My Paper Tiger journey / 1 year full time golfer job starts Monday 7-1-19

[Krt22]

> @grantc79 said:

> > @Krt22 said:

> > Amazing, you talked down your nose to everyone, including a bunch of well educated elite players and actual instructors, all based on a single comment from an instructor you hadn't even had a lesson with yet.

> >

> > If you really do want to get better, I'd recommend doing a deeper dive into the golf swing. If you've been seeing the same instructor for 10 years and are still struggling to break 80 you might benefit from starting to educate yourself on the swing. Not only doing the drills, making changes, etc but understanding their intent and what flaw they aim to address.

> >

>

> I think you might have misunderstood what I posted. It was what I thought was confirmation from a second instructor that had me so sure of that path. I have coach #1 saying this is how to do it, I reached out to coach #2 and he said he was doing the same thing but he didn't know the full scope of how coach #1 was using it. Once understood the extent to which it was being used for the actual full swing (not just posture and putting) he completely disagreed with that philosophy.

>

 

>

 

No, I understood it loud and clear. All it took was a single bit of confirmation bias from a second source (albeit misunderstood on your part) for you to go off the deep end. You completely turned off your mind to any other notion and treated the alcatraz device and how you were using it like it was the Holy Grail for your game. You even tried your best to belittle just about everyone in here in defending it.

 

Golf is hard. Within the subset of golfers legitimately trying to improve there is a broad spectrum, at the far ends there are the folks who say screw all instructors, go find it in the dirt, instructors are just trying to keep you coming back. On the other end, there are the ones who think improvement without constant instruction is impossible and at times go off the deep end defending the "camp" they are in. I imagine the most successful one's reside somewhere in the middle, where they realize the value of good instructors but also become student's of the game. They start to learn not only what their flaws are, but how to recognize them when they reappear, how to fix them for the short and long term, how to leverage modern technology to their advantage, etc etc

 

Either way, good luck to you. You are going to need it if you flip flop so quickly.

 

 

[grantc79]

> @Krt22 said:

> No, I understood it loud and clear. All it took was a single bit of confirmation bias from a second source (albeit misunderstood on your part) for you to go off the deep end. You completely turned off your mind to any other notion and treated the alcatraz device and how you were using it like it was the Holy Grail for your game. You even tried your best to belittle just about everyone in here in defending it.

>

> Golf is hard. Within the subset of golfers legitimately trying to improve there is a broad spectrum, at the far ends there are the folks who say screw all instructors, go find it in the dirt, instructors are just trying to keep you coming back. On the other end, there are the ones who think improvement without constant instruction is impossible and at times go off the deep end defending the "camp" they are in. I imagine the most successful one's reside somewhere in the middle, where they realize the value of good instructors but also become student's of the game. They start to learn not only what their flaws are, but how to recognize them when they reappear, how to fix them for the short and long term, how to leverage modern technology to their advantage, etc etc

>

> Either way, good luck to you. You are going to need it if you flip flop so quickly.

>

>

 

So which is it? Do I flip flop too quickly or do I stick to my guns too much?

 

Paragraph 1 says I defended my point of view to the death (which I did) and shut out everyone else who said something otherwise.

Paragraph 2 I completely agree with for whatever its worth.

Paragraph 3 tells me not to flip flop I'm going to need good luck because I gave up my point of view.

 

For whatever its worth I'm glad the debate raged on here because it actually made me reach out to the other coach and 100% verify this is what he was teaching which is leading me down a much better path.

 

That said as a former basketball coach my biggest issue I had was athletes who listened to coach, then mom, dad, brother, sister, cousin joe, aunt sally, uncle jessie and on down the list each of which had a different opinion.

 

Pardon me if I stuck to my guns with a local coach that I can spend 1 on 1 time with as opposed to seeking swing training on Golfwrx. If you polled 100 people on Golfwrx on a golf swing you'd have 100 different answers none of which coming highly competent local people with all the latest tech and high speed cameras.

[Krt22]

Both! Which is why I said good luck. To be that entrenched and then flip flop so quickly tells me you are pretty lost as to what is really going on with your swing, making your goal of getting to scratch pretty lofty and thus requiring well wishes.

 

You also continue to discount the wealth of knowledge here on Golfwrx, given that I really don't understand why you are posting here in the first place. There is a ton of information here, some great, some terrible, but the more you actually digest versus immediately write-off, the better you are able to discern what works for most good players and see how that applies to you and your game.

