Whats a good golf score?/Anyone here play golf? /10,000 hours

[oldscool]

I just was thinking about the guy who quit his job to try the 10,000 hour theorem in golfing. Here is his website: http://thedanplan.com/statistics-2/

I dont know what a good golf score is, but, his website says he reached a 4.1 index in jan. 2014. Is that a good score for a non pro golfer?

Just as an aside : They say Michael Jordan is a pretty good golfer too, though, I don't know his score.

P.S. I just looked at some more stuff on Dan. It seems he has 5088 hours left & his last two scores were 82 & 77. I think he plans on going pro? http://thedanplan.com/countdown/

 

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[Get Right]

-4.1 is great for a non-pro...but a weak tour pro would be a +5

Lots of ground to make up but I hope he does it!

 

[RogueInnovation]

Hahaha... Oh man...

Yeah 4 is ok, it depends on his course though.
I remember my first time golfing I got 12 over par, and then within the week shot just 3 over par. That sounds nuts to most golfers, but the course was really very easy and forgiving and I basically one putted every hole with blind enthusiasm.

Fast forward 4 years of training, I remember eventually getting to the point of thinking about trying out going pro, and I went out and watched all these pro golfers, and I realised that 10 000 hours wasn't enough unless I found my "heart" and passion.

It might seem cheesy, but every skill you gain in life will ask you at some point if you are for real or a pretender.
I graciously gave up golf because I didn't love golf. The great pros, ALWAYS do, and I saw that very clearly when I watched them.

There are LOTS of A grade golfers like him, he has quite some way to go I think. You should be shooting ten under at your local courses really.

10 000 hours only gets you to the testing grounds, what you do NEXT is entirely up to YOU and you alone.

 

[StartupsRFun]

Ive played golf my whole life (huge golf nut) and Dan actually lives in my town (Portland). 4.1 is an excellent handicap for someone in his position, but honestly even with over 5,000 hours left, his goal of reaching the PGA Tour would be extremely slim. The problem is that he doesnt play on PGA Tour condition courses, which are long and fast. He also will be light years behind the guys who have been playing in tournaments and in front of people their whole lives. Take any low handicapper and they can probably shoot well at their home course, but put them on a course with Tour conditions, and they wouldnt probably break 90. Bobby Jones once said, "Golf is played on a 5 inch course, the distance between your ears". Its such a true statement, because golf is an extremely mental sport. Dan can have all the mechanics of a great swing and wonderful short game, but if he doesnt have "it" upstairs, he wont be able to put his game together when the pressure is on. "It" takes playing under pressure, and years of understanding your own game, and what your tendencies are when things get tough.

I wish him the best, and Im sure through his story hell get a couple invites to some web.com events, but I would be very surprised if he can actually make a living playing professional golf.

 

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[healthstatus]

Going pro requires a new 2 year process, that involves getting into the "minor" web.com tour, being in the top 25 (I think, they just changed all this). Then you have to be in the top 150 money earners to keep your pro status.

Compare that to other sports (major league), 750 pro baseball players, 1500 football players, 450 basketball. AND golfers have much more longevity than any of those three sports, guys in their late 30's to 50 win often enough. So to turn pro in golf you are competing with the WORLD for about 4-5 slots a year. Good luck with that.

 

[StartupsRFun]

Going pro requires a new 2 year process, that involves getting into the "minor" web.com tour, being in the top 25 (I think, they just changed all this). Then you have to be in the top 150 money earners to keep your pro status.

You could also go to Q-school or try and make enough money off of sponsor exemptions to grab your card (Jordan Spieth). But still an extremely difficult league to get in to.

 

[oldscool]

Hahaha... Oh man...

Yeah 4 is ok, it depends on his course though.
I remember my first time golfing I got 12 over par, and then within the week shot just 3 over par. That sounds nuts to most golfers, but the course was really very easy and forgiving and I basically one putted every hole with blind enthusiasm.

Fast forward 4 years of training, I remember eventually getting to the point of thinking about trying out going pro, and I went out and watched all these pro golfers, and I realised that 10 000 hours wasn't enough unless I found my "heart" and passion.

It might seem cheesy, but every skill you gain in life will ask you at some point if you are for real or a pretender.
I graciously gave up golf because I didn't love golf. The great pros, ALWAYS do, and I saw that very clearly when I watched them.

