Let me explain. Golfers who fight against “coming over the top” to combat a slice are probably letting the real villain (an open clubface) slip away.  Or golfers who battle their knee dip through impact might be missing the fact that lack of width in their swing is the bad guy.  In both cases, the compensation is currently helping them, and vilifying it would make things a whole lot worse.

However, when you truly interrogate the title question, you can start to look at the chain of events in your golf shots more objectively. Somewhere along this chain is a point which most influences whether a good shot or a bad shot will happen.  The source might be within the swing or earlier: setup, concentration, or clarity of task for example.  

Good coaching can help make you aware of things that might have escaped your attention, but it is strongly in your interests that you are not spoon-fed solutions, if you want even a shred of independence and resilience on the course. When you are practising and playing you can start to build a much sharper sense of cause and effect.  By hitting balls free from swing thoughts and judgement, you’ll be surprised what things begin to pop up on your radar, allowing you to sense the distinctions between good and bad shots more keenly.