[JeffreySpicoli]

> @Krt22 said:

> Both! Which is why I said good luck. To be that entrenched and then flip flop so quickly tells me you are pretty lost as to what is really going on with your swing, making your goal of getting to scratch pretty lofty and thus requiring well wishes.

>

> You also continue to discount the wealth of knowledge here on Golfwrx, given that I really don't understand why you are posting here in the first place. There is a ton of information here, some great, some terrible, but the more you actually digest versus immediately write-off, the better you are able to discern what works for most good players and see how that applies to you and your game.

 

Grant isn’t here for advice. He’s here to brag. He sees himself as superior and he’s looking for us to feed his ego. It’s that simple.

[PowderedToastMan]

To be fair to Grant, he’s shown that he can exercise trust in whomever is instructing him. He’s clearly a dedicated student and is willing to exercise trust. That’s the kind of person you want to coach. He makes a great point about players who accept help from an endless circle of people. It gets confusing. I’ve taught many golfers who make great progress and then totally back up because they started trying something their friend told them. It almost always halts progress because it takes the player out of their plan.

 

I’m kind of the opposite. I love hearing as many ideas about the swing as possible, but when it comes to my swing, I only really trust myself. I’m the guy that just flat out says “no” or “that won’t work” if something is suggested to me. I trusted someone once to overhaul my swing (I was a 16 year old scratch golfer and ball-striking was my strength). There’s no way in hell I’m letting someone change my swing unless it makes total sense to me. No more leaps of faith when it comes to my golf swing.

 

A combination of a great student and someone who doesn’t just do whatever is suggested is the player that gets really good and succeeds.

[ebrasmus21]

OP - unfortunately I think you demoralized some of the posters that actually know what they are talking about (PTM and Richard being two examples) from helping you because they can only bang their collective heads against the wall for so long. Those are the type of guys you can actually learn from and argue/debate with. They are also selective in that they don’t post in every thread but you had them both in your own thread trying to help you out.

 

There are other notable and respected instructors that have avoided this thread like the plague which you likely could have otherwise learned from.

 

If you honestly want to improve and if you want to continue your thread it’ll go a long way to be more open to healthy disagreement and constructive criticisms. It’s nuanced because sometimes people do troll and others, while well intentioned, don’t know what their talking about. Anyways, just some food for thought.

 

Golf is a great and difficult game, I hope you make it to 0.0

[DLev45]

delete

[JeffreySpicoli]

> @PowderedToastMan said:

> To be fair to Grant, he’s shown that he can exercise trust in whomever is instructing him. He’s clearly a dedicated student and is willing to exercise trust. That’s the kind of person you want to coach. He makes a great point about players who accept help from an endless circle of people. It gets confusing. I’ve taught many golfers who make great progress and then totally back up because they started trying something their friend told them. It almost always halts progress because it takes the player out of their plan.

>

> I’m kind of the opposite. I love hearing as many ideas about the swing as possible, but when it comes to my swing, I only really trust myself. I’m the guy that just flat out says “no” or “that won’t work” if something is suggested to me. I trusted someone once to overhaul my swing (I was a 16 year old scratch golfer and ball-striking was my strength). There’s no way in **** I’m letting someone change my swing unless it makes total sense to me. No more leaps of faith when it comes to my golf swing.

>

> A combination of a great student and someone who doesn’t just do whatever is suggested is the player that gets really good and succeeds.

 

One can “stand on their own two feet,” as Emerson put it, with humility. But much of this thread was Grant telling others how stupid and uneducated he believes they are.

 

The rub was much more style than position.

[Krt22]

Agree with you there PTM, its a fine line of knowing yourself/your swing and knowing when to trust a well qualified instructor. There are a few folks who can excel on the far ends of the spectrum, but I am guessing for most folks the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle (such as with all things in life)

[ebrasmus21]

I must have been drafting my post while PTM was drafting his. Glad to see you’re still willing to post in this thread.

[toc]

> @Krt22 said:

>

> You also continue to discount the wealth of knowledge here on Golfwrx, given that** I really don't understand why you are posting here in the first place. ** There is a ton of information here, some great, some terrible, but the more you actually digest versus immediately write-off, the better you are able to discern what works for most good players and see how that applies to you and your game.

