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DUSTIN MAY

Mike looks at the fundamentals of chipping. What to focus on and how to practice.

Chipping Overview

The game starts with impact. To build a solid swing, you need to start with putting.

Giulia Sergas

The final video in the M-System Lite series is M5: Practice. Now that you have combined M1 through M4, it’s time to practice correctly.Mike explains that when you are going to practice or even go out to play, the first thing you should do is get loosened up. He uses a pair of stretch cords to do multiple exercises and stretches. He loosens his shoulders, does curls, and exercises to work on bending and rotation. Making sure that you are loose before you practice will help your swing be more consistent, and you will have less chance of injury.&nbsp;Mike has a practice station set up on a fairway. He emphasizes the importance of setting one up when you are practicing. You need to be consistent with setting one up to get better. He has an alignment stick for the target line, a reflective stick for where he wants the ball to start, another stick to line up shoulders, eyes, hips, and maybe your feet, and the last stick for ball position.Mike sets up to the ball the same way every time, with whatever club he is using. Mike must have the same visual picture and target. Now, Mike swings and watches the ball flight relative to the target. The ball was right at the hole, so that was the feeling that he was looking for.Mike talks about training aids or objects to help with your swing. For instance, if you are swinging ‘over the top,’ then a good way to help you swing back to the correct path is using a head cover. Mike places a head cover, lined up to the side of the ball. If Mike swings from the inside, he will miss the head cover and hit the ball. If, of course, he swings over the top, he will naturally hit the head cover. This is a great way to test the path of your swing and give you immediate feedback.The next important thing to practice is face control and path control. Mike makes a practice swing, curving the ball to the left, then he will curve the ball to the rightand hit the ball low and then high. This is all about face control.Next, Mike focuses on path control. He wants to hit the ball so that it starts on the right side of the reflective alignment stick. Mike must make sure that he comes down from the inside on his swing to curve the ball to the right of the stick. This is path control. Then, Mike will curve the ball to the left, training his arms to swing on the correct path. Now, you put face control and path control together.Mike has set up the practice station on a course because when he is on the range, this is what Mike visualizes. When Mike is on a range, he sees a fairway or a hole that he is hitting at. Most people on the range are just randomly looking out at the range. Think about a shot you will make out on the course. Set up and hit the ball; picture that fairway or green. This is a great way to set up and visualize different shots you can make in different situations. When Mike was young, he practiced this way because the golf course he belonged to didn’t have a range. Mike would practice for many hours with an alignment stick on the ground. He was lucky to use the golf course as his practice area.The key learning here is to set up on the range like you really play and put time between shots. Putting time between shots while you practice is more like how you play in a round of golf. You don’t hit shots continuously, one after another. Make a good shot, wait a minute, and then try to duplicate it. If you can, great, and if you don’t, then think about your miss and how to correct it.If you practice this way, it will pay off tremendously, rather than just hitting random balls and hoping you get better.

M-System Lite M5-Practice

Reading greens is a critical skill at every level.

Reading Greens

When you swing a golf club your head appears to stay fairly still. But it is not because your are trying to hold it still. It stays fairly centered because you body is constantly pushing away from the motion of the club. So as the club moves back my body is starting to move forward. As the club swings around me on the down swing my body is moving away from the motion of the club. As I swing into the finish I am again pushing away from the motion of the club. Most great players heads actually appear to move back as the club goes through the ball. That is because they are pushing back away from the forward momentum of the club. That also creates a tremendous amount of acceleration.

Head Still

Hitting slow L To L swing creates dramatic improvement through the winter.

INDOOR L TO L

Putting is the difference between winning and losing. Here's what you need to win.

WHAT IS PUTTING

Learning to prepare for a tournament is a skill. There are certain things to focus on to maximize your potential to perform. If you follow these skills you will find yourself getting the most out of your game in the events you play in. If you just take on a tournament like any other round your chances of really being successful go way down.

