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What clubs do you start to learn to chip and pitch with to control trajectory.

TRAJECTORY: CHIPPING AND PITCHING

In the final video of this Player Lesson series, Mike Malaska and Certified Coach Julie Yang bring everything together. Over the course of six sessions, the athlete has gone from struggling with slicing long clubs to building a foundation based on grip, face control, swing plane, and posture.
This concluding lesson emphasizes how to take the new skills onto the course. Mike explains that the golf swing isn&rsquo;t about adding more complexity but about applying a simple process: &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Get the grip right. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Connect the hands to the face. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Control the ball&rsquo;s curve. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Use posture and plane to create consistency and compression. With these fundamentals in place, the athlete can now stand on the range, test which curve he controls best, and take that shot onto the course with confidence. The goal isn&rsquo;t perfection&mdash;it&rsquo;s developing reliable patterns that eliminate the slice, produce compression, and give him a repeatable ball flight.
The session also highlights the Sports Connect philosophy of Malaska Golf: athletes from other sports already have the instincts to succeed at golf. By connecting what they know to the M-System, they simplify the game and accelerate their improvement. This video closes the loop on the series by showing how small adjustments in grip, posture, and face control lead to major changes in ball flight, distance, and consistency. It&rsquo;s a clear reminder that the game starts in your hands, and once you master that, everything else falls into place.
Key Takeaways &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Grip First: Every swing starts with correct grip and hand placement. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Face Control Wins: Whoever controls the face controls the ball. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Curve with Confidence: Learn to curve it right, left, high, or low&mdash;then refine for control. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Swing Plane &amp; Posture: Simple adjustments create consistent alignments and compression. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Play What You Own: On the course, rely on the curve you control best for scoring. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Sports Connect: Athletic instincts from other sports translate directly into golf success.

From Slice to Consistency

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I’m a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based here in the UK. This question comes from Derek Neve (apologies if I’ve mispronounced your name). It’s great to hear from you, Derek, as you’ve been a long-time member of the site, and Mike wanted to personally thank you for your continued membership.We know you took a break to try different things, but you’ve come back and realized how great the system is, so Mike wanted to welcome you back.You mentioned how much you're enjoying the M2 system, and that one drill has really helped you: the hinge drill. This is a fantastic drill because it helps you understand the correct wrist motion and the relationship between the shaft, the club, and your hands. It’s a fundamental drill that we encourage many golfers to practice because it benefits the overall swing.The drill is simple. Take hold of the club and stand at address. From this position, you hinge your wrists upwards. When you do this, it sets your wrists at the right angle. A lot of players may notice a slight angle in the shaft as well—this is normal, given how you hold the club and how your wrists function. Some golfers try to keep it straight, but you should just allow it to hinge naturally.Once the wrists are hinged and the shaft is parallel to the ground, all you need to focus on is completing the swing arc around your body. From there, you can hit the ball. Practicing this drill repeatedly will set you into a nice backswing position and help with your overall swing momentum.This is an excellent all-around drill. I still practice it regularly, and I highly recommend others incorporate it into their routines. It's beneficial for setting up the swing and directing momentum.Thank you for sharing your experience, Derek. I hope you continue to enjoy the M2 system, and I encourage you to check out M3 as well. It’s another great addition to your game.Thanks again for your question, Derek, and I hope to catch up with you all soon.

Better Golf With The Hinge Drill

Jack Jr and Mike discuss what Nicklaus meant by "release."

NICKLAUS AND RELEASE

A brief discussion on the value of putting with one arm.

PUTTING WITH ONE ARM

Updates from Mike Malaska about what is happening in the World of Golf.

Malaska Golf News

Don't shallow the club, shallow your arms.

STEEP AND ACROSS

How does force actually move through your feet and what helps it work.

HOW DO YOU MOVE FORCE THROUGH YOUR FEET

Set up to the ball. Take your back swing. By the time your lead arm gets parallel to the ground you want your club shaft and your lead arm to create a 90 degree angle. Then you swing down hit the ball. Now create a similar angle on the follow through by the time your trail arm is parallel to the ground. Once you can do that, Then you add face control. Make the ball curve to the right, left, and straight.

L TO L WITH FACE CONTROL

Using alignment sticks on the range is a great way to simulate hitting around trees.

LEARNING HOW TO CURVE BALLS AROUND TREES

Mike has received the highest honor of PGA National Teacher of The Year in 2011. He wrote, “I Feel Your Pain” in 2013 and is proud to announce the new release of this 2nd book entitled, “The Invisible Swing” in 2019. Mike produced his own DVD, You Are Your Own Swing, featuring 2 ½ hours of both golf and fitness instruction in 2004. In 2010 he was selected for PGA Southwest Section Teacher of The Year and went on to be named The National PGA Teacher of the Year In 2011. In 2017 Mike was honored to receive once again, the PGA Southwest Section Teacher of The Year Award for a second time.

