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

[acerimusdux]

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.

Agree. He may well have played like a 13 in those tournaments, but with tournament pressure, and dealing with some really fast greens, a guy who was around an 8 could almost expect to have that happen at first. I think the handicap falling under 5 was a bit of a fluke, based on a small number of rounds, but we knew that because his anti-cap was so high (around 11).

Just looking at his recent rounds at Riverside, which has a 73 rating:

6/12 80

6/11 40 (9)

6/10 86

6/09 42 (9)

6/05 77

5/29 79

5/25 84

The 73 rating means a 7 handicap should only be scoring 80 or better only about 1 round in 5. He's done it 3 times in his last 6 rounds. I just think he's still very inexperienced and very inconsistent. I have no trouble believing he can go out to Royal Oaks, shoot a 79 in the practive round, and then shoot an 88 when it counts in the tournament. I don't think he's lying or cheating on the 79.

I think he can probably keep the handicap around 5-6 if he sticks to courses he knows well and which suit his game, like Riverside, but might be more a "legit" upper single digits if he challanges himself more.  Don't think he's really over 10 though.

[Shorty]

A note to those who are defending this guy and who think his goals are not to become a pro.

This is from his most recent blog entry:

"It was the pivotal point in the most important round of my fledgling career.... "

Strangely, no updates since his bluff was called by entering that 3 round tournament.  Funny that.

And----I'm sick of all this BS where people write that "nerves" and "pressure" of "tournament play" add shots to his score. Of course it does, and it all counts.

That's where his true ability lies - when you actually have to count your score in an honest fashion and think your way around a golf course.

I mean...the pros don't say that they would have had lower scores but they were playing a tournament.

Pretty sure that tournament scores are the only scores that matter for aspiring pros ;-)

[Lihu]

Agree. He may well have played like a 13 in those tournaments, but with tournament pressure, and dealing with some really fast greens, a guy who was around an 8 could almost expect to have that happen at first. I think the handicap falling under 5 was a bit of a fluke, based on a small number of rounds, but we knew that because his anti-cap was so high (around 11).

Just looking at his recent rounds at Riverside, which has a 73 rating:

The 73 rating means a 7 handicap should only be scoring 80 or better only about 1 round in 5. He's done it 3 times in his last 6 rounds. I just think he's still very inexperienced and very inconsistent. I have no trouble believing he can go out to Royal Oaks, shoot a 79 in the practive round, and then shoot an 88 when it counts in the tournament. I don't think he's lying or cheating on the 79.

I think he can probably keep the handicap around 5-6 if he sticks to courses he knows well and which suit his game, like Riverside, but might be more a "legit" upper single digits if he challanges himself more.  Don't think he's really over 10 though.

You just described a high handicapper. Also, the yardages of the tournament seemed to indicate they were not playing the tips at Royal Oaks.

[BerkeleyRehab]

A note to those who are defending this guy and who think his goals are not to become a pro.

This is from his most recent blog entry:

"It was the pivotal point in the most important round of my fledgling career...."

Strangely, no updates since his bluff was called by entering that 3 round tournament.  Funny that.

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.

I would guess that if you had 10,000 healthy, active 30 year olds follow this 'plan' and play that many hours, the average would shoot 85 or so.  Exactly where he is at.  There will be outliers on both sides and there would certainly be a couple that could legitimately shoot in the 70s in tournaments.

Yes, he has gone very quiet since the tournament.

Probably questioning if this is even all worth it for another couple of years.  Sounds miserable to me.  Plus, the pressure of constantly being exposed.  But that is what he signed up for this.  Certainly wasn't quiet about it.

[Jeremie Boop]

I would guess that if you had 10,000 healthy, active 30 year olds follow this 'plan' and play that many hours, the average would shoot 85 or so.  Exactly where he is at.  There will be outliers on both sides and there would certainly be a couple that could legitimately shoot in the 70s in tournaments.

Yes, he has gone very quiet since the tournament.

Probably questioning if this is even all worth it for another couple of years.  Sounds miserable to me.  Plus, the pressure of constantly being exposed.  But that is what he signed up for this.  Certainly wasn't quiet about it.

I don't know for sure, but I think he should be further along at this point than he is. I also don't think he went about his training the right way. I haven't really followed much about him, so I don't know if he ever played anything competitively before. If he hasn't then that would put him at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to tournament play. If I were in his position I would have started getting into tournaments awhile ago to acclimate myself to the unique stress and mindset that comes with playing in them. I would also have started basing my handicap solely on the scores produced in those tournaments because those would be what would indicate my actual skill level. Once I get myself down into the mid teens/close to single digit handicap that is probably what I'll do, look for local/regional tournaments I can get into. I'm competitive by nature though, and I think that is something Dan may lack.

[newtogolf]

So TST, let's put our money where our mouths are. If we were to come up with our own plan, Dan Plan 2.0 or TST Dan Plan 2.0, what would you do differently?

It's obvious some suggestions will be:

Start straight away with a 1/2 - 3/4 wedge shots, get that low point as far forward from the get go. None of the putting BS.

