We've all been there. Got a solid round going, then, from out of nowhere, a series of bad shots. If you want to save your round, you'll need to make some “in-round repairs” to your swing.
Go Back to the Basics
Check your setup. Is everything pointed the right way? Feet, knees, hips and shoulders should all be square to the target line. Double-check your grip. Where is the ball positioned? Are you making a good turn with a proper weight shift? Are you swaying or bobbing up and down?
Recognize the Symptoms
After going through the basics, if you're hitting bad shots, recognize the symptoms. Thin shots are usually a result of too much body movement, either by swaying or bobbing up and down. Try to keep your spine angle fixed and turn around that axis. A great way avoid hitting thin shots is by making sure you take a divot.
Pulled shots can come from a number of things including poor alignment, poor swing path, overly strong grip, restricted turn, poor weight transfer, etc…
Your bad shots will usually have a pattern. Recognize what you're doing and use that knowledge to fix the problem.
If All Else Fails
One of my college golf coach's many sayings was “Upclub and play for the skank!” Translation: You know you're swinging bad so take more club in anticipation of the miss-hit.
While I wouldn't plan for a miss-hit, I would take more club and make a ¾ swing. You'll have a little less clubhead speed, so you'll impart less sidespin to the ball and your shots will be straighter. With the compact swing, you'll also hit more solid shots and hopefully get the ball around the course well enough to salvage a solid score on a day when you didn't bring your ‘A' game.
If you have swing issues, make a post in our User's Forum and we'll try to help you fix them. Alternatively, contact your local PGA professional for some one on one help with your game.
We've all been there. Got a solid round going, then, from out of nowhere, a series of bad shots. If you want to save your round, you'll need to make some “in-round repairs” to your swing.