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CHIPPING IS "OFF GREEN PUTTING"

Your body is what generates speed when you swing. Practice getting comfortable with the forces around you.

YOUR BODY AND YOUR SWING

Mike Malaska works with Frank Cox on his golf swing. Frank has a unique swing when it comes to hitting the driver. He does not have a problem hitting the ball a long way, and he tends to fade with a giant pull.

Frank has a weak grip, and the clubface is open at impact. He also twists his body and turns hard on his swing. He finds himself having to twist his hands at impact to catch up.

Mike works with Frank on having a stronger grip, shutting the clubface on the takeaway, and pushing his left leg back, which gets his left hip out of the way. This allows Frank to accelerate his swing at impact and on the follow-through.

With less effort and more control, Frank can hit the ball as far, if not farther, and straighter with more consistency.

FRANK COX

The average person doesn't have the instinct to return to basics. Nobody goes through this process except for professionals.

UNDERSTANDING THE SWING WITH GIULIA SERGAS - 201811

Kory uses the bag stand drill to work on his driver. He focuses on not sliding his legs and knees forward and getting his hips out of the way at impact.

BAG STAND DRILL DRIVER

Brian Gott talks about putting path on Day 3. Set up four tees slightly wider than your putter head, both behind and in front, so that you can move the putter between them. Start working on the path with one hand pushing the ball through, then proceed with two hands. As you practice this, you can move the tees closer and tighter to the heel and toe of the putter head. After you get comfortable with this, add the ball and work on hitting it through the path. 

It is imperative to get the clubface square. Using a line on the ball helps you get a square clubface and ensures the ball rolls end over end towards the hole. This exercise aims to get the clubface square and run the ball down the intended path into the hole. 

DAY 3 PATH

It's important to make sure the club is more in your fingers. Rest the club on your shoulder and concentrate on feeling this in your fingers before you swing.

MORE IN YOUR FINGERS

This Quick Fix Friday follows Harry Hooker fighting his big sweeping hook with his driver.

Harry will take both hands and rotate, moving them to the left. This grip is stronger.

Harry sets up to the ball with his new grip and drives straight down the middle of the fairway.

Harry’s fix to his big snap hooks is to adjust his grip.

HARRY HOOKER DRIVER MOVE YOUR GRIP

This is such a good golf course, and I want to make sure you can see some of it. They've just top-dressed the greens, which is what they have to do here in Utah during the summer. So there's a little bit of sand on top of them, which makes them look a little white. It's a maintenance procedure.Unfortunately, we couldn't get the greens to look perfect, but I can tell you that even with the sand, these greens putt great. Walking on this course, the property, the shots, the visual concepts—there’s a lot of golf here. I love trees, I love holes where the angles and trees and all that stuff come into play.Even though I live in Arizona, which is desert golf and doesn’t have the same dynamics with big trees, it’s a different type of golf. But I want you to see how beautiful this course is. And if you’re ever here and know someone who’s a member, you’ve got to come and play it. It’s one of the best golf courses in Utah, for sure.Now, relative to the last day, this is the 18th green here. The members don’t play it this way, though. This is part of the front nine, and they finish on a par three as their 18th hole. But for us, this was the 18th hole in the final round. The pin was right here. It's a huge green, with the pin placement at the back. I hit my best tee shot of the week—a nice high draw—and ended up right here, with about 82 yards to the front edge of the green and around 100 yards to the flag. They’ve thinned out a lot of trees since I was last here, which is interesting.This hole is tough for driving because the trees hang over the tee, which is set up for a cut. But I was drawing the ball consistently. So the question was, do I hit driver? My caddie, who was excellent and helped me a lot, said, "Mike, you haven’t hit a driver offline all day. Let’s just get on the right side of the tee or way over on the left and go right over the top edge of the trees." So I hit it perfect—the best drive I hit all week. I had a two-shot lead coming into this hole, so I knew that if I just hit the fairway, I wouldn't make worse than bogey.But the pin was clear in the back, which I think is the hardest pin placement on the green. If you miss the fairway to the right or hit it left into the trees, getting the ball back there is almost impossible. This club doesn’t really have a full driving range. You can see they’ve put the tees way up, and they can hit up to those flags, which are only about 150 yards away.When we played the Utah Open, the practice tees were set much farther back, near the cart path, so you could hit up to a 200-yard shot. But even then, we just used it to warm up. In fact, every day, the first full driver swing I made was off the first tee. I’d hit a couple of drivers on the range, but they wouldn’t go past the tees. I was making big swings, just trying to hit it solid and get a feel for the swing.It’s interesting practicing like this, where you can’t hit the ball far and are just focusing on hitting it solid and controlling its flight. That’s actually better than standing there and rifling your driver, which is what most people do. So, even though this is a restricted area, it actually sets you up for a better warm-up.Again, we're up here on the range. They’ve got maybe a 120-yard shot, and I suppose you could hit into the rough and get it up to 180 or 190 yards. Back in the day, this tee was cut all the way back to the cart path, so it was probably another 50 yards longer. But you couldn't just stand here and rifle drivers out. They wouldn’t let you. In fact, a lot of times, they wouldn’t even let you hit drivers. During the Open, they let us, but you were only supposed to hit it to the trees over here, which from the back tee was only like 200 yards.For me, I didn’t know what I was doing; I just made long, smooth swings, hit the ball solid, and got a feel for how it was curving. I’ve never been in a rush to hit it far. The biggest problem I see, which I instinctively avoided, is swinging too hard and hitting the ball randomly. When I was a kid, we practiced with a shag bag, and we had to pick up the balls after hitting them. So, I was always concerned with where the ball went, rather than how far.I’m confident that’s one reason I got so good so quickly—I never swung so hard that I’d lose control of the ball. I didn’t want to lose a golf ball.So anyway, this is the practice area. It’s pretty much the same as it was back then, maybe 40 yards shorter. It’s just a place to warm up.For the members, they play this as their 10th tee, but for the tournament, they wanted to finish on 18, so they used this spot. There was a lot more room for the galleries here than at the par three, which is where the members usually finish.The first day—or the fourth day—when I came up here, it was just a gorgeous hole. It drops down, comes up one level, then another, and finally up to the top. For me, at the time, every ball I hit had a slight draw. That's another reason this course is so great: about 75 percent of the holes set up perfectly for a draw. I just set up on the left side of the tee, aimed at the left edge of the right-hand trees, and swung. It was so comfortable, and I felt so good.The two best tee shots I hit during the final round were on the first hole and the 18th. I hit them all well, but these two stood out. The adrenaline, the atmosphere—it all played a part. This tee shot on the first hole was crucial because when I hit it compared to the other two guys I was playing with, I was way past them. I ended up making birdie on the first hole, which increased my lead and made me feel like, "Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go."

