a pretty good golfer in my mind. He just lacks oomph to get the distances and flights he needs to get to scratch without some super human short game.

I do not think he was really ever a 3.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

I think he really was a 3 at some point, and now is roughly a 5. That's still a pretty good golfer in my mind. He just lacks oomph to get the distances and flights he needs to get to scratch without some super human short game.

I do not think he was really ever a 3.

Possibly. . .it's really hard for me to say, because my game is completely the opposite of his. When I get to the point where my short game is reasonable, I might state the same thing as you.

[flopster]

Possibly. . .it's really hard for me to say, because my game is completely the opposite of his. When I get to the point where my short game is reasonable, I might state the same thing as you.

What do you mean by opposite? Are you saying his strengths are your weaknesses and vice versa? I'm with @Phil McGleno in that he really was never a legit 3, though I see him posting a few rounds in the mid to upper 70's you have to realize hardly any of these tracks are much above a 130 slope, I'm gonna say this also that Dan probably rarely ever sees a tight lie around a green being from the Portland area where courses are usually lush also mostly all the courses I have seen videos of him play on have flat greens with bunkers you could putt out of, a 5 or even higher could get hot a few times and easily shoot right around par on tracks like that and drop his index way lower than where he would normally be. Dan's assertion of having a short game like a plus index is absurd because he's not playing any of his short game shots from where a plus index player would put them from say 200 yards or any other challenging approach distance, using stats to determine your short game when your long game is all over the course makes no sense a plus index will undoubtedly have more birdie putts and a good percentage will be from a good distance versus Dan completely missing the green but happens to hit a good chip and do no worse than 2 putt the plus index may 3 putt from 40' Does this mean Dans a better putter than the plus index player? Absolutely not it just shows Dan's long game is inferior but he leaves himself with a short chip on, when you have a high percentage of chips to greens versus 150 yard approaches to greens then it's obvious a 5 or higher index will probably get it closer to the pin than even a plus player from 150 yards and likely have lower putts per round.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Possibly. . .it's really hard for me to say, because my game is completely the opposite of his. When I get to the point where my short game is reasonable, I might state the same thing as you.

What do you mean by opposite? Are you saying his strengths are your weaknesses and vice versa? I'm with @Phil McGleno in that he really was never a legit 3, though I see him posting a few rounds in the mid to upper 70's you have to realize hardly any of these tracks are much above a 130 slope, I'm gonna say this also that Dan probably rarely ever sees a tight lie around a green being from the Portland area where courses are usually lush also mostly all the courses I have seen videos of him play on have flat greens with bunkers you could putt out of, a 5 or even higher could get hot a few times and easily shoot right around par on tracks like that and drop his index way lower than where he would normally be. Dan's assertion of having a short game like a plus index is absurd because he's not playing any of his short game shots from where a plus index player would put them from say 200 yards or any other challenging approach distance, using stats to determine your short game when your long game is all over the course makes no sense a plus index will undoubtedly have more birdie putts and a good percentage will be from a good distance versus Dan completely missing the green but happens to hit a good chip and do no worse than 2 putt the plus index may 3 putt from 40' Does this mean Dans a better putter than the plus index player? Absolutely not it just shows Dan's long game is inferior but he leaves himself with a short chip on, when you have a high percentage of chips to greens versus 150 yard approaches to greens then it's obvious a 5 or higher index will probably get it closer to the pin than even a plus player from 150 yards and likely have lower putts per round.

I'm saying that I have no idea what it's like to make 29 putts with 12 greens.

[Nosevi]

Originally Posted by Lihu

I'm saying that I have no idea what it's like to make 29 putts with 12 greens.

A 'regulation' round (ie hit every fairway, hit every green then 2 putt) is 36 putts. If you hit 12 greens in regulation and 2 putt them, then up and down every time you miss a green it's 30 putts. I'd be pretty happy with either of those. 12 greens and 29 putts is pretty good by any measure. I must confess I find putting stats the hardest to take at face value from social rounds due mainly to 'gimmees' though.

Here's an example which I'm sure I'm not the first to notice. Just prior to Dan's injury his handicap was rising and it was rising quite quickly. In fact the only thing that stopped it rising to a 6 or maybe 7 was one round of 74 shot in April. This score was inputted via internet (ie not by the club) If you look at the order of scores inputted and marry that up to The Dan Plan 10,000 hours countdown, you'll see it pretty much must have been shot on 8 April in a two ball best ball match. Now two ball best ball matches involve things like gimmees and even balls being picked up if a score can't be bettered. For this reason they can't be used for handicap over here. Can they over there? If not and this is the 74 inputted in April, why is it being used for handicap, let alone putting stats?

Our system is slightly different, only rounds shot in official competitions can be used for handicap and then only stroke play rounds can be used. Maybe your system is different and Dan can use a round where gimmees can be given but if so it kind of makes a mockery of the handicap system as a player can 'shoot' a given score based on the generosity of his opposition. That surely can't be right.

[Lihu]

If you play a best ball scramble, there's no way to enter any score. Interesting observation. I think his long game is degerating, which is a possible reason as to why it was getting worse?

[Big C]

@Lihu you are confusing a best ball match with a scramble. They are two completely different things. @Nosevi yes most clubs in the US allow match play scores be submitted for handicap purposes, where it's a better ball event or a solo match play event. I'm not a big fan of it either. The gimmes, the strategy and the general format all make match play very different from stroke play. My opinion is that matches should not be postable rounds, but others obviously feel differently

[Lihu]

@Lihu you are confusing a best ball match with a scramble. They are two completely different things. @Nosevi yes most clubs in the US allow match play scores be submitted for handicap purposes, where it's a better ball event or a solo match play event. I'm not a big fan of it either. The gimmes, the strategy and the general format all make match play very different from stroke play. My opinion is that matches should not be postable rounds, but others obviously feel differently

Good to know, but what's the difference? You play out the hole with your own ball per hole in both cases right?