Dan McLaughlin, a non-golfing photographer, is putting this hypothesis to the test.
I haven't read any Gladwell, but I do find Dan's experiment compelling. Personally, I believe that people too often attribute the rewards of hard work and discipline with uncommon talent and luck, -often as an excuse for their own shortcomings. Here, I am rooting for Dan, as he might dispel these obstacles for some.
I could't find a mention of it, but due to his clothing, this seems to be sponsored by Nike. Maybe not.
His 1-year blog post is worth reading: http://thedanplan.com/blog/?p=613
I think it's a great experiment Dan's doing, and if he can remain obsessed I think he'll do it. Being public about it is a good motivator, but that has its risks. (By the way, did I mention I'm teaching myself to sing right now? If you know me, you wouldn't believe I would even bother trying, but let's talk about 10000 hours...) What would you like to be an expert in? Six years is not such a big deal. As Dan writes, "Time has a way of getting away from us." Yes it does.