Skill Pathways-Tournament Play

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

Grip is the cornerstone of a successful golf swing, as it&rsquo;s the only connection between the player, the club, and the clubface that strikes the ball. Mike Malaska emphasizes that even minor changes in grip position can dramatically impact ball direction and consistency. The proper grip is essential for allowing the lever system to function effectively, enabling the clubface to square naturally and minimizing the need for manipulations during the swing.
Mike highlights common grip mistakes, such as holding the club too much in the palm instead of the fingers. A finger-based grip facilitates better wrist hinge and lever action, essential for generating speed and control. He stresses the importance of a relaxed thumb position to avoid unnecessary tension, which can restrict wrist movement and compromise the lever system&rsquo;s efficiency.
Drawing parallels to other sports, Mike explains how grip instincts from activities like baseball, tennis, and hockey naturally align with golf. For instance, a baseball player&rsquo;s grip positions the bat in the fingers for better leverage, similar to the ideal golf grip. This connection reinforces the concept that instinctual hand placement can simplify and improve the game.
Practicing grip daily is vital, as even subtle inconsistencies can lead to compensations and swing changes. By ensuring a consistent, correct grip, players can maintain a stable foundation for their swing, reduce compensations, and achieve greater accuracy and power. M2&rsquo;s focus on grip and grip instinct provides golfers with the tools to build a reliable, efficient swing that enhances performance and consistency.

M2 Coaching Series-Grip And Grip Instinct

Our second installment of the Spotlight Member brings us to Utah with Todd Heugly.

Todd Heugly

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

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about grip and whether it is the same when using wedges all the way up to the driver.Mike responds that some of it is and some of it isn’t. When Mike grips the club, he makes sure that it is in his fingers, and when he closes his hands, he has the maximum amount of lever potential. This allows his wrists to hinge the way they are supposed to.Mike says, on all your full shots, yes. However, when Mike takes a wedge out, instead of his club being in his fingers, it’s a little more on a diagonal in his hand.Mike does this because he doesn’t want his wrists to hinge as much. The club is now a lot shallower, and you don’t want a lot of up-and-down in the swing. You want to keep it shallower to control the angle of approach and the flight of the ball.Again, Mike does change his grip, adjusting the position of the club in his hand a little bit to accommodate the up-and-down motion of his wrists.You don’t want to do that with the driver. The driver is in your fingers because when you swing back, you want to be able to lever your wrists and get the maximum amount of speed out of his hands and the lever system.

Different Types of Grip

Several Malaska Golf Members have had questions about Ben Hogan and what he did with his clubs. Ben used to take a coat hanger and measure the length of the club handle against a metal coat hanger. He would then clip off the hanger, just barely the length of the grip.

He would then put that on the back of the club shaft and tape it on the club handle. Mike demonstrates this. Ben did this because when he gripped the club, he could feel a ridge on the handle with his fingers. Mike shows how he put the club in the crease of his fingers where the second knuckle of the hand is. Mike closes his hand over the club and grips it.

This is a really great way to get a feel of putting your hand on the club. The coat hanger helps you feel the ridge in your fingers. When you have a round handle, it’s hard to feel the back of the club relative to your hands.

Hogan also set the hanger a little off-center so that the clubface was slightly open when he gripped the club. This is a great way to feel the club in your hands.

Some companies like Lamkin have a reminder grip on the handle; however, they show the handle going into the third crease of the fingers instead of the second crease. It is the second crease where your knuckles are. When you wrap your hand around the club, you have the strongest finger-hand lever system you can create in the golf swing.

Using a coat hanger is a great tool to help you practice and feel the back of the club shaft with your fingers.

Ben Hogan Coat Hanger Trick

Here are the four stages of pre-shot routine. 

PRE-SHOT ROUTINE REVIEW

Mike Malaska brings out the ROTEXMotion Floor Models for Austin Graham to use.

Mike puts both feet on the Floor Models and demonstrates what he wants Austin to do. As Mike turns his arms and body back, his right leg straightens, his left leg bends, then he twists his feet back to square. The purpose of this is to feel what your hips are doing. Mike shows Austin the movement he wants him to make and where he thinks Austin is off.

Mike gets Austin to imitate this twisting motion without a club first, then asks Austin what he thinks his right hip and femur are doing. Austin says that his right hip is staying out of the way and turning down. Mike says that, in fact, the right hip is moving back, away from him.

