Project 0: Between bereavement and training mania - on the brink of abandonment?

The difference between the impossible and the possible often only lies in a person's determination. But what happens when this determination is put to the test by personal crises and months of simulator winter?

In the third episode of Project 0, we see Lars Heuer at a turning point. The initial enthusiasm has given way to harsh reality. Four to five hours a day in dark simulator rooms, technical setbacks and the bitter realization that a professional team alone does not make a professional. When a serious personal stroke of fate brings the world to a standstill, the goal of handicap 0 suddenly becomes a distant prospect.

Project 0 episode 3: The road to becoming a scratch golfer is a rocky one

The mission: from handicap 20 to the golden zero

"Project 0" is the story of Lars Heuer, a 53-year-old former management consultant who made a radical decision in November 2024: he gave up his job to improve his golf handicap from $20.4 to the level of a scratch golfer (handicap 0) within a year.

This is no ordinary sports project: Lars is taking a financial risk and dedicating his life for 365 days to the dream of making the impossible possible. He trains up to 40 hours a week to achieve this. As he says himself: "I have decided to live my dream, with all the consequences."

Experts estimate the chances of achieving this goal as minimal - but Lars is prepared to go the full, holistic way, which goes beyond pure physical training and includes the areas of mental training, nutrition and regeneration.

Between lab data and life crisis

Technically speaking, the third phase of the project is a deep dive into the world of data. Project 0 would be inconceivable for Lars without the Trackman. It's all about the "Attack Angle", the "Swing Path" and correcting the "Inside Takeaway". But the biggest technical Achilles heel remains the transition - the moment of switching in the swing, where Lars often acts too quickly and loses control. While the training in the simulator fluctuates between light (rounds under Par) and shadow (inexplicable sockets), the first massive progress can be seen in Heinz Peter Thül's short game. Lars is particularly "fresh" when it comes to Putt - without having to laboriously train away old mistakes, he develops a scratch-level performance here.

But the biggest challenge in this episode is of a human nature. A dental operation, his own illness and the death of his mother-in-law drain Lars' energy for his project. In moments of numbness and thoughts of escape, he asks himself the existential question: "What am I actually doing here?" Dealing with unobjective criticism on social media also requires a resilience that Lars first has to rediscover during this phase. It is the instinct to fight that ultimately keeps him going. The realization: You can't escape from some things - you have to go through them in order to grow.

The foundation: professional support and Sky guidance

Success in this ambitious project is only possible as a team. Lars Heuer is supported by a first-class network of experts who work under professional conditions.

The renowned former professional golfer Florian Fritsch (head and swing coach) is responsible for the sporting management, while Heinz Peter Thül (former Germany's No. 2 behind Bernhard Langer) provides the expertise for the short game. The team is complemented by a putting expert, a home coach, a mental coach, a sports nutritionist and a medical contact point. "Project 0" will also be accompanied by a detailed video diary on YouTube.