10,000 HOURS

As a golf fan, and one who is struggling to obtain a single digit handicap, I recently picked up a book about Tiger Woods. It’s a biography of one of the greatest athletes in the world, but it’s also a book containing interesting insights into what it takes to get to become “elite” at any endeavor. One of those insights was about the 10,000-hour rule.

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the 10,000-hour rule, but it refers to how long it typically takes to become an expert at something. Whether your desire is to become a concert level pianist, a major league ballplayer, or a scratch golfer, it takes time, lots of time… and lots of practice. But the concept isn’t just about putting in the time and constantly practicing, it’s about “deliberate practice”, which is defined as purposeful, focused, and uncomfortable.

That definition caught my attention, especially the “uncomfortable” part. Too many times I have found myself practicing a sport in mindless fashion, just putting in the time and going through the motions. That isn’t practicing, that’s wasting time. And looking back I can see why I wasn’t making progress. Deliberate practice is where you make a plan, set specific goals, and stay intensely focused at all times, which can be mentally exhausting. Hence, the uncomfortable part. Kind of like, no pain no gain.

In the book about Tiger Woods, it mentions how it takes most people 15-20 years to get to the 10,000-hour mark. However, and this is most likely due to his obsessive father, Tiger had already put in 10,0000 hours of deliberate practice by the time he was 12 years old. That explains a lot about how Tiger became one of the greatest golfers of all time. It might also explain why Tiger had so much trouble with the rest of his life.

And that got me thinking… I want to become a better golfer, but it’s more important to me to become a better man. So before I head out to the practice range, I think I will deliberately take time to kiss my wife, text my kids to tell them I love them, and call my sister who is in the hospital. Hopefully, between now and dead, I can reach my goal of 10,000 hours of deliberate practice in both golf… and life!

If you watch a game, it’s fun; if you play it, it’s recreation; if you work at it, it’s golf. 

 ~ Anonymous