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Welcome to Malaska Golf: Your Journey Starts Here. Across our three welcome videos&mdash;Core, Plus, and Elite&mdash;Mike Malaska introduces you to a complete, step-by-step system designed to transform your golf game from the ground up.
Whether you&rsquo;re just starting with the fundamentals in Core, diving deeper with Plus through Sports Connect and Skill Pathways, or unlocking the full depth of coaching in Elite with tools like Swing Check, the 21-Day Practice Plan, and insights from legends like Jack Nicklaus, this series guides you every step of the way.
You&rsquo;ll learn not just what to work on, but why it matters, how it all fits together, and how to take control of your game for lasting improvement.
Welcome to Malaska Golf&mdash;Maximize, Maintain, Master. Your best golf starts now.

Welcome To Elite

The top of your swing can be ceceiving. Learn how the swing is one fluid motion.

UNDERSTANDING TRANSITION

Before hitting balls, work on your movement.

WORKING ON MOVEMENT

A Malaska Golf Member has a two-part question for Mike. He wants to know how he can feel the weight of the club and make his backswing more consistent.

An excellent drill for this is to switch the club around and hold the club by the hosel. Swing the club back and forth and feel the club hinge and unhinge. Mike holds the club in his fingertips and swings the club loosely.

Now switch back to holding the club by the handle, make easy swings, and you will feel the heaviness of the club. Mike makes more swings with just one hand so he can also feel the arc of his swing and how his hands work.

Now make an easy swing and hit a ball. Feel the weight in the clubhead as you bring the club back and on the follow-through. Feel the circle that your club is swinging in.

The second part of the question is about consistent backswing and impact. Mike says it’s important to ensure your grip is correct so you can let the weight of the club hinge and unhinge to get the club to square itself. This happens because of the momentum of the club.

Mike is adamant about having the correct grip. If this is slightly off, it is difficult to square the clubface back to impact because of momentum and wrist angles.

If your grip is on correctly and you swing back and forth, letting the weight of the club hinge and unhinge, then the clubface will square itself.

One of the best ways to get a consistent backswing is to start with your club out in front of you and start your swing from there. This is called the Front Loader Drill. When you swing back, you will feel the momentum of the club and return to a good position. After practicing this drill, go back to making a regular swing and feel the motion of the drill.

This is a great drill to get a consistent backswing.

BUILDING A CONSISTENT BACKSWING

In this episode of Ask Malaska Golf, Certified Coach Matt Baker from Manchester Golf Club, England responds to a powerful comment from community member Joe Oscla, who credits Mike Malaska&rsquo;s insights for making golf easier and more intuitive. Rather than a question, Joe's message is a thank-you&mdash;and Matt uses it to highlight a vital lesson for all players: don&rsquo;t skip the process. Matt shares his personal journey with the M-System, which began over a decade ago. Like many golfers, he experienced a wave of &ldquo;that just makes sense&rdquo; moments watching Mike&rsquo;s early YouTube videos, reading his books, and working through the site. As a coach, Matt now sees how many players rush ahead, skipping foundational drills because they &ldquo;seem easy.&rdquo; But those small drills&mdash;one-handed chips, right-hand putting, grip work, and hip motion&mdash;are the true building blocks of a repeatable swing. He emphasizes that every movement in the M-System is a skill pattern that wires your brain and body to move efficiently. And the key to learning them? Do it slowly. Rushing to hit drivers at full speed before mastering the basics leads to breakdowns. Like Mike&rsquo;s lesson with Long Drive Champion Justin James, golfers need to build from first gear up to fifth&mdash;not skip straight ahead. This episode is a reminder: if you commit to the process and train deliberately, you will become a better golfer&mdash;one movement at a time.
&nbsp;What You&rsquo;ll Learn in This Video: &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Why you should never skip the foundational drills in the M-System &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;How slow, deliberate reps build long-term skill patterns &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Why one-handed shots and grip work are more powerful than they seem &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;How the M-System develops swing instinct through movement&mdash;not mechanics
&nbsp;Key Takeaway: Don&rsquo;t skip ahead. Master the skill patterns&mdash;starting with your grip, short chips, and basic hip motion. Every part of the M-System has a purpose, and when you move through it step by step, your swing becomes repeatable, powerful, and easier to trust. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

Don't Skip The M-System

Hand action in the putting stroke is the beginning of full swing. The key is that there is no twisting in the wrists. The club shaft points back at your center. Your trail wrists can have flexion and extension but you do not want any rolling of the face or wrists.

