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

[Todd Ruggere]

I really believe each person has a threshold of how good they can be unless you are working with Butch Harmon or something. Whether i play every day or once a week i know in the middle of July my handicap will always be around a 4.

Dan is a fool.

He put himself in this position by bringing up being on the PGA Tour with no idea what that even meant.

He only posts good stuff.

He is probably a 13-handicap.

Why anyone has given him free stuff and donated is beyond me, but go ahead and support a golf bum.

I am more impressed with people who have jobs and get really good. And there are a lot of him.

I guess it shows that marketing is what matters...to a point.  At some point, you do need to show the goods, and he sure doesn't have it.

I bet you he hates golf too.

I really think you are close with the 13 handicap! I think its laughable when people say "He's probably more like a 6" . I don't think there is anyway he's a 6. Probably a 10 which is incredible since he only picked up a club a couple years ago.

[MS256]

I really believe each person has a threshold of how good they can be unless you are working with Butch Harmon or something. Whether i play every day or once a week i know in the middle of July my handicap will always be around a 4.

I really think you are close with the 13 handicap! I think its laughable when people say "He's probably more like a 6" . I don't think there is anyway he's a 6. Probably a 10 which is incredible since he only picked up a club a couple years ago.

Neither Butch Harmon, nor anybody else, can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Might be able to smooth it up a little but that's it. If they had that kind of magic all of their kids would be on Tour.

[nevets88]

I have a feeling there are many Dan Plans out there that could have taught us more than this one, they're just too busy with their daily lives - work and family.

[BerkeleyRehab]

I really believe each person has a threshold of how good they can be unless you are working with Butch Harmon or something. Whether i play every day or once a week i know in the middle of July my handicap will always be around a 4.

I really think you are close with the 13 handicap! I think its laughable when people say "He's probably more like a 6" . I don't think there is anyway he's a 6. Probably a 10 which is incredible since he only picked up a club a couple years ago.

The least he could do is update the stats and scores.  I thought that was part of the 'whole journey' crap.

As someone said, he had to go the PGA Tour route as part of his gimmick.  10,000 to scratch golfer doesn't have the same ring.  Especially for non-golfers that really don't know what scratch means.

And did I read that he cannot even afford tournament fees?  Is that what the donate button is for on the website?

Seems like this plan wasn't thought through very well.

[Big C]

I really believe each person has a threshold of how good they can be unless you are working with Butch Harmon or something. Whether i play every day or once a week i know in the middle of July my handicap will always be around a 4.

I really think you are close with the 13 handicap! I think its laughable when people say "He's probably more like a 6" . I don't think there is anyway he's a 6. Probably a 10 which is incredible since he only picked up a club a couple years ago.

Disagree. I would peg Dan as a legitimate 6 or better. If you believe that he is being honest when he says he shot under par once (and for all his faults, I don't think he is lying when he reports actual details from his rounds), then there is no way he is worse than a mid-single digit capper. Shooting at or under par simply doesn't happen if you a high single digit handicap, let alone a double digit.

That said, I absolutely believe that he performs a few strokes worse under the pressure cooker of tournament golf, which is the reason that I suggested he only post tournament rounds from this point forward.

[Lihu]

Disagree. I would peg Dan as a legitimate 6 or better. If you believe that he is being honest when he says he shot under par once (and for all his faults, I don't think he is lying when he reports actual details from his rounds), then there is no way he is worse than a mid-single digit capper. Shooting at or under par simply doesn't happen if you a high single digit handicap, let alone a double digit.

That said, I absolutely believe that he performs a few strokes worse under the pressure cooker of tournament golf, which is the reason that I suggested he only post tournament rounds from this point forward.

I have been thinking about that under par round, and keep thinking of the hypothesis that "A million monkeys can type out the complete works of Shakespeare in a million years".

As he plays this course so often, it is possible that he could get lucky one round and shoot that score. Of course, we are all just speculating about the details.

[GHIN0011458]

I have a feeling there are many Dan Plans out there that could have taught us more than this one, they're just too busy with their daily lives - work and family.

When I first found out about Dan, I thought "Damn, I wish I would have started this website" we have the same name and all so it would fit in perfect.. and I am too trying to be on a fast track to playing golf at a very high level.  Yesterday marked my sixth anniversary from the day I first touched a club, at age 20. Six years from that day I ended up shooting a 74 in a tournament round and made 5 birdies, 3 doubles, and one bogey. Only two people in the field beat my second round score yesterday. Anyways, I wish I could quit my job and do what Dan is doing.. I feel like I could really get somewhere with the game if I had the coaching, the time, the money etc. I have never had a lesson in my life but have thought about it numerous times. I actually am rooting for him, knowing if he can do it than so can I. At the same time though, I feel like it was a huge waste of resources on someone with not much talent for the game. At around 4000 hours, I have been able to get to scratch while Dan is hovering around a 10 after 5000 hours. I have two kids and a stay at home wife to support all while getting as much practice time in as possible. At the end of the day though, he made it happen and I didn't. The marketing has helped him get people to care about his progress, where as being just another guy I really couldn't see anyone caring less about another golf story after he has failed to come through to this point. He is living the dream life IMO.