Since 2000, Mike has ranked among Golf Digest’s America’s Top 50 Greatest Teachers, and currently listed in the top 20 in the nation. Mike has also been selected as Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America every year from 1995 to 2017. Since 2012 when the Golf Range Association of America started its list of award winners, Mike has been one of the top 50 on that list for his contribution to growing the game of golf. This award called Growth of The Game Teachers in America is yet another of his accomplishments. In 2017 he was voted the Top Teacher in Arizona by Arizona Foothills Magazine.

A graduate of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, Mike was a college All American in 1974. He was then inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in February 1999 and into the Utah Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. In September 2013 Mike was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for his service to the University and his community. Mike is currently the Director of Instruction for the Nicklaus Academies Worldwide, Superstition Mountain Country Club, and a member of the National Advisory Board for TaylorMade Golf since 2002. He has been a summertime guest instructor for the prestigious Maroon Creek Golf Club in Aspen, Colorado in 2017 and 2018. As Director of Instruction for the Jack Nicklaus Golf Centers in Japan from 1992 to 1995, Mike was featured in Golf Digest Japan and was nominated for Japan’s Teacher of the Year in 1993. Then in 1996, he received Teacher of the Year for the Utah PGA Section.

As the continuing Director of Instruction for Nicklaus Academies Worldwide, Mike instructs the teachers at each of the centers around the globe. He continues to be a guest lecturer at countless corporate functions, PGA Section Seminars, PGA National Coaching and Teaching Summits, and as a guest speaker for the World Golf Fitness Summit in 2012. He has appeared numerous times on The Golf Channel as a guest instructor.

Mike Malaska

This, is the 18th green for the members. It was the ninth hole in the last round of the Utah Open. This was probably one of the most influential shots I hit in the round, showing my confidence in how I was striking the golf ball. Now, if you look back there, you can see the members' tee.But if you go a little to the right, way back there, that's the very back tee. It's about 175, 180, 185 yards from here, and the pin was right here. So you've got the pin, the bunker, and you're in a canyon.If you miss right, you don't want to short-side yourself. The pin was way over on the right, with the bunker in front, and it's a tough bunker shot. If you miss right of the bunker, you're likely making double bogey. So here we are with this setup, which is perfect for hitting a fade. But because of the way I was playing, every shot I hit was solid, with a little draw.I was hitting about a 5- to 10-yard draw on everything. So where did I aim? The pin's here, and I’m back there. I aimed almost in the center of the bunker, and I hit it. It started in the center of the bunker and hooked in. I hit it about six feet from the hole and made birdie, which gave me a two-shot lead—an important moment for me.My point is, I was so comfortable with the shot I was hitting that the trouble didn’t even come into play. People would ask me, "You started it over that bunker. What if it didn’t hook?" Well, I hooked everything. Every time I hit it solid, it would draw 5 or 10 yards. This highlights that, to be a really good player, you need a shot where, if you make a good swing and hit it solid, you know what the ball will do.You can’t be trying to hit it both ways. Initially, everyone wants to learn to hit draws because your club comes from the inside, squares the face, and generates the most distance. That’s how I started. I played that draw almost exclusively for the first six years of my golf career.I was really good. I won this tournament, I won some college tournaments, and I was playing great. Then suddenly, someone said, "Oh, we’ve got to change who you are. You should never have tried that. You should hit the middle of the green and fade it to the hole." So, a lot of things changed. They changed my grip, they changed my swing, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t just stand up and make a swing knowing what the ball would do. I knew I’d hit it solid, but it might fade a little or hook a little.That uncertainty made me defensive, which is where most golfers are. The other approach is being offensive, like I was before, because I knew that if I hit it solid, it would always draw 5 to 10 yards. It wasn’t going to fade—no chance. Learning to have a consistent shot where you curve the ball the same way every time is crucial for playing your best.Now, this was the first tee and my first shot of the day. It was probably one of the most important tee shots I hit all day. I had warmed up on the range, found a rhythm, hit it solid with a little draw, and this hole set up perfectly for that. I just aimed at the left edge of the trees out there and hit my draw.At that point, you're no longer thinking about the swing itself. You're just feeling the motion you're going to make to hit the shot you want. It was a good shot, right in play.That first swing was one of the most important shots of the day because I got it in play, hit it past everyone, and gained a lot of confidence relative to the guys I was playing with.Okay, so now I’m here, as a senior, just short of the first hill. When I played the tournament, my tee shot would have been about 80 yards farther. I was right up here—there’s the 100-yard marker—where I could see the top of the flag. My tee shot was up here, and I had this shot left.I made birdie on number one, and then I came to number two. This hole, if you look at it, has out-of-bounds left, but you can see how it sets up for a nice, soft draw. I’ve always aimed at the hill, right over the white tees. There’s a hump, and I’d aim at it and draw the ball back into the fairway.Visually, this course set up really well for me. A lot of golf courses come down to how they set up visually for a player and what you need to do to feel comfortable.Even now, at my age, I still hit the draw. That was always my shot. They tried to take it away from me for a while, but I’ve returned to it, and I’m hitting it more consistently now than when I was trying to mix in fades and different swings. Back then, with the changes in my grip and swing, I was trying to hit fades and draws instead of just hitting one solid shot.Now, let’s talk about this tunnel. We had about 5,000 people out here, and most of them were following the last two groups. People follow the players they like. When we got to this hole on the back nine, the crowds walked with us, and the tunnel felt so claustrophobic. There were so many people around, and it was packed. I felt really edgy.But when I came out of the tunnel, it was like I experienced freedom. Everything calmed down. The same thing happened when I approached this par-3, which was the ninth hole for us. When I came out of the tunnel to hit my tee shot, I was much more relaxed. The tunnel had made me feel uneasy, but once I emerged, everything was calm again. I tapped into that feeling—high energy, but calm at the same time."

