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Mike Malaska has a Player Lesson with Dr. Joe LaCaze, Owner and Managing Partner of Rotex Motion. Joe is a former Navy Seal and avid golfer who has worked with elite athletes for 26 years. He is a guru in the motion fitness arena. His company sells products that will help you with flexibility and better movement patterns.

Joe LaCaze- Player Lesson

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

Swing Game

The distance the ball goes out of a bunker is based on three things. The amount of sand. The speed of the swing. And the club that you are using. Practice mainly speed and club selection more than amount of sand at first.

DISTANCE CONTROL

Your practice station is the foundation of your practice. Here, Mike explains to Caroline how to set this up.

CREATING YOUR PRACTICE STATION

Either place a band around your hips and connect it to the ground or a cable system connected to your belt buckle. Then create tension in the cable. It is now pulling your towards it. Then start your backswing and increase the tension in the cable or band. Notice where your force goes in your trail foot. Towards the inside of your trail heel. Then start to rotate back to the start point. Keeping the tension in the cable. Now move onto your lead leg and continue to push away or create more tension in the cable as you move to the follow through side. Again your instinct to keep tension in the cable will give you the feel for your swing.

CABLE PULL

Hi, I’m Mike Malaska, and I’m here with Billy Fitzgerald and Brian Gott to talk about some Ask Mike's questions. We have an incredible team of instructors who work with us—Julie Yang, Pepe Cortez, Matt Baker, Doug Roberts, and others. They’ve all been through the M-System and truly understand what these Ask Mike's are about.I personally review most of the questions, and you can trust our team to provide accurate answers. This isn’t complicated. Over time, we’ve noticed that questions tend to become consistent people are often dealing with the same challenges. Whether it’s me or one of our instructors answering, you’re always going to get the right guidance.The Ask Mike's section is also a great place for you to voice your questions. It helps us as teachers because it shows us what people might be missing in their lessons. Interestingly, I’ve found that many people don’t ask their questions during lessons. Instead, they’ll email later and say, “I wanted to ask you this.” My response? “Why didn’t you ask me during the lesson?” Probably because they know I would’ve made them do it!Anyway, Ask Mike's is an excellent feature of the site. Our instructors are just as good as I am at addressing your concerns. So, send in your questions—you’ll be well taken care of. Now, let’s dive into today’s question.Hi, I’m Brian Gott, a Malaska Golf Certified Coach, and I’m here to answer a question for Ask Mike's. This one comes from Tom Thornalley, and it’s something we hear all the time—at least once per lesson!Tom asks about the impact drill and whether it’s valuable to use with the driver.Tom, let me share what Mike always says when we hear this question: “Should I do this with the driver?” His response is, “Only if you want to hit it well.”The impact drill is vital because it helps you feel what it’s like to be in the proper impact position. To practice this, start by getting into the impact position. Remember, it’s not about getting the hands forward—it’s about moving the hips out of the way, something we emphasize a lot in the M-System.Here’s how to practice: Get into the impact position, stay there, and make a small swing. By starting from impact, you’re already in the correct spot.Repeat this drill—impact, impact, and then a little swing. As you work on it, you’ll develop a feel for the correct impact position, and your overall swing will improve significantly. Keep practicing, and remember, the impact drill works with every club—including the driver.

