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The golf swing is a circle. The idea is to hit the ball at the apex of the circle or arch. The club then continues around in the circle. Only for a very short distance. A few inches is the club moving down the target line. But that is so small. If you try to swing down the line you get in the way of the natural forces that create acceleration.There are no straight lines in a circle.

Swing Down the Target Line

Get in a set up position holding on to bands or a pulley system. The goal is to pull the pulleys or bands and create more space with your hips. On the backswing side you push away from the pulley. Your force goes into he heel of your trail foot and on the inside. Then you go back to set up or impact then around on the follow through side. Always pushing away from the force on the bands or the cables. This is how you offset the inward force that the club puts on your when you swing. 

PULLEY DRILL

The M3 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska delves into the role of the pelvis and hip sockets in creating a stable, efficient golf swing. This segment emphasizes how understanding and controlling the movement of these critical areas allows golfers to maintain balance, generate power, and improve overall swing consistency.
A key takeaway is the importance of tilting and rotating the pelvis correctly during the swing. Mike explains how the alignment of the hips and pelvis affects the body's connection to the ground and its ability to produce controlled, powerful movements. By visualizing proper hip and pelvis motion and practicing targeted drills, golfers can reinforce correct patterns that translate into better performance.
The series introduces simple, effective exercises that golfers can practice anywhere. For example, using a chair as a guide helps players ensure their hips and knees maintain proper spacing during the swing. Additionally, golfers are encouraged to use mental imagery to internalize these movements, enabling efficient and focused practice without needing a driving range.
The M3 Coaching Series makes these complex mechanics accessible and repeatable, helping golfers build a more powerful and consistent swing while emphasizing the importance of body awareness and visualization.

M3 Coaching Series-Pelvis And Hip Sockets

The mental side of golf is very important. Once your head is in the game, your swing will improve.

SWING STRATEGY

A Malaska Golf Member shares his experience with the Front Loader Drill. He hits the ball better when he puts the club out in front and starts his swing. He said it also keeps him from being too static over the ball.

Mike talks about how, for many years, golfers would set up to the ball and take a slight movement forward before hitting the ball. This triggered the backswing and was called a forward press.

In the 1980s, the prevailing thought in the golf industry changed to a more static start. Unfortunately, this locked a lot of people up. You will notice in many sports, you have to move left to go right. You do the same for the opposite way; go right to go left.

Another problem was taking the club away first. Mike emphasizes that this is a mistake because you will be late with your change of direction.

The Front Loader Drill puts the club out in front. As you bring it back, you are already on your right side, your hips are out of your way, and force is in your right foot. You are set up and can begin to change direction. If you start from a static position, it won’t be until the top of your swing or transition point that your body changes direction. This is too late!

The Front Loader Drill, having the club already out in front, allows you to go left foot, right foot, back to left foot, and then hit. This is your golf swing timing.

When you implement this into your swing without having the club in front of you, you have a slight forward kick or press before swinging backward. This gets you started on your swing.

Again, it is left, right, left, swing. The forward press is the trigger to get you to swing.

HOW TO START YOUR SWING

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I&rsquo;m a Malaska Golf-certified coach based here in the UK. Today&rsquo;s question comes from Chris Murrell&mdash;or Murrell (apologies if I&rsquo;ve mispronounced your name). Chris asks, &ldquo;When the moment of impact comes into play in the golf swing, is it the body or the momentum of the body that directs the club into the ball? Or is it the hands and arms that do this?&rdquo;
This is a great question, and the answer is that it&rsquo;s a combination of both. When you swing a golf club back, the momentum of the club starts first. As the swing transitions into the change of direction, the shoulders help direct the club. This change of direction creates the proper spine tilt as you move into your left side. It also helps establish the split or shift in momentum that directs the arms back down toward the ball.
From there, the momentum of the club pulls the hands, arms, and shoulders through the swing. The weight and inertia of the club, along with the forces you generate, all work together to create a fluid, coordinated motion. It&rsquo;s not just one element doing all the work&mdash;they all play a role.
As the club starts back, momentum initiates the movement. Then, as you transition at the top of the swing, the shoulders guide the club back down. The key is to keep the shoulder sockets relaxed. If they&rsquo;re relaxed, the transition happens naturally, allowing the forces and momentum to work efficiently.
It&rsquo;s essential to keep everything smooth and relaxed, letting the momentum of the club swing around you. The club initiates the motion, the shoulders guide it, and the momentum pulls you through, delivering power and accuracy to your shot. This harmony of movement helps generate clubhead speed and ensures proper swing mechanics.
To summarize, it&rsquo;s not about choosing between the body or the hands and arms&mdash;it&rsquo;s about how the forces, momentum, and coordination between them all come together. Using momentum correctly and allowing it to work for you will help you swing on the right path and generate speed and power.
I hope that answers your question, Chris. Keep practicing, and I&rsquo;ll catch you soon!