Managing Pressure

Mike Malaska introduces Garrett Richards for a Player Lesson and Sports Connect at Ocotillo Golf Course. Garrett, a retired MLB pitcher, previously played for the Boston Red Sox and, most recently, the Texas Rangers.Mike talks about how he had always wanted to play baseball as a kid, and he pitched until college. He loved the hand-eye coordination of the sport.Mike explains that he will look at Garrett's swing and relate that to pitching. Baseball players have great hand-eye coordination when they are hitting and throwing a ball. They already have the perfect golf swing.There is a misconception that baseball and golf are different; however, they have the same body movement patterns. You hit the ball on a different plane and at a different spot, but the swings are very similar.Garrett says that his misses are usually an over-draw to the left, and he struggles with pitch shots inside of 100 yards. He is more comfortable with 150 yards. Garrett says he tends to overthink tight lies with his wedges and catches the ball thin or fat.Garrett says he is looking for a mindset, a comfortable feeling, or a weight shift that will find the clubface more often.Mike asks Garrett how often he plays a week. He says that he uses a simulator at home and that he is a member of Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, AZ. He doesn’t get out as much as he would like because of kid’s activities, but usually, it’s once or twice a week.Garrett usually warms up with a pitching wedge to loosen up. Mike watches Garrett hit a few shots to assess his swing.Mike comments that Garrett has a nice motion, which he expected, having been a professional athlete. Mike says that he watched Garrett pitch, and Garrett explains that he was a cross-body pitcher. Mike says there are a lot of things that are similar in pitching and golf, specifically how quickly you open up. In golf, if your shoulders open up too fast, you are dead, and the same is true when you are pitching.Mike explains that in golf, instead of throwing a pitch out in front of you, you have a ball on the ground, and the pitch is down there. You must rotate and stay rotated until you plant your feet. There are many similarities.Mike says he will fix Garrett’s swing fast. He wants to work on a fundamental concept in golf that Garrett is weak on. Mike elaborates that he is fighting all his natural instincts for one particular motion. Once Garrett understands this, he will get significantly better.Mike asked Garrett what type of pitch he liked the best: a fastball or a curveball. Garrett liked his slider better because he had more control over it. Based on this, Mike says he will show Garrett why he hooks the ball. Mike continues to explain that Garrett controls the type of pitch with his fingers on the ball. When you play golf, you can also control the clubface with your fingers.That is how Mike does it because Mike used to be a pitcher. Mike controls the clubface by pressuring it with his fingers to hit a draw or fade and hit it straight, just like a pitcher does with a baseball. You curve and spin the golf ball the same way you do with a baseball. The clubface becomes an extension of your hands.Mike takes Garrett’s hand and fingers and shows him how to manipulate his fingers to hit different shots, which is similar to pitching. Mike tells Garrett that he is so good at putting spin on a ball that he should be good at it with golf.Garrett hits a ball, and Mike says that Garrett is going to improve easily.

Garrett Richards-Pitching and Golf Connect

Your body will align itself to create maximum impact as long as you know what concepts to practice.