Impact Drill With A Driver

How to Control Curve vs Trajectory in Your Golf Swing In this episode of Ask Malaska Golf, Mike Malaska and Malaska Golf Certified Coach Julie answer a key question from member Rob Sacks: &ldquo;Is it more important to control curve or trajectory?&rdquo; Their answer: Master curve first. It's a core principle of the M-System, which emphasizes building your swing through clubface control and swing path before focusing on shot height or trajectory.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn in This Video: &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Why controlling curve (draws and fades) is more important than trajectory when developing a consistent swing &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;How clubface and path shape ball flight, and why they should be your focus before anything else &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Why trajectory is a result, not a starting point, and how to add it once you can shape shots &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;How the M-System helps you train the right sequence of swing fundamentals for lasting improvement
&ldquo;If I&rsquo;m out practicing, the first thing I want to work on is: Can I curve the ball to the left? Can I curve the ball to the right? Once I own that, I can start to adjust trajectory.&rdquo; &mdash; Mike Malaska &ldquo;I always start with face and path. That&rsquo;s the foundation. Trajectory is important, but it comes after you&rsquo;ve mastered curve.&rdquo; &mdash; Coach Julie
Key Takeaway: The M-System helps you master the fundamentals of face and path first, so you can maximize control over your shot shape and maintain a consistent, repeatable swing. Build your game in the right order and trajectory control will follow naturally.

Controlling Curve vs Trajectory 

From 130 to 120 yards and in. Force is in front foot. No force transfer. You rotate on your lead leg. The swing because of ball position is slightly downward. Right foot or trail foot is for balance and stability not speed.

INSIDE 120 YARDS

Mike works with Kory on getting the left hip out of the way at impact.  Offsetting forces create more speed with the driver.

OFFSETTING FORCES

The&nbsp;Ashley Huizing Player Lesson Series&nbsp;with Mike Malaska is a comprehensive journey into improving golf mechanics, tailored for players of all levels. Across four detailed lessons, Mike addresses the critical aspects of the swing, emphasizing practical adjustments, personalized techniques, and simplifying complex concepts.
In the&nbsp;first lesson, Mike explores two contrasting approaches to golf and debunks myths perpetuated by professional legends. He critiques the impracticality of replicating Ben Hogan&rsquo;s intricate swing method for the average player, stressing the importance of balance, control, and adaptability over rigid adherence to elite techniques. This sets the foundation for Ashley to develop a consistent and reliable swing that suits her individual strengths.
In the&nbsp;second lesson, the focus shifts to Ashley's swing mechanics, particularly hip movement, hand coordination, and sequencing. Mike introduces drills that emphasize proper hip rotation to avoid early extension and reduce strain. By syncing the hips, arms, and club, Ashley begins to build a smoother, more powerful swing. This lesson highlights how small adjustments can create a solid foundation for overall swing improvement.
The&nbsp;third lesson&nbsp;dives into refining Ashley&rsquo;s short game with chip shot drills designed to improve hand-club coordination and swing efficiency. Mike simplifies the mechanics, teaching Ashley to maintain a square clubface and promote natural motion through small, controlled swings. These drills build muscle memory, minimize over-rotation, and create a more consistent short game.
Finally, in the&nbsp;fourth lesson, Mike introduces Ashley to grip refinement and advanced swing adjustments. He emphasizes proper club placement within the fingers and demonstrates how a correct grip improves control and power. Mike also redefines the concept of "release," focusing on directing club momentum forward rather than relying on wrist unhinging. With these refinements, Ashley achieves better alignment, reducing compensatory movements and increasing accuracy and power.

Ashley Huizing-Player Lesson

You can practice anywhere as long as you have some room. Learn how to use obstacles in your yard to improve your swing.

USING OBSTACLES IN YOUR YARD

The pivot or rotation of the body has to be in sync with the club motion. The key with pitching is as the club moves through impact your lead leg pushes your lead hip socket farther away from the ball than it was at address. Also your trail shoulder moves level not down through impact. Timing these three motions. The swinging of the club. The movement of the lead hip and how the trail shoulder works. All in harmony is one of the main tasks in all swings.

PIVOT

On the range players tend to hit ball way to quickly. There is a place and time for repetition. But if you want to see where you are in the game relative to playing. Then once you get a feel for your swing. Then put at least one minute between each shoot. Then you will start to see what is going to happen on the course. The biggest difference between the range and the course is time between shots. So put time between each shot. Watch what it did. If you like it replay it in your mind. If you do not like it then make a correction. Make some practice swings. Then see if the corrections you are making work.

