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In this video series, Mike Malaska looks back on his return to the Utah Open, 50 years after his remarkable victory as an amateur, providing valuable insights into both the mental and physical aspects of competitive golf. He revisits key moments from that final round, beginning with the surprising calm he felt on the day of the tournament, despite the pressure of trying to achieve something unprecedented. Mike explains how reading an article that underestimated his chances helped remove the pressure, allowing him to focus on playing freely and with confidence.Mike goes on to highlight the importance of trusting his natural shot—a draw—especially on a course that played to his strengths. He emphasizes that, rather than forcing a fade or other shots outside of his comfort zone, he relied on the draw he had perfected over the years, which gave him the consistency he needed under pressure. Mike shares how this trust in his own abilities allowed him to navigate challenging situations and maintain control of the game.As the series progresses, Mike reflects on his ability to manage crowd pressure, recalling how entering a packed tunnel full of spectators made him feel claustrophobic but also helped him focus once he emerged onto the course. He speaks to the mental strategies he used to turn pressure into performance, keeping himself composed in critical moments.Mike also recounts a pivotal recovery shot during a par-5, where instead of using an iron, he chose a 7-wood to escape from the rough and hit a remarkable 50-yard slice to the front of the green. This decision proved to be a turning point in the tournament, and Mike highlights the importance of making smart shot selections under pressure. He explains that knowing when to take risks and when to play it safe is a key factor in competitive success.In the final section, Mike discusses how he closed out the tournament, holding onto a narrow lead and staying true to his strategy. He reflects on the critical decisions he made, including opting to stick with his driver on the final hole, even though a safer choice might have been tempting. His decision to trust his instincts and stay aggressive helped him secure the victory.Through this series, Mike provides an in-depth look at his thought process during one of the most significant moments of his career, sharing valuable lessons about mindset, decision-making, and self-confidence on the golf course. The series is not only a reflection on a past triumph but also a masterclass in how to handle pressure and play to your strengths in competitive golf.

MIKE'S WINNING MINDSET

Your swing arc should be smooth and continuous.  At no point should you interrupt the momentum in order to re-route.  Momentum helps your body work more efficiently.

DIRECTING MOMENTUM IN YOUR BACKSWING

Malaska Golf Certified Instructor, Pepe Cortez, illustrates how his passion for racketball connects to the golf game.

RACKETBALL AND GOLF CONNECT

The truth and myths about the width of your swing.

WHAT IS WIDTH

ON THE RANGE WITH ALEX GAUGERT

On the course, changing lies change your set-up.

THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES

Controlling the spin on the ball is very important. Learn how to better control your club face.

CONTROL BEFORE SPEED

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Billy Fitzgerald is subbing in to answer “Ask Mike’s” from Beverley County Club in Chicago. A Malaska Golf Member has been struggling with his left arm collapsing for most of his golf career and wants help.Typically, this occurs because your wrist hinge is too late, or you might not have a wrist hinge at all. What happens is that there's no wrist hinge, and as you swing back, your body is looking for some kind of lever to make the club swing a little bit. The key is to get the swing going on the backswing, and that's why the left arm breaks down if there is no lever.The first thing Billy says you should check is your grip. If your hands are wrong on the club, the handle is too much in the palm and not in the fingers, or it's not lined up right, it will be hard to make this wrist hinge and hinge soon. That’s what you need. You need the wrists to hinge sooner so you can put pressure from your right hand into your left palm or from your right hand into your left thumb, which will pull the arm straight.Make sure your grip is correct. Billy demonstrates the grip and how the relationship of both hands helps you to hinge and push the grip away on the backswing.The remedy that Billy doesn’t recommend, and I see this all the time, and I have written about it, is a straight left arm. This is an effect of what we're talking about: the correct grip, early wrist hinge, and how your hands are pressuring each other or the thumb, which is going to pull your arms straight.Billy stresses checking your grip and making sure the club is in your fingers. When you swing back, the left hand is hinging.Billy says that you should do that because you probably don't have any wrist hinge to begin with and this needs to happen sooner. The sooner you can get the club up the sooner the right palm is pushing on your left thumb, which is going to make your left arm straighten up.To recap, get the correct grip, get over the ball, and make some small backswings. Feel the club hinging, and you will feel pressure in your thumb when you move the club into the backswing.Billy demonstrates by hitting a ball so you can see the wrist hinge and levers work.