THE POWER OF ALIGNMENT

"So, this Ask Mike comes to us from Tim Masek. He&rsquo;s asking about how, when he hits his wedges, he tends to hit down on them, which causes him to hit them fat. We&rsquo;re all talking about, you know, feeling like you're swinging level rather than 'hitting down.' First of all, I don&rsquo;t know about you guys, but I hate the concept of 'hitting down.'
I mean, unless something happens where you take a club, hold it, and let it go, gravity is naturally going to take it down. If gravity didn&rsquo;t work that way, then, yeah, you&rsquo;d have to help it go down. But since gravity does its job, the club is already going down&mdash;you just have to aim it. So, it&rsquo;s really more about feeling level than feeling like you&rsquo;re hitting down.
It&rsquo;s about feeling more level and letting the weight of the club work for you. Okay, Bill, why don&rsquo;t you take us through what you would do to help Tim avoid hitting the ball fat?"
Billy Fitzgerlad responds:
"Sure, Tim. What I would say is this: Once I swing the club back and through, the weight of the club is going to naturally bottom out on its own. Now, if you&rsquo;re hitting it fat, there are a couple of things to consider. Either you&rsquo;re helping the club down&mdash;which forces your shoulder down&mdash;and suddenly your low point is below the golf ball. That creates a lot of extra force into the ground instead of the ball.
So, here&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;d suggest: line your shoulder up with the ball, and just allow the weight of the club to go down into the ball without forcing your shoulder downward. All you&rsquo;re doing is letting the club&rsquo;s weight drop naturally so that your bottom-out point is consistent.
To summarize, Tim: Feel the weight of the golf club. Even if you need to waggle it a little to get the feel, make sure you&rsquo;re aware of its weight. Keep some softness in your arms. When you swing, let the weight of the club drop on its own&mdash;don&rsquo;t force it down. As you swing back, let the club&rsquo;s weight naturally go down and do the work for you.
Here&rsquo;s another thing: A lot of players try to 'get under' the ball by tilting their shoulders too much at setup. What Billy mentioned earlier is key&mdash;you want to ensure your shoulders are level, not tilted. Your right arm, if you let it swing freely, will naturally guide the club down to brush the ground.
What I find interesting is this: When I watch players set up correctly and take a swing, their club will brush the ground naturally in the right spot. A good player will notice immediately if their club isn&rsquo;t hitting the ground correctly&mdash;they won&rsquo;t step up to the ball until they fix that. I do the same thing with chipping and pitching. I set up, make a practice swing, and observe where the club brushes the ground. If it&rsquo;s in the wrong spot&mdash;say, behind the ball&mdash;I won&rsquo;t address the ball until I&rsquo;ve adjusted.
Once you get the feel for where the club naturally bottoms out, you can set up, swing, and let the club drop on its natural arc. Like we said earlier, you don&rsquo;t have to help the club go down&mdash;it&rsquo;s going down on its own. The key is to trust the weight of the club and let it do the work for you."

Stop Hitting Fat Wedges

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

A Malaska Golf Member who plays a lot of executive par 3 courses wants to know if he should still hit down on the ball with his irons.Mike’s response is a definite yes. To demonstrate this, he has a ball teed up high, and when he hits the ball, he is still going to catch the ball slightly on the downswing. Because the ball is on a tee, when he swings down on the ball, the low point of the swing will be slightly forward of the ball. It’s the swing arc. You will have more control of your irons when you come slightly down on the ball because you are compressing the ball on the clubface.When the ball is on a tee, Mike hits it at different points of the clubface to affect the trajectory and the amount of spin on the ball.Unless Mike is trying to hit some special or crazy shot, he will approach hitting off the tee or the ground the same way.Except for a driver, on all his iron shots, he is still hitting slightly down on the ball because the swing arc is bottoming out in front of the ball.

Irons on a Par 3

When it comes to playing the game and understanding the mind, Mike’s good friend Phil Blackmar is probably one of the best in the world, in his opinion.

Mike was recently talking with Phil about hitting the ball solid and what works for Mike is that he focuses on just that concept. Making sure he hits the ball solid; Mike tends to hit the ball better rather than just thinking about making swings.

This comes down to athleticism, and it’s essential to hit the ball solid. Practice hitting the ball solid and putting the clubface on the ball. You can also practice different stances and takeaways but hit the ball solid.

When you start working on making the clubface hit the ball solid, your body starts making corrections as you swing because your body is focused on making your hands run the club into the ball. Then your athleticism takes over.

Like when you play tennis, when the ball bounces, your body reacts athletically to hit the ball. When you start hitting multiple golf balls your body athletically gets into position.

Practice hitting multiple balls solid. This is a great drill to train your mind and focus on hitting the ball solid with the clubface. It will start to eliminate things that aren’t relevant to your swing, like how your swing looks.

Putting the clubface on the ball is a crucial part of practicing.

HITTING THE BALL SOLID WITH ATHLETICISM

By working the bounce with this safety feature, you can eliminate stress and increase your overall game.

SAFETY FEATURE

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

FINDING YOUR TEMPO

WELLS ADAMS

Mike tries to break 40 from the worst positions off the tee

IFYP-Mental Game

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

THE LEFT ARM

Allowing the momentum of the club to direct you is very important. Practice making swings with less ofrearm rotation.

STAYING AWAY FROM FOREARM ROTATION

It is vital in the backswing to get the club and your arms up, so they can come down and drop into the ball. Extending your lats is a great speed producer.

FULL SWING GETTING UP TO COME DOWN

Learning how to blend the body and the arm and club motions. You start with posture and set up. You then go to impact. Once you identify impact you hit small shots from your impact position. You then make small swings where you feel how forces move in your feet and how pushing away from the force of the club accelerates the club and straightens your arms on the follow through. You also feel how force is moving in your feet. Then to put it into a continuous motion you copy the sports motions. How you hit a tennis forehand. Hit or throw a baseball. The sequencing of motions are the same in all those sports.