Move to warmer climes if possible. Coming from NYC, I think I would find that I would probably not have a problem braving Portland temps year round - Portland folks, what do you think?

In the Talent Code, the writer identified hot spots of talent - I would suggest that Erie, PA, where @mvmac and Dana Dahlquist teach, Martin Chuck's school, Dan Carraher and others similar - these are hot spots of teaching. DP 2.0 should look into these to see whom to learn from.

I don't think he needed to spend money on personal fitness trainer. You can do your own physical fitness regimen - reallocate that money to golf.  And spend more time on golf, less time in the gym.

Simple, hire Mike and Erik as my golf instructors and do what they tell me to do.

[RFKFREAK]

Simple, hire Mike and Erik as my golf instructors and do what they tell me to do.

+1 except I would have also raised a solid amount first and would have done more on the PR side to get more dollars coming in.

[newtogolf]

+1 except I would have also raised a solid amount first and would have done more on the PR side to get more dollars coming in.

At its most basic level, Dan Plan is a self indulgent charity that's established so some guy can forget about his financial responsibilities and go play golf all day, sorry, but he's not getting any of my money.  I think it's got to be tough for anyone to get all their expenses covered unless they were already famous / infamous.

Phelps could pull something like this off because he's an Olympic champion in one sport and a household name so the marketing dollars are more easily justifiable.  I have to think the golf companies / courses get hit up all the time for money and equipment because some rube thinks he/she has the talent to turn pro and just needs someone to sponsor them.   Since I've been a member of TST we've had at least 3-4 ask us to sponsor them with clubs and / or money so they could pursue their dream.

Best chances are if people like Erik and Dave see enough promise in someone and decide to sponsor them to assist in the promotion of 5SK.

[RFKFREAK]

At its most basic level, Dan Plan is a self indulgent charity that's established so some guy can forget about his financial responsibilities and go play golf all day, sorry, but he's not getting any of my money.  I think it's got to be tough for anyone to get all their expenses covered unless they were already famous / infamous.

Phelps could pull something like this off because he's an Olympic champion in one sport and a household name so the marketing dollars are more easily justifiable.  I have to think the golf companies / courses get hit up all the time for money and equipment because some rube thinks he/she has the talent to turn pro and just needs someone to sponsor them.   Since I've been a member of TST we've had at least 3-4 ask us to sponsor them with clubs and / or money so they could pursue their dream.

Best chances are if people like Erik and Dave see enough promise in someone and decide to sponsor them to assist in the promotion of 5SK.

I'm not saying it would be easy.  I'm just saying if it were me, that's what I would do before even thinking of taking the time off from my profession to attempt such a thing.

I can't say if he had a plan in place other than what he's shared but, if it were me, I would have set specific goals on the financial end that would have had to have been met and, in some way, that's where marketing takes place.  He had a gimmick (for lack of a better way of saying it) and had to find the right avenue to try and get maximum value for it.  It would no doubt be tough, and it would likely take more time than he'd like, but this might have gone better for him if he had put it more effort on that side of things.

I also think he could have done a better job of promoting this rather than just his blog, although, to be fair, I don't know if he's done any tv spots, radio spots, or any interviews since I only found out about his plan from this site earlier this year and haven't followed it much besides what I've gathered from this thread.

[BerkeleyRehab]

If this was self-funded and he didn't care what others thought, then yes.

Problem is that nobody would donate to an 18-handicapper that shot in the 90s.  Kind of like a publicly-traded company.  Eventually investors want to see results.  Start-up phase can't go on forever.

Him getting down to a self-administered "3" handicap has helped his marketing.  Supposedly CNN spent a whole-day interviewing him last month!  Al the things in the world, and a 'golf bum' gets attention.  CNN catering to the 99.9% of the population that probably thinks PGA pros are scratch golfers and he is only three shots a round a day away from that coveted status!

My guess is that he will avoid tournaments even more now which is the exact opposite of where he should be going.  He should be getting out there week after week.  Next tournament will be even more pressure to produce.

This story is mildly-entertaining and maddeningly annoying at the same time!

[nevets88]

I'm guessing 5SK is doing fine and has no need for a single student to have so much exposure. It's a risky proposition to be so dependent on one person.

I've said before, I'm disappointed in the lost opportunity to learn new things from such a project, but another thing this project perpetuates is that golf is harder than it is. And I've also said that think that with good instruction, Dan would have been way farther than where he is now. So what happened perpetuates people thinking it's par for the course to take so long to get better.

I also think that a person can hold down a full time job - that doesn't have intensive hours obviously - and still dedicate a big chunk of time to golf provided he/she is single and doesn't have many other commitments and do a Dan Plan. People work full time and still manage get ready to compete in the Olympics.

I dunno if anyone watches the show Portlandia but I'm getting a bit of a Portlandia vibe from this project.

[GHIN0011458]

This story is mildly-entertaining and maddeningly annoying at the same time!

Totally agree- I have no idea how he isn't better. I told someone about this at lunch today and we did the math and I am only at 3200 and already scratch. I just need an estimated 450k and I feel like I could do it. Make it into a Web.com event at least within 5 years. Problem is I will never get the 450k lol so no worries. That is what drives me crazy is that he is falling on his face and I would love the chance to be in his shoes doing what he is doing. I don't disagree with the 10,000 hours to becoming a pro at some level. I do disagree with his ridiculous process to get there. He should have started tournaments after one year of practice..