PRACTICE TIME BETWEEN SHOTS

Practice both path and face control with a starting line.

PATH AND FACE CONTROL

Your body is a very important part of your golf swing. You must understand the basic task that it is trying to accomplish. Once you know what the task is and you have drills to feel how it works, it is not that hard to allow your body to do what it is designed to do. You are making perfect body motions for your swing multiple times per day, and you are not even thinking about them.

M3-How the Body Works

How golf and music are played the same way.

Alice Cooper

A Malaska Golf Member is good at making long putts but needs help with short ones.

Mike explains that the closer you get to the hole, the more you expect to make the putt and the ball go in the hole. The task, however, is to hit the ball and roll the line.

When you have to make a short putt, you focus so much on getting the ball in the hole and become afraid you will miss it.

It is important to concentrate on the task at hand: hitting the ball in the middle of the face and making it roll.

Mike has two balls set up with lines on them. One ball is the hole, and the other is the ball he is hitting. He makes a solid putt, makes the line roll, and hits the second ball. If you can hit the ball, you will have a better chance of hitting the hole because it is larger.

Mike suggests that when you are at the golf course, you should practice this exercise on the putting green. Think of this as playing pool, then practice hitting the left and right sides.

This teaches you to be specific with setting the line, aiming the line, and hitting a specific spot. You will start making those putts if you start practicing this and not aiming for the hole.

PUTTING PROCESS VS. OUTCOME

Sammy Slice is in the bunkers this week, practicing throwing sand with his club and watching where the sand goes.

It doesn’t matter if Sammy closes or opens the clubface; the sand still goes in the same direction. The key to remember is the ball goes where the sand goes.

Sammy gets comfortable in the bunker and has an alignment stick pointed at the pin. All Sammy does is hit and throw sand down the stick.

The ball goes towards the hole because the ball goes where the sand goes.

Sammy Slice Bunkers-Practice Throwing Sand

Control of the club face must be gained before speed is introduced. Practice different techniques and find which works swing works best for you.

FINDING A SWING TO USE UNDER PRESSURE

Properly preparing for a tournament is very important.

Tournament Prep

Tennis is very similar to golf. Learn how to apply the motions of tennis to your golf swing.

LEARNING TRANSITION THROUGH TENNIS

Our Certified Coach, Matt Baker, commented on how good it feels to hit balls with just your left and right hands.

Mike recalls a recent video about Tiger Woods hitting chip shots with just his left hand and then his right hand.
Most Tour players can do this drill, and Mike demonstrates it. However, most amateurs can’t do this.

When it comes to playing golf, both sides of your body are important and have different roles. Mike shows us the motion of what the left hand and the right hand do.

Go to the range and hit shots with your right hand, and then switch to your left hand. Figure out how to do this drill. Every Tour player can do this.

The key is using the small motor skills and controlling what Tour Players have. This is why most amateurs struggle.

Learn how to do this, and your golf swing will get better.

Right and Left Hand Chips

In the fourth video of this Player Lesson, Mike Malaska and Certified Coach Julie Yang expand on the grip adjustments made in Part 3 and move into one of the most important skills in golf: face control. With the grip now aligned properly, the athlete begins learning how to use his hands to control the clubface and curve the ball intentionally.
Mike demonstrates how the palm, thumb, and fingers connect to the shaft to stabilize and accelerate the club through impact. Using simple checkpoints, the athlete learns how different hand positions change ball flight&mdash;low, high, left, or right. Just as in lacrosse, where a player twists the net at the last second to curve a pass or shot, golf relies on precise face control to shape shots.
To reinforce the concept, Mike sets up drills where the athlete must curve the ball left, curve it right, hit it high, and hit it low. The goal isn&rsquo;t distance&mdash;it&rsquo;s learning how subtle changes in the face affect ball flight. Mike explains that the best players in the world can adjust the face by just one degree, and that level of precision separates elite golfers from average ones.
Julie adds another key lesson: when making swing changes, it&rsquo;s smart to tee the ball up rather than fight poor lies on the ground. Practicing from a tee gives players margin for error, builds confidence, and allows them to focus fully on path and face control before layering in the skill of compressing the ball off the turf.
This session emphasizes the M-System philosophy: master your grip, connect your hands to the face, and build a foundation of control. Once you can consistently start the ball left or right and bring it back on command, every other part of the game becomes easier.
Key Takeaways &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Face Control Is Everything: Whoever controls the clubface best controls the game. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Grip Creates Control: Proper grip alignment allows the wrists to hinge naturally, without twisting. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Ball Flight Awareness: Players must learn to intentionally hit the ball low, high, left, and right. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Small Changes, Big Impact: Just one degree of face difference can send a ball 20+ yards offline. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Practice Smart: Tee the ball up when learning changes&mdash;it reduces variables and builds confidence. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Sports Connect Lesson: Just like curving a lacrosse pass, golf requires precise face adjustments to shape shots.