COMBINING SKILLS - REVIEW

Tom Sorenson helped me tons when I was a kid. Learn how Nibley Park changed my life.

Tom Sorenson on Nibley Park

A Malaska Golf member wants to know about using your putting grip for chipping and pitching. He mentions Phil Mickelson’s hinge and hold. When he did that, he was hitting pitch shots. Many players, including Mike, will use their putting grip to hit up to 30 yards.

Mike demonstrates using his putting grip, stance, and stroke. He makes a putting stroke, and the ball rolls along the ground. When Mike does the same thing but adds his pitching wedge, the ball gets in the air because he has a lofted face. 

Take the putter away, make your putting stroke, put the ball farther back in your stance, and put your head forward. You don’t want to be catching the ball on the upswing like a putter. Use his method for up to 10 yards. 

For more distance, you need to have more hand action. Add extension and flexion in your wrist and rotation in your body. You are not moving up and down. 

PUTTING GRIP FOR CHIPPING AND PITCHING

Mike discusses golf and motion with Martial Arts expert Scott Williams.

GOLF AND MARTIAL ARTS

A Malaska Golf Member comments on how the left arm immediately rotates on the downswing.

This is external rotation. Mike explains that the right arm is also rotating. As it goes back on the swing, it externally rotates to the top; then, as the arm comes down, it internally rotates into the ball.

When you take your left arm on the backswing, it does the opposite of the right arm. It internally rotates to the top and then externally rotates on the downswing and partially through the follow-through.

Mike demonstrates a swing holding the club with only his left arm and hand. He says his left arm is rotating in his left shoulder socket. He makes the same swing with his right arm.

Combine internal and external rotations of both arms, and you have your golf swing.

Mike shows how the right and left arms rotate in either shoulder socket. It is not your hands and arms rotating but your shoulder sockets. Your shoulder sockets must be relaxed. If not, they won't be able to rotate, and your hands and wrists start to twist, making it hard to time when you are trying to hit the ball.

Again, both arms' internal and external rotations match and are crucial to making the shoulder sockets work through the ball.

ROTATION IN YOUR ARMS

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know why you don't do an elevated swing before you do the L to L.

Mike explains that Joe Nichols taught him there isn't a down in the golf swing and that your swing should feel level and not down.

As you take the club back, you will lever it, then take it up to the transition point and back down to waist high. Joe Nichols described this as turning the corner. This is where the club is always pointing at you throughout the swing. You will also have the "L" on the follow-through.

Mike demonstrates the swing action. The club stays level as it moves across your body. Mike describes this as a waist-high fastball. Note that the club remains level, and the club is never behind him or past him. The club should always feel like it is in line with you.

Naturally, you don't swing over the top of the ball waist-high, but your hands should feel like they do. Because there is no tension in your wrists, the weight of the club drops down behind the ball. The momentum in the club's weight unhinges down to the ball and rehinges on the follow-through.

The momentum and weight of the club make the club go down, then up. Gravity and momentum will make your shots consistent.

Mike concludes that L to L and swinging level are the same. One holds the weight of the club up, and the other lets the club drop.

ELEVATED PLANE AND L TO L

The most popular grip is resting your left index finger on top of your right fingers. Do not interlock your fingers.

THE MOST POPULAR PUTTING GRIP

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

PLAY HOW YOU PRACTICE

Generating acceleration and force through impact.

IMPACT AND ACCELERATION

A Malaska Golf member wants to ensure he is not hitting behind the ball and that his shoulders are staying level and not dipping.

Mike Malaska demonstrates that when chipping and pitching, the level of his right shoulder goes up when he goes back. But when he comes down, it returns to the level where he began and stays level from there. You don’t want it to go lower than where you started.

Pushing away with your hip, which pulls your shoulder forward, is vital. Watch yourself in the mirror and notice the height at which your shoulder starts. As you swing through, ensure your shoulder does not drop any lower. 

If your shoulder goes down, it can also hurt your lower back. Again, make practice pitch shots in the mirror, keeping your shoulder level. Copy that feeling when you set up to the ball, as this is crucial to come into the ball at the right angle and pitch and chip well.

CHIPPING AND RIGHT SHOULDER

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about Jack Nicklaus's practice of putting the ball in the same position with every club.With a sand wedge, Jack would position the ball off his left heel. The handle of the wedge was right on his left thigh, where his left hand would be and where Jack would always set up.Moving to a 7-iron, Mike’s right foot drops back. It looks like the ball is further forward, but the hands and handle are in the same position off the left thigh.Now, to the driver, It’s the same as the 7-iron, only the right foot is farther back. The hands and handle still come off the left thigh.All Jack does is keep dropping the foot farther and farther back, but the hands and handle are in the same position, regardless of a wedge, 7-iron, or a driver. Jack is very consistent in the way he sets his club up relative to his body.He also has a leg action that allows it to work on all his clubs. Now, some players do that by having everything up off their left heel. Others move as the club gets shorter and goes farther back in their swing. You must find what's best for you and then be consistent with it.

