Arnold Palmer once said: "I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win."

Your mentality on the course is crucial to your success. When the odds seem against the average golfer, generally, the tendency is to fall apart. A few bad holes can be the start of a disastrous round... that is why it is important to maintain a positive mental attitude.

If you should find yourself racking up a double or triple bogey on a hole that you would normally par or birdie, there is definitely going to be some frustration inside of you. But in order to make up those strokes, you need to brush it off, and pretend like it never happened. Reflecting back on those bad shots is only going to drive you deeper into frustration, and will certainly effect the next few holes if you don't let it go.

Here are some golf swing tips to utilize if you find yourself "falling apart" in the middle of a round:

Make Club Adjustments During The Round After putting up a big number, take a deep breath, and analyze your scorecard to see if you are able to make up the strokes on the upcoming holes. If your driver isn't working on that particular day, but you've been "scorching" your 3 wood... keep the driver in the bag! Tee off with your 3 wood... or your 5 iron (or whatever club you've been hitting well that day). Hitting a solid shot off the tee will immediately put you in a positive frame of mind. You might not hit the ball as far off the tee blocks, but it's better than duck-hooking it out of bounds, or slicing it into the woods.

Analyze Your Form Another common reason for golfers falling apart, are the little "quirks" that sneak up on you during a round. Maybe you're pulling your head, or your feet are lined up entirely wrong. Perhaps you're swinging to fast, or not fast enough. Take a few moments during your practice swings to analyze your form from head to toe. If you're playing a "friendly round" with some buddies, ask them to watch your swing to see if they notice anything obviously wrong with your swing. They might be able to give you a quick tip that immediately corrects the problem. Here is an example:

Just recently, I was shanking evey single one of my chip shots to the green. I could not figure out what was going on, and was really beginning to get frustrated. I asked one of the gentleman that I was playing with if he noticed anything with my chip shots. He noticed that my hands were falling behind as I struck the ball. After that tip, I was right back on track! My frustration had gotten the best of me, and I wasn't relaxed enough to realize this simple adjustment to my swing.

Always Make A "Total Effort" Just as Arnold Palmer said, you should never feel like the odds are against you. If you can decipher what is "wrong" with your golf swing, you can easily make adjustments around that particular area. Like I said before, if your driver isn't working, you are going to feel hesitant about hitting it. This will put you in a negative frame of mind during your approach, and will certainly not help you hit the "skyrocket" you're hoping for. If your wedge isn't working on close chip shots... break out the 5/7 iron and start using "bump and runs" up to the green. They won't be as accurate, but at least you will be on the green, and not shanking the ball over/under the green (driving you deeper into frustration). If you have time to hit the driving range after your round, then that is the time to practice those "trouble clubs." You can take time out to try different techniques and swing mechanics where the stakes aren't nearly as high. Take it slow, and try to decipher what is going on with those particular clubs.

WARNING!

If you are continually hitting bad shots, it could be a case of fatigue setting in. Recently, I fell into a rut on the course, and eventually realized that I was physically exhausted due to excessive heat. The temperature was well into the upper 90's, and I was swinging extremely hard on my drives. After I realized this, I simply "took it easy", hitting my 3 wood off the tee, and using some easy irons to get to the green. It wasn't my best round, but I took note of what my body was telling me, and adjusted accordingly. Had I not done this, I'm certain that I would have had a horrible round (and would have probably come unglued!)

So there are a few golf swing tips that will surely get you going in the right direction if you are willing to make adjustments during the round. Pay attention to what is working for you that day, and exploit those strengths with the upcoming shots. Never quit trying, and try to stay in a positive mental state. If you can achieve this, you will have a lot more fun playing your round, and will certainly be able leave the frustration on the last hole.

Zac Cole is a successful Webmaster and publisher of http://www.breakthrough-golf-swing.com He provides many more golf swing tips and golf swing instruction methods on his website that you can research anytime (even if you're in your pajamas).