Sports_Fanatic
Assistant Pro
I would imagine that he doesn't count the full time of the round as i think the original theory was 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. Hence strolling along the fairway/rough probably doesn't count to prove the theory.
Joff
Challenge Tour Pro
Yeah, was going to put that.
Joff
Challenge Tour Pro
He might only include practice, in fact. Makes sense.
Nosevi
Head Pro
Kind of noticed that the blog etc has gone a tad quiet - no posts since going away, no rounds on golfshot, no hours countdown.... Hope he hasn't jacked it in. I know some over in the States have been a tad harsh on his efforts and while I think he needs a change of focus it'd be a shame to throw in the towel after 4 years.
As an aside I've read about a few others with similar (if not quite as grand) goals and one made me smile, not in a malicious way, I just found it funny. It was one called 'Novice2Scratch' where a guy said he believed he could get to 'scratch standard' within a year of full time practice. A year and several magazine articles etc later and he had broken 80 once and his last 10 rounds averaged 18 over par. The site says he is now available for speaking engagements. Sorry, just made me laugh - I'm not entirely sure what he's going to share with me other than the fact that he's not all that good at golf
Apologies to the guy, as I say, just made me smile.
As an aside I've read about a few others with similar (if not quite as grand) goals and one made me smile, not in a malicious way, I just found it funny. It was one called 'Novice2Scratch' where a guy said he believed he could get to 'scratch standard' within a year of full time practice. A year and several magazine articles etc later and he had broken 80 once and his last 10 rounds averaged 18 over par. The site says he is now available for speaking engagements. Sorry, just made me laugh - I'm not entirely sure what he's going to share with me other than the fact that he's not all that good at golf
Apologies to the guy, as I say, just made me smile.
G
guest100718
Guest
Kind of noticed that the blog etc has gone a tad quiet - no posts since going away, no rounds on golfshot, no hours countdown.... Hope he hasn't jacked it in. I know some over in the States have been a tad harsh on his efforts and while I think he needs a change of focus it'd be a shame to throw in the towel after 4 years.
As an aside I've read about a few others with similar (if not quite as grand) goals and one made me smile, not in a malicious way, I just found it funny. It was one called 'Novice2Scratch' where a guy said he believed he could get to 'scratch standard' within a year of full time practice. A year and several magazine articles etc later and he had broken 80 once and his last 10 rounds averaged 18 over par. The site says he is now available for speaking engagements. Sorry, just made me laugh - I'm not entirely sure what he's going to share with me other than the fact that he's not all that good at golf
Apologies to the guy, as I say, just made me smile.
He's a local to me and plays in a golf society that I do to, i spoke to him after he finished his challenge and he said he planned to practice some more as his coach said he should be a comfortable single figure golfer quite easily. He plays off 15 now.
There was another called par from afar who popped up on here a coulle of years back doing the same thing. He got to 10 but was already a golfer or sorts.
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Nosevi
Head Pro
Interesting to hear what happens to these guys golf wise afterwards. Pretty sure I heard John Richardson (author of Dream On from the scratch to scratch blog) pretty much quit playing. Understand a film of his exploit is about to come out - guess he's the only one I can think of who 'succeeded'. I do wish he had done the final round with his 'official' marker though - he wasn't available so the round where he shot under par was with another bloke walking with him, owner of his golf club I think. Just left a bit of doubt in some people's eyes, especially as it was 3 or so days till the deadline. I actually think he did do it but I've spoken to others who are a tad more sceptical
G
guest100718
Guest
with richardson his aim was to shoot a sub par round in a year, the others were trying to get an actual handicap of 0. I am amazed that the pros who were teaching them thought they could do it
Nosevi
Head Pro
I'm not sure they did if I'm honest. Not if they understand the system over here at least. I started out as a 5.5 (well, after a couple of years of mucking about and one year of taking it seriously so not strictly speaking a starting point but it was my initial handicap). Looking at my handicap I'd need to shoot scratch, in a competition obviously, 22 times without shooting over handicap a single time to be playing off scratch. Given that cat 1 golfers average about 2 shots over handicap per round, you'd realistically having to be playing to about plus 1 or plus 2 for several months before your 'deadline' in order to come close. Sticking my neck out here but it's not going to happen.
My interest in all this is that I want to get good at this balmy game. I'd love to know why these guys have failed (not talking Dan as it's an ongoing project) but you never really seem to find out. There's a fanfare of trumpets, a few interviews and then it turns out they fell well short. Nick Faldo took up golf, won the English Amateur after 4 years and turned pro 1 year later. As I said earlier in the thread, Simon Thornton played golf from his teens, was a 7 handicapper in his late 20s, was touring pro on the Europro 2 years later and was on the European Tour a few years later.
What separates the Faldos and Thorntons (and maybe the likes of Calvin Peete?) from the leagues (it sometimes seems) of wannabes who think they can master this game only to fall (at times frighteningly) short?
Talent would be the obvious answer but that doesn't really explain why it took Thornton 10 years to get to a 7 handicap and less than 2 to play to a plus level. One common denominator does seem to be whether it's done to 'prove a theory' or outwardly on a blog etc, or whether it's done solely with the personal aim of getting good at the game.