Face Control is Everything

LET&rsquo;S MAKE GOLF UNCOMPLICATED Golf uncomplicated means going beyond the &ldquo;fixes&rdquo; that often just add confusion. The lessons here are all about creating a better understanding. This is where your progress becomes permanent. Once you understand how simple golf really is, you will start to find your own greatness in the game. And, it can happen immediately.

I Feel Your Pain

A Malaska Golf member wants to know how to get a stock shot.Mike stands on the range, hitting multiple shots, and watches what curves are easiest for him. That is usually a draw.That’s the shot he sees, the one he has played most of his career, and the one Mike goes to when he is under pressure.Some days, Mike hits the ball solid, and it fades a little, so that will be the shot he starts with.The Member has an issue hitting a fade and ends up pull-hooking the ball. He wants to know how to hit his driver without pull hooking it.Mike demonstrates a pull hook with an oversized club. He explains that the only way to pull hook is if the club is closed relative to the path.It happens because you are turning your hand and wrist over. If your grip is correct, the motion with your hand is more of a throwing action, so your hand won’t turn over. Then you won’t pull hook!Phil Blackmar, an ex-PGA and Champions Tour player, helped Mike find a go-to shot: a slight fade. At the time, Mike was going to the Senior Tour School and competing that year. Mike needed a shot that he could be aggressive with and knew the outcome of.They decided on a shot where Mike could hit the ball as hard as he wanted without turning the face down.Every time Mike hit his driver, the ball would always fade because he wasn’t twisting his right hand. Mike demonstrates the hand action that makes the ball fade.If you want to get aggressive with your shots, ensure your grip is correct and work your hand through impact like a throwing motion.If you do this, you won’t turn the club down and pull hook the ball. Practice this with small, short shots and then gradually add speed. Do this, and you won’t pull hook!

Be aggressive and Not Hook

In M3, the focus shifts to understanding how the body works in harmony with the club to optimize performance. The golf industry has placed significant emphasis on core strength, rotation, and ground forces, but Mike Malaska underscores the importance of the body&rsquo;s primary role: stabilizing and offsetting the force of the club.
Using a ball on a string as an analogy, Mike demonstrates how the body must stabilize the circular motion of the club. If the body moves incorrectly relative to this circle, it disrupts the swing&rsquo;s efficiency, slows the clubhead speed, and leads to inconsistent results. Proper body movement, however, accelerates the club and enhances stability, contributing to greater speed and control.
M3 highlights the importance of sequencing and timing in body motion to complement the club&rsquo;s movement. By recognizing the body as a stabilizer and force offsetter, golfers can refine their technique and unlock their full potential. This series sets the stage for developing a fluid, efficient, and powerful golf swing that works seamlessly with the body&rsquo;s natural capabilities.

