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A Malaska Golf Member has a great question about "feel and real."

Mike talks about his mentor Joe Nichols who taught him how to compress the golf ball and gain speed instead of dragging the handle out in front.

The original question is about when you make practice swings and the club circles around your hands. Does this concept depart from what Joe taught? Mike says no.

Joe wanted you to tip the club out because he wanted your hips to stay back as you brought the handle down. When you swing at full speed, the club will land in a perfect position for you to hit the ball.

If you don't tip the club out on the downswing, the club's momentum will drop the club and then push your hands away from you. You'll have to twist your hands to get the clubface square with the ball. This means everything is late.

The key is to keep the club from getting too far behind you. That is why "tipping the club out" gets you in the perfect position to hit the ball.

The club is still circling your hands when you are "tipping the club out”, it's the same thing. It is a feeling of a change of direction and not a reality.

TIPPING THE CLUB

The momentum of the club has the ability to direct you. Begin feeling what needs to happen, and your swing will become much easier.

DIRECTING THE MOMENTUM OF THE CLUB

Shoulders match the slope, and add a club or two.

UPHILL LIES

Practicing in your yard can be fun and improve your swing. Learn how to set up a place to practice.

PRACTICING IN YOUR YARD

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

Having been involved with TaylorMade for the last 23 years. Most likely the biggest improvement in golf Products has come in this section of time. No company has pushed the envelop more. And has done more for not only the tour player. But for the enjoyment of the game for the day-to-day player. And being a part of their National Advisory board. I can tell you that what they have coming and their commitment to making the game easier to play and more enjoyable is incredible. I am lucky to have been a part of the wave that they have created.

TAYLORMADE

The last part of this video series with Billy Fitzgerald focuses on getting the club to move around Billy’s hands.

Mike Malaska says everyone talks about shallowing the club, but Mike wants the club, which is outside of your hands, to move and draw behind them. Mike makes a looping action with his hands. He mentions that it is hard for Billy to do this with his right leg pushing out on the downswing.

Because Billy hasn’t created space in his backswing, he throws his club out on the downswing. Billy can reroute his club as soon as there is space, and the club will come shallower into the ball.

Mike wants Billy to work on having his hands in front of the club until the club changes direction. This is where the hands become even with the club. On the downswing, the hands are behind the club, and they work back in front of the club down to impact.

Mike gets Billy to make a swing with Billy in a staggered stance with his right foot back. This will get Billy’s right hip out of the way and focus on making an up-to-under swing.

Having Billy’s right foot back gives him more space to swing and come down into the ball. Mike illustrates this by holding Billy and working through the looping motion. Before, because Billy’s right hip pushed out, he didn’t have the space in his downswing to make the looping action.

Mike shows Billy how the club starts out in front of his hands, to even, to a little behind, back to even, and then his hands in front of his club.

Billy makes an easy shot, and Mike says it will take care of his pull. Mike shows Billy feedback on the JC swing analysis video.

Mike goes over what Billy has learned so far. Firstly was to get Billy’s hips out of the way and his shoulders turned a little steeper. Secondly is how to use your right leg and foot when you change direction. Then it’s to get your club to work correctly with your hands. Mike says you will never stop pulling the ball if your hip moves up. You will have no choice but to be steep with your swing.

Billy repeats all the steps that Mike has taught him in the lesson. Mike reinforces the idea that the club works around the hands is what happens with all bat and racket sports. A tennis racket, ping pong paddle, and baseball bat do this. You want this shallowing action.

Mike and Billy discuss the progress Billy has made in the lesson. Mike also talks about the importance of foot action and that your feet shouldn’t be stable and should be moving. Mike says you should let your feet move as your body moves with the swing.

BILLY FITZGERALD - MOVE THE CLUB AROUND YOUR HANDS

Austin Graham, a Southern Californian native now residing in Ohio, is in Phoenix to work with Mike Malaska. Austin is eager to work on his wedge game, as he is experiencing confusion with his transition in the golf swing. He has too much lateral movement in his swing and wants Mike to help him with that. 

In this six-part series, Mike evaluates what is going on with Austin’s golf swing and addresses the lateral movement that is happening in Austin’s golf swing. Mike introduces Austin to the ROTEXMotion Floor Models to help with the movement of his hips and minimize the lateral movement of his body. Austin has an aha moment with this fitness device.

AUSTIN GRAHAM-PLAYER LESSON

Impact is the most important position in the game, but hardly anyone know where it is in their swing.  Watch this video to understand why it is critical.