VISUALIZING THE COURSE

LESSONS FROM FIRST YEAR ON TOUR

In the third video of the Player Lesson series, Mike Malaska works with Jimmy Pearcy to tackle the fundamental concept of generating speed in the golf swing. Building on the themes of relaxation and natural motion explored in previous sessions, this lesson focuses on how Jimmy can unlock effortless power by leveraging his hands and arms while reducing tension in his swing.Mike begins the session by introducing a drill designed to give Jimmy an immediate understanding of how speed is created. He instructs Jimmy to adopt a baseball grip and place the club on his shoulder. The objective is simple: snap the clubhead through the swing using his hands and arms, letting it release naturally. Jimmy quickly grasps the feel of this motion, noticing how speed can be generated with minimal effort.To bring the drill closer to a golf setup, Mike has Jimmy bend slightly and perform the same snapping motion at ground level. This adjustment highlights the importance of maintaining a fluid wrist action and a relaxed grip, both of which allow the clubhead to accelerate through impact. Jimmy’s initial attempts demonstrate significant improvement, and he begins to experience what Mike describes as an “aha” moment.Mike pauses the session to provide visual feedback, comparing Jimmy’s swing positions with ideal examples. He points out that while Jimmy is close to achieving the correct wrist hinge on his backswing, his follow-through is lacking the necessary release. By the time his right arm reaches parallel to the ground on the follow-through, the clubhead should be fully released and pointing upward, a position that Jimmy has yet to achieve. Using side-by-side comparisons, Mike illustrates the stark difference between Jimmy’s current swing and a more efficient, speed-generating motion.The lesson continues with Jimmy practicing the drill, first with the baseball grip and then transitioning to a traditional golf grip and stance. Mike emphasizes that the goal is not to perfect ball striking but to internalize the feeling of a proper release. He reassures Jimmy that even if the ball doesn’t fly perfectly, the primary focus is on understanding how to generate speed by snapping the clubhead through impact.As Jimmy progresses, Mike explains that tension in the swing is the primary obstacle to speed. He draws a parallel to serving in tennis, where holding the racket too tightly reduces the ability to create power. Similarly, in golf, gripping the club too hard or over-controlling the motion inhibits the natural acceleration of the clubhead. By staying relaxed and letting the hands and arms work freely, Jimmy discovers how much easier it is to generate speed without forcing the swing.To reinforce the lesson, Mike challenges Jimmy to reflect on the difference between the tension-free motion of the drill and the tighter, more controlled feel of his regular golf swing. Mike stresses that speed comes from allowing the natural mechanics of the swing to take over, rather than trying to control every element of the motion. He encourages Jimmy to incorporate this drill into his practice routine, noting that even short sessions focusing on the snap and release can lead to significant improvements in both speed and consistency.By the end of the session, Jimmy has a newfound understanding of how to create speed in his swing. He learns that power isn’t about swinging harder or using more force, but rather about sequencing and allowing the club to release naturally. With Mike’s guidance, Jimmy experiences the difference a relaxed, efficient motion can make, setting him on a path to greater confidence and effectiveness on the course.This lesson marks a pivotal step in Jimmy’s progression as a golfer, providing him with practical tools and insights to achieve faster, more powerful swings while maintaining control and consistency.