HAND ACTION

Austin Graham is a Malaska Golf Certified Instructor and accomplished professional golfer. A standout junior in California, Austin won over 20 amateur events, including four collegiate titles at UC Davis, where he was a three-time All-Conference player. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur in 2009 and won the SCGA Amateur, a title once held by Tiger Woods. Austin met Mike Malaska in 2011, just as he was turning professional. Mike helped simplify his swing through the M-System, giving Austin clarity on what worked and why. The results were immediate&mdash;Austin won a Gateway Tour event by 14 shots with rounds of 63-65-62 and no bogeys. He went on to win more than 30 professional events, qualify for the PGA Tour&rsquo;s L.A. Open, and compete on PGA Tour Latin America, PGA Tour Canada, and international tours across Europe and Asia. Now, as an instructor, Austin brings that same passion and precision to his students. He works with players of all levels using the M-System to simplify their swing and unlock their potential. &ldquo;Whether I&rsquo;m working with beginners or pros,&rdquo; Austin says, &ldquo;I help students connect their swing to how they naturally move and create those &lsquo;ah-ha&rsquo; moments.&rdquo; With deep playing experience and a commitment to great instruction, Austin is proud to help others own their game as part of the Malaska Golf team.

Malaska Certified-Austin Graham

A Malaska Golf Member has a two-part question about the golf swing and how you can get injured, especially the lower back. The second question deals with the transition of the golf swing.

The member explains that for 50 years, he was told to take the club to the top, then as he came down, to take his hips and shoulders and twist and unwind as fast as possible. Mike says that the problem is when you twist like that in the downswing, it puts a lot of stress and force on your lower lumbar spine. It is not designed to handle that much rotational force.

In Mike’s swing, he pushes his right hip out of the way on the backswing and then his left hip on the downswing. His pelvis rotates, but there is no twisting force in his lower lumbar spine. Your body rotates as an effect, not a cause. There is no twist. The body rotates because when Mike is set up, his right leg pushes his right hip back, which also takes his right shoulder back. This, in turn, brings his left shoulder around.

On the downswing, Mike’s left leg pushes his left hip back, which pulls his right hip forward. Note that the rotation in the pelvis is caused by his legs pushing his hip sockets back and forth. There is no rotational force in his lower lumbar spine.

The second part of the question is about dropping the club or dropping the club into the ‘slot.’ What drops the club is like swinging a baseball bat or a tennis racket; you change direction.

On the initial backswing, you turn your hip, and your shoulders are at a 90-degree angle. As you take the club to the top, you change direction. When this happens, your upper body is slightly tilted. That tilt in the spine tilts the shoulders, and they direct your arms.

Dropping of the arms comes from the change of direction in your hips and the tilt in your spine.

AVOIDING BACK INJURIES

A Malaska Golf Member recovering from back surgery is returning to playing golf and wants to know how to get more speed again.Mike first ask what the member did before the surgery to cause that. It may not have happened because of golf, but golf could have aggravated it.In golf, you need to learn that the shoulder and hip sockets are in a box. When Mike turns back, his right shoulder goes down, and then his right hip goes back, maintaining the symmetry of the box. Then, as he comes back, his left shoulder goes up, and his right hip goes down. Or you could think that Mike's right shoulder goes up and his left hip goes down. You come back into the ball, and they switch.What happens when you start having back trouble? Many Tour Players are taught to maintain and rotate their backs, and when they start down, their right hip comes up, and their shoulder goes down. This creates a lot of side bending, which forces you to twist your body to catch up. It is a great way to hurt your back.You don't want to swing this way. As Mike describes, you want your box (shoulders) to turn together.&nbsp;Once you can do that, speed comes from creating a lever system with your hands and wrists. Then, your right hip has to push out of the way to accelerate the club while maintaining the body's position.It's a step-by-step process. First, ensure your swing doesn't put any pressure on your body, and then you can gain speed.

Return From Back Surgery

Understanding how to make a center face hit can be difficult. Learn how to use knowledge you already have.

Feeling Center Faced Hits

Practicing into the wind gives you the best idea of how much curve and control you have of the clubface.