Master Momentum For Impact

Milo answers the most common question: how to hit far

HOW TO HIT FAR

Take your putter. Set up 4 or 5 balls. Start hitting putts longer than 3 feet but shorter than 60 feet. Just find a tempo that you like. Once you find it count it out. Using a count of one, two. Or one, two, and three. Then regardless of the length of the putt or the swing. Maintain the same tempo. Tempo is the pace, Rhythm is the sequence and timing is what holds it together. If your tempo changes the rhythm changes which means the timing also has to change. That is impossible to  be consistent with. 

TEMPO DRILL

Mike Malaska introduces Garrett Richards for a Player Lesson and Sports Connect at Ocotillo Golf Course. Garrett, a retired MLB pitcher, previously played for the Boston Red Sox and, most recently, the Texas Rangers.Mike talks about how he had always wanted to play baseball as a kid, and he pitched until college. He loved the hand-eye coordination of the sport.Mike explains that he will look at Garrett's swing and relate that to pitching. Baseball players have great hand-eye coordination when they are hitting and throwing a ball. They already have the perfect golf swing.There is a misconception that baseball and golf are different; however, they have the same body movement patterns. You hit the ball on a different plane and at a different spot, but the swings are very similar.Garrett says that his misses are usually an over-draw to the left, and he struggles with pitch shots inside of 100 yards. He is more comfortable with 150 yards. Garrett says he tends to overthink tight lies with his wedges and catches the ball thin or fat.Garrett says he is looking for a mindset, a comfortable feeling, or a weight shift that will find the clubface more often.Mike asks Garrett how often he plays a week. He says that he uses a simulator at home and that he is a member of Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, AZ. He doesn’t get out as much as he would like because of kid’s activities, but usually, it’s once or twice a week.Garrett usually warms up with a pitching wedge to loosen up. Mike watches Garrett hit a few shots to assess his swing.Mike comments that Garrett has a nice motion, which he expected, having been a professional athlete. Mike says that he watched Garrett pitch, and Garrett explains that he was a cross-body pitcher. Mike says there are a lot of things that are similar in pitching and golf, specifically how quickly you open up. In golf, if your shoulders open up too fast, you are dead, and the same is true when you are pitching.Mike explains that in golf, instead of throwing a pitch out in front of you, you have a ball on the ground, and the pitch is down there. You must rotate and stay rotated until you plant your feet. There are many similarities.Mike says he will fix Garrett’s swing fast. He wants to work on a fundamental concept in golf that Garrett is weak on. Mike elaborates that he is fighting all his natural instincts for one particular motion. Once Garrett understands this, he will get significantly better.Mike asked Garrett what type of pitch he liked the best: a fastball or a curveball. Garrett liked his slider better because he had more control over it. Based on this, Mike says he will show Garrett why he hooks the ball. Mike continues to explain that Garrett controls the type of pitch with his fingers on the ball. When you play golf, you can also control the clubface with your fingers.That is how Mike does it because Mike used to be a pitcher. Mike controls the clubface by pressuring it with his fingers to hit a draw or fade and hit it straight, just like a pitcher does with a baseball. You curve and spin the golf ball the same way you do with a baseball. The clubface becomes an extension of your hands.Mike takes Garrett’s hand and fingers and shows him how to manipulate his fingers to hit different shots, which is similar to pitching. Mike tells Garrett that he is so good at putting spin on a ball that he should be good at it with golf.Garrett hits a ball, and Mike says that Garrett is going to improve easily.