CREATING SPEED-JIMMY PEARCY

Mike and Joe discuss the joints and functional movements. Mike learned functional movement patterns while working with Pete Egoscue.

Mike takes issue with the golf industry using Tour Players as a model of how-to-play golf as Mike states they are dysfunctional athletes, to begin with. They have been playing golf since they were kids and have developed body movement patterns far superior to the average person. Trying to superimpose the abilities and body movement patterns of a Tour Player to an average golfer is almost impossible.

Most Tour Players have multiple trainers helping them become more functional. Mike also observed that when he worked with Pete Egoscue at their summer camps, many pro athletes were not as good as they thought after being physically assessed. They looked good but were also dysfunctional, and they only exacerbated the problem with their workouts.

Mike tends to look at different forces in the body and where they are going. Is that part of the body designed to take the amount of force and pressure? Overworking that area in the gym to compensate isn’t always the answer. The key is building a solid foundation; you are only as strong as your weakest link.

Joe concludes that there are six basic movement changes throughout the body, and we should work on every one of them, from the hands and core to the feet. When we do this, we will create more mobility and stability, which is the base of what Joe likes to see when working with athletes.

BODY MOVEMENT PATTERNS

A look at the common flaws and fixes concerning the full swing and sequence. Flaws include over the top, tension, and incorrect body rotation.

SWING AND SEQUENCE

MAKING A SWING

Controlling distance is a very important part of your game. Practice making shiots at different distances.

DISTANCE CONTROL

FOCUS ON MOTION

The right hand squares to incoming force. In the golf swing, it squares to the incoming force of the ground. Here is what your right hand fingers should do to let the face square at impact.

RIGHT HAND PART I

Renowned 2024 Golf Digest Legend of Golf Instruction Mike Malaska has crafted the M-System Lite, which stems from the world’s premier golf swing process, the M-System.Mike has distilled the M-System's main concepts into 5 concise, impactful, game-changing videos designed to simplify and improve your game quickly.Mike understands that many people may not have the time or commitment to invest in or commit to a lengthy training program like the full M-System, and the M-System Lite is the answer.With just 5 videos, you’ll witness remarkable improvements in your swing and see your score drop dramatically on the course.The M-System Lite starts with an overall introduction video from Mike. Then, videos on M1: Line of Compression, M2: The Lever System, M3: How the Body Works, M4: Combining Skills, and M5: Practice. This all aligns with the original M-System M1-M5, and these are the most important concepts to understand from the M-System.The M-System Lite is a fast track to a better golf swing, and mastering these 5 videos will undoubtedly pay off in lower scores and increased confidence.Once you have mastered the M-System Lite, you can continue your golfing journey and augment it with the full M-System.

M-SYSTEM LITE-SWING PROCESS SERIES

Understanding grip so it squares the face for you.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GRIP

Mike starts with the importance of grip, how the hands move, and making sure the wrists are the strongest at impact.

GRIP YOU HOLD THE CLUB IN YOUR FINGERS

In fourth lesson, Mike Malaska works with Ashley Huizing to refine her grip and introduce critical swing adjustments, focusing on proper club placement and mechanics to improve control and accuracy.Mike begins by explaining an essential "anatomy lesson" for grip mechanics. Everything on the fingers' side of the hand is where the club should reside, particularly resting in key joints near the base of the fingers and palm. The grip should never cause wear on the upper part of the glove, as this indicates improper placement. Instead, the club should be held more in the fingers, allowing the hands to hang naturally and align with the joints.Mike demonstrates how the back of the club fits snugly in these joints, emphasizing that a proper left-hand grip feels strong but is essential for consistent ball striking. He explains how the right hand complements this grip by positioning the joints securely on the back of the club. The right palm should face the target or apply force directly through the shaft without twisting, enabling precise acceleration of the club.Ashley practices hitting small pitch shots with this adjusted grip. Mike encourages her to focus on the left hip pushing back during the swing, allowing a natural rotation and smooth follow-through. By maintaining this proper grip and hip motion, Ashley achieves a more controlled and efficient swing.To address common swing faults, Mike introduces a training stick to visualize and correct the club's path. The stick helps Ashley understand how to direct the club's momentum and avoid getting stuck in an overly inside path. Mike explains that directing the club's momentum out in front, rather than behind, is crucial for syncing the club with body rotation.Mike elaborates on the concept of "release," challenging the misconception that it involves unhinging the wrists. Instead, he demonstrates how release involves moving the club's momentum forward, matching the body's rotation to achieve consistency and power. He references Jack Nicklaus's approach, emphasizing that release is about keeping the club in front of the chest and turning through impact, not letting it lag behind.Ashley practices these adjustments, working on directing the handle of the club and maintaining proper momentum. Through repetition and exaggeration drills, she begins to feel how the club naturally aligns with her body, reducing the need for compensatory movements.The session concludes with Ashley applying these concepts to live shots. Mike highlights that the refined grip, proper release, and synced body mechanics create a swing with less twist and more consistency. He underscores those traditional methods, such as over-rotating the forearms or holding angles, are unnecessarily complex and rarely effective at a high level.With these refinements, Ashley’s swing shows noticeable improvement, building a foundation for better control, power, and accuracy.

