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It is important to stretch and loosen up your body before you play.

EXERCISES BEFORE YOU GO TO THE TEE

Before making fast swings, you must first practice club face control.

EASY FULL SWINGS WITH A DRIVER

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Billy Fitzgerald is subbing in to answer “Ask Mike’s” from Beverley County Club in Chicago. A member has made a comment about, ‘it’s not flipping.’Billy said he is absolutely right. What the member is talking about is how the golf club works back and forth in the swing.The clubhead has both the farthest and longest to travel, so it will have the most amount of speed. The grip end doesn’t have nearly as far to travel and if it goes the same speed as the clubhead we wouldn’t have any clubhead speed.We are talking about these levers, where the grip end acts as a pivot point for the clubface. Mike Malaska refers to this as the snap of a towel.Billy demonstrates his hand, simulating snapping a towel. When you change directions, the opposite end of the towel you are holding accelerates. This is the same thing that happens in the golf swing.Billy demonstrates in slow motion how this works. As the clubface goes up the plane line, the grip end slows down to accommodate the face going up. The clubface matches your spine angle, which is going to be square to the target. At no point is the clubface flipping or twisting throughout the swing.Again, as you swing back, the clubface goes up the plane line, and the grip end slows down so the club can pivot. As you change directions at the top, the clubface is still square. Again, the grip end slows down, which makes the face speed up in the ball. On the follow-through, the clubface accelerates. For some, it may feel that the grip end is slowing down. It certainly isn’t going as fast as the face of the club.Some people who are notorious for pulling the handle and turning on their shoulders never feel the acceleration of the clubface and how that relates to the grip. Billy says he understands when people say it feels like a flip, but a flip is when the clubface turns over. The face rotation is minimal and stays square to the arc, and now Billy is providing the snap effect of the towel feeling in the swing. The grip provides the pivot point, and the club accelerates.Billy makes practice swings so you can see the clubface accelerate through the golf ball. The grip slows down, and it hinges as you swing back. Billy shows you where you feel the ‘snap of the towel effect' and feel the clubface take off; the grip slows down and then rehinges on the follow-through.It feels like a flip, and for some people, this is a good thing because they are feeling their hands more and the acceleration of the face, and they just don’t realize it yet. If you spend some time with this, you will see the golf ball travel straighter and farther than you ever thought.

DON'T FLIP THE CLUB

There is a fundamental difference in what it meant to have a tour card in '85 versus now. Players these days lack the urgency that playing used to require. This is due to one single factor. Hear how it negatively and positively impacts the players.

HOW THE TOUR CHANGED

Ashley talks about the three planes of movement and the importance of functional health in your golf game.

FITNESS AND GOLF

It has been my privilege and honor to represent Jack Nicklaus around the world. Training instructors how to teach what Jack felt was the keys to the game. Being around him for the last 35 years has helped me so much in understanding really what makes a great player. Or what will get the most out of your game. It has also allowed me to travel the world to see how other cultures embrace the game of golf. It has been a life-changing experience for me. One that I hope to share with as many as possible.

JACK NICKLAUS ACADEMIES

The right grip pressure is not too light, not too heavey - but just right.

FINDING LIGHT GRIP PRESSURE

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Matt Baker based in the United Kingdom is answering a member question.We've got a question here from Richard Solman, who is talking about parallax and how it's really helped his game and improved his ability to visualize alignment. This is a fundamental aspect of improving your golf game because getting alignment right is crucial. There's an old saying: "What you see, your brain receives, and then your body reacts." What you're seeing at address is often different from what's actually happening or what's correct, and it's important to understand that.Parallax refers to the difference in perception when you're standing behind the ball, aligning yourself towards your target. You can even practice this in a net. When I address the ball, my eyes have a different perception of where my start point is. Where my start line is crucial, and when I look at the target from here, it might appear far left of where my actual target line is due to parallax. However, I know that everything is aligned squarely toward my target.It's very important to get this correct and to work on it. Using alignment aids like lines or sticks down the fairway will help you get a better visual of what you're aiming for. If I'm standing over the ball and perceive the target as left of where I intend to start the ball, my body will naturally react to that perception. I'll end up swinging to the left, thinking I'm correcting the aim, but that's why it's essential to practice alignment.Some people like to use a marker; for example, I can use the end of my stick. Others might use a spot in front of them. However, when I'm standing here and looking at it, it might seem way off to the right, like it's hitting the side of the net, when it’s right online. That's parallax, and it's crucial to work on this so your body reacts correctly at address.Focus on your start point, and your body will react by starting the ball on the right line. Mastering parallax and alignment is essential; it's the basic 101 of alignment that every golfer needs to learn.

