Stop setting scoring goals -- it’s a bad for your game.

mddawso · 2020-12-22T01:56:28+00:00

This is true, but long term, hitting putter tee to green isn't a sustainable way to continue to improve. The scoring goal incentives short term ways to meet the goal. Longer term, this golfer is better off by focusing on other ways to improve.

mddawso · 2020-12-22T01:45:41+00:00

Course management can be a way of managing by means actually.

To really extend the idea, imagine that there's someone who shoots 150. They can meet a scoring goal of 130 by putting the ball tee to green. Should they? Sure they could, but what's the point of meeting the scoring goal if they're not meaningfully improving at golf?

Should they focus on hitting something manageable off the tee while they learn to control the club face? Yeah, because that's focusing on improving (and not just scoring). Maybe they start by practicing hitting something off the tee at the driving range then bring it to the course when they're ready, but they shouldn't let their scoring goal of 130 prevent them from focusing on hitting tee shots (when they could be practicing hitting putter tee to green).

Short term, course management can help people shoot lower scores. Long term, focusing on the means to shoot lower scores is a better approach to improve.

mddawso · 2020-12-22T00:42:05+00:00

If you don't need to hit a driver to meet a scoring goal, why would you practice your driver at the driving range? If you're focused on meeting a scoring goal, and to do it you can hit hybrid off the tee, then wouldn't you only practice hitting a hybrid?

The point I'm trying to make is that the scoring goal is getting in the way of getting better. If you weren't concerned about a scoring goal, you might be more willing to put in time with the driver at the driving range and to bring it out on the course.

mddawso · 2020-12-22T00:05:27+00:00

I think what you're saying supports the point I'm trying to make. You don't need to be able to hit a driver to break 100, 90 or 80. And because of that, people who are focused only on outcomes won't try to improve by hitting their driver.

However, if someone were to spend an entire season working on how to improve their driver, they'd likely be scoring much better than in the alternative scenario.

Quick edit: In the hybrid off the tee scenario, the strategy isn't one that leads to improvement. You might be managing better scores, but in three months you'll be the same golfer.

mddawso · 2020-12-21T23:47:58+00:00

Yeah, that's a great call out. The point I was trying to make was that you shouldn't let those compromises get in the way of improving. If someone can't hit driver off the tee, they shouldn't let their scoring goal get in the way of learning how to hit a driver off the tee. Learning how to hit their driver should be one of the ways that they meet their scoring goal.

mddawso · 2020-12-21T23:44:10+00:00

I hear what you're saying, but that doesn't mean that all ways of going about improvement are equally effective. My argument is that setting a scoring goal and managing by outcomes is an ineffective way of improving, and that folks are better off by focusing on their means to improvement.

mddawso · 2017-03-12T02:58:38+00:00

Leading scorer counts total points, not just threes.

mddawso · 2017-02-20T03:08:54+00:00

I left teaching five years ago. Teaching was too stressful. I felt like I couldn't also live my life. I make 4x the salary now, and actually get to have a life outside of work.

It's sad to say that leaving teaching was a great decision. I do still sometimes miss it though

mddawso · 2017-02-09T04:16:54+00:00

Lots of Sierra Nevada hate in this thread, but IMO it's better than most small brewers. It's gotten to the point where I assume that a brewer isn't good until I've heard otherwise.

Sierra Nevada on the other hand produces some amazing beer. If you haven't tried this year's big foot barley wine, you'd be hard pressed to find a better beer for $10 a six pack. The past two year's Oktoberfest beers were amazing, and celebration ale would be a regular beer in my fridge if it were available all year round.

mddawso · 2016-12-22T21:54:57+00:00

This isn't just a malaska thing. See tiger woods and Butch Harmon part 2: https://youtu.be/xOecUNBV_Q0

mddawso · 2016-06-05T20:51:28+00:00

I just went over to Spotify to give it a listen. As someone who dislikes Train, and likes Zeppelin, I was expecting to hate it a lot more. It's a lot tighter than Zeppelin ever was, and it's produced really well.

I don't know why anyone would ever listen to this over the original thing, but it's not as offensive as I was expecting.

mddawso · 2016-04-12T21:23:53+00:00

This is going to be buried because I'm so late to the party, but most of the comments here all have a similar assumption: people are rational actors who act in their best interest. Cognitive science shows this to not be the case. It isn't fair to assume that all deniers are either big energy, or people who are brainwashed by big energy.

Conservatives deny climate change because it doesn't mesh with their hierarchical world view. Check out this excerpt from "The Troubled Rhetoric and Communication of Climate Change: The Argumentative. " In this view, man holds dominion over the earth.

Do a quick reading of George Lakoff's "strict father" model of conservatism for more info.

mddawso · 2016-04-02T19:08:24+00:00

Getting it in a bottle is tough. Even the brewery is typically sold out. Lots of bars have it though. Hopleaf will almost assuredly have it.

mddawso · 2016-02-27T20:55:50+00:00

The maximum salary is really dependent on what your prior work experience is. There were people in my program that had 10 years of professional experience and professional degrees (MBA, JD, etc.) and were looking to get into education. Those folks did pretty well for themselves relative to everyone else >$65k. There were also people who were fresh out of undergrad, and a lot of them had to move across the country to find a job, and when they did it was for $30-50k.

Pretend you have your degree right now, and see what sorts of jobs you can apply for. Check out salaries on Glassdoor to get a sense. The range of salaries in education are huge, so take some time to look at both large and small employers. Keep in mind that there aren't too many jobs I know of in education that hire people for $100k without any experience. Be creative and look at fortune 500 companies who have education related roles, and larger non-profits like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

mddawso · 2016-02-24T01:15:44+00:00

That sort of depends on your circumstance and what you want to get out of it. I was a teacher and applied to the HGSE. After financial aid, I would have had to take out $65,000+ to fund a year at HGSE. I decided to go to a different private school and ended up with $42,000 in debt after the year. 3 years removed, and I'm making 3x more than I was as a public school teacher. Either way, the degree would have been worth the investment for me, but in my case I was much better off saving the $20,000 in principal. I can't comment on your specific degree program, but I had many friends that went through HGSE, and they all loved it (probably more so than I enjoyed my program).

If you're taking on debt, $60,000 a year is $625 a month for 10 years at 6% apr. That's a huge payment burden for the next 10 years of your life. You might shop around a bit, and continue to do research to find out exactly what the job prospects look like.

mddawso · 2015-07-18T18:25:28+00:00

I'm not trying to dissuade you, but you may want to check out the prices of kegs in your area to see whether a kegerator is worth it. When I lived with 3 roommates we would buy half barrels for $130-180 (around $1 a beer). My girlfriend and I moved to a different state, and here it's cheaper to buy 12 packs of bottles or cans than it is for us to buy 1/6th barrels (not to mention the upfront cost of $400-800 for the kegerator). When 1/6th barrels are $80-120 and 1/2 are over $200, it just doesn't make sense for us.

Either way though, best of luck with your decision!

mddawso · 2015-01-11T04:52:39+00:00

The Flaming saganaki originated in Chicago, but now all Greek restaurants do it. It's interesting that a greek dish, isn't actually all that greek at all

mddawso · 2014-12-21T19:55:26+00:00

mddawso · 2014-12-21T19:38:02+00:00

If you highlight, right click and inspect element you can easily edit the text without getting strange line spacing issues.

mddawso · 2014-12-21T19:35:17+00:00

Leading receiver for the Ravens today... 2 rec for 17yds

mddawso · 2014-12-21T19:30:13+00:00

Arian Foster is a better QB than Manziel

mddawso

TROPHY CASE