Jack Nicklaus and Ball Position

Mike discusses a lesson he gave where the member was having problems with hitting behind the ball.

The member on the backswing would return to their right side, and their whole upper body would shift to the top of the swing and stop. Then on the downswing, the member couldn’t get to their right side fast enough and would hit behind the ball.

Mike’s solution was the Left Right Left Drill. This exercise is an important drill because it’s the sequence of a golf swing.

You put weight on your left foot, then force on your right foot, back to your left foot, and then swing from the top transition point. Remember you are already to the left foot at the transition point, so your swing circle moves forward to catch the ball and then the ground.

The problem was when the industry said to swing to the stop and stand on your left foot. Then once you are there and stable, swing forward.
The problem with this is that you are so out of sequence, and it’s hard to get to your left side. You would end up being behind the ball or leaning forward too much to hit the ball.

Practice this drill by swinging the club forward to the left, then right, and back to the left. Your arms will swing and accelerate from the transition point through the ball.

STOP HITTING BEHIND THE BALL

The third bridge exercise is the forward bridge. Start on your hands and knees with your toes turned inward and elbows on the ground. 

Push your hips up and form a v-shaped bridge and hold. If you can do this, try lifting one leg at a time. Make sure your hips are stable. This exercise also stretches your calves. You can roll your hips from side to side as well.

FORWARD BRIDGES

HOCKEY AND GOLF

Golfers everywhere chase the same things: solid contact, effortless power, and consistent results. But for most players, those goals stay just out of reach&mdash;because they&rsquo;ve never been taught the one move that ties it all together. That move is called the line of compression. It&rsquo;s not a trendy tip or swing theory&mdash;it&rsquo;s the core motion that creates real ball-striking consistency. It&rsquo;s what allows the club to strike the ball solidly, compress it against the ground, and send it on a true, penetrating flight. The best players in the world have it. Most amateurs don&rsquo;t. In fact, many golfers practice for years without ever learning how to create it. In this opening lesson of the 21-day series, Mike Malaska breaks it down. He shows you how to feel it by aligning your right arm with the shaft and using simple training tools like a putting track or a tee gate. Your goal is to roll the line on the golf ball smoothly while striking the center of the clubface without clipping the toe or heel. This daily calibration drill ensures that every shot you hit is built from the same solid foundation.
What You'll Learn About Compression in the Golf Swing: How to create the line of compression with a connected, powerful motion Why solid contact starts with center-face strikes How to roll the ball cleanly with no wobble How this motion applies to every shot&mdash;from putts to sand shots
Train the Feel If you&rsquo;re struggling to connect the motion, grab a tennis racket or a baseball bat and swing it. These larger tools exaggerate the feel of compression and make it easier to sense how your hands, arms, and body should work together.

Day 1-Line of Compression

This drill teaches you to soften your arms and shoulders and focus on and feel the Lever System in your swing.

SITTING IN A CHAIR DRILL AND HITTING A BALL

(How to Keep Improving After the Program Ends) You&rsquo;ve completed all 21 days&mdash;now comes the most important part: staying on track and continuing to improve. In this final video, Mike Malaska reveals exactly what to do next. Success in golf doesn&rsquo;t come from endless tips or chasing new techniques&mdash;it comes from following a process. This program gave you that structure. Now, Mike encourages you to turn the 21-day sequence into your long-term training system. Each practice session should begin with short game fundamentals, build into motion and face control, and finish with speed and full swings. You don&rsquo;t need to do it all every day&mdash;but you do need to repeat the sequence consistently. This is the same process Mike uses personally and with his students&mdash;from beginners to tour players. Mike also shares a powerful story from his time in Japan, where he taught a group of students over 11 weeks using just seven core drills. Every week, they chose the one drill that challenged them most&mdash;and focused on it until they mastered it. The result? They made faster, more lasting progress than any other class. That&rsquo;s the real secret to continued improvement: find your weakest link and train it until it becomes your strength. This closing lesson ties directly into the M-System philosophy: Master, Maximize, Maintain. You&rsquo;ve now built the foundation. Keep refining it, and your game will keep evolving.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About What Comes Next: &bull; How to build a practice routine using the 21-day structure &bull; Why the most difficult drill should become your weekly focus &bull; How Mike practices every day&mdash;starting with short shots, then working up &bull; Why consistency in your routine beats random tips or YouTube swings &bull; How to use the drills as a testing system for long-term mastery
Key Takeaway: You don&rsquo;t need more swing tips&mdash;you need a repeatable process. Pick the hardest drill and master it. Then repeat. Stay inside the system, and your game will keep getting better. This isn&rsquo;t the end of your journey. It&rsquo;s the start of mastering your swing for life.

