When is the worse time to make changes to your golf swing? Depending who you talk too, anytime will be the most popular answer. However, experience tells me that this answer is probably not the best for trying to play consistent golf. Over the years, I have tried to make changes during the middle of a round and rarely, and I mean rarely, has it work out in my favor. But does that really mean that making changes mid-round is a bad thing. What do you think?
Before you start lamenting and agreeing with me, let’s be honest; we have all tried to make changes during the middle of play due to frustration and poor ball contact. It is the curse of most amateur golfers. Not being patient enough to wait until their game comes around. I asked this very question and this is what you said:
As the poll went on, one other response caught my attention:
After some thought, this should have been my number one answer. I think of all the adjustments, I moved my ball position the most. I am not sure why I did not think of it first, but thanks to Padraig for showing me the errors of my ways. Michael Breed describes ball position as:
I am not sure I agree completely with Breed, but I remember making all these adjustments during a round or two in the past. Now, I purposely make changes forward and back to control my trajectory to make my shot, but not to try to fix a possible error in my swing. This is an important difference and one I think is the difference between intent and panic on the course.
It is important to make a change from time to time, but I do not think that the change should happen on the course. The practice range is our best friend when things are going sour and I avail myself of the cure as often as I can. So, the next time you are planning to change something during your round, I recommend you stay patient and wait. Your game will come back, I am sure of it!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
As amateurs we have a harder time recreating our best from day today. But we make changes shot to shot during every round. We open the stance, or close it. Open the face, or close it. Swing inside to out, or outside to in, or straight through the line. We move the ball forward or back in our stance. Those are all things we have to do to create the shot types we need to make. So making adjustments to correct a bad swing day does seem natural to attempt, but I agree, it seldom solves whatever the issue is that causes a bad day.
I do try and check my setup to see if I’m off, maybe widen my stance or more often close it up a bit and check whether my weight has shifted too far back in my feet. If those don’t work, I just assume I’m not going to fix it and go back to taking one shot at a time and taking my medicine and maybe try adding an extra practice swing or two to help with confidence. The same thing on the putting green. I tend to putt better with my feet closer together and my weight more on the heels than the wider stances and forward lean I see on tour. I check myself to see if I have it right. If that solves it great, if not, nothing else is likely to.
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Kevin
You articulated my view very well. There are constant, unintentional, adjustments we need to watch for during our swing set up and execution. Mpst of those, as you mentioned, has to donwith being an amateur.
Cheers Jim
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