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My friend Joe says he’s so intent on solving his game this winter he’s going to fly to Arizona with just a change of clothes tied to the end of a driver, and not return until he’s back hitting power draws off the tee.

Whether Joe’s boss or family is on board with this plan is another matter, but it still speaks to a question many of us ponder this time of year:

Does my swing need a simple fix? Or is it time to tear it all down?

The most famous swing overhaul in history is also the rarest kind: Tiger Woods had just won the 1997 Masters by 12 shots, and then decided he could get even better(!). This is not a calculation the average golfer can grasp. For most of us, it usually comes down to a broad range of factors—where your game is now and where you think it can go; your willingness to sacrifice short-term performance in the name of long-term improvement; and how much you’re able to commit to the process.

And if you happen to really suck at the moment, that might help you decide, too.

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“It’s usually the player who comes to me and says, ‘I am stuck. I’m so frustrated. I’m getting out-hit. I’m not scoring well,” said Joe Plecker, a Golf Digest Best in State teacher out of the Landings Club in Savannah, Ga. “That’s when we really become good observers and investigators of what needs to happen.”

As Plecker said, the big changes he pursues with a student tend to start with an adjustment to their grip, which is daunting enough in the heart of the season, most golfers opt for subtle improvements instead.

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When Woods and coach Butch Harmon decided to overhaul the young golfer’s swing, they decided they were willing to sacrifice short-term improvement.

Jamie Squire

Sometimes, however, it’s the only path forward. In the absence of a universal checklist, I asked Plecker if he could identify the most common reasons a player would consider a more elaborate swing change. He came back with three.

– You’ve lost considerable distance. “Meaning you had it once and now it’s gone—that would be a big sign,” he said.

– You no longer understand the way your swing works. Plecker says every player’s swing relies on core fundamentals he calls “unbreakables.” The moment a player loses sight of those, they need a reset.

– You can no longer compete. The familiar cycle of hitting it great on the range and less so on the course is one thing. But when the gap between the two continues to grow, Plecker said it’s time to examine the underlying problem.

You’ll notice all of these signs are relative to the player, and none have to do with winning the Masters by 12 strokes. When it’s time to talk big changes, Plecker says it’s important for the golfer to know what they’ll be trying to do, how long it will take, and what it will look like along the way. If he sounds like a doctor ahead of major surgery, it’s because, for most golfers, that’s exactly how it feels.

“I’m very clear with the start and the end of what I would ask them to do,” he said. “I try to never be vague.”

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com