PARALLAX: KEY TO ACCURATE SHOTS

PERFORMANCE COMBINES - REPORT

Many ideas or concepts about the swing have really caused a lot of confusion. Many times what you see or what you think you need to do. Is not what is actually the cause. If you understand these concepts and what is actually happening the game or the swing becomes much less complicated.

TOP 10 MISUNDERSTOOD SKILLS IN GOLF - OVERVIEW

After reviewing the impact position with Frank, Mike shows him how to make the clubface more stable by moving the left hip out of the way instead of twisting the hands at impact.

Working through these drills of taking small hits and making them bigger, the club will accelerate forward when the left leg pushes the left hip out of the way. Suddenly you will hit the ball and be amazed at how little effort it requires. The ball will go far, if not farther than before, and straighter. The circle of the clubhead is now matching the circle of the body. With less effort and less flip, you will have more clubhead speed.

Mike is concerned with the amount of twist and stress Frank puts on his neck when he swings. It’s a neck injury waiting to happen.

Mike gets Frank to swing and focus on a strong grip, with a shut clubface on the backswing and getting the left hip out of the way through impact position and into the follow-through.

Frank makes a great shot with less effort and more efficiency.

Mike tells the story of Sandy Koufax and how he learned to throw the baseball fast but softly. Sandy’s pitching then got better and faster. He was learning how to create speed with less effort.

Golf is about figuring out how not to add more effort but how to create maximum speed with the least effort.

FRANK COX: LESS EFFORT MORE CONTROL

Figuring out which of your index fingers is your best directional control finger is critical in determining your grip on the putter. Once you determine which finger it is then it needs to be in play correctly. This along with a putter grip that gives you the best sense of where the putter face is. Those two things makes the putting stroke much easier to duplicate under pressure.

DIRECTIONAL CONTROL

Before you can add speed, you must first understand rhythm. Learn how to create a tempo that will help you practice.

TEMPO WITH ASHLEY

Being able to see your stats when you practice can be very useful.

WORKING WITH YOUR IRONS AND LAUNCH MONITOR

IFYP: FITNESS

First to feel line of compression. Take a bat or a stick. You can do it from your knees or standing. Just take the bat and hit a bag or a tree or a tire. Feel how your trail arm lines up with and pushes the stick or bat into the object. That is what happens in a golf swing. The other is just get on your knees or in a chair and throw a ball. Feel how your wrist works. It does not twist. It flexes and extends. That is the same in a golf swing.

SWING CONCEPTS - SPORTS CONNECT

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Billy Fitzgerald is stepping in to answer “Ask Mike’s” from Beverley County Club in Chicago.A member has a question about what happens when your lead leg doesn’t push away when you swing.Billy says he sees this often with players and that it is a great question. The main idea of having your left leg push away is to give room for your hands, arms, and golf club in sequence when you hit the ball. The clubface is moving out, while your hands can fit in front of you and your left hip and golf club are matching up.It is a matching combination, and it is about giving the golf swing, grip, clubface, and shaft enough room to go into the ball.When you don’t push away, your arms will get too close to the ball when you swing down. Your grip will also run out into the ball, exposing the heel of the club. The club will start to make a mad dash to the golf ball. Billy typically sees many heel shots and a lot of the shots off the hosel of the club.Billy again reiterates that it is about matching the clubface with the left leg. When the left leg pushes away, the clubface can go out, the handle can slow down, and that’s how you want to match the left leg pushing away so you have plenty of room to go into the ball.Billy makes some small swings so you can see how the left leg pushes away, the handle slows down, and the clubface works out.Your grip also squares the face at impact. Billy makes a small chip, and you can see the combination of the club stabilizing the face and giving Billy plenty of room for his arms, golf club, and grip to swing into a great impact position.Remember to push away and give yourself room to make good contact.

LEFT LEG PUSHING AWAY

The rotor drill will train your arms to swing loosely in your shoulder sockets and will get your arms working in the right release pattern.  

ROTOR BENEFITS

PERRY DICKEY

Your body understands force transfer from playing other sports.  Any sport where an object hits a ball teaches you force transfer.  Here's how to plug that into your swing.

FORCE TRANSFER IN OTHER SPORTS

Mike discusses right arm alignment and how he learned it from his dad. He had Mike hit a tire that was hanging from a tree with a baseball bat. Mike’s right arm would line up with the bat on the back to stabilize it and push the bat into the tire. 