 

annnnnnnd we are at the root of things now

[grantc79]

> @PowderedToastMan said:

> To be fair to Grant, he’s shown that he can exercise trust in whomever is instructing him. He’s clearly a dedicated student and is willing to exercise trust. That’s the kind of person you want to coach. He makes a great point about players who accept help from an endless circle of people. It gets confusing. I’ve taught many golfers who make great progress and then totally back up because they started trying something their friend told them. It almost always halts progress because it takes the player out of their plan.

>

> I’m kind of the opposite. I love hearing as many ideas about the swing as possible, but when it comes to my swing, I only really trust myself. I’m the guy that just flat out says “no” or “that won’t work” if something is suggested to me. I trusted someone once to overhaul my swing (I was a 16 year old scratch golfer and ball-striking was my strength). There’s no way in **** I’m letting someone change my swing unless it makes total sense to me. No more leaps of faith when it comes to my golf swing.

>

> A combination of a great student and someone who doesn’t just do whatever is suggested is the player that gets really good and succeeds.

 

THANK YOU.

 

This is why in the original post I didn't post videos of my swing and didn't seek swing advice. The reason is everyone will have their own opinion and no offense to anyone here even if you are right if I can't spend 1 on 1 time with you with technology and cameras to back it up then I can't trust what you are telling me.

 

Ever heard the saying if you got two quarterbacks you got none? I feel the same about swing coaches. I had only seen 1 guy since I picked up the game 10 years ago.

 

I eventually caved and posted videos which everyone dissected then had to know what I'm working on and when I shared that it was just a huge s*** show. Now in the end once again I'm glad I did because that criticism gave me doubts and made me seek out more information from others whom I trust and that has led me down what I would consider a better path.

 

I was being fed the "this is the way to perfect your swing and score better" line which I bought. The turning point for me was that if my swing is decent for now and I'm struggling with short game and mental game I don't need to spend a thousand hours on the perfect swing. I've seen some horrible swing with great short games do well. I've never seen a perfect swing and horrible short game do well.

 

I wanted practice advice, short game advice, course management advice. If you read back through the thread I have been very open and appreciative every time someone offered that.

 

 

[grantc79]

> @ebrasmus21 said:

> OP - unfortunately I think you demoralized some of the posters that actually know what they are talking about (PTM and Richard being two examples) from helping you because they can only bang their collective heads against the wall for so long. Those are the type of guys you can actually learn from and argue/debate with. They are also selective in that they don’t post in every thread but you had them both in your own thread trying to help you out.

>

> There are other notable and respected instructors that have avoided this thread like the plague which you likely could have otherwise learned from.

>

> If you honestly want to improve and if you want to continue your thread it’ll go a long way to be more open to healthy disagreement and constructive criticisms. It’s nuanced because sometimes people do troll and others, while well intentioned, don’t know what their talking about. Anyways, just some food for thought.

>

> Golf is a great and difficult game, I hope you make it to 0.0

 

Understandable, and don't disagree and it worked out because the criticism got me on the better path....

 

That said, look at my post count vs. all of yours and I average 45 posts per year INCLUDING this damn thread which is now probably 10% of my all time posts.

 

**_I have no idea who on here is a legit golf coach and who isn't. _**All I know is I have dozens of people demanding to see my swing (which I was trying to avoid for obvious reasons) and what I'm working on and give me unsolicited advice one of which is named after a guy from the Ren and Stimpy show. How serious am I supposed to take that?

 

If Tiger Woods gives you a tip on the range you listen. If SaltyNutz2019 gives you a tip on the internet I think have the right to say no thanks.

 

People came across here as the internet version of a driving range instructor/hero who demanded I take lessons. How was I expected to react?

 

I am REALLY good at coaching basketball specifically shooting. If I approach a random guy in the gym and demand he let me fix his jump shot and he tells me to piss off and I refuse to who's the a**? Should I blame him if he gets confrontational and belligerent?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Krt22]

The only person that could be considered confrontational/belligerent in this thread, was you. And soliciting a random person in public and posting publicly on a golf _INSTRUCTION_ forum, where you solicited for advice, are two different things.

 

A simple "You know what, I was wrong, thanks for trying to keep me from going down a dark path" would suffice here.