Mike takes Austin’s sand wedge and demonstrates how to bring his club back, twist his feet, and swing. Austin does what Mike taught him. Mike observes that Austin’s right hip is now doing what it should. Austin is transitioning correctly.

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Austin has an aha moment when he realizes there is only a slight lateral movement of the hips and not a large movement of the hips and legs.

Mike discusses things that have happened over the last 10-20 years. At the tour level, left-hand grips have gotten significantly stronger, with less rotation of the clubface and less lateral movement. You need that lateral motion to tilt your shoulder and start your arms down. Mike demonstrates this slight motion by swinging his arms.

Austin mistook his lateral movement as sliding his legs and body into the ball. Mike goes behind Austin, working with his hips to feel the slight transition. The ROTEXMotion floor discs are a great way to feel that movement.

Mike says there must be some lateral movement, but it is minimal. It takes place before you reach the transition point of the club. Austin feels that difference when he swings his wedge on the discs. This movement is what Austin has been looking for in his golf swing.

SLIGHT LATERAL MOVEMENT

Ask Malaska Golf: How Long Should Your Backswing Be? In this episode of Ask Malaska Golf, Certified Coach Matt Baker answers a great question from member Gonzi Trevino: &ldquo;How far back should I swing the club?&rdquo; Gonzi, a former college pitcher, feels his golf backswing is too long and gets out of control, especially compared to the compact, powerful motion he used on the mound. Matt explains that backswing length is not about copying a model&ndash;it&rsquo;s about matching your body&rsquo;s mobility and how you transition. The key takeaway? It&rsquo;s not just about how far the club goes back, but how and when your body starts moving forward during that backswing. Great athletes&mdash;from pitchers to tennis players&ndash;create a stretch between the upper and lower body. That&rsquo;s what creates power. In golf, this stretch is created in transition, where the club is still going back, but the body begins moving forward. Matt walks through practical drills that connect these athletic moves to the golf swing and shows how to find the ideal swing length for your body type and flexibility&mdash;without overthinking mechanics. What You&rsquo;ll Learn in This Video: &bull; Why swing length depends on mobility, flexibility, and body awareness &bull; Why there&rsquo;s no top of the backswing &ndash; just motion and transition &bull; How to create stretch and coil by moving forward as the club goes back &bull; What baseball and tennis have in common with the golf swing &bull; Drills to help you feel proper transition: Left-Right-Left and the Step Drill &bull; Why learning transition naturally shortens your swing without losing power &ldquo;The swing isn&rsquo;t backswing, top, and downswing. It&rsquo;s motion. You&rsquo;re already moving forward while the club&rsquo;s going back.&rdquo; &ndash; Matt Baker Key Takeaway: There&rsquo;s no one-size-fits-all backswing. The right length for you comes from understanding your body and mastering transition. If your club feels too long at the top, chances are your body isn&rsquo;t starting forward soon enough. The M-System trains you to move like an athlete, building coil, balance, and power without forcing positions.

How Long Should You Swing

Nicklaus takes 3 hours to hit 30 balls.The greats practice by hitting one shot at a time, and learning from every shot they hit.

Golf Talk With Brenden Devore of Be Better Golf

(Build a Better Swing from the Ground Up with Mike Malaska&rsquo;s Proven Process) What if you could rebuild your entire golf swing in just three weeks&mdash;step by step, with a system that actually works? 21 Days to Your Best Golf Swing isn&rsquo;t just a lesson plan&mdash;it&rsquo;s a structured transformation. Led by Hall of Fame coach Mike Malaska, this series guides you through the exact process he&rsquo;s used to help thousands of players break bad habits, simplify their motion, and gain total control of their swing. Each day introduces one key concept or drill that builds on the last, so you're never overwhelmed&mdash;and never left guessing. You&rsquo;ll train your hands, feet, body, and mind to work together as one. This is how the swing becomes repeatable, powerful, and built to last. Each day targets a key component of the swing: from grip, face control, and balance&hellip; to footwork, momentum, and impact. You&rsquo;ll learn how the body and club work together, how to generate effortless speed, and how to train smarter&mdash;not harder. Whether you&rsquo;re a weekend golfer or a serious player, this series will reshape your game from the ground up.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn Over 21 Days: Why your grip is your swing&mdash;and how to fix it How to feel and control the clubface without guessing How to train with L-to-L motion for speed and consistency Why your feet and lower body control swing path and power The truth about impact&mdash;and how to make it automatic How to stop early extension and maintain posture naturally How to separate Practice from Play for real improvement And how to build a long-term process to Master, Maximize, and Maintain your swing
Key Takeaway: Real improvement doesn&rsquo;t come from isolated tips. It comes from following a proven process that simplifies your swing and builds your instincts over time. 21 Days to Your Best Golf Swing is that process. Train one day at a time, and you&rsquo;ll never go back to guessing on the course again.