Instinct told Mike how to hit, and his left leg pushed his left hip out of the way. When it came to golf, he took that same movement pattern with his golf club. Mike’s right arm and club shaft lined up and were in the same plane or on the same line. 

By practicing that swing, with your forearm lined up with the club shaft and your leg pushing your hip out of the way, you have it! Impact is an instinct.

RIGHT ARM AT IMPACT

This Quick Fix Friday is about using the line on the ball to your advantage.

When Mike takes this to the course, he must aim the line where the ball needs to begin to accommodate the curve he has been hitting on the range. If Mike hits where he points the line on the ball, it will curve to the second flag to the right.

Mike demonstrates this with his driver. He sets up, sees the line, aims his clubface, and swings. He doesn’t even have to look up because the line points where he needs to hit the ball.

The ball starts on the line and then curves to the target. Once you set your line, your natural curve will take it to its destination.

USE THE LINE ON THE BALL

Know the tendencies of your home golf course.

KNOW YOUR PARTICULAR GOLF COURSE

Many sports incorporate the Lever System and the pivoting action of a club, bat, racket, etc. Developing the Lever System begins with pivoting the club back and forth.

Tennis and golf are very similar in that the ball is stationary at impact, and you pivot the club or racket to hit the ball. When you hit a tennis ball, it is at the apex of the toss; therefore, it is considered stationary. The Lever System or pivoting action is critical to creating speed. Your center mass isn’t moving much and is not responsible for speed.

In golf, if you put a club on your shoulders and swing it back and forth, you will feel the Lever System at work. Long Drive Champion, Mike Austin, used to help Mike Malaska with this drill. Start with the club on your right shoulder and begin to throw the club out as you swing; your left arm will straighten as the clubhead straightens. Because your left arm is relaxed, it rotates externally and will fold up as you continue the swing to your left shoulder. This pivoting action is the Lever System, which is how you generate speed. Your arms don’t help the ball and pull through the swing.

It is essential to get the feel of the Lever System and how the club pivots. You will notice how little your body moves. Take this drill and apply it to your golf swing and try to hit a ball. Let your body move with the swing to maximize the Lever System. The biggest thing that Mike Malaska has learned in 50 years is that the golf swing is invisible. What you see isn’t necessarily happening.

The Chair Drill is one of the best drills to learn the Lever System. Set up to a ball while sitting on a bag stand or a chair, and put your right leg back, so your knee is out of the way. Make little swings and hit the ball from the chair.

This drill will help you harness the Lever System. Because you are isolating your body movements, you will be forced to use your arms and pivoting action to hit the ball.

LEVER SYSTEM - PART 2

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know about The Loop Drill and its purpose.

When you watch Tour Players on their backswing, by the time the club gets waist high and parallel to the ground, the clubhead is even with or to the golf ball side of their hands. No one has the club pointed back behind their body. The club must come up over the top on the downswing if you do this. Some players like Craig Stadler and Sam Snead swung their club like that; however, they were able to get the clubhead back on track on the downswing.

As the clubhead goes back, the club is constantly moving away from the ball. Their shoulders and hips are back when they change directions, and the club starts to shallow or loop on the downswing. This allows them to come in at the right angle of approach to the ball. The clubhead is completing more of a circle than their arms. The clubhead is making a good-sized loop.

Mike demonstrates this loop with a wedge, a fairway wood, and a driver. If you get the loop action going, your club automatically shallows the club.

LOOP DRILL SHALLOWING THE CLUB

Mike Malaska clarifies for a Malaska Golf member about Joe Nichols and the pivot point of the right elbow and pivoting of the club. He thought they looked different. When Joe Nichols talked about the right elbow, he wanted you to feel that you pivoted the club immediately on the backswing. Your right elbow pivots on the backswing, the handle of the club pivots on the downswing, and then the elbow pivots again. Your elbow is pivoting your arm externally and internally rotating your arm. The two pivot points must happen parallel to each other. You don’t want your club to dip and find yourself trying to catch the club up. Joe was big on having the right elbow and club coming down to its pivot points and then pivoting together into the ball. Ensure the elbow rotates in the shoulder socket and doesn’t move back or slide away from your body.

PIVOTING OF THE CLUB

Directing momentum of the club correctly.

DIRECTING THE MOMENTUM OF THE CLUB

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.

SKILL PATHWAYS: MENTAL GAME

A neutral grip stops over rotation in the downswing.