What's Next

Kory Budinger joins Mike Malaska at Superstition Mountain for a one-on-one lesson.

WHEN THE CLUBFACE WORKS - NO PULL HOOKS, NO BIG SLICES

BODY ROTATION

Focusing either on your right scapula or belt buckle to turn through the ball.

THE RIGHT SCAPULA AND/OR YOUR BELT BUCKLE

How students can interpret - and mis-interpret - the "Malaska Move."

MALASKA MOVE DISCUSSION

This exercise is about rotation, and there are a couple of ways to test this.

First, Mike sits on the ground with his left leg bent other the other. He places his right arm outstretched, resting on his knee. His left arm is behind him, and he turns and looks over his left shoulder.

Mike can get his shoulders in line with his straight leg. He repeats this 
exercise with the other leg, turning the opposite way.

A second exercise to test rotation is to stand and place the club across your chest and shoulders and then rotate. The key is to turn from side to side and not turn your hips. Mike can also rotate his hips and isolate his shoulders.

When Mike swings, there can be a separation between the shoulders and hips, but it won't be easy if you are tight. This is a great exercise to help with rotation in your swing.

ROTATION

CHIPPING IS "OFF GREEN PUTTING"

LEFT ARM ROTATES

Using a launch monitor when you practice can drastically improve your swing.

TRAINING YOUR WEDGES WITH YOUR LAUNCH MONITOR

The importance of grip vs. squaring the face.

DISCUSSION ON GRIP

In this episode of Ask Malaska Golf, Certified Coach Matt Baker from The Manchester Club in England answers a question from Dennis Holland, who&rsquo;s been working hard on the L to L drill and learning to swing his arms independently of the body. Dennis asks about &ldquo;tipping the shaft,&rdquo; a concept that&rsquo;s often misunderstood. Matt explains that tipping the club is not about adding a mechanical move&mdash;it&rsquo;s about learning how to direct the momentum of the clubhead. When done correctly, the swing becomes fluid, and impact feels nearly effortless. Matt emphasizes that feel vs. real are often miles apart. What better players feel isn&rsquo;t necessarily what&rsquo;s happening&mdash;what matters is getting the clubhead moving correctly through the zone. When you learn to tip the club properly, the lever system takes over, and you begin to experience natural, repeatable motion without forced effort. He recommends that golfers master the M-System&rsquo;s lever mechanics first before focusing on body motion. And if you have access to the M-System Elite package, the concept of tipping the club is demonstrated in depth there.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn in This Video: &bull; Why tipping the club is a critical skill for effortless impact &bull; How feel vs. real can fool even good players &bull; Why momentum control leads to better path and contact &bull; How L to L drills build the lever system needed to tip correctly &bull; Why body motion should come after lever system mastery
Key Takeaway: Tipping the club redirects momentum through impact. When combined with the M-System&rsquo;s lever drills, it creates an effortless strike. Master this feel before adding body motion&mdash;and you&rsquo;ll finally understand what great players mean when they say the swing &ldquo;just happens.&rdquo;

Tip The Club For Effortless Power

Develop a post-shot routine and cure shot dependency

CURING SHOT DEPENDENCY

Most of the time, you are not necessarily your best swing coach. Often it is better if you can have somebody watch, review, and give you feedback on your golf swing. You are usually not your best critic. Getting another set of eyes to look at what you are trying to accomplish will help in this process. 

Mike Malaska had PGA golf instructor Billy Fitzgerald recently review his golf swing in our ”Teach The Teacher” video. Billy noticed that Mike was getting a little twisty and ahead of the ball. The lesson was all about getting the club back out in front of Mike. Having the club a little behind you on the downswing only causes you to try to catch the clubface up at impact. Billy’s feedback was to try to tip the club out on the downswing, get the club going and turn with it. 

Joe Nichols always said that when the club is halfway down on the downswing, you want to feel that you are facing the club, and as when you go through the ball at impact, your chest is constantly facing the ball. Joe Nichol’s referred to this as leveling out. Mike was able to recall this lesson from him and apply this fix to his swing based on Billy’s observations. 

Make sure when you have someone review your swing and ask specific questions for feedback. This will help you to narrow in on the problem so you can focus on fixing the problem and achieve positive results. You can also use your phone or iPad to record and evaluate your golf swing.

YOU ARE NOT ALWAYS YOUR BEST COACH

Your short game is one of the most important aspects of your swing. Learn how to get consistent with what you already know.

SHORT GAME IN TOURNAMENT PLAY

When you set up to the ball, you need to feel like you push the handle down and into your right foot. Here is how that helps your swing.

BLENDING A DRILL IN WITH YOUR BACKSWING

Joe would connect you to your body's natural movement. This is critical because golf is not a game of positions; it is an art. Anytime you disconnect with yourself, you disconnect from your potential.

UNLOCKING YOUR DNA OF MOVEMENT

Placing the club on your shoulder and swinging it back and forth to the other shoulder helps take the tension out of your swing.