21 Days to Your Best Golf Swing

Mike Malaska explains the "Look Cool Drill," which is an isolation of the right and left hand for the L to L Drill. 

He demonstrates this by holding the club in his right hand and bringing the club back in an "L" formation and swinging through, forming another "L." He then puts both hands together, and his body rotates, which is the L to L Drill.

Mike then demonstrates the L to L in his left hand, where Mike's hand and the club shaft form an "L" with the arm.

Again, the "Look Cool Drill" isolates the right and left hands without moving the body. Add both hands and swing with your body. That is the L to L Drill.

LOOK COOL AND L TO L DRILLS

Preparing for a tournament is very important. Practice finding your tempo.

FINDING YOUR TEMPO

Set three or four balls on the green with lines around the ball. Set up to the ball. Line the line on the putter if you have one with the line on the ball. Then just make a stroke and make the line roll with no wobble. Then once you can do that then do the same thing making the ball go different distances and at different targets. 

ROLL BALL

Place a chair behind you with the back of the chair at a 45 degree angle to the target line. Then set up to the ball with your lead hip touching the chair. Then as you swing back make your trail hip touch the chair. Then as you start back to the ball move force up to your lead leg and start pushing the chair back away from the ball or target line as you swing into and through the ball.

CHAIR DRILL

THE SWING DOESN'T FEEL HOW IT LOOKS

Is your left arm tension free as it hinges? Try this pattern to find out.

THE LEFT ARM

BUILDING A STRONG SETUP

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

In this third episode of the Malaska Golf Player Lesson, Mike Malaska takes Jeff Coburn and Jeff Krull into one of the most misunderstood areas of golf&mdash;the short game. The focus of this lesson is chipping technique, solid contact, and center-face control.
 Mike begins by setting up a simple on-course chipping station that includes both tight lies and light rough, replicating the conditions golfers face in every round. He explains that most players never learn to connect the ball with the center of the clubface, which is the real key to consistent spin and distance control.
 To drive the point home, Mike introduces what he calls the &ldquo;fourth groove test.&rdquo; By marking a small dot on the fourth groove of the wedge, players can see where contact actually happens. The goal is to line that dot up with the back of the golf ball and learn how it feels when you strike it cleanly in the middle of the face.
 As Jeff and Jeff work through their shots, Mike highlights a major misconception: amateurs often try to scoop the ball into the air or rely on the high-risk flop shot they see on television. He explains that these shots require thousands of hours of practice and are rarely the right choice for most golfers. Instead, the key is using a simple putting-style motion with a slightly descending strike.
 Mike demonstrates how moving the ball slightly back in the stance, keeping the head forward, and maintaining steady rhythm allows the club to bottom out naturally after contact. The result is crisp, repeatable contact that makes the ball pop up and roll predictably toward the hole.
 He also stresses that most golfers would benefit from simplifying their short game. Rather than constantly switching clubs, he recommends testing a few&mdash;pitching wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge&mdash;to find the one that produces the most consistent contact. Once you identify that club, practice striking the center of the face with it every time. This session reinforces one of Mike&rsquo;s favorite concepts: learn what your tendencies are and make small adjustments. Instead of trying to reinvent your swing mid-round, learn how to adapt what you already do. By paying attention to how the club interacts with the ground and the ball, you&rsquo;ll develop instinctive control over trajectory and rollout. By the end of the lesson, both players begin to feel what solid chipping contact really means&mdash;and how to reproduce it under pressure. This isn&rsquo;t about style or technique; it&rsquo;s about building awareness and confidence through consistent feedback.
 Key Takeaways: Center-Face Contact: Great chipping starts with striking the ball in the middle of the clubface. Simplify the Stroke: Use a putting-style motion with minimal wrist action. Forget the Flop: Consistency beats creativity&mdash;avoid high-risk shots you can&rsquo;t practice daily. Ball Position Matters: Move the ball slightly back to ensure solid, descending contact. Play What You Own: Learn your tendencies, adjust setup, and trust your feel.