USING A NEUTRAL GRIP

Putting first establish line of compression. Then develop posture. Now your trail forearm pushes the shaft through the ball. Then you allow your wrist to flex and extend not twist. Now make the ball roll and finally find your tempo and maintain it.

PUTTING SUMMARY

Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A member has a question about how the hips move and how they time up with the club.

First, your hips move because of what your feet and legs do on the ground. When you swing back, your right hip moves back because your right foot, knee, and thigh push back. You are not twisting your hip back. As you push off the ground, that movement pushes your right hip back up and out of the way.

On the downswing, the same thing happens to your left leg. The left leg pushes the left hip back and out of the way. Your hips are moving, but you aren’t setting up to the ball and twisting your hips back and then forward. Doing this moves you off the ground. You want to stay on the ground.

It also helps you move your center away from the ball, giving you room for your arms to swing back and on the follow-through. This is how your hips work, and this is because of your feet and how they work into the ground. It is a reaction.

When you talk about speed, it’s all about lining the clubface up and timing it as you push off the ground. As you do this, your right hip pushes back, creating speed as you come through the ball.

Again, your feet are what moves your hips, and the timing of the club and how your feet push off the ground is what accelerates the clubface through the golf ball.

HOW THE HIPS MOVE

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about Joe Nichols and the Corner Drill and wants to know what it means.Joe would say when you set up to the ball and swing the club back, you could draw a line from the bottom of the handle to the outside of your right foot. Mike places a tee in the ground at that point. This is what Joe called a corner. He had another corner, which was on the opposite side of his left foot. Mike places another tee there.What Joe wanted you to do on the backswing was to make sure that the handle was pointing down and in line with the corner of the first tee. You took the club to the top and hit the first tee again on the downswing.This is a great drill because you have to hit the corner twice, and this prevents you from moving up and into the ball. This is a great visual concept.The Member can hit the first corner but has difficulty hitting the second one. Mike explains that this plays right into the M-System. As you swing down, your left leg pushes your left hip out of the way, which allows you to get plenty of space to hit the handle over the second tee.If you slide your body forward or don’t push your hip back, it is hard to get the handle over the tee. It’s about moving away from the ball to create space to hit both corners. Mike demonstrates how to hit both corners. It’s about how your body moves.

JOE NICHOLS CORNER DRILL

How forces and circles work in a golf swing.

THREE CIRCLES MAKE UP A GOLF SWING

INSIGHTS-CLUB GAPPING

Feeling pull in the left arm, if it's in a circle, can be very valuable in the golf swing.

LEFT ARM DOMINANCE

There are arguably four positions. I say arguably because I am not a fan of positions because they can be misleading. If these positions come from momentum, you are doing fine.

FOUR PLACES TO STRENGTHEN IMPACT

Once you can swing with your feet flat on the ground, start to let your feel roll in one after the other.  This will give you a feel of sequencing as we build into your full swing.

THE SECOND STEP

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Billy Fitzgerald is subbing in to answer “Ask Mike’s” from Beverley County Club in Chicago. A Malaska Golf Member wants to know if the up-to-under works for all your clubs. Yes, it does. What is up-to-under? The member has been having some success with pitching and shorter irons. He is, however, still having a bit of trouble with his driver and is asking if it works with all his clubs in his bag.Billy explains that the up-to-under refers to how the club works a little outside his hand. The club will work up before it breaks away from the ball, and then it will work under and back into it.The term for it is shallowing. This is the term used in the industry, and it's kind of a hot topic. It just refers to how the club stays behind your hands long enough before it comes into the ball, and the face goes back out towards the golf ball.This is great for people who go over the top. The over-the-top golf swing is the exact opposite of up-to-under. They typically go under to over so the club face can't keep going back, and to return to the ball, they've got to go over the top.This is a great drill if you go over the top, where you work the clubface in a manner that you start to feel it's a little bit shallower and can hit it from the inside.Again, yes, this works with all your clubs. It is important to work the clubface just outside your hands and make sure it gets in line and works back. Then, it works under behind your hands, long enough so it's shallow enough to come from the inside before it works back out to the golf ball.Billy says that you start to feel what some call the Loop Drill. You begin to feel a little loopy-ness, especially if you're used to going inside over the top.&nbsp;Try this drill with all your clubs. That's the golf club motion you want to make to shallow it out and come from the inside.

