(Why You Must Decide Before You Swing)
To play your best golf, you need to know your intention before you hit your first shot: Are you practicing—or are you playing? In this final bonus lesson, Mike Malaska shares one of the most overlooked keys to success on the course: separating training mode from scoring mode. If you step onto the range—or the tee box—without clarity, you’ll sabotage your performance.
When you practice, your focus is on reps and training the swing (like L-to-L or wrist rehinge drills), not the score. You’re working on the swing, not the shot. But when you play, your focus must shift to feel and performance—working with your tendencies, not fixing your swing mid-round. Trying to “fix” your motion on the course leads to tension, poor contact, and mental confusion. It’s a losing strategy.
Mike emphasizes that your warm-up should reflect your goal. If you're practicing, dive into your drills. If you're playing, keep it light, reinforce what’s natural, and trust your tendencies. This mental discipline ties directly back to the M-System’s structure and prepares you to make real, lasting progress—on the range and on the course.

What You’ll Learn About Practice vs. Play:
• Why you must choose between training or scoring—never both
• How to warm up differently depending on your goal
• Why your tendencies matter more during play than swing “fixes”
• How to train a skill (like L-to-L) without worrying about score
• How this lesson connects directly to the full M-System process

Key Takeaway:
Before every round, make a decision: Are you training your swing, or are you playing your game? You can’t do both. Practicing is about process. Playing is about performance. If you separate the two, you’ll make faster progress—and shoot lower scores.