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

[newtogolf]

Ah...see, I can't do that. I know my brain and body work differently when the ball is there, so I might as well keep it in place. Exaggeration and emphasis on priority pieces though...definitely.

Same here, my best swings mechanically are when there's no ball on the ground to hit.

[Lihu]

Ah...see, I can't do that. I know my brain and body work differently when the ball is there, so I might as well keep it in place. Exaggeration and emphasis on priority pieces though...definitely.

Unless, they are just warmup swings, the ball really tells me a lot more about my swing.

I do a lot of my swings 9-3, so most of the 100-250 balls I hit into a net are really 9-3 only (roughly A3 to A6). This instills the right feel for the swing. One of my priority pieces is keeping the elbows together. I need to expend a lot of swings just getting flexible each time I do this. It takes a good 40 balls worth of swinging just to make good swings. One of my other pieces is to keep the head still even after impact. Doing this without a ball gives me no indication of when I can start to turn up.

The ball really keeps things in perspective, even though I can work on my swings with or without the ball. It tells me so much more than just a blank swing.

[nevets88]

Latest blog post - new attempt to change the backswing. New pro. Guessing Flightscope providing a lender. Admits swing motion not going to get him to his goal. Post vids Dan Plan - seeing the process is part of deliberate practice.

[RandallT]

Some references to the "10,000 hours" oversimplification in this spoof of Gladwell's ingenious method of taking others' research and bundling them up into good anecdotes for a big profit.

[Golfingdad]

Some references to the "10,000 hours" oversimplification in this spoof of Gladwell's ingenious method of taking others' research and bundling them up into good anecdotes for a big profit.

I like Gladwell's books, but this was funny.  Especially "Dick Bolt Giant"  ;)

[RandallT]

A twitter dialog begins. Will Dan buy the book?!

[RandallT]

I like Gladwell's books, but this was funny.  Especially "Dick Bolt Giant"  ;)

That YouTube account had a bunch of idiot guides to smart people that looked good. I'll hafta check out others. I've read most of Gladwell's books too, and I enjoy them, but something feels off about his stuff. The video hit home with me, mainly the part about searching for simple truths when the world is actually messy and complicated and random.

[Golfingdad]

That YouTube account had a bunch of idiot guides to smart people that looked good. I'll hafta check out others. I've read most of Gladwell's books too, and I enjoy them, but something feels off about his stuff. The video hit home with me, mainly the part about searching for simple truths when the world is actually messy and complicated and random.

Somebody else (might have been Jamo) pointed out to me how he presents info as if he's a scientist, when all he is is a journalist. I like the books too, but that is accurate ... It's not really his area of expertise to be drawing the conclusions he draws. Still entertaining and thought proving though. (I like the parts in outliers about the hockey players and their birthdays;))

[jamo]

Somebody else (might have been Jamo) pointed out to me how he presents info as if he's a scientist, when all he is is a journalist. I like the books too, but that is accurate ... It's not really his area of expertise to be drawing the conclusions he draws. Still entertaining and thought proving though. (I like the parts in outliers about the hockey players and their birthdays;))

'Twas I.

[nevets88]

Gladwell is a great writer. He knows how to tell a story and draw you in. He wrote for the New Yorker. When you reading him, you get sucked in, but afterwards you're like, what a minute. Uh-uh. No.

[nevets88]

New swing vid. Clubhead looks less in at P2, grrrrr, get Swing Analyzr or something so you can do a proper side by side and I don't have to do these screen caps, but his hands still go away from his body on the takeaway.

Skimmed through his recent posts quickly, looks like he's trying for a TV pilot, proceeds to fund more coaching and tournaments.

[golf-noob-bruce]

but his hands still go away from his body on the takeaway.

Really interesting to me how much he's struggling to get rid of that. That's gotta be one of the first things any coach would spot (heck I spotted it the first time I saw a video of his swing) and seems like something a coach should be able to explain quite easily.

[Pretzel]

Is it just me or does he appear to squat in the middle of his backswing? It looks a little odd to me, but I don't think it would really hurt anything. I just know that if I did it I would find myself feeling "stuck" coming down into the ball.

What I want to see is not swings, but a GPS mapping of his rounds using Game Golf or something similar. I don't want to read his write-ups because I get bored of hearing his optimism about how things are getting better regardless of what is happening. Dan, it's alright if you have a bad round or week in golf. It's not always going to be continually improving, because there will be setbacks.

As for the 73 he posted in his last update, he must have had a career ballstriking round and the ability to bend his shots around trees on command. Hitting 61% of his greens when he only hit 21% of fairways (missing both left and right on a tree-lined course) is suspiciously impressive.

[nevets88]

Really interesting to me how much he's struggling to get rid of that. That's gotta be one of the first things any coach would spot (heck I spotted it the first time I saw a video of his swing) and seems like something a coach should be able to explain quite easily.

I think his first teacher did. And Dan tried. But it didn't take. It's in one of his vids in his YT channel. Instead of deliberate practice, he's basically going through a roundabout process a majority of golfers do. And I posted on his website finally. Basically, get a swing analysis app. Like Analyzr.

[Pretzel]

He's as stubborn when it comes to change as tiger is it seems. Without the 14 major wins though.

[RandallT]

Quote from Dan about recent range session:

Everything was spot on except for the tee shots which weren’t quite there, but I know why now: it’s all about swing plane change and face not matching up with the new plane.

Dan says his swing is "spot on" except his driver, but I'm not clear what he is saying is wrong with his driver swing.  The face is "not matching up with the new plane?" What does that even mean?

Exactly right @nevets88 , I think Dan is doing what nearly all amateurs do- looking for that magical self-diagnosis of that one thing that is eluding him. I don't get the sense that he has a valid "priority piece" (which I see the instructors around here hounding us to do), and even if he does have one, I don't get the sense that he is staying focused on it. He sure doesn't stress the feedback he gets from instructors, and when he does, those sessions seem to only be in his mind for a day or two before he marches off onto some new expedition.

[flopster]

Dan says his swing is "spot on" except his driver, but I'm not clear what he is saying is wrong with his driver swing.  The face is "not matching up with the new plane?" What does that even mean?

Exactly right @nevets88, I think Dan is doing what nearly all amateurs do- looking for that magical self-diagnosis of that one thing that is eluding him. I don't get the sense that he has a valid "priority piece" (which I see the instructors around here hounding us to do), and even if he does have one, I don't get the sense that he is staying focused on it. He sure doesn't stress the feedback he gets from instructors, and when he does, those sessions seem to only be in his mind for a day or two before he marches off onto some new expedition.

With all the hours that he has to put in he doesn't spend near enough of it drilling himself on hitting the proper positions throughout the swing, the early hands on the takeaway should have been nipped way early. that alone created other flaws to find their way into his swing. Dan really doesn't understand real diligent practice or he's a poor test subject that lacks physical coordination, I personally know someone who is breaking 70 already and is only a year and a half into this game, I really ought to put up some of his swing videos in my swing thread cause it will blow some of your minds how quickly someone can learn this game with good instruction and clear focus, Dan has been juggling this self promotion strategy to try and stay funded by naïve about golf people but I think that is probably waning by now.

[golf-noob-bruce]

Not sure if this has been posted in the thread yet.

[The 10,000 Hour Rule Is Wrong and Perpetuates a Cruel Myth] http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/09/malcolm_gladwell_s_10_000_hour_rule_for_deliberate_practice_is_wrong_genes.html