UP TO UNDER WITH ALL YOUR CLUBS

Every day when you go to the range you should have a stretching routine that you do before you hit balls. You should already be loose before you start hitting balls. You should be ready to make a full swing on the first ball. Have some stretch cords in your bag. Get the blood flowing. Then do some bending and rotation exercises. Do not use hitting balls as your loosing up program. That will make it very difficult for your swing to feel the same or close to the same every day.

HOW TO PRACTICE - FITNESS

Brain Gott moves to the next phase of the putting challenge, which is speed, and he takes us through one of his favorite drills. Speed is critical, and you need to be able to judge it correctly. 

Brian places golf balls a couple of feet apart in a line at different intervals toward a flagstick lying on the ground. The flagstick is used as a target. You can also use the fringe of the green. Hitting one ball at a time as close as you can to the flagstick will allow you to gauge the speed and rhythm of your putting stroke. Work your way down the line adding more distance to the put. Work on different putting scenarios and pick various spots on the green from which to aim. Shoot for up, down, and side hills, and work on speed. You will get the ball closer to the hole if you get the speed right.

DAY 4 SPEED

In a bunker doing a squat or a lunge helps strengthen your legs and gives you a feel for how stable your lower body is in a bunker. This strength and stability helps in many other shots but very important for being consistent in the bunker.

BUNKER FITNESS

Mike Malaska shows us how there are three ways to hit a draw.

First, you can set the clubface closed and make your normal swing. That will make the ball draw.

Second, set up, and move the ball back in your stance, making your swing path come more from the inside, which will also make it draw.

Third, you can also swing and turn the face over with your hands to make the ball draw. Your hands can adjust the clubface and make the ball draw.

When you hit a tennis ball with a racket, you can hit it straight or add topspin. Your hands determine what the face does.

Mike learned how to make a draw through his experience pitching in baseball. Mike uses the pressure of his fingers to manipulate the clubface's direction on the ball, just like a baseball pitcher makes when throwing a fastball or a slider.

The critical thing is that you need what works best for you on the range, then take it to the course. 

There is no right or wrong way to make the ball draw, fade, or go high or low. Try experimenting on the course and determine which method suits you the best.

HOW TO MAKE THE BALL DRAW

A Malaska Golf member says that the concept of tossing the club has really helped him in his golf swing.

Mike takes a golf ball in his hand, and when he sets up, tossing the club is similar to tossing a golf ball back behind you.
Mike demonstrates this. Notice how your hand goes back. It doesn’t twist back behind you. The key is to throw the momentum back behind you and then back to the golf ball.

This is your golf swing. Toss the club back and then toss the club with momentum forward to the ball.

To summarize, it’s a toss both ways, and your body moves to accommodate it. If you make the concept of the swing simple, you will become a better player.

TOSSING THE CLUB (BALL)

Jim Flick Invitational Part 1 -- The Golf Digest Golf Schools

JIM FLICK INVITATIONAL 2016

RACKETBALL & GOLF

Fairways bunkers are often easier than the rough.

EASIER THAN THE ROUGH

A Malaska Golf member commented on how much The M-System Driver Series and especially the Driver Summary helped him.

Mike discusses how the industry promotes the driver, and it is all about distance. Mike isn't going to disagree with that statement; however, there is a skill development process to achieve that. The first part of the process starts with your grip and the Lever System. 

Mike is adamant and disagrees that you start with people focusing on moving their bodies to control the driver! Yes, the body comes into play at some point in time, but there are specific skills you need to develop before you get to that point.

Mike demonstrates the Lever System, swinging effortlessly back and forth, holding the driver with his left hand. Notice how the wrist hinges and unhinges in the swing and how his arm is relaxed. Mike's body nudges him to start the swing, but the arms take off, and the body follows. It is the same when Mike switches to his right hand. Mike places his hands on his chest to show how soft the upper body is when he swings.

If the relationships with the swing hold and your body starts to pick up speed, then you have something. If your grip isn't correct, the Lever System isn't working. If your wrists are tight and you overuse your body, you aren't going to create the speed you need.

A great drill is sitting on a chair or on your knees and making easy swings to try to hit the ball. This drill is excellent for understanding the lever system and realizing that even by taking your lower body out of the equation, you can easily hit the ball and far.

It's all about skill development to create speed with your driver. It's not about clearing your hips and swinging as hard as you can! Mike hits the ball 195 yards in the air to prove that point.

Work on your grip and the Lever system, and then allow your body to move faster.

HOW TO MAX OUT YOUR DRIVER

IFYP: ATHLETIC PERSONALITY

Preparing for a tournament can be tricky. Make sure to utilize the time you have with practice that matters.