The week to come

This week started off on the right foot.  I took today off, per usual for my one day away from golf a week, and climbed up Dog Mountain in the Columbia river gorge.  It’s a relatively easy hike, just 7.6 miles round trip and an elevation change of 2,800 feet, but the views are stunning, especially on a nice day:

It’s amazing how much you can learn and realize when you try and forget what you were thinking about.  All week something has been off with my drives and I couldn’t put a finger on it.  I was hitting the ball so well before last week then all of a sudden I couldn’t hit it straight at all.  Nothing seemed to work and I knew it was just a processing issue in my head.  If I can’t imagine what I need to look like at impact then there is little chance I can actually get there and hit the ball.  But, today while wondering through the woods and not thinking about golf at all I had an epiphany about the physics of ball striking and got excited to go to the range and test it out.  Since it’s my day off, I went out and hit just a couple of balls, but it worked!  I was thrilled.

This isn’t the first time stepping away has elicited an epiphany and I don’t think it will be the last.  But, it was a reminder that time away needs to be just that: time away.  If you are obsessing about a problem at hand and cannot figure out a solution step away from it completely.  Don’t just walk away and think about it in another room, try and forget about it and as soon as you really let it go the solution might pop up.

The week continues with an early morning scramble at Langdon Farms Golf Course tomorrow.  I played in this tournament (the Portland State University Viking Classic) last year, but could only contribute with my 6-iron through putter as those were all of my clubs at that point.  My team still placed in the top ten, but this year I have high hopes that we will do much better and that I can add some some good shots to the group from tee to green.

On Tuesday it will be practice as usual then Wednesday is my birthday so I might play an early round and then hang out with my girlfriend in the evening.  Thursday is back to practice and Friday is another scramble tournament, this time out at the Reserve course in Hillsboro where I played last week.  I shot an 81 there on my first time out and know where I hit in the wrong spot, so will be able to contribute to the team.

It’s going to be a great week.  They always are.  Life is a game; play it hard but remember to have fun and don’t let it get to you.

  • Todd

    Dan, two [sets of]questions that – while phrasing in my head – I realized are both relationship questions. 1) What happened to your coach? You used to have periodic lessons and coaching sessions with a guy (Chris?). Do you still do that? I always understood a key component of deliberate practice to be expert external feedback. Are you entirely self-coached now? And on the personal side – of course feel free to ignore this one, I realize its a bit rude – is your current girlfriend the same one you used to mention occasionally back at the beginning of the Plan? How has your dedication to the Plan and it’s requirements affected your personal relationships?

  • Todd

    I always found the gorge to be a great place to clear the mind…..Angel’s Rest was a go to hike for me for years. Lovely and challenging, yet peaceful too!

  • Derek

    Dan, I stumbled onto your blog a couple weeks ago and am really interested in this project. Best of luck to you going forward. A question about your stats page: For the relative handicap bar chart, how are you calculating the levels per shot type (ie long game, chip/pitch, sand, putts)? Conceptually, using chips/pitches as an example, I’d assume a relative handicap of 14 means that your average chips/pitches per round would be “about average” for a person w/ a 14 handicap? Seems like a great way to assess strengths/weaknesses in your game, but just curious where you’re getting your numbers from, etc. I’ve googled a bit on this concept but haven’t yet found much… any references/links/insight you might share would be awesome. Apologies if this is detailed somewhere else in your blog.

  • mike

    Dan you are the greatest, keep up the hard work. Hikes have always been a great place to clear my head. Picture one of those mountains right before you picture yourself at impact. You’re an inspiration and I truly believe you are making a difference. Keep it up boss, I’m rooting for you.

  • Ben in Seattle

    Hey Dan!

    In response to your video, I’m going to guess 150,001 (I’m thinking you average 50 balls per hour – a little more on the range, much less on the course and putting green)

    Great job! I’m enjoying your progress.

  • williamevanl

    170,000 balls… Also why don’t you respond to blog posts anymore?

  • Derek

    I’m going to reply to my own comment: If this isn’t already obvious to others, looks like Dan’s using Shot By Shot software for calculating the stats and generating charts. I take it that Shot By Shot has built a fairly rich database of golf stats… I’d venture a guess that they’re simply logging all of the stats their current/previous users enter. So, yeah, it might be the case that a relative handicap of 14 for chips/pitches means the number of chips/pitches you typically shoot in a round is about average for that of a 14 handicap Shot By Shot user. Will keep reading.

  • Hector Acton

    Dan:

    Happy birthday from scorching hot West Texas. Well you are already better than 84% of registered golfers in the US. At 3000 hours I say you are doing very well. Keep up the good work. I am glad you are focusing quite a bit on the mental aspect of the game, which is the only way one can explain the huge swings in performance any golfer experiences.

    How about meditation? Just a thought. Best wishes

    Hector

  • http://thedanplan.com dan

    Hector

    Good to hear from you again.

    Meditation yes! I do some guided imagery stuff and try to meditate at least a few times a week specifically concerning my golf swing.

    Hope all is well!

    Dan

  • http://thedanplan.com dan

    Derek,

    Your spot on. It is shot by shot and I like using it so far, but am always looking for a better option.

    Thanks,

    Dan

  • http://thedanplan.com dan

    William,

    Sorry for not commenting for a while, I’m going to try and respond more now, it’s just been a very busy summer and sometimes the priorities get switched around due to time constraints.

    Will be more on top of it from here on out.

    Cheers

    Dan

  • http://thedanplan.com dan

    Hi Mike,

    Thank you! Yes, hikes and the woods are where I always have my best realizations. Heading out the door for an overnight camping trip tonight, will keep the mind open and see what happens.

    I appreciate it,

    Dan

  • Keith Morrison

    Hi Dan
    I didn’t guess the number of shots, but I would buy a dozen Dan Plan balls, if you are selling them.

    Best of luck
    Keith

  • http://thedanplan.com dan

    Hi Keith,

    I do have them, want to email me at dan@thedanplan and we can figure out a way to get you some balls?

    Cheers,

    Dan