the dan plan: how good can a guy get?
- Thread starter Leftjab
- Start date
- Status
No doubt about it in my mind...
dschultz6072
New
If science "solved" the golf swing, hah! As if it were something mysterious. Even if it were "solved", people would still have to DO it. I think most everyone has the idea of the golf swing pretty well covered. I ran into some nutjob on the range today that was hitting little dinky 180 yard bunts with his driver telling me he just has to bridge the gap between what he knows and what he can do. Talking about hitting the ball with his body...funny stuff.
birly-shirly
New
I see this guy is approx 1/3 of the way in, and now has a 6 index - which I believe puts him in the top 10% of golfers who keep a handicap.
I agree that it's unlikely we see this guy playing the tour - but I still think this is pretty impressive.
I agree that it's unlikely we see this guy playing the tour - but I still think this is pretty impressive.
Virtuoso
New
Whether this particular guy has any chance, I have no idea, best of luck to him.
But the most interesting thing is that golf is a much larger and more widely tempting "field of dreams", because it isn't as apparent on the front end of the dream whether you have a chance or not. Things like the NBA and the NFL have more obvious filters on the front end.
I guess that makes golf more filled with dreamers, which is cool because you really feel alive when you are chasing a dream.....but, I guess that also means golf gets filled with more broken hearts too.
But the most interesting thing is that golf is a much larger and more widely tempting "field of dreams", because it isn't as apparent on the front end of the dream whether you have a chance or not. Things like the NBA and the NFL have more obvious filters on the front end.
I guess that makes golf more filled with dreamers, which is cool because you really feel alive when you are chasing a dream.....but, I guess that also means golf gets filled with more broken hearts too.
Were I a bettin' man, I'd bet that nearly every guy on tour was scratch by this point. Every time you read a bio of any tour player, it's always amazing how many were going low very quickly, winning club championships at precocious ages, etc. Sure, there is an occasional guy who didn't peak until after college, but I'm bettin' that's pretty rare.
Best of luck to him, seems like he figured out a great scam to play a lot of golf...
hp12c
New
Brian Manzella
Administrator
No offense, but this gets WAY more pub than it should.
3000 hours from beginner to a 6? No problem.
I once had a guy come to me after one round of golf and ask if I wanted to help him win a bet.
He bet he could break 80 on one of my home courses—City Park West, white tees 6750—in three months.
AND....he had to do it on the "bet" round.
He was about 30 years old, and was former tennis pro (just a teacher, not a big time player).
He shot 76 and won the bet.
And I didn't even get my name in the local paper.
3000 hours from beginner to a 6? No problem.
I once had a guy come to me after one round of golf and ask if I wanted to help him win a bet.
He bet he could break 80 on one of my home courses—City Park West, white tees 6750—in three months.
AND....he had to do it on the "bet" round.
He was about 30 years old, and was former tennis pro (just a teacher, not a big time player).
He shot 76 and won the bet.
And I didn't even get my name in the local paper.
Sort of like your LSU experience?
Brian Manzella
Administrator
Dan's teacher is Chris Smith, who I consider a friend. He has done a great job with Dan.
I just think that 3000 hours, with no other job is a huge amount of work.
For example:
I played San Francisco Golf Club with David and Carter Toms on Wednesday before the US Open. I played Pebble Beach the next Friday and Spyglass Hill the next day with Kevin Shields.
We played SFCC from the back tees, Pebble from the back, and I played the front at Spyglass from the back and the back nine from one set up.
The three rounds were my 7th, 8th, and 9th rounds of the year.
I shot 82, 82, 80.
I am 50 years old and 50 pounds overweight. I have a very badly torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder.
If I do nothing else the next two years but get my shoulder fixed and play and practice like Dan, and work out like Dan.
No website, no lessons, no anything but golf.
I go get David, Carter and Kevin and we play those three courses again in similar conditions, you think I play a little bit better?
Three to Four shots a SIDE better.
I just think that 3000 hours, with no other job is a huge amount of work.
For example:
I played San Francisco Golf Club with David and Carter Toms on Wednesday before the US Open. I played Pebble Beach the next Friday and Spyglass Hill the next day with Kevin Shields.
We played SFCC from the back tees, Pebble from the back, and I played the front at Spyglass from the back and the back nine from one set up.
The three rounds were my 7th, 8th, and 9th rounds of the year.
I shot 82, 82, 80.
I am 50 years old and 50 pounds overweight. I have a very badly torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder.