[BerkeleyRehab]

He is living the dream life IMO.

Lol.

Can't even afford to play in tournaments.

What is so dreamy about quitting a job to play a game?

It might feel good at time, but he has zero cash and at some point he will have to find a job.

[GHIN0011458]

Lol.

Can't even afford to play in tournaments.

What is so dreamy about quitting a job to play a game?

It might feel good at time, but he has zero cash and at some point he will have to find a job.

Well quitting a job that you like to do something that you love would be worth it to me. I would happily take a 20k paycut to be able to play golf full time. Not give lessons and what not, just play. If he can afford a couple of days or practice, he can afford tournament rounds.. not sure why he says that. I would much rather PROFIT 50k on a mini tour than make 100k sitting in an office.

[BerkeleyRehab]

Well quitting a job that you like to do something that you love would be worth it to me. I would happily take a 20k paycut to be able to play golf full time. Not give lessons and what not, just play. If he can afford a couple of days or practice, he can afford tournament rounds.. not sure why he says that. I would much rather PROFIT 50k on a mini tour than make 100k sitting in an office.

You probably like golf so much because it is a fun thing you do AWAY from your job.  When it becomes your job, it might just be that...a job.

Mini-tour life seems miserable.

I think Dan doesn't even like golf.  He made this a chore.  Now he just has to go through the motions to get to 10,000 hours so he can start profiting of this.

I know serious golf-nuts and you can just feel how much they LOVE golf.  Dan doesn't.

[Big C]

I have been thinking about that under par round, and keep thinking of the hypothesis that "A million monkeys can type out the complete works of Shakespeare in a million years".

As he plays this course so often, it is possible that he could get lucky one round and shoot that score. Of course, we are all just speculating about the details.

Sure, statistically it's possible. To be exact, the USGA puts the odds of a 6-12 capper shooting 10 below his index at 1 in 84,000 or so. Then again, I've maintained a "legit" 7.0-10.0 for the past 3 years and have never shot better than 4 over par on a regulation course.

I guess my point is that I don't presume Dan's tournament history tells the whole tale of the tape. I've posted this before, but even when I was a legitimate 9, I put together a few mid 90's rounds in our men's club tournaments. That's about as low pressure as tourney golf can get, but at my level, tournament melt downs sadly are not that uncommon. It's taken me about 2 years to get to the point where I feel I can focus and actually play better under that pressure. My guess is that Dan is still learning how to deal with that.

[GHIN0011458]

You probably like golf so much because it is a fun thing you do AWAY from your job.  When it becomes your job, it might just be that...a job.

Mini-tour life seems miserable.

I think Dan doesn't even like golf.  He made this a chore.  Now he just has to go through the motions to get to 10,000 hours so he can start profiting of this.

I know serious golf-nuts and you can just feel how much they LOVE golf.  Dan doesn't.

No I know how it feels. I have played 5 events in 6 weeks and trust me I am completely burnt out. I didn't touch a club at all last week because of it before going into my tourney this weekend and the weekend before that was when it hit me. Shot 70 first day, then ran out of mental gas and couldn't close the deal so I know what it is all about.  Stress of money would make it harder for sure though. Ultimately, I see golf as my second job.. I work too hard and too much at it to see it as a "fun thing to do when I am away from my job". We have this love-hate thing going. I like golf so much because there is no BS in golf. I am short (5'7) and although I was able to play high school baseball, football, soccer, hockey.. when it came down to it coaches in general want a bigger guy. Politics in other sports play a huge part. Look at how they talk about an inch with Johnny Manziel. Anyways, it doesn't matter if you are fat, skinny, tall, short..whatever. The thing I love about golf is that no one can tell you how good you are or you are not except for the course. That is why it upsets me to see people say they are better then they are. The proof is in the pudding with golf. You shoot what you shoot. You want to make a college golf team? You could have one leg but if you can shoot 76-77 you will find a team. Every shot is all on you in golf. You control the game on every shot. That is what is great about golf. What Dan is doing is cool and fun to follow; fail or succeed. I agree with you that he is going through the motions to profit, but it is still cool to see him try. I think that Dan has the same amount of pressure to do good in a tournament as Tiger does to win another Major. Think about it, his whole life(last few years) is riding on these tournament rounds basically. You have all of your investors, your followers/fans, your skeptics. I think he is playing golf worrying about the total outcome of the round and not worrying about the process of each shot. I did the same thing when I first started tournaments and couldn't score. I think that people who only play one course are too one-sided and their handicap is never a true reflection of an actual handicap.

