Phil Mickelson, one of the world's best golfers, just canned his swing coach (one of the best in the world) for another swing coach (one of the best in the world) in order to get his swing where he wants it. Me, I try to make changes in the middle of a round by myself. No high speed video, no professional analysis, no custom fitting - nothing. Can you imagine having Butch Harmon or, god forbid, Rick Smith watching you for even an hour and how much that would help? And having one of the best wasn't good enough for Phil. So how do we have a freakin prayer? Actually, that's about all we have when we go it alone.

That said, maybe the most enjoyable moment we get on the course is making an adjustment that works. Getting a brief glimpse at the mechanics of our very own swing gives us hope that we are about to unlock the mysteries of our golfdom. As mere mortals we are faced with countless reminders of why we're not getting paid to play and those discoveries are just so sweet. Sometimes, it's a revelation about your swing and sometimes it's just unblocking a mental block and sometimes one of those moments leads to something like when you unclog a toilet. That one success just leads into another and then another with a giant whoosh. And sometimes we're not able to repeat the corrective move or just forget it altogether by the next round or even swing. But maybe that's what it's supposed to be like. Don't you gloat just a little whenever you find a ball you thought was lost - thinking that a pro's shot would have bounced of a fan and stayed in play or a fore caddie would have found it while the pro strolled (and you can't really stroll when you're pushing a cart) leisurely up the fairway without a worry? Or how about when there's no yardage marker anywhere near your ball so you eyeball the distance, pull the right club, and pure it? How can that not be better than having all the data given to you and knowing within a yard which clubs go how far?

I had a couple of those moments at Spring Meadows last week. Over the winter I decided to all but scrap the shock and awe draw I've been playing for the last 20 years and focus on developing a more consistent and gentlemanly fade. That's a fairly huge change and going it alone has clearly made it more difficult but the results have been promising.

I track most of my results online and can tell you which holes I have birdied over the past 4 years and, more importantly, which ones I haven't. After logging nearly 70 rounds at Spring Meadows I had birdied all but 2 holes and I was at the point I was starting to think about that when I was on those 2 tees and even more when I was standing over those rare birdie putts. The holes are #11 and #17 - two tough and usually into the wind par 4's. They are not the hardest holes on the course but I guess that doesn't matter.

On 17, which favors the draw, I fought the urge and played the big fade. The distance wasn't impressive but I was in the fairway. With a 2 club wind in my face I hammered my 21 degree hybrid onto the green but the putt was at least 20 feet and no thoughts of birdie were in my head. The putt stopped right on the lip and Neffa and I both groaned (this is when I thought about birdie) but as I walked to the hole a gust of wind nudged the ball in for a 3. Here's the interesting part. Next time I played it, I birdied it again. Who needs Butch?

Spring Meadows is in fantastic shape and remains one of the best bargains out there. Check their website (www.springmeadowsgolf.com) for some internet specials and you can walk this course for under $25 midweek mornings!

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