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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.

“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.”