WRIST HINGE IS THE ANSWER

Making a normal swing with no target can help you understand where the ball starts and direct your aim on the course.

SEE WHAT YOUR SWING WANTS TO DO

Your practice station is the foundation of your practice. Here, Mike explains to Caroline how to set this up.

CREATING YOUR PRACTICE STATION

HITTING THE DRAW

Learn how to make your right arm line up with the shaft.

IMPACT

First set up without a club. Make a backswing. Let your shoulders turn then just let your arms drop without moving your shoulders. Once you can do that then as your arms drop let your shoulders follow your arms. Then take your club and copy the same routine. Set up in a closed stance. That gets your trail hip out of the way. It makes it easy to turn. Then let your arms just drop and then as the club swings down let your arms pull your shoulders into impact.

ARM DROP WITHOUT TENSION

A discussion of what the full swing "feels like."

HOW DOES THE SWING FEEL

What works - and what doesn't - with the plumb-bob.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE 'PLUMB-BOB'

There are two reasons people come over the top. Regardless of which one affects you, we want the momentum of the clubhead moving towards the ball.

WHEN THE MOMENTUM GETS TOO FAR INSIDE

The putting stroke is the smallest stroke or swing in the game. But it has profound effect on all swings including a driver. How do you practice the stoke and what makes it so important to even a driver swing

PUTTING OVERVIEW

Mike has received the highest honor of PGA National Teacher of The Year in 2011. He wrote, “I Feel Your Pain” in 2013 and is proud to announce the new release of this 2nd book entitled, “The Invisible Swing” in 2019. Mike produced his own DVD, You Are Your Own Swing, featuring 2 ½ hours of both golf and fitness instruction in 2004. In 2010 he was selected for PGA Southwest Section Teacher of The Year and went on to be named The National PGA Teacher of the Year In 2011. In 2017 Mike was honored to receive once again, the PGA Southwest Section Teacher of The Year Award for a second time.

Since 2000, Mike has ranked among Golf Digest’s America’s Top 50 Greatest Teachers, and currently listed in the top 20 in the nation. Mike has also been selected as Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America every year from 1995 to 2017. Since 2012 when the Golf Range Association of America started its list of award winners, Mike has been one of the top 50 on that list for his contribution to growing the game of golf. This award called Growth of The Game Teachers in America is yet another of his accomplishments. In 2017 he was voted the Top Teacher in Arizona by Arizona Foothills Magazine.

A graduate of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, Mike was a college All American in 1974. He was then inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in February 1999 and into the Utah Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. In September 2013 Mike was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for his service to the University and his community. Mike is currently the Director of Instruction for the Nicklaus Academies Worldwide, Superstition Mountain Country Club, and a member of the National Advisory Board for TaylorMade Golf since 2002. He has been a summertime guest instructor for the prestigious Maroon Creek Golf Club in Aspen, Colorado in 2017 and 2018. As Director of Instruction for the Jack Nicklaus Golf Centers in Japan from 1992 to 1995, Mike was featured in Golf Digest Japan and was nominated for Japan’s Teacher of the Year in 1993. Then in 1996, he received Teacher of the Year for the Utah PGA Section.

As the continuing Director of Instruction for Nicklaus Academies Worldwide, Mike instructs the teachers at each of the centers around the globe. He continues to be a guest lecturer at countless corporate functions, PGA Section Seminars, PGA National Coaching and Teaching Summits, and as a guest speaker for the World Golf Fitness Summit in 2012. He has appeared numerous times on The Golf Channel as a guest instructor.

MALASKA CERTIFIED: MIKE MALASKA

Despite having so many trophies on his trophy case, it is the Father and Son prize that sits at the top. Hear Mike and Hale talk about the link between Family and Golf.

FAMILY AND GOLF

This Quick Fix Friday is about focusing on balance. Pick one foot up off the ground and place it on top of the other. If you feel yourself losing balance, relax and try to steady yourself.

This action starts to simulate motion and prepares your joints to handle forces.

Switch feet and do the same thing. Now put both feet on the ground and move. Your balance will feel much better.