Solid Contact Chipping

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

LEFT ARM DOMINANCE

This Ask Mike comes to us from John DeFrancisco. By the way, Matt Baker, hello! Matt does a lot of great work. He’s over in England, and he’d be here today, except the flight was a little too long. So, hey Matt, how are you doing?This question is one that gets asked a lot. It tends to annoy me a little, which is great because I like being annoyed—it gives me a chance to be annoying back! The question is about the Look Cool Drill and how the clubface actually works through the ball. I’m going to take this one because I hear it so often, and it’s about exaggerations and putting circles together.All right, let’s get into it. You guys are going to have to move so I can demonstrate. The Look Cool Drill looks like this.When I’m doing the Look Cool Drill, if you watch the clubface, the face goes from here, comes down to there, and then moves up to here and over there. Through this movement, the face is rotating more than it would in my normal swing because my body isn’t moving. But this little action here—the clubface—is doing exactly what it should. It’s here, here, there, and there.The difference is that the handle of the club isn’t moving very far, so it looks like there’s a lot more face rotation. But if I take this same action and start moving my body—like in my full golf swing—the face does exactly what you want to see. When I take my body out of it and just swing my arm, you’ll see the handle pivoting, which makes it look like the face is twisting faster. However, the face is staying close to a 90-degree angle to my swing arc.The biggest issue I see with the Look Cool Drill and the L-to-L Drill is that people don’t fully understand the wrist movements. For example, when you go from here, your left wrist is flat. Now, if I use only my left arm and move to the other side, what does my left wrist do? It cups.When you add the right hand, on the backswing, your right wrist is in extension, and as you go through the swing, it moves into flexion. During the backswing with the Look Cool Drill, the left wrist is flat, and the right wrist is bent. At impact, and then as you follow through, the roles switch—the right wrist flattens, and the left wrist bends.When you do this with one hand, sometimes there’s more rotation than you want. If I overdo it, yes, the face rotates too much. The goal of the Look Cool Drill is to let the weight of the club drop and pivot naturally. See what I’m doing here?This doesn’t require strength—I’m only holding the club with two fingers. The idea is to let the club’s momentum do the work. As the club pivots, the face naturally moves through the arc. If I let it flip too much, the face closes. But the goal is to feel how loose your wrists need to be and how the club’s weight creates the pivot.If I do this with my left hand and let it flip back, the face might close, but that’s an exaggeration to help feel how much the club’s weight contributes to the swing. The drill teaches you how to relax the wrists and let the lever system work effectively.As simple as this looks, most students struggle to do it correctly when starting. They can’t figure it out because they’re too tense. This motion—this pivoting action—is the same as throwing a ball, serving in tennis, or any similar movement.The Look Cool Drill is all about using the weight of the club to train your hands, relax your wrists, and get the lever system working naturally.

Swing Better With The Look Cool Drill

L TO L LEAD FOOT ONLY

If you are not confident in the shot you are making, you will not commit and will not hit a good shot. The first step to pre shot routine is choosing the shot you are comfortable with.

CHOOSE THE SHOT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH

The body plays an important role in evrey sport. The golf swing utilizes your body when it works correctly.

YOUR BODY AND THE GOLF SWING

Set up with your trail foot draped way back. Make swings and create the L on the backswing, then make the L on the follow through. Once you can do that then add face control. On the first shot do the L to L But make the ball curve to the left or hook. Then the second ball make the ball curve to the right or slice. The last ball try to make it go straight. This skill needs to be developed to move on to a bigger swing with more motion.

THE LEVER SYSTEM - L TO L CHALLENGE

The arms create a circular motion around the body in the golf swing the same way they do in a baseball swing and tennis swing.  Here is how to get the arms to work in the right motion during impact.