PERFECT YOUR GRIP AND PATH

It is crucial to get the tension out of your arms. This Malaska Golf Mulligan Monday focuses on this. 

Set up a target line and place the ball on the tee, so you know the path where your arms should be swinging. Push up to the left to start swinging your arms, and then push back to the right. Your arms swing back and forth and up, almost like a figure eight, with your body and arms accelerating and making bigger swings. Address the ball, and let your arms and hands drop. 

Work on this exercise as it will help create a free flow of your arms without tension in your shoulders.

TENSION AND CONTROL OF ARM SWING

Distance can be controlled by the length of the swing or pace at the bottom.

CONTROLLING DISTANCE

Meet Matt Baker, PGA Professional and newest Malaska Golf Certified Coach. Matt is based in the United Kingdom.

Matt has been a golf professional for over 25 years, working his way up from Assistant Pro to Head Pro, and now teaches full-time.

Matt started playing at age 14 and immediately fell in love with the game and how the swing worked. Golf became his passion. Matt was intrigued with the motions of the game, putting the swing together, and helping other golfers, which led him to coach.

Matt, who was looking to improve his game, came across Mike Malaska on YouTube, he loved what he saw, and the videos improved his game immensely. Not only did he improve, but Matt gained a better understanding of the game because it was simple and made sense. The key takeaway was that Mike Malaska’s instruction and coaching just made sense to Matt!

Matt has applied this knowledge to his game and especially to his students. Matt has seen great success from them as they start to play better golf and understand the game.

Matt also loves the sport connect and how other sports relate to golf, making the game more understandable. His goal is not to teach you something you don’t understand but to teach something you already possess and can do.

Matt is excited to be a Malaska Golf Certified Coach and help others play better golf. The M-System is Matt’s favorite, and he does it every day.

MALASKA CERTIFIED: MATT BAKER

Mike introduces the importance of finding and keeping a light grip pressure.

INTRODUCTION TO LIGHT GRIP PRESSURE

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

A Malaska Golf Member had a prior question about the yips. Mike Malaska had advised him to put a dot on the clubface and the ball.The object is to connect both dots on the swing. Doing this drill will help you bottom out correctly, so the yips—or, as Mike calls them, the ‘saviors’—go away. This way, you don’t have to do something to fix your club hitting the ground.The member asks, “Do you see the same dot on the back of the ball when you do a full swing?” Mike is very aware of where the center of the clubface is on the arc of the swing. When he makes a backswing, he doesn’t stare at the back of the ball but in the general direction.Mike sees the club flash through there when the ball disappears. He is so focused on what impact feels like and what happens past the ball to get it to do what it’s supposed to.Next time you practice, make short shorts and see if you can see the club flash through the ball.Most people can’t do this, as halfway on the downswing, they turn their heads to see where they want the ball to go.Mike poses the question, “What’s your target? It’s the ball!”In baseball and tennis, you watch the ball right to the bat or racket, respectively. The same is true with ping-pong; you should watch the clubface right to the golf ball.However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you are focused on the ball. There are players who focus on a dot on the back of the ball, a dot on the front of the ball, the top of the ball, or even out in front of the ball.There are all kinds of eye tricks to ensure that you are coming into the ball correctly. Your eye gives your brain a picture, and then your body reacts to that picture. If you don’t have a picture, then there are no instants or neurological systems to react to.You don’t keep your head still, and you don’t focus on a spot, but you definitely see the club flash through there. If you do, you will notice your ball-striking skills improve.

WATCH THE CLUB FLASH AT IMPACT

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

LEARNING HOW TO CURVE BALLS AROUND TREES

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know what you look for when swinging the golf club.

Mike has set up alignment sticks on the floor. This is something he got from watching Ben Doyle on the Golf Machine. He had a mat placed on the floor with lines on it.

This is great to give you