RELIEVING TENSION

Mike takes us through the first of 3 bridge exercises. These basics are for your core and to stabilize your lower lumbar spine.

Mike lays on a towel with his knees bent. You should lay on your back with your hands on your chest and lift your hips off the ground. The key is to hold your hips there, then lift and stretch out your left leg. Hold for a few seconds, and then switch to the right. Make sure your body is straight and diagonal to the ground.

If you can’t lift your leg without your hip dropping, hold the pose or lay your arms out for support and then lift your leg.

BRIDGES

Distance doesn’t necessarily come by restricting your knees or hips. In fact, restricting movement during the swing can cause serious damage.

AVOID INJURY

The Focus of the Month can be inspired by a number of things. It might come from something a tour player is doing &mdash; maybe someone who&rsquo;s winning right now &mdash; and there&rsquo;s something in their swing that&rsquo;s really valuable. Sometimes I&rsquo;ll look at that and say, &ldquo;Okay, here&rsquo;s what you can take from this&hellip; and here&rsquo;s what you shouldn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
 It could also be based on a swing technique or something that&rsquo;s trending in the golf world. I've been through a lot of these patterns, so I can say, &ldquo;I see how this could help, but here&rsquo;s the part that actually makes sense &mdash; the part that&rsquo;s really going to help your game.&rdquo;
 Sometimes it&rsquo;s about the time of year. Where are we in the season? What should your Focus of the Month be right now based on that?
 Now here&rsquo;s the great part: Every single Focus of the Month connects back to content on Malaska Golf. Everything I have you work on will be found in one of the Malaska Golf videos. There&rsquo;s nothing random here &mdash; it&rsquo;s all inside the site. And in the process, you&rsquo;ll learn how to use the site more effectively, how to learn more efficiently.
 That&rsquo;s really what I&rsquo;m hoping it does. It gets you thinking. It brings up questions. And the answers? They&rsquo;re in the site &mdash; or inside the M-System. This approach is powerful because it keeps you engaged. It gives you small, targeted things to focus on &mdash; and you start to see results. You might think, Why did that small adjustment improve my game so much? And when you want to understand why &mdash; the answer is right there in the M-System.

Focus of the Month (May, 25)

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

Work on getting a stronger grip. Hold the club more in your fingers, left hand on top, and palms facing down.

GET A STRONGER GRIP

This Mulligan Monday is all about your grip and hands.

Start without a club and focus on your arms because they each do different things in a golf swing. Your left arm and hand both move in a chopping action back and forth. Your right hand and arm work more in a throwing motion.

Your left palm is facing down, and your right palm is facing forward.

On the backswing, your hands hinge back and then forward through impact. Swing your hands and arms back and forth. Feel the chopping action and throwing motion. That’s how the hands work together and are strong.

Your hands don’t roll, bow or twist together at impact.

GRIP AND HANDS

Pressure can cause you to make mistakes in your game. Learn how to adjust and correct your errors.

THE PRESSURE OF TOURNAMENT PLAY

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

The club creates angles with your body. Learn how to create them and how they improve your swing.

ANGLES CREATED BY YOUR BODY AND THE CLUB - 20181113

When you watch top athletes in other sports, they warm up first. They don’t go right into their activity, they stretch their body up. Do this in golf and you’ll be able to hit it better.

WARM UP FIRST

Mike takes his exercise band and wraps it around both ankles. He turns his toes inward while placing his hands on his chest. Mike takes three steps to the left and then three steps back to the right. This motion focuses on stretching the legs by not leaning with your body. The key is to stretch with your legs and lead with your heels. Go back and forth and do a set of five.

Next, turn your heels outward, walk forward three times, and then back. You are swinging your legs out and around. Your upper body still stays relatively still.

Stretch to the sides and then walk to the front and then back. This exercise will help your hips.

FITNESS BANDS

Practice using a tennis racket or a baseball bat to feel the up to under of the backswing. This motion is the same as the golf swing.

FEELING THE UP TO UNDER

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

TODD HEUGLY - UTAH, USA - 20210109

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

Mike uses his exercise bands to do classic bicep curls.

Mike stands on both exercise bands and does biceps curls, making sure to curl his arms nicely and slowly.

You can also drop your arms after you have made the curl and catch them when they extend. Perform this exercise with your elbows against your side.

FITNESS CURLS

It’s Malaska Golf Quick Fix Friday again. This fix will help you to chip around the green.

When you get out to the golf course, grab your putter and make a couple of strokes on the green.

Move off the green, take your chipping club, use your putting grip and just putt. The ball gets in the air because there is loft in the clubface.

Your chip is just a putting stroke. Get confident with this shot, and you will find that you will get a lot better with chipping off the green.

USE YOUR PUTTING GRIP TO CHIP

The relationship between ball position and when you pivot is pretty much the same from baseball to golf. The difference is when you have to begin to pivot in order to be on time with the club face and the ball.