If I do nothing else the next two years but get my shoulder fixed and play and practice like Dan, and work out like Dan.
No website, no lessons, no anything but golf.
I go get David, Carter and Kevin and we play those three courses again in similar conditions, you think I play a little bit better?
Three to Four shots a SIDE better.
Tony D'Antonio
New
Brian,
How'd you like San Francisco club? I don't know how it is now but 35 years ago my rival high school played their home matches there and when I played it I thought I was in heaven. San Francisco club was a very exclusive club and it didn't have a lot of members and so the course got very little play. It was like playing on a turf farm. Absolutely beautiful.
How'd you like San Francisco club? I don't know how it is now but 35 years ago my rival high school played their home matches there and when I played it I thought I was in heaven. San Francisco club was a very exclusive club and it didn't have a lot of members and so the course got very little play. It was like playing on a turf farm. Absolutely beautiful.
birly-shirly
New
Brian - I kind of agree. The whole point of the project is to demonstrate precisely your point. That if you put in the work - you can achieve good, even great, results. You say "no problem [if you put in the work]" and I think Dan would agree. But I think there are lots of folk out there who are telling themselves "I don't have the talent to be a single digit golfer", or "I've left it too late in life to learn something new". You wouldn't agree with them, would you?
On your second point, as to how much you'd improve if you put in that much work, I don't doubt it. But there's a difference between getting the game back that you used to have, and getting there for the first time.
If Dan tops out at scratch or better - I think he'll have demonstrated something of real importance. Of course, if you already hold the conviction that you could coach ABSOLUTELY ANYONE to scratch if they put in the work that Dan's putting in, then I understand that this won't be breaking any new ground for you.
Brian Manzella
Administrator
I never said a thing about "absolutely anyone."
The guy is a good athlete, and has no real distractions.
And...if I was 3.5 a side better than I am now, I'd be better than I ever was.
The guy is a good athlete, and has no real distractions.
And...if I was 3.5 a side better than I am now, I'd be better than I ever was.
When people say things like this, I think there is an implicit understanding that it's simply not worth the investment to find out, for most people anyway. Most golfers have lives outside of golf that prevent them from dedicating the kind of time necessary to be a single digit golfer. I think if you asked them, are you willing to put in X hours a day or a week for Y months if you are guaranteed to be a single digit handicapper, most people would simply say no.
I know a guy who says, you are the golfer you are by choice. He's not far off on that statement.
Jim Kobylinski
Super Moderator
Some people may not like this but i think a lot of people, not necessarily on this site but many people, truly don't realize how great these guys are. People think, oh golf is different, i can get that good i just have to practice a ton because it's golf. I don't need crazy athletic genes that b-ball or baseball players have i can do it...*BUZZER SOUND* wrong.
Some of the best golfers aren't necessarily the athletes that some of the other pro sports are but they have "it" that makes them different and on the tour. What is "it" i don't know but i can damn sure point it out when i see it, and i don't just mean golf. I have a knack for being able to appreciate and identify "professional level" talent whether it comes to my normal career (finance) or even when i see musicians or dancers, you can just tell who has an abundance of talent where thousands of hours of practice will make them one of the best ever or someone who has some talent and could get pretty good.
Here's a story i heard:
Prince Fielder would accompany his dad to the Tiger's field back in the day when he was a kid and the Tigers would let him take batting practice with his dad and the team all the time. As a 12 or 13 year old kid (i forget if they said 12-13) he was hitting balls into the upper deck :O! The real professionals just have something most of us don't, otherwise i would have hoped someone would have saw it when we were a kid and put us on that particular path.
Just my view.
Some of the best golfers aren't necessarily the athletes that some of the other pro sports are but they have "it" that makes them different and on the tour. What is "it" i don't know but i can damn sure point it out when i see it, and i don't just mean golf. I have a knack for being able to appreciate and identify "professional level" talent whether it comes to my normal career (finance) or even when i see musicians or dancers, you can just tell who has an abundance of talent where thousands of hours of practice will make them one of the best ever or someone who has some talent and could get pretty good.
Here's a story i heard:
Prince Fielder would accompany his dad to the Tiger's field back in the day when he was a kid and the Tigers would let him take batting practice with his dad and the team all the time. As a 12 or 13 year old kid (i forget if they said 12-13) he was hitting balls into the upper deck :O! The real professionals just have something most of us don't, otherwise i would have hoped someone would have saw it when we were a kid and put us on that particular path.
Just my view.
- Status