Garrett Richards-Pitching and Golf Connect

What you want is a swing that you can rely on under pressure. Shutting the face avoids complicated timing sequences. Here's how to pull it off.

SHUTTING THE FACE

Playing from your worst shot will help you get an understanding of what your game is like.

UTILIZING YOUR WORST SHOT

INTRODUCTION-BALL BEFORE THE SAND

Matt Baker, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. Matt answers a question from a veteran who is 
an amputee above the knee. He has an issue with his right leg because it must remain straight. Unfortunately, he is losing distance and contact with strike on the ball. He also feels like he can’t transfer his weight properly.

When Matt practices and plays, he can sometimes practice multiple shots just balancing off one leg. You can pivot around your left leg. You don’t need to rely on your right leg. You can start on your left leg and keep your right leg straight, almost like a post, to help stabilize yourself.

The best thing to work on first is to drop your right foot back while you open your hips, allowing you to get a bigger turn in your backswing. This will help you generate more speed and power.

Second, work on the Lever System, creating an ‘L’ on the backswing, an ‘L’ on the forward swing, and
pivoting around your left leg.

Matt demonstrates the swing and summarizes. Drop the right leg back to open the hip, allowing you to turn more. Hinge the wrist and do the lever system from the M-system.

Balancing off one Leg

There are three ways to hit a draw. You can draw the ball with the face, path, or setup.

HOW TO HIT A DRAW

Milo discusses fundamentals that start off every lesson, and every practice session. These include grip, posture and ball position.

STARTING EVERY LESSON

The New Year is here, and being comfortable with all of your clubs is more important than ever.

WHAT TO PRACTICE IN THE NEW YEAR

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know whether or not to keep her left arm straight.

Mike’s answer to that question is that it depends, and really, it’s not that important. If you have locked your left arm and are trying to keep it straight, then you will have tension in your arm. Your shoulder will lock up as well. This makes it impossible for your arm to move faster than your shoulders to create speed.

There are many Tour Players that have their left arm slightly bent. The only place your left arm needs to be straight is at impact. Your arm stays straight because the lever system starts to work when you swing the club back. 

Your wrists hinge, and your right arm constantly tries to straighten out on the backswing. Your right palm pushing against your left thumb keeps your left arm straight.

Now, if your left arm bends because your wrists don’t hinge, then you need to learn to lever your wrists, but if you lever your wrists and your left arm bends a little, don’t worry about it.

Your left arm stays straight because the lever system hinges, and your right arm pushes, keeping your left arm relatively straight.

LEFT ARM STAYS STRAIGHT

Each one of these skill pathways is a concept. When you learn each segment of arm rotation, adding a club to the sequence is not difficult.

ACHIEVE CORRECT ARM ROTATION

A Malaska Golf Member watched a video where Tiger Woods out-drove another golfer while hitting off his knees. The member wanted to know the value of this drill and what it does.Mike says everyone should learn to hit a driver off their knees. It’s not hard on your back and teaches you several good things.Mike gets on his knees the same way Tiger did, and what it teaches you is how to lever the club and create speed with your arms.Mike demonstrates the Lever System. If you are tight when you swing, you won’t be able to hit the ball. Many Tour Players can hit the ball off their knees because the Lever System is the biggest speed producer.Mike hits the ball about 200 yards off his knees with an easy swing. Another thing this drill does for you is help with the club path and angle of approach.Most people who attempt this drill for the first time will hit the ground behind the ball. They are so used to throwing their body out and into it that the club drops behind their hands, and they can’t feel the arc and direct the momentum of the club right into the back of the ball.If you swing over the top, you will stick the club in front of the ball. By making practice swings, you will start to learn the club path. Mike hits another ball off his knees, and he explains the club path.This is the same club path and arc when you stand up and address the ball. It’s just on a different angle. Your hands work the same way.Mike throws his hands around him with the club, and this is where you create speed. You aren’t playing with ‘quiet hands,’ as Mike demonstrates.Your hand might feel quiet for other reasons, and Mike has done videos about this on the website.The drill that Tiger did is monumental and good for everybody in golf.