[grantc79]

deleted

[PowderedToastMan]

> @grantc79 said:

> > @ebrasmus21 said:

> > OP - unfortunately I think you demoralized some of the posters that actually know what they are talking about (PTM and Richard being two examples) from helping you because they can only bang their collective heads against the wall for so long. Those are the type of guys you can actually learn from and argue/debate with. They are also selective in that they don’t post in every thread but you had them both in your own thread trying to help you out.

> >

> > There are other notable and respected instructors that have avoided this thread like the plague which you likely could have otherwise learned from.

> >

> > If you honestly want to improve and if you want to continue your thread it’ll go a long way to be more open to healthy disagreement and constructive criticisms. It’s nuanced because sometimes people do troll and others, while well intentioned, don’t know what their talking about. Anyways, just some food for thought.

> >

> > Golf is a great and difficult game, I hope you make it to 0.0

>

> Understandable, and don't disagree and it worked out because the criticism got me on the better path....

>

> That said, look at my post count vs. all of yours and I average 45 posts per year INCLUDING this **** thread which is now probably 10% of my all time posts.

>

> **_I have no idea who on here is a legit golf coach and who isn't. _**All I know is I have dozens of people demanding to see my swing (which I was trying to avoid for obvious reasons) and what I'm working on and give me unsolicited advice one of which is named after a guy from the Ren and Stimpy show. How serious am I supposed to take that?

>

> If Tiger Woods gives you a tip on the range you listen. If SaltyNutz2019 gives you a tip on the internet I think have the right to say no thanks.

>

> People came across here as the internet version of a driving range instructor/hero who demanded I take lessons. How was I expected to react?

>

> I am REALLY good at coaching basketball specifically shooting. If I approach a random guy in the gym and demand he let me fix his jump shot and he tells me to **** off and I refuse to who's the ****? Should I blame him if he gets confrontational and belligerent?

>

>

>

>

>

>

Read the above response from krt22. You solicited advice. I personally never asked for a swing video, and only gave advice on practicing, not swing technique, which you thanked me for.

 

I only started debating swing theory with you when you started posting about it. Frankly I knew what you were working on was going to make your particular swing habits worse. I only started really getting punchy with you when you started arguing that you were scientifically correct, among other things, like Snead being irrelevant. You were being controversial and saying questionable things.

 

By the way, when you saw my name was PowderedToastMan, that should have given me instant credibility.

 

 

[grantc79]

> @PowderedToastMan said:

> Read the above response from krt22. You solicited advice. I personally never asked for a swing video, and only gave advice on practicing, not swing technique, which you thanked me for.

>

> I only started debating swing theory with you when you started posting about it. Frankly I knew what you were working on was going to make your particular swing habits worse. I only started really getting punchy with you when you started arguing that you were scientifically correct, among other things, like Snead being irrelevant. You were being controversial and saying questionable things.

>

> By the way, when you saw my name was PowderedToastMan, that should have given me instant credibility.

>

 

I hear ya, I only started posted it because basically everyone was demanding it which on the one hand I probably should have ignored but on the other hand it worked out for the best eventually.

 

Also Haggis McHaggis is an obvious golfer name. Powered Toast Man not so much. Disagreeing with this is scientifically and linguistically incorrect.

 

 

[MountainGoat]

> @PowderedToastMan said:

> > @grantc79 said:

> > > @ebrasmus21 said:

> > > OP - unfortunately I think you demoralized some of the posters that actually know what they are talking about (PTM and Richard being two examples) from helping you because they can only bang their collective heads against the wall for so long. Those are the type of guys you can actually learn from and argue/debate with. They are also selective in that they don’t post in every thread but you had them both in your own thread trying to help you out.

> > >

> > > There are other notable and respected instructors that have avoided this thread like the plague which you likely could have otherwise learned from.

> > >

> > > If you honestly want to improve and if you want to continue your thread it’ll go a long way to be more open to healthy disagreement and constructive criticisms. It’s nuanced because sometimes people do troll and others, while well intentioned, don’t know what their talking about. Anyways, just some food for thought.

> > >

> > > Golf is a great and difficult game, I hope you make it to 0.0

> >

> > Understandable, and don't disagree and it worked out because the criticism got me on the better path....

> >

> > That said, look at my post count vs. all of yours and I average 45 posts per year INCLUDING this **** thread which is now probably 10% of my all time posts.