[BerkeleyRehab]

What Dan is doing is cool and fun to follow; fail or succeed. I agree with you that he is going through the motions to profit, but it is still cool to see him try. I think that Dan has the same amount of pressure to do good in a tournament as Tiger does to win another Major. Think about it, his whole life(last few years) is riding on these tournament rounds basically. You have all of your investors, your followers/fans, your skeptics. I think he is playing golf worrying about the total outcome of the round and not worrying about the process of each shot.

He is the one that put PGA Tour into a website.

He is the one that gave all those interviews on human potential.

He is the one that put a donate here begging sign on his website.

And just like you said so well in your post, all the interviews, marketing, and gimmicks don't cannot hide what is golf.  SCORE.

Unfortunately, now that he is starting to play in tournaments, it is apparent that he is very mediocre.  And I think he has the money, but doesn't want to play in tournaments, because it will expose him even more.  $75?  You have to be kidding me.  The only way to really get better is playing in more tournaments and he is avoiding that.

[GHIN0011458]

He is the one that put PGA Tour into a website.

He is the one that gave all those interviews on human potential.

He is the one that put a donate here begging sign on his website.

And just like you said so well in your post, all the interviews, marketing, and gimmicks don't cannot hide what is golf.  SCORE.

Unfortunately, now that he is starting to play in tournaments, it is apparent that he is very mediocre.  And I think he has the money, but doesn't want to play in tournaments, because it will expose him even more.  $75?  You have to be kidding me.  The only way to really get better is playing in more tournaments and he is avoiding that.

I agree- I think the reason why he doesn't play in more is because it will expose that he is not over time getting to a lower handicap. I think that he has some pressure on him coming from somewhere..maybe it is like a ponzi scheme lol. Hell, he could be just hanging out doing nothing and showing up two days a week to the course and filling in the blanks with BS for all we know.

[Lihu]

I agree- I think the reason why he doesn't play in more is because it will expose that he is not over time getting to a lower handicap. I think that he has some pressure on him coming from somewhere..maybe it is like a ponzi scheme lol. Hell, he could be just hanging out doing nothing and showing up two days a week to the course and filling in the blanks with BS for all we know.

The difference between marketing and an engineering is that the engineers needs to make the product work. More qualified golfers are like the engineers of the world, they do all the hard work and get no credit for what they've done. Dan is all hype and getting credit for doing far less and achieving far less than any truly aspiring golfers. This is what irks me the most about the project. The fact that all of you golfers with actual potential and who could really use a break got all the thunder stolen from you.

I'm sure that if he gets back into marketing he will eventually find something, after all he convinced quite a few people to interview him, donate stuff to him, give him free range and course time, etc.

He's good at marketing himself, that's for sure. Maybe this is one thing you guys can take away from his project?

[BerkeleyRehab]

Just this month.

http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/jun/07/dan-plan-mclaughlin-golf-royal-oaks-invitational/

***Just a little more than three years into the project, and more than 5,000 hours of practice, McLaughlin has gone from novice to a 3-handicap. He has logged his time and blogged his experience and become a big name in the small world of golf.***

Where was the post-tournament follow-up...

I think the writers of these articles are just as bad as Dan.

[Klinsie]

I took early retirement three years ago at the age of 51. Lucky me. I took up golf and decided to try and learn properly. I have a weekly lesson with a PGA pro, practice between 20 and 30 hours a week and play once or twice a week. All I can say is golf is hard(as Adam Scott said after the US Open). I've been doing this for two and a half years and I've got from not having a clue to 16. Good coaching and deliberate practice do make a difference if you are lucky enough to have the time. What do you reckonis a realistic goal at my age?

[Righty to Lefty]

I took early retirement three years ago at the age of 51. Lucky me. I took up golf and decided to try and learn properly. I have a weekly lesson with a PGA pro, practice between 20 and 30 hours a week and play once or twice a week. All I can say is golf is hard(as Adam Scott said after the US Open). I've been doing this for two and a half years and I've got from not having a clue to 16. Good coaching and deliberate practice do make a difference if you are lucky enough to have the time. What do you reckonis a realistic goal at my age?

The tone of your post is the biggest thing that I think should be taken from this whole Dan plan thing.  The fact is that he has gone from absolutely no clue about the game to a competent single digit handicap golfer in a relatively short amount of time. He is in a rare situation where his progress has been reasonably diligently recorded and then I think it must be put into perspective.

Golf is really really hard and if you think that you are going to play once a week and practice for a couple hours, and then play to a scratch handicap, you are being unrealistic. For me this helps me keep my expectations in proper focus. It took me 6 months of focused practice (6 to 10 rounds per week and 4 hours per day of practice and workouts) to go for a 16 to a 6 and I believe that it will take that same effort at a minimum to go from a 6 to a 3, and twice that effort to go from a 3 to scratch.