IMPACT - PART I

Mike recounts advice that Phil Blackmar once gave him about competing. 

PLAY HOW YOU PRACTICE

The golf swing is a natural motion if you understand how your body works. Here are a couple of ways you can train proper body motion in your golf swing.

UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR BODY MOVES

Dropping your right foot back gets your right hip out of the way and makes it easier to hit balls on the range and the course.

STAGGERED STANCE PROGRESSION

Dan Quayle has been around golf for his whole life. Learn how Dan has kept up with golf his whole life.

GOLF TALK WITH DAN QUAYLE

Dr. Debbie Crews talks about stepping outside of the box in order for you to play your optimum game.

A CONVENTIONAL SWING MAY NOT BE YOUR BEST SWING

DIVINE NATURE PARTNER VIDEO

The golf swing is a continuous motion. All your parts need to be working together in harmony. If one piece is off, the entire swing is off. Understanding how your entire body works independently and together from your hands and wrists to your shoulders, legs and hips will help you be a more consistent player.

KEVIN PLAWECKI - SHOULDER TURN

Overcoming the challenges of shooting your lowest score

SHOOTING YOUR LOWEST SCORE

Set up, hinge your wrists parallel to the ground, and swing the club to the top. This drill will help you hinge your wrists and get your club to the transition point of the swing.

THE HINGE DRILL

WHAT IS A SWING

Having the yips does not mean you will miss your shot.  Here are ways to work with the yips.

STAY ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE YIPS

Brian began Gott Golf in 2008. As he developed his unique approach to fitting clubs for golfers of all skill levels, demand grew.  For 2015 and 2016, Brian was awarded Golf Digest’s coveted “Top 100 Club Fitters in America Award” (new award winners will be announced by Golf Digest in November).  Today, he works with some of Colorado’s most prestigious golf clubs, including The Broadmoor, Cherry Hills Country Club, Castle Pines, Maroon Creek, and others. “I wanted people to know that they could get a tour quality club fitting experience without having to break the bank to do it. They don’t just have to settle for off the rack clubs, either. Give me about 45 minutes in a fitting session, and I can build a custom set that is tailored to your specific needs and abilities.”

Though the current season is winding down, Gott has interesting plans for Colorado golfers and encourages people to visit www.gottgolf.com for new offerings that will be launching next season. Some things to keep an eye on include putting clinics, the launch of a new online store, and the expansion of his current events and relationship with Common Ground Golf Course, the PGA, and golf courses throughout Colorado.

BRIAN GOTT

This Mulligan Monday focuses on foot action. Begin by making a swing flat-footed. Then make another swing and let your right foot roll in. Repeat this motion, but finish the swing after allowing your right foot to roll in. Then your blend all these movements together. The object of this exercise is to start to hit the ball with your feet firmly on the ground and add more and more foot action.

BUILDING BETTER FOOT ACTION

Mike sits down with MLB Hitting Coach Craig Wallenbrock and team to discuss the similarities between the golf swing and the baseball swing.

POWER CLEAT WITH CRAIG WALLENBROCK

Technology can give us the numbers that give us consistency, but here's how to adjust to the changes that you feel.

ADJUST TO WHAT YOU FEEL

The process of learning is to get the ball in the hole.

THE PROCESS OF LEARNING

Mike has found that the driver is one of the easiest clubs to hit as it swings in the largest circle and creates the most force, making it simple to time everything.

The industry says your body and core are the main focus and emphasis in your swing. Mike believes this is important; however, this isn’t the right place to start for most people as a priority. Learning how to hit the driver well and have fun is a skill development process. Most people don’t approach the driver the right way and therefore don’t maximize the benefits of hitting the ball farther.

The M-System Driver series covers, Posture, the two parts of the Lever System, Increasing Driver Speed, Face Control, Creating Driver Speed, Driver Sports Connect, Driver Fitness, and concludes with a Driver Summary. The M-System Driver series will get you on the right path and produce the results you need to hit the ball farther and with more control.

DRIVER OVERVIEW

First take a ball. Get set up and just turn and throw a ball into the ball that is on the tee. You should also just like throwing step with your lead foot. Then once you have a feel for how the transition works. Your lower body starts going forward as soon as your arm starts going back. Set up to the ball with a club. Now all you are doing is throwing the club head into the ball on the ground. So as you start back step forward and throw or direct the momentum of the club head at the ball. 

ASHLEY - THROW THE BALL DRILL

Mike moves to the Downward Dog position and explains how this helps your golf game.

