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I have been playing golf since I was 6 years old (I am now 25, running a YC company and whiteyboard). I've played competitively, going all over the country and

I have been playing golf since I was 6 years old (I am now 25, running a YC company and whiteyboard). I've played competitively, going all over the country and even got a full scholarship to a NCAA Division 1 university for the sport. I can honestly say that this guy does not stand a chance, and here is why. 1. Golf, especially when it comes to playing professionally, is more of a mental sport than physical (both strength and muscle memory). Even if this guy can learn to hit the ball 300 yards, it will take him at least 10 years if not longer to get the mental comfort required to play effectively in front of thousands of people and successfully place or win an event. 2. The 10,000 hour rule is best applied to things like coding or langauge learning, in other words, low pressure learning environments that have structured guidelines to success. Golf, beyond mental and physical, requires great feel. To be able to know that in 15 mile an hour wind, with your ball half buried by sand, and water in front of the green, how would one hit that shot? There are millions of variations of what you could end up with on the golf course, none that could be figured out in 10,000 hours. We haven't even talked about the putting green yet. Yikes 3. I've seen this before, over a dozen times. Guy gets tired of his job, has some talent and decides to take a ton of golf lessons and practice hard to go for the tour. At least the guys Im referring to played college golf. This guy didn't so much as do that. 4. Golf is seriously hard and the difference between the best players and the mediocre pro players most of the time is just an average difference of a few shots. To shave off those few shots is next to impossible once you've reached your peak potential. Golf is not for everyone. This guy is wasting his time. Update ( I forgot something): Here is another reason why this is a pointless ambition. 5. 10,000 hours of golf is a lot different than 10,000 of something like...learning a language (we'll use this again). To become good at golf does not mean that you can sit on the driving range and hit golf balls every day until your hands bleed. To become a great player, one must get great at playing the golf course. To play one round of golf takes between 3-5 hours (depending on where you play), and there is no guarantee that those 5 hours spent on the course are in any way productive to your progress. That is not a good use of time spent in his quest for 10,000 hours. Someone could certainly guarantee that in 5 focused hours of a spanish tutoring session that they have progresses. With golf, a bad round could send you right back to the drawing board.

deleted 16y ago
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guchdog 16y ago
If somebody is willing to put 10,000 hours in anything it requires dedication and the mental strength. If someone was extremely dedicated you can put in 40 hours a week it would still take 5 years to accomplish this. This guy has a decent chance to make if he does do this. My thoughts he probably won't finish.
Quarrelsome 16y ago
But do you not think it possible that your perspective (as a golfer from a young age) is skewing the reality of your statement? I specifically state this because you talk in such absolutes. One's brain will typically dismiss a "n00b" trying to become good at something that one is good at without the experience that one has. I believe this is possible because if they do succeed it will invalidate ones own experience which can be a reality our brain wishes to shelter us from. To make this more relevant to our industry I occasionally bump into the same problem when applying for coding jobs due to my lack of degree and the possession of a degree by the person advertising for the position.
- roel_v 16y ago
  Exactly - look at TV shows like MTV's 'Made' and similar, where people 'focus' (in the case of 'Made', not even very hard) and get to a respectable level, just by having a coach and putting in some time. There are other TV shows where people actually take 10 weeks or so to do something full time - things that the 'pros' say of that it's so hard to learn (like dancing, or hairdressing, or whatever). They usually compete with serious amateurs or pros at the end, and often cannot be picked out as the 'amateurs'. People want to believe that what they do is so hard that it requires many years of practice, but in reality it's often just not true.
  - enjo 16y ago
    That made me think of a show that was on the golf channel where they tried to make Charles Barkley into a respectable golfer. Despite a highly competent coach and many hours of practice, it ended badly IIRC.

deleted 16y ago

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guchdog 16y ago

If somebody is willing to put 10,000 hours in anything it requires dedication and the mental strength. If someone was extremely dedicated you can put in 40 hours a week it would still take 5 years to accomplish this. This guy has a decent chance to make if he does do this. My thoughts he probably won't finish.

Quarrelsome 16y ago

But do you not think it possible that your perspective (as a golfer from a young age) is skewing the reality of your statement? I specifically state this because you talk in such absolutes. One's brain will typically dismiss a "n00b" trying to become good at something that one is good at without the experience that one has. I believe this is possible because if they do succeed it will invalidate ones own experience which can be a reality our brain wishes to shelter us from. To make this more relevant to our industry I occasionally bump into the same problem when applying for coding jobs due to my lack of degree and the possession of a degree by the person advertising for the position.

roel_v 16y ago
Exactly - look at TV shows like MTV's 'Made' and similar, where people 'focus' (in the case of 'Made', not even very hard) and get to a respectable level, just by having a coach and putting in some time. There are other TV shows where people actually take 10 weeks or so to do something full time - things that the 'pros' say of that it's so hard to learn (like dancing, or hairdressing, or whatever). They usually compete with serious amateurs or pros at the end, and often cannot be picked out as the 'amateurs'. People want to believe that what they do is so hard that it requires many years of practice, but in reality it's often just not true.
- enjo 16y ago
  That made me think of a show that was on the golf channel where they tried to make Charles Barkley into a respectable golfer. Despite a highly competent coach and many hours of practice, it ended badly IIRC.