If he is nervous, Mike does this quick exercise on the first tee box. He finds that he has much more stability and control over his golf swing.

FOCUS ON BALANCE

For this Quick Fix Friday, we look at using the brim of your golf cap to help with alignment. Flatten the brim of your cap and bring it down over your eyebrows. Looking at the line on the golf ball, get the brim of your hat parallel with the line on the golf ball. 

When you swing, the object is to keep the brim parallel to the line. If you want to hook and swing from the inside, turn your brim a little to the right. You want to keep the brim in the same line until after you have hit the ball. 

This is one of the best ways to control your path. Remember, your club goes where your eye line goes.

FLATTENING THE BRIM OF YOUR CAP

When your hips work together, your swing becomes easier to pull off. Get a feel for how your hips work for eachother in your swing.

GETTING YOUR HIPS WORKING TOGETHER

As an instructor, you want to know what you are teaching works. Make opposite side swings to challenge the complexity of what you're offering students. It'll also help keep your body balanced.

TEACHING BETTER

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about playing golf with a larger frame. Over the years, Mike has given thousands of lessons and worked with players with many different body types. Mike has also worked with Wounded Warriors and other players with disabilities.

Based on their different body types, Mike can work with players to get the best out of their golf game. Mike demonstrates this by adding an extra 40 pounds around his waist.

What can you do if you are overweight? Mike says the first thing to do is to keep the extra weight out of the way. You can do this by having more bend in your hips. Your stomach will get in the way if you turn your hips quickly. Keeping the club in front of you and turning with your center through the ball is more important.

Mike talks about a friend of his, Pat Garcia, who was big and stocky but could absolutely kill his drives. He did this by learning to keep the club in front of him when he swung. 

The key is to keep the extra weight out of the way, especially when you swing. Keep the club out in front and ensure your body works together.

DIFFERENT BODY TYPES

Joe Nichols is someone you may not have heard about, but is someone you should know.  His knowledge for improving your game is unparalleled and has influenced Mike's teaching and understanding of the golf swing.  Find out more in this video.

JOE NICHOLS - 201801

You are not your score. So what are you playing for?

YOU ARE NOT YOUR SCORE

The more we try to work on at once, the less effective we are at improving. Here is how you can maximize your effort in your golf swing.

MAXIMIZE YOUR TEN UNITS OF CONCENTRATION

As you begin to make full swings first you only want enough speed where you can feel the momentum of the club and monitor where it is. Full speed is of no value. As the club swing into the back swing you are pushing away from the force the club is creating. Your force or weight goes into the inside of the heel of your trail foot. As the club swings to the transition point you are pushing the same way the club is moving. That moves you up to your lead leg. As you start down your lead leg is pushing away from the target line. This along with your trail foot rolling inward and force is moving towards the ball off your trail foot. Through impact your trail foot continues to push into the finish.

BODY MOVEMENT WITH THE FULL SWING

Your Mulligan Monday this week is working on your Tour Swing Tempo.

One way to do this is to find a Tour Player online, pull up their swing, and watch it on your computer.

Mimic and time their swing with yours. This drill is about copying the player's tempo and pace of their swing. Practice swinging and saying "one, two" as you watch.

Watching and copying Tour Players is sometimes better than using a metronome.

TOUR SWING TEMPO

Training your body for the right instincts is very important. Learn how the step back drill keeps your body in check.

PRACTICING THE STEP BACK DRILL

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about the right hand and what it does after you hit the ball, specifically when you get to ‘L to L.’ Does the right hand keep going to the left, or does it change?Mike says in his case, it changes. Players like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and Vijay Singh come in so hard when they come into the ball that their right hand starts to bow out.Most players' right hand comes through the ball and flattens once they hit it. When the club goes around, their right hand rehinges back.Mike now demonstrates straight on. You can see Mike’s right hand come through, but it doesn’t keep going to his left. Mike explains that his hand rehinges and goes back up under the club and reverses.The Look Cool drill is a great drill for understanding wrist rehinging. The momentum of the club will rehinge the wrist on the follow-through. Joe Nichols, Mike’s mentor, taught him that this was all about releasing the club up instead of around. There are players who release the club around, but most release the club up.