> >

> > **_I have no idea who on here is a legit golf coach and who isn't. _**All I know is I have dozens of people demanding to see my swing (which I was trying to avoid for obvious reasons) and what I'm working on and give me unsolicited advice one of which is named after a guy from the Ren and Stimpy show. How serious am I supposed to take that?

> >

> > If Tiger Woods gives you a tip on the range you listen. If SaltyNutz2019 gives you a tip on the internet I think have the right to say no thanks.

> >

> > People came across here as the internet version of a driving range instructor/hero who demanded I take lessons. How was I expected to react?

> >

> > I am REALLY good at coaching basketball specifically shooting. If I approach a random guy in the gym and demand he let me fix his jump shot and he tells me to **** off and I refuse to who's the ****? Should I blame him if he gets confrontational and belligerent?

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> Read the above response from krt22. You solicited advice. I personally never asked for a swing video, and only gave advice on practicing, not swing technique, which you thanked me for.

>

> I only started debating swing theory with you when you started posting about it. Frankly I knew what you were working on was going to make your particular swing habits worse. I only started really getting punchy with you when you started arguing that you were scientifically correct, among other things, like Snead being irrelevant. You were being controversial and saying questionable things.

>

> By the way, when you saw my name was PowderedToastMan, that should have given me instant credibility.

>

>

He's TOAST-A-RIFIC!

[grantc79]

 

[j-rob]

Don’t tell me about all of the contractions, show me the baby!! Have you shot under par yet?

[ebrasmus21]

> @PowderedToastMan said:

> > @grantc79 said:

> > > @ebrasmus21 said:

> > > OP - unfortunately I think you demoralized some of the posters that actually know what they are talking about (PTM and Richard being two examples) from helping you because they can only bang their collective heads against the wall for so long. Those are the type of guys you can actually learn from and argue/debate with. They are also selective in that they don’t post in every thread but you had them both in your own thread trying to help you out.

> > >

> > > There are other notable and respected instructors that have avoided this thread like the plague which you likely could have otherwise learned from.

> > >

> > > If you honestly want to improve and if you want to continue your thread it’ll go a long way to be more open to healthy disagreement and constructive criticisms. It’s nuanced because sometimes people do troll and others, while well intentioned, don’t know what their talking about. Anyways, just some food for thought.

> > >

> > > Golf is a great and difficult game, I hope you make it to 0.0

> >

> > Understandable, and don't disagree and it worked out because the criticism got me on the better path....

> >

> > That said, look at my post count vs. all of yours and I average 45 posts per year INCLUDING this **** thread which is now probably 10% of my all time posts.

> >

> > **_I have no idea who on here is a legit golf coach and who isn't. _**All I know is I have dozens of people demanding to see my swing (which I was trying to avoid for obvious reasons) and what I'm working on and give me unsolicited advice one of which is named after a guy from the Ren and Stimpy show. How serious am I supposed to take that?

> >

> > If Tiger Woods gives you a tip on the range you listen. If SaltyNutz2019 gives you a tip on the internet I think have the right to say no thanks.

> >

> > People came across here as the internet version of a driving range instructor/hero who demanded I take lessons. How was I expected to react?

> >

> > I am REALLY good at coaching basketball specifically shooting. If I approach a random guy in the gym and demand he let me fix his jump shot and he tells me to **** off and I refuse to who's the ****? Should I blame him if he gets confrontational and belligerent?

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> Read the above response from krt22. You solicited advice. I personally never asked for a swing video, and only gave advice on practicing, not swing technique, which you thanked me for.

>

> I only started debating swing theory with you when you started posting about it. Frankly I knew what you were working on was going to make your particular swing habits worse. I only started really getting punchy with you when you started arguing that you were scientifically correct, among other things, like Snead being irrelevant. You were being controversial and saying questionable things.

>

> By the way, when you saw my name was PowderedToastMan, that should have given me instant credibility.

>

>

 

I was going to make a post yesterday saying that PowderedToastMan is the worlds greatest handle name for a Canadian on an online forum. Not many guys can say that.

[ebrasmus21]

> @grantc79 said:

> > @PowderedToastMan said:

> > Read the above response from krt22. You solicited advice. I personally never asked for a swing video, and only gave advice on practicing, not swing technique, which you thanked me for.