Mike has a towel laid out and gets on his hands and knees, ensuring everything is at 90 degrees. The first thing he does is to pike up with his hips and legs, forming an inverted V. His back is flat, and he
lowers his heels to the ground. You might find that you won’t be able to flex your heels as they might feel tight.

If you can’t extend your heels back so that they are flat and your hips are round, then you must be careful with your golf swing. Because Mike is flexible, he can bend a lot at setup. If you aren’t as flexible, then don’t bend as much.

FITNESS DOWNWARD DOG

Hi, I'm Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska-certified golf coach from Chicago. Jimmy Thorne writes in with a question about arm drop in the golf swing. To clarify, yes, your arms do drop, but they do so as a reaction to your change in direction. I often see people trying to focus on dropping their arms or pulling them down intentionally.If I reach the top or transition point of my swing and simply try to pull my arms down, my right side, or trail side, is likely to follow, causing me to come over the top almost every time. This often results in pulled shots. From down the line, you can see that when I get to the top and just pull down, my entire right side follows. So, your arms naturally drop as a response to the change in direction, not from consciously pulling them down.When I swing back and my hip socket clears out of the way, as soon as I finish turning and change direction, I plant my foot in the ground. This action tilts my shoulders, which allows my arms to drop naturally. So yes, your arms do drop, but how do we work on achieving this?I have a board here to demonstrate. If I allow my arms to drop as I move left to right, as soon as my right foot plants on the ground, I turn out of the way and shift left again. My arms drop naturally with this movement. This step is part of the transition point in the swing. There’s a small amount of lateral motion—just enough to plant my foot without sliding, which stops the momentum, lets my arms drop, and allows me to turn through the shot.To practice, I suggest starting without a club, making swings to feel this rhythm. You can even hold the club out in front of you for some balance and rhythm as you swing back and allow the arms to drop. Think of it as “left-right,” with a little step that causes the arms to drop from the change in direction.So, yes, your arms do drop, but it’s the change in direction that makes them drop. That’s why you need to stay soft in the shoulder sockets so that when your foot hits the ground, your arms drop naturally, the club stays in front of you, and you can then turn through the ball.

STOP FORCING ARM DROP

A Malaska Golf Member says he feels the rotation of his body in his stomach rather than in his hands and arms. Mike says many people use their abdominals to move their upper body when they putt.

Mike holds a tennis racket and moves it from side to side. His abdominal muscles are moving his body. 

The Malaska Golf Member says when he turns the corner in the Turn The Steering Wheel Drill, he feels the rotation in his stomach or core. He wants to know if that is okay. Mike demonstrates with a tennis racket and says it is fine.

Mike has learned in golf that our biomechanics and feelings may be different, but we may all be doing the same thing.

Be careful with people pigeonholing what you should do or feel because it may not fit your DNA for motion.

The art of being a teacher is addressing what is going on and getting that person to see who they are. The key is to see what triggers it for them when they make the correct move. Many Tours Players work on the same things but may all have different triggers to make the shot.

Remember, it comes down to what you want the club to do, how you trigger it, and what it feels like when you do it. If you can identify that, then you've got it. What has always helped Mike is using a tennis racket as a steering wheel. When Mike swings back and his wrists hinge, he turns back and then turns the club down.

If you feel it in your stomach as you turn the club, that's okay if you do it correctly. Whatever you identify that makes it work is what is suitable for you.

ROTATING YOUR ARMS OR BODY

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

Putters can be deceiving. Looks don't always mean that a club will work best for you. Learn how a putter is fit to your swing.

THE LOOKS OF PUTTERS CAN BE DECEIVING

PERFORMANCE COMBINES - GETTING STARTED

This Mulligan Monday, Harry Hooker looks at fixing his swing on the fairway.

When Harry usually swings, he hits the ground behind the ball. Harry practices hitting the ground with the club farther out in front of him.

Harry then sets up and makes a practice swing, where he again hits the ground farther out in front of him.

Then Harry addresses the ball and hits the ball solid. The purpose of this adjustment is to get a feel for where your club hits the ground.

HARRY HOOKER FAIRWAYS HIT THE BALL SOLID

Now that you know how to waggle to get the club to do what you want it to do, here is how to incorporate your body into your waggle.

INCORPORATE YOUR BODY

The task of shifting your weight creates a desire to sway.