Hitting a Driver From Your Knees

Malaska Certified Coach Brian Gott from The Club at Rolling Hills in Golden, Colorado answers a question from Chris Grundy about how grip size affects control and consistency.
Brian explains that while larger grips can feel more comfortable, they often encourage golfers to hold the club more in the palm rather than the fingers, which limits leverage and increases unwanted face rotation. When the grip sits too high in the hand, it becomes difficult to lever the club correctly, leading to inconsistent face angles at impact.
The key is to choose a grip that allows the handle to sit naturally in the fingertips, creating a neutral, powerful connection between the hands and the club. Smaller or standard-sized grips often help golfers maintain this feel, ensuring that the force of the swing straightens the arms naturally through impact without twisting or compensating.
Brian recommends experimenting with different grip sizes until you find one that allows you to control the club easily with light pressure while keeping it firmly in your fingers. That&rsquo;s where true feel and face stability come from.
In this lesson you will learn: &bull; Why larger grips often force the club too deep into the palm. &bull; How finger-based grip placement improves leverage and control. &bull; Why smaller grips promote better face awareness and release. &bull; How grip size affects your ability to square the face consistently. &bull; Why experimenting with grip fit can improve overall ball striking.
He leaves golfers with a simple truth: &ldquo;Even if a larger grip feels better, it&rsquo;s often harder to control &mdash; keep it in the fingers.&rdquo; &mdash; Brian Gott, Malaska Certified Coach This Makes Sense. Own Your Swing.

Grip Size And Control

Mike On Nicklaus Part 3 -- Emotion And Adjustment

EMOTION AND ADJUSTMENT

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about a video that Ashley Malaska Moss did on the L to L Drill.Mike Malaska explains that many of the drills are slight exaggerations. When you do the L to L, you move from the ‘L’ on the backswing to ‘L’ on the follow-through and hold that position. However, if your body stops, the momentum of the club swinging through will cause the club to turn or flip over.Mike demonstrates from straight-on, where you can see the rotation in his arms. This is what they were asking about.When Mike does the L to L, he doesn’t swing hard and holds the ‘L’ on both sides. That way, his arms are stopping, and he is able to do the drill.If he goes to full speed while doing the L to L, then some rotation in the arms will happen. The momentum of the club will take over as it swings through on the follow-through.Again, drills are exaggerations. Mike actually likes to see people do the L to L drill while loosely holding the club in their fingers. Mike explains that this is so that you can feel the momentum and weight of the club, making your wrists hinge, unhinge, and rehinge. This is better than trying to hold the club too tight and start hanging on the club with your shoulders. Drills like the ‘Look Cool’ drill help you create the momentum of the club.Start holding the club loosely, then add a little structure and tension until you find the correct pressure when doing the L to L. That’s how you build it.Remember, the L to L is a slight exaggeration. Some things wouldn’t happen in full swing. Mike also notes that because your body stops, your wrists will rehinge earlier than they would in full swing.The L to L is there for a reason and is a slight exaggeration, but if you master it, it will pay big dividends.

L to L is an Exaggeration

A Malaska Golf Member has a question on how to keep his anxiety level down while on the golf course.

Mike explains that most anxiety happens because you focus on what could potentially happen. Most good players are not worried about the outcome; they focus on the process of what they are doing.

When amateurs get over the ball, they are not sure what they are doing and don’t have a feel for their swing. Standing over the ball and going through a mental checklist before you hit the ball is not the way to go. This will create a lot of anxiety in the process.

Mike says you have to get committed to a shot and a motion. Make a practice shot behind the ball and visualize. This is about feeling the shot and previewing what you will do.

Mike approaches the ball; it is about the process, not the outcome. If you do the process, the outcome should be good.

Mike also notes that regardless of the outcome, he learns from it. If Mike hits the ball the way he wants, he replays it in his head. If Mike hits it wrong, he figures out what he did incorrectly. He then makes a practice swing to correct it.

Mike concludes that every swing you make is a process. You go through the process and learn from the outcome. Replay it or fix it and then go on to the next shot. That’s how you play the game. It is a constant process that will help reduce anxiety.

