One of my playing partners was not having a great day with the driver, and decided to adjust it mid-round. It is well known that this isn't allowed, but he said that he wasn't going to post the round anyway. I learned a lot of rules that were previously unknown to me in looking up the specifics of this.
To start off, intentionally altering a club during the round is a violation of Rule #4.1a, and the penalty is disqualification. But...
If an adjustable part of the club came loose, and you are restoring the club to its original configuration, then that is allowed. Similarly, you are allowed to replace a club that is damaged during the round (unless it was damaged by abuse).
If you start a round with fewer than 14 clubs, you can add one at any point.
Interestingly, you are not allowed to replace a lost club.
What if you were to alter the club at the turn? On occasion, when I have been playing poorly, I have changed tees at the turn, and then posted the round as two separate 9-hole scores. I thought this would be legit, but closer reading of the definition of "round" leads me to think that it would not be acceptable:
Round - 18 or fewer holes played in the order set by the Committee.
So if you had planned to play 9 holes, and then you play 9 more, I think it's okay to swap tees or clubs. But if it was your intent to play 18 holes, then I think you have to play them all with the same conditions (ie same tees, same clubs).
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