RIGHT HAND ON THE FOLLOW-THROUGH

It's really interesting. Driving all the way up for the last round, coming up from Salt Lake, getting ready for the final day. You’d think you’d be nervous. I wasn’t. I was as calm as I’d ever been. I mean, I wasn’t anxious to get to the golf course. I just kind of felt calm, even though I knew I was going to try to do something that hadn’t been done—win this Open as an amateur. At that time, it was like a Korn Ferry Tour event.The Utah Open would draw 5, 6, or 7,000 people for the last round, and it was a pretty big deal. Pulling in, they had all the guards and everything set up because they only let the players park in the parking lot. So, on the drive up to the golf course, it was me and my caddie, Mark Ruff, in the car, getting there, getting ready, and heading out to the course.I hadn’t looked at the paper that morning, but my dad gave it to me before I left the house. The article was about me and the tournament, but it said I had very little chance of winning because I hadn’t won anything big. I was playing with a couple of tour players, and there were seasoned players right behind me. That article actually calmed me down because I thought, "Okay, these guys don’t think I can win, so I have nothing to lose." It was just, "Go out and play. We’ll see what happens." I didn’t have the pressure of “you’re supposed to win,” or “you’ve won a lot.”I felt like it was a “can’t lose” situation. I mean, if I didn’t play well, and let’s say I finished sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth, I’d still have played well. I would be the low amateur in the Utah Open, which was a big deal. I had all of that. So, I was just out there playing. And I think maybe that mindset, where I didn’t feel like I had to win, allowed me to play to win, but I wasn’t worried if I didn’t.Even if I didn’t win, in my mind it was still a big accomplishment for how well I played. And I think that’s what people have to understand about competitive golf. You’re ready to play, you give it your best, and whatever happens, happens—you just learn from it. It’s when you put big expectations on yourself, and you want to win so badly that you get too focused on trying to win and become defensive, that you don’t play well.I wasn’t defensive at all because that article made me feel like, no matter what I do, I’m winning. If I played well, great. Win the tournament, awesome, big deal. If I didn’t, I’d still have plenty of accolades for what I’d accomplished. So, I’m sure that mindset helped me play well because I didn’t feel like there was any way I could lose. That kind of mindset is how you reach your potential in your game—where you feel like, no matter what, you can’t lose.If you start thinking, "I really should win this tournament" or "I should play well today" or "I should beat this guy in match play," or "This is an easy golf course, I should play well on it," anytime you get into those kinds of thoughts, it puts too much pressure on you. You get too focused on the future, and you don’t just go out and play.I’m sure that article was a big reason I had the mindset I did going into the last round.So let’s talk about why we’re even here. Fifty years ago, I won the Utah Open here. I was the first amateur to do it in, I think, 35 or 40 years. It hadn’t been done for a long time. It was like what we’d now call a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Web.com">Web.com</a> event. There were big crowds, and Smith’s Food King was the sponsor. It was one of the biggest tournaments in the United States, outside of the tour.This golf course was my home course—I went to Weber State, and I played here all the time. It was just a really good golf course. I always liked it. Visually, it set up well for me.So this is about talking through some of those shots I hit during the last round. I remember every shot. I could tell you every tee shot. I could tell you every club. I could even tell you where I hit it on the greens on all 18 holes, which is interesting—how your memory works.This is really about, okay, here we are 50 years later, still playing competitive golf, and still involved in the game. Golf is a game for a lifetime. If you do it right, if you practice, and you take care of yourself physically—which is what the M-System is all about—you can play this game as long as you can walk. And even if you can’t walk, you can still play. There are guys playing in wheelchairs now; they’ve got special apparatuses on carts. Golf is one of the few games where, as long as your arms can move, you can play. And because of the handicap system, you can be competitive.It’s a lot of fun for me to come back here. I mean, I walk onto this property, and I’m sure Jack Nicklaus had the same feeling at Augusta and at a lot of the places he won. Every tour player, when you ask them about courses where they’ve won, will tell you—there’s a certain feel when you come back. It feels like home. You’re comfortable. You’ve had success.So, we want to go through and talk about a couple of shots—what I was thinking, the process, what happened. Where did I hit my tee shot? How did it affect my round? Things like that.It’s just fun to be back. Fifty years later, sometimes it feels like it was just a week ago, and I’m here doing this. Other times, it feels like it was an eternity ago, like it didn’t even happen. It’s just revisiting those old memories. Hopefully, some of these reflections will rub off and help you as a player.