M3 Coaching Series-Introduction

Justin demonstrates the importance of warming up the hands and wrists with micro-movements, even with a driver. These soft, feel-based swings train tempo, hand release, and club awareness. Mike introduces the "Look Cool Drill," showing how miniature swings evolve naturally into full swings when mechanics are built correctly from the hands up. This video focuses on mastering First Gear, which sets the tempo and structure for the rest of the swing. By developing hand coordination early, you create a powerful, repeatable connection to the clubface that translates into improved impact and driver distance. The hands are your most sensitive feedback system in the swing, and developing early connection through grip, hinge, and release is key to hitting the ball solid and far. If you struggle with early tension or inconsistent contact, this segment explains why&mdash;and how to fix it with a hands-first warmup that brings rhythm and power into harmony. The hands are the interface between your body and the club, and refining their function is the first step in building a fast, accurate, and repeatable swing. Even elite players like Justin rely on hands-first sequences to feel the club and groove their release pattern before going full speed.

Training Your Hands

Turning gang kids into members of the band.

THE SOLID ROCK FOUNDATION

Practicing with your right hand only and swinging independently of your shoulder teaches you to swing the arm and take the tension out of the shoulder socket.

RIGHT HAND ONLY PRACTICE USING YOUR ARMS

DRILLS ON THE GOLF COURSE

The M3 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska concludes by emphasizing the foundational role of the body in the golf swing, blending functional movement patterns with the mechanics of the club. This segment reviews key concepts, focusing on the harmony between shoulder and hip movement, maintaining consistent angles, and ensuring safe and efficient biomechanics.
A key takeaway is that the motions required for a golf swing are natural and intuitive, rooted in movements most people already know from other sports. By understanding how the body and club work together, golfers can develop a swing that is both effective and sustainable for a lifetime. The series highlights the importance of balancing power and safety to prevent injuries, a critical lesson for long-term improvement.
Mike describes the golf swing as a blend of art and science&mdash;a "dance" between the body and the club. By applying the M-System's principles and committing to consistent practice, golfers can achieve greater consistency, efficiency, and enjoyment in their game.

M3 Coaching Series-Summary

How the position of the ball affects spin.

BACKSPIN AND BALL POSITION

Proper grip square the face without compensations.

GRIP

Don't focus too much on exactly when your wrists hinge. Let the momentum of the club do it for you.

WRIST EXTENSION

Sync up grip, release and body rotation to hit draws.

WHY CAN'T I HIT A DRAW

A Malaska Golf member wants to know how to fix a strong grip. He had a strong grip for a long time and fought a push fade, a club coming too much from the inside. He was catching the ball and starting the ball out to the right of where he was aimed.

The grip that he used caused him to hook the ball, and he was taught that he needed to turn the face over on the swing. He also learned to come from the inside and hold the clubface off. 

You need to get the path to change so you’re not coming too much from the inside. The path needs to come more straight into the ball. You must also let the club go by taking your thumb off the club. The thumb tends to push, lock the wrist, and turn the face over. Practice by taking your thumb off and letting the club swing and your wrists pivot up and down.

You can hit the ball as hard as you want with as much speed, and won’t hit a pull hook. There needs to be an acceleration in the club to create speed.

When you have a strong grip, you don’t want to come from the inside and hold the face off to keep it from hooking. You want to let the club go, but your hands must work to keep the face from turning down. You can get your path heading straighter into the back of the ball, and when your hands let the clubhead pass, the face works differently.

FIXING A STRONG GRIP THAT HOOKS

How static positions don't hold up during play.

STATIC POSITIONS DONT HOLD UP

Setting up a practice station is very important relative to becoming consistent. First get four sticks. The first one you set down aimed at your target. The second stick goes on the ground parallel to the first stick and about one foot to the left of the first stick on a right handed player. The third stick is standing up in the ground about 6 feet infront of the first stick that you placed on the ground for your target line. The last stick goes down at a 90 degree angle to the second stick. It establishes your ball position. 

PRACTICE STATION

The four step drill is very beneficiary to your swing. Learn how to reduce tension, hinge your wrists, and get your body rotating correctly.