[Todd Ruggere]

The thought that all the media outlets possibly thinking he's 2 or 3 shots away from being pro is maddening! If he played at Pinehurst he'd be 30+ shots behind the best score each day. It's a joke!

[Lihu]

I just started reading a book called "Tin Cup Dreams, the Story of a Long Shot making the PGA" At Q-school this "long shot" shot one under par each day for 6 days, and just squeaked by the cutoff because there were more players making the cut that year. This is a great read, should be done tonight and write a little summary. Seems appropriate for this thread.

[flopster]

The thought that all the media outlets possibly thinking he's 2 or 3 shots away from being pro is maddening! If he played at Pinehurst he'd be 30+ shots behind the best score each day. It's a joke!

I think Dan shooting 95 at Pinehurst#2 under us open conditions would be a minor miracle since it would only be 7 or 8 shots higher than what he shot at Royal Oaks, I think somewhere around 110 would be accurate, the greens would be almost unplayable for him.

[RandallT]

[URL]http://thedanplan.com/take-charge-or-stay-the-same/[/URL] Looks like Dan is back after some soul-searching. He was definitely shaken by the Royal Oaks tourney, because he was actually striking the ball decent but the putting and chipping let him down (he ends with an anecdote about hole #17 on Saturday that he said typified his tournament rounds). To save some of you the full read, his analysis has led to two things: 1. Better mental game: he's attending a two-day seminar in Denver (Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson) 2. Better stat tracking to focus on the right weaknesses: a. Score within 100yd b. Approach result from 120-200 c. Quality tee shot tracking (including par 3's, and more than just FIR) d. Feet of putts made e. Chipping proximity There's no mention of changing his learning/practice routine, but I'd think he needs to reevaluate all of that. Going to a seminar and tracking new stats will help, but the key for him will be improving how he practices and making sure he is learning from a source that will point him in the right direction (and be available often enough to keep him from going down the wrong path by himself).

[Lihu]

http://thedanplan.com/take-charge-or-stay-the-same/

Looks like Dan is back after some soul-searching. He was definitely shaken by the Royal Oaks tourney, because he was actually striking the ball decent but the putting and chipping let him down (he ends with an anecdote about hole #17 on Saturday that he said typified his tournament rounds).

To save some of you the full read, his analysis has led to two things:

1. Better mental game: he's attending a two-day seminar in Denver (Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson)

2. Better stat tracking to focus on the right weaknesses:

a. Score within 100yd

b. Approach result from 120-200

c. Quality tee shot tracking (including par 3's, and more than just FIR)

d. Feet of putts made

e. Chipping proximity

There's no mention of changing his learning/practice routine, but I'd think he needs to reevaluate all of that. Going to a seminar and tracking new stats will help, but the key for him will be improving how he practices and making sure he is learning from a source that will point him in the right direction (and be available often enough to keep him from going down the wrong path by himself).

Thanks for the executive summary.

I read the link, and comparing it to a book I am reading called "Tin Cup Dreams". I really see no parallel between Dan and the typical PGA long shot. The typical PGA long shot would have at least shot one round in the 60s. Based upon the scores that were quoted in the book, the winners of the tournaments Dan participated sound more likely to be long shots.

Also, his page also seems to have mirrored some of our thoughts that he is shooting like a 13 handicap (10 strokes over).

Not having been with him on the course, it is hard for me to tell if it is really his short game that is giving him trouble or not. If I had to guess, it would be his long game that is his limitation and not his game from 100 yards in.

He is a good writer, and I am sure he can convince more people that coming in nearly dead last in a local tournament was just a minor setback.

[BerkeleyRehab]

http://thedanplan.com/take-charge-or-stay-the-same/

Looks like Dan is back after some soul-searching. He was definitely shaken by the Royal Oaks tourney, because he was actually striking the ball decent but the putting and chipping let him down (he ends with an anecdote about hole #17 on Saturday that he said typified his tournament rounds).

To save some of you the full read, his analysis has led to two things:

1. Better mental game: he's attending a two-day seminar in Denver (Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson)

2. Better stat tracking to focus on the right weaknesses:

a. Score within 100yd

b. Approach result from 120-200

c. Quality tee shot tracking (including par 3's, and more than just FIR)

d. Feet of putts made

e. Chipping proximity

There's no mention of changing his learning/practice routine, but I'd think he needs to reevaluate all of that. Going to a seminar and tracking new stats will help, but the key for him will be improving how he practices and making sure he is learning from a source that will point him in the right direction (and be available often enough to keep him from going down the wrong path by himself).

I read it.  What else would you really expect.

He put himself out there and now has to give some info to his investors/donators.

I personally think he should just keep playing tournament after tournament.  I think he is getting too caught up in tracking and mental game.

Just play.

How well financed is he?  It seems this 'experiment' was predicated on him raising money and didn't have nearly enough saved to make it 10,000 hours on his own.