RELEASING ANXIETY

You control something with what touches it. Your hands are your only connection with the club. The more your hands become aware of and can control the face the better player you will be. Take a sand wedge. Place it in either hand. Take a ball in the other hand drop it on the face and try to bounce the ball on the face. Then change hands. Try to pick the ball up off the ground with the club head. Use two clubs and bounce the ball back and forth. Great for hand eye coordination. 

BOUNCE BALL ON FACE

The task is to direct momentum for every club.

DIRECTING MOMENTUM

Meet Justin James, 2017 World Long Drive Champion, and learn how this training series will help you build more speed and distance in a way that&rsquo;s both effective and sustainable. Mike and Justin explain that dramatic distance gains are possible&mdash;not through brute force, but by understanding your movement patterns, training the body correctly, and mastering fundamentals. This episode sets the tone for the series, outlining the physical and instructional philosophy behind every upcoming lesson. You&rsquo;ll hear how Justin transitioned from baseball to long drive success, why athletic development is the foundation of speed, and how Mike&rsquo;s M-System ties it all together. The discussion highlights how elite-level power is not reserved for tour pros. Instead, with a smart training progression, everyday golfers can unlock more speed and distance. By the end of this episode, you&rsquo;ll understand that explosive distance comes from mastering efficient motion&mdash;not from chasing speed too early. The training path laid out here is a roadmap for improving swing mechanics, increasing power output, and gaining long-term results by layering correct movements and building from the ground up.

How to Max out Your Driver-Introduction

Use alignment sticks to form 90-degree angles on the tee box to figure out how to aim correctly down the fairway.

USING ANGLES

Mike discusses a lesson he gave where the member was having problems with hitting behind the ball.

The member on the backswing would return to their right side, and their whole upper body would shift to the top of the swing and stop. Then on the downswing, the member couldn’t get to their right side fast enough and would hit behind the ball.

Mike’s solution was the Left Right Left Drill. This exercise is an important drill because it’s the sequence of a golf swing.

You put weight on your left foot, then force on your right foot, back to your left foot, and then swing from the top transition point. Remember you are already to the left foot at the transition point, so your swing circle moves forward to catch the ball and then the ground.

The problem was when the industry said to swing to the stop and stand on your left foot. Then once you are there and stable, swing forward.
The problem with this is that you are so out of sequence, and it’s hard to get to your left side. You would end up being behind the ball or leaning forward too much to hit the ball.

Practice this drill by swinging the club forward to the left, then right, and back to the left. Your arms will swing and accelerate from the transition point through the ball.

STOP HITTING BEHIND THE BALL

Getting a feel for impact is very important. Practice making longer swings.

MAKING LONGER PITCHING SHOTS

When setting up to the ball. First make sure that you are balanced your bending from your hips but your toes are quiet You need to make sure that your arms have room to swing back. Set up with your lead arm on top of your left breast and your trail arm is on the side of your trail breast or on your side. This creates an open path way for your arms to swing back on the backswing. You then do not have to move your arms out and around your body. 

ASHLEY - SETUP & BALANCE

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

Your swing is all about control. Get a feel for control before you add speed.

GETTING A FEEL FOR YOUR DRIVER

The M5 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska emphasizes refining practice routines through the use of obstacles, exaggeration, speed adjustments, and managing time between shots. These tools provide immediate feedback, enhance muscle memory, and develop a swing that holds up under various conditions. By integrating these methods, golfers can move beyond random practice and achieve purposeful progress.
Obstacles like swim noodles and water bottles help golfers correct swing paths and promote immediate feedback. Exaggeration in practice is encouraged to push swings to the extreme opposite of current faults, making it easier to achieve the desired changes. Incorporating speed adjustments ensures control while gradually building power. Slowing down with longer clubs, such as drivers, allows for better feel and control before increasing speed.
Time between shots mirrors real game conditions and reveals tendencies, enabling golfers to understand and address their common misses. This practice approach teaches consistency under varied circumstances, preparing players for better on-course performance. By following these methods, golfers can turn practice into a focused, efficient process that leads to measurable improvements.