Dan McLaughlin (golfer)

Dan McLaughlin (born June 27, 1979) is an American commercial photographer who quit his day job to become a professional golfer through 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.[1] Using this method, he created a plan known as "The Dan Plan". Prior to The Dan Plan, McLaughlin had never played a full 18 holes of golf and had no previous experience as a competitive athlete.[1] Dan developed his skills by practicing golf for 30 or more hours each week and originally planned to hit the 10,000 hour goal by October 2016.[1] Dan wished to make a successful appearance in the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to eventually obtain his PGA Tour card and win amateur events,[1] aiming to reach a golf handicap of 2 or less. The best handicap he reached was 2.6 in January 2014, and in the end, in January 2015, was back up to 5.5.[2] Dan quit the plan and started Portland Soda Works with his neighbour, Chris Onstad.[3][4]

Early life

McLaughlin is the youngest in his family, with a brother who worked as an actuary like their father, and a sister who is a dermatologist. As a child he competed at tennis and, for one year, cross country.[5] Intending to go to graduate school, Dan saved $100,000 over a 6-year span by renting out rooms in his house and limiting his expenses to $2,000 a month. McLaughlin also has lived in Australia for five months and worked as a waiter to earn money.[5] Like his brother, McLaughlin went to Boston University to study physics and math but he quit after a year.[5] McLaughlin then attended the University of Georgia where he completed a degree in photojournalism then worked for a year in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[5]

Career

After graduating from the University of Georgia, McLaughlin pursued a career in photography.[6] After two years of being a photographer at Chattanooga Times, he began doing commercial photography in Atlanta, Georgia. He then moved to Portland, Oregon.[1]

Golf

At the age of 30, with hopes of becoming a professional golfer, McLaughlin quit his job on April 5, 2010 and lived off of his savings.[1][6] The goal of McLaughlin’s plan was to qualify for the PGA Tour at the end of the 10,000 hours of practice. This would be accomplished by competing in the annual PGA Q-School.[6] A handicap factor of 2.0 is required to be allowed entry in the pre-qualifying stage.[7]

Learning method

McLaughlin had no experience in golf. Starting in early 2010, McLaughlin began learning golf with the putter.[5] McLaughlin learnt the game beginning from the hole and working further and further away.[6] The only club McLaughlin used for the first three months was the putter.[5] He then progressed to the pitching wedge, then the sand wedge.[5] McLaughlin only used a larger club once he showed proficiency with the smaller golf clubs.[5] In November 2011, McLaughlin began using the driver and a full set of 14 clubs in January 2012.[6]

Statistics and handicap factor

Sine playing his first full round of golf in August 2011,[6] McLaughlin kept detailed statistics on his progress such as handicap, greens in regulation and driving accuracy.[1] As of November 6, 2013, McLaughlin had a handicap factor of 5.2. McLaughlin last reported his handicap factor of 5.5 in April 2015. McLaughlin has not updated any statistics since then.[8] McLaughlin's Trackman Combine score as of December 2012 was 66.9.[1]

Equipment

McLaughlin received some equipment free of charge from Nike.[6]

He used the following golf clubs: Driver: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition, 10.5 degree loft, Project X 5.5 Shafts;[1] Woods: 3 wood – 15 degree loft, 5 wood – 19 degree loft, Project X 5.5 Shafts;[1] Irons: 3-PW – VR Pro Blades, True Temper Dynamic Gold Shafts;[1] Grips: Lamkin full cord grips.[1]

Influences

McLaughlin based his goal of 10,000 practice hours on a misinterpretation of a theory by Dr. K Anders Ericsson, Professor of Psychology at Florida State University.[9]

At the beginning McLaughlin tested this theory with the help of Christopher Smith (a PGA golf instructor), Shawn Dailey (a strength trainer) and Jeremy Dunham (a cinematographer). McLaughlin was not certain that by following this program he could become a professional golfer but he was more determined on proving how one's work ethic and dedication can allow people to accomplish things that they would have never thought possible.[1]

Personal life
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References
  1. "deliberate practice". The Dan Plan. 2010-04-05. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  2. http://thedanplan.com/statistics-2/
  3. https://thesandtrap.com/b/thrash_talk/post_mortem_on_the_dan_plan
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2017-01-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Kruse, Michael (March 25, 2011). "Can a complete novice become a golf pro with 10,000 hours of practice? - Tampa Bay Times". Tampa Bay Times. Tampabay.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  6. "Dan McLaughlin thinks 10,000 hours of focused practice will get him on Tour". GOLF.com. 2011-12-07. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  7. "Application to enter - 2011 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (For the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour)" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  8. Dan Plan Blog
  9. Carter, Ben (2014-03-01). "Can 10,000 hours of practice make you an expert?". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
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