I live in Illinois, so I don’t get an opportunity to golf during the winter months. Unless of course, I pack up my clothes and clubs and head south. That doesn’t happen very often. But I learned something last night at a grade school holiday concert. I just happened to run into several other golfers from our home course, and naturally, our talk steered toward the game.

After a few minutes of talk about last season, we started talking about next year- things like where we’re going to golf and what improvements or goals we may have for our game. I received great pointers from a couple golfers that I fully intend to explore. They had played a round with us before and had watched my game. They knew my good swings, and my bad ones, too. Not feeling comfortable saying so during the round, they had not mentioned the mistakes I was making (I have a tendency to slice). Away from the course and in conversation, they provided encouragement and offered helpful tips.

I encourage everyone to ask someone else their honest opinion when you are struggling with your game. Most people will be kind and offer genuine advice that can be really beneficial. Remember, they can actually see your swing and just might be able to provide insight that you don’t have. Practice makes perfect (or at least closer to it), but talking can take you to the next level, too!