The best orthopedic surgeons perform many procedures as they master the clinical learning curve, ideally for a single injury.

WSJ: The Weekend Interview with Leslie Michelson: Doctor to the 1% (and Maybe Someday to You)

If Boeing wants to hit its profitability target, and begin to make low single-digit margins by 2015, it will have to double its learning curve compared to production on the 777.

FORBES: Boeing Bleeding Cash As 787 Dreamliners Cost $200M But Sell For $116M, But Productivity Is Improving

With both the learning curve and team-bonding risks out of the way, such a team can focus single-mindedly on the task at hand.

FORBES: Avoiding Growth That Leaves You Broke (Part 3): Calculating the Odds of Successful Execution

But to my mind the single biggest barrier to golf is the fact that it is really hard and has a steep learning curve.

FORBES: Can Golf Be Saved By Capitalism?