> >

> > I only started debating swing theory with you when you started posting about it. Frankly I knew what you were working on was going to make your particular swing habits worse. I only started really getting punchy with you when you started arguing that you were scientifically correct, among other things, like Snead being irrelevant. You were being controversial and saying questionable things.

> >

> > By the way, when you saw my name was PowderedToastMan, that should have given me instant credibility.

> >

>

> I hear ya, I only started posted it because basically everyone was demanding it which on the one hand I probably should have ignored but on the other hand it worked out for the best eventually.

>

> Also Haggis McHaggis is an obvious golfer name. Powered Toast Man not so much. Disagreeing with this is scientifically and linguistically incorrect.

>

>

 

You made your OP on a public golf instruction forum. I’m not sure what you were or are expecting.

[ebrasmus21]

All of us to Grant right now:

 

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/895/093/9a9.gif

 

[nfmoto]

Grant,

You should be thanking a few people in this thread for saving your back.

 

In all seriousness, despite the bluster, I wish you the best in your journey. Most people here (especially in the instruction forum) are trying to help, and it's a good thing to remember. It's not often someone in this forum offers bad advice without being immediately rebuked by top coaches/experts who know exactly what they are talking about.

[DFinch]

I think you being a really good shooting coach creates an important comparison about how this developed. If you were on a basketball forum and someone started a thread about wanting to become a world class shooter, and posted what their shooting coach had them working on, and it was something that not only went against everything you know about shooting but also was something that was likely to cause injury...well I hope you'd say something. If that person then started arguing with you with incorrect scientific arguments about why what they were doing was right, I think you'd get pretty frustrated.

 

This whole discussion and your willingness to eventually question what you were being taught has, without a doubt, saved you from injury.

 

[Krt22]

Basketball forum? Give me break. How am I supposed to know if those guys are rec league hacks or get beat by 13 year olds in horse? I've been shooting hoops for 20 years and play with the captain of the 1995 SHHS state championship team, I'm good to go.

[jpdx]

Grant, FWIW - I didn't dig into your profile to find out how long you've been here or how much you've posted. I don't know if you're a long time reader and just started posting. I can tell you that there are those here *I* would listen to should I decide to post some videos or ask for instructions. There are some posting here that, from reading for a few years now, I would certainly take advice from. They have a great rep here and certainly have shown over the years I’ve been here, shown that they indeed know what they’re talking about.

[milesgiles]

> @grantc79 said:

 

> Pardon me if I stuck to my guns with a local coach that I can spend 1 on 1 time with as opposed to seeking swing training on Golfwrx. If you polled 100 people on Golfwrx on a golf swing you'd have 100 different answers none of which coming highly competent local people with all the latest tech and high speed cameras.

 

 

Ironically though, everyone, teaching pro or not, had exactly the same thing to say about the road you were on.

 

Happened to me on here recently, I posted my swing and there was a consensus about what I needed to do. I like to play the odds. Odds are, the coach you were with hasn’t reinvented the golf swing.

 

 

[milesgiles]

> @grantc79 said:

 

> As far as your second point, I hear you but honestly that's where I feel like I've been bogged down forever. I don't wanna analyze my swing to death I've done that ever since I started playing golf and its lead to almost ZERO putting, scoring, and short game practice while I focused intently on the swing. Meanwhile, I'll hit it good but players who don't hit it as well as me make putts, get up and down, and out score me.

>

> I have focused so much on technical stuff I have no feel.

>

 

I feel this is a waste of breath but here goes..

What you posted is not likely to ever be near a scratch swing. It looks like a guy trying to thrash an 8 iron as hard as possible to get a trackman number, not someone trying to get it near the flag. Poor mental game, strategy, putting, mindset.. yes I’m sure some of that is true. But if you think fixing any or all of that is going to get you hitting 13-14 greens, where you need to be.. nope.

 

Honestly I think trackman is pretty useless until you are at least a 2-3 handicap. It’s fun, definitely, and if it gets you practising more I see the value. You’re a couple of weeks in now, how much have you actually played/practised?

 

[Nard_S]

I find the whole endeavor frivolous. A dedicated year to close the deal on an amateur invite to the US Open, yeah, maybe okay. A year of life to get to scratch? No way, no matter how in order the rest of your reality is. I say this as someone who's goal is to be sub 5 someday and spends lots of time working towards it. It's outsized & plain silly, and should be re-evaluated, asap.