STANCE AND TENDENCIES TO SWAY

Mike summarizes the driver series. He believes that you must have the proper grip, grip pressure, and tension to hit the driver well. This is key to making the Lever System work. Take the lever system you have learned from other sports and apply it.

Once you have the lever system working and you are relaxed, then the body comes into play. Make sure you have the correct posture and setup. When you move, you must have your joints lined up as bad posture locks up joints.

Next, focus on the Lever System, how your body moves and pushes away, and how you put all those motions together. It is essential to have the outer circle, or the swing of your golf club, working with your inner circle, which is your body turning. The key is to have them work in harmony, so they start to offset and balance each other. This will help to accelerate the driver. Making sure you have face control is vital. Getting the ball to curve, hook, fade, high and low will teach you better face control.

Have fun practicing different shots. It’s about creating speed and getting your hips out of the way to give you the freedom to swing big and up high. This allows you to create a strong downward force and pressure into the ground and through the ball.

Make sure you practice these drills one at a time and build a good foundation. Set up and practice swinging with your driver. You don’t have to hit it hard. Gradually add more speed as you get more confidence. Trying to hit the ball too hard straight away won’t help.

DRIVER SUMMARY

The swing game is a program that teaches young people simple movemen patterns.

THE SWING GAME

ASK MIKE: EQUIPMENT

Almost every club has a life-long participant of the game. Superstition is fortunate to have Mr. Peterson, who has been playing 72 years.

MR. JIM PETERSON

Here's what drove Hale during the PGA Tour Champions.

BEING IN THE HUNT

At 120lb, Bob had to overcome physical challenges.

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

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

FEELING CENTER FACED HITS

Mike works with Danie on fairway bunker play and getting the ball in the air. Drawing a line in the sand is a great drill to figure out ball position and setup.

 FAIRWAY BUNKERS GETTING THE BALL IN THE AIR

Set up to the ball. First hinge your wrists and set the club on your trail shoulder. There needs to be no tension in your shoulder sockets to do this. Then Push your trail hip out of the way and turn your upper body until it is at a 90 degree angle to the target line. Then with your trail hand push your arms up and over your trail shoulder maintaining the angle in your wrists. Last swing down and hit the ball. This is a great drill for tension, creating the correct shoulder turn and creating the space you need to swing down into. 

FOUR STEPS

Your mind is a muscle just like your body. It needs to and can be trained. The proper mindset is critical to maximizing performance. Your mind controls your body so how do we train it to make the correct decisions. React in a manner that gives us the best chance for success. And how do we train it to process what happens properly so it becomes a constant learning process and roadway to success.

MENTAL GAME

Build body movement in five steps, gradually adding motion.

FOOT ACTION

Mike Malaska works on wedges and irons with Austin Graham in the Malaska Golf Studio. Mike has worked with Austin for six years and historically has coached Austin with the idea of "I want to feel." You see the shot you have hit and its trajectory and get a feel for what you are doing. What the numbers say are just the numbers. Mike also adds that's what good players do. Their thought process is what they want the ball to do, and what does it feel like to get it to do that? They aren't necessarily wrapped up in perfect numbers.

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When Mike watched Austin make some warmup shots, he didn't necessarily like how Austin moved in his golf swing, and it is something Mike wants to fix.

Austin has a question for Mike regarding wedges. He feels good about his hands, arms, and grip, but when he gets into his right cleat, he feels that the turning of his hips isn't natural. Austin also feels like he is sliding his body forward. In tournaments, Austin goes back to the motion of throwing a ball because his legs and hips aren't doing what he wants them to do. Austin's desire is clean up his swing sequence with Mike.

Mike gets Austin to make a couple of swings to observe his golf swing. Austin swings into the TruGolf simulator to get some readings. Mike notices he swings slightly inside out, but the launch angle on his sand wedge is perfect.

On the second shot, the numbers look good. Mike says that relative to the numbers, it looks great; however, relative to what his body is doing, that's a different story. Austin has issues with his right leg and right hip. This is something that Mike wants to explore in the following video.

PLAYING GOLF WITH FEEL

This Quick Fix Friday is to help determine how wide your stance should be when you set up to the ball.

We all have DNA for balance, and if you notice how you walk during the day, just stop and turn. That is how wide your stance should be. Mike has a broader gait, so his stance is wider.

Players with broad stances have wider setups and vice versa. Find what stance fits you and what fits your gait pattern.

Use that on almost all your shots because that’s where you will be the most comfortable relative to balance.

HOW WIDE IS YOUR STANCE

Use how you stand to find your natural posture