UTAH OPEN REVISITED

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know if you are still doing the L to L if you want to curve the ball. The answer is yes.

Mike starts with the L to L, and when he swings, he makes tiny adjustments to the clubface so he can curve the ball. You are still making the L to L when you swing. You could call out different shots for Mike to make when he is at the top of his swing, and he can adjust the clubface on the downswing to make those shots. Those little adjustments with the clubface can make the ball curve one way or another.

Tour Players are so good with their hands, which is another reason Mike is a big proponent of playing the game with your hands.

When others in the golf industry say take your hands out of the game, Mike thinks it is insanity! You must train your hands to control the clubface. The hands hold the club, so they control the clubface and the club. Your hips do not control the face.

The better you get at controlling the face with your hands and using the lever system, the better player you will be when you add your body to it.

L TO L AND BALL CONTROL

When you are practicing make sure that you start out with small swings at slow speeds. Then gradually add more swing length and more push away for acceleration through the ball. Then go to a longer club. Try your driver. But as you lengthen the club start also slowing the swing down. Then reintroduce speed. If you can not control the club then back the speed and swing length down. Then gradually build it back up. 

ADDING LONGER CLUBS & MORE SPEED

The M-System is a 5-tier instructional plan designed to simplify the game and build your skills for every type of swing. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or if you have been playing for years at a high level. We’ll go step-by-step through every aspect of the sport from basic setup to advanced theory and swing drills. Each video explores a new aspect of the game to give you a greater understanding of what’s happening when your club hits the ball. Every level increases its focus as you increase your ability. I promise you, golf is not overly difficult. You just have to unlock the game that works best for you. And this is exactly what The M-System is designed to do.

M-SYSTEM

The front loader drill will get your right hip out of the way and get your left hip working correctly.

THE FRONT LOADER DRILL

PRACTICE-OVERVIEW

Over 70+ years of playing, Mr. Peterson has had the chance to watch some of the greats in real life. Here are some of the players who have shaped his game.

FAVORITE PLAYERS

A Malaska Golf member wants to know how to fix a strong grip. He had a strong grip for a long time and fought a push fade, a club coming too much from the inside. He was catching the ball and starting the ball out to the right of where he was aimed.

The grip that he used caused him to hook the ball, and he was taught that he needed to turn the face over on the swing. He also learned to come from the inside and hold the clubface off. 

You need to get the path to change so you’re not coming too much from the inside. The path needs to come more straight into the ball. You must also let the club go by taking your thumb off the club. The thumb tends to push, lock the wrist, and turn the face over. Practice by taking your thumb off and letting the club swing and your wrists pivot up and down.

You can hit the ball as hard as you want with as much speed, and won’t hit a pull hook. There needs to be an acceleration in the club to create speed.

When you have a strong grip, you don’t want to come from the inside and hold the face off to keep it from hooking. You want to let the club go, but your hands must work to keep the face from turning down. You can get your path heading straighter into the back of the ball, and when your hands let the clubhead pass, the face works differently.

FIXING A STRONG GRIP THAT HOOKS

What and when is the transition in pickleball? Similar to golf, when your raquet (or club) goes back, your body moves forward.

TRANSITION IN PICKLEBALL

The lever system is a very important part of your swing. Learn to get the club hinging and unhinging correctly.

THE LEVER SYSTEM

The pullback drill is another unconventional drill that Joe Nichols shared with Mike.  By pulling back, it puts force into the left leg as a stabilizer, which accelerates the clubhead.  These are very good things in a golf swing.

DEEPER LOOK INTO PULL BACK

Golf is a game played with your hands. Until you recognize that the hands and the clubface are the same, you will struggle.

HOW THE CLUBFACE WORKS AND HANDS

Hitting out is a priority over trying to reach the green.

CLEARING THE LIP

KRIS BRYANT

Combing path, face and trajectory gives you ultimate control of the golf ball - turning the game into and art form.