There are LOTS of A grade golfers like him, he has quite some way to go I think. You should be shooting ten under at your local courses really.

10 000 hours only gets you to the testing grounds, what you do NEXT is entirely up to YOU and you alone.

I like the fact that you went out there to investigate further by going out to see pro golfers who were doing it.

Alot of us go into things we have no idea what we are really getting involved with,(then we wonder why we get crushed like grapes). Great lesson in why people fail in your post beyond golfing.

Great answers

 

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[Jonleehacker]

This was actually my dream for a while until health problem derailed.

I'd say he's got a chance but it will be on the Champions Tour (for aged 50+). It's a lot longer road than 10,000 hours the way he has it mapped out.

For example when Tiger or the other pros practice, they play on an empty or near empty course and use a high speed, soup-ed up golf cart so they can complete 18 holes in under 60 minutes. On Tiger's website you can see his practice regime, he plays 36 holes a day and also practices 8 hours on the range or working out or doing drills.

But good on the guy for trying. I assume he loves golf, if he does then he can't lose.

 

[SteveO]

My wife is a 7 handicap. She does not even practice. We play a lot during the summer though. She plays in a few tournaments a year but has not won any. I am about an 11 or 12 on my home course. She always plays from the men's tees and usually beats me.

It is unlikely that he is going to make it as a pro.

 

[youngtrep]

I have been a golf addict since I was a toddler. My dad literally put a club in my cradle when I got home from the hospital. I have no idea how many hours I'm up to, but it is way over 10,000. I played a ton of tournaments growing up and play to a +2 handicap now. My career low round was a 65 on a 7300 yard course with countless more rounds under par. All that being said, I know I'm nowhere close to being good enough to go pro. I have played with several Nationwide (now web.com) players and a few tour players. Those guys are just on another level. On a good day I can keep up distance wise, but to consistently score low when your paycheck is on the line with a family to feed is not something I'm capable of. I've been following the Dan plan for a while and think it's awesome. I think he will get to scratch and maybe have a couple good finishes on a small tour like the Hooters tour, but not sure if he can go farther than that. Who knows though, golf is so mental that if he can get on a roll anything is possible.

You could also go to Q-school or try and make enough money off of sponsor exemptions to grab your card (Jordan Spieth). But still an extremely difficult league to get in to.

You actually can't make it on tour directly from Q school now. It only gets you to the web.com tour then you have to play your way onto the PGA tour from there.

 

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[MorgothBauglir]

I'm an athlete too, and people think that 10,000 hours of just playing the sport is the ticket.

Practice has to be deliberate. You have to constantly work on the things you suck at. Beyond that, mental strength and acuity plays a big role in pro sports. You can't just do laps in a pool for 10,000 hours and expect to make it on the olympic team.

You have to be smart about your practice, and chip away at it from every conceivable angle. Putting in the hours simply isn't enough.

 

[StartupsRFun]

You have to be smart about your practice, and chip away at it from every conceivable angle. Putting in the hours simply isn't enough.

Thats the whole point of The Dan Plan. Deliberate practice.

 

[youngtrep]

I'm an athlete too, and people think that 10,000 hours of just playing the sport is the ticket.

Practice has to be deliberate. You have to constantly work on the things you suck at. Beyond that, mental strength and acuity plays a big role in pro sports. You can't just do laps in a pool for 10,000 hours and expect to make it on the olympic team.

You have to be smart about your practice, and chip away at it from every conceivable angle. Putting in the hours simply isn't enough.

Totally agree. The guy doing this plan though has been impressively deliberate. I'm pretty sure he didn't take a full golf swing for the first 6 months of training. He just worked on the shortgame as a foundation. Not sure if I fully agree with that, but the dedication is great.

 

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[MorgothBauglir]

Thats the whole point of The Dan Plan. Deliberate practice.

And I commend him on it. Was just commenting on 10,000 hours as a general rule.

 

[Get Right]

note - senior tour is harder to get on than the PGA (by the numbers)

 

[OdorcicD]

I've been playing for about 6 years (up in Canada so I only get to play 6 months usually) and have gotten down to a 2.1 handicap (and a club championship). 4.1 for Dan is pretty good, but I feel like the amount of time he's dedicating to it, he should've been further along.

I can only imagine how much practice (and maybe some 'natural' talent) it would take to become pro. I can dream, but I know it would never happen. I'll just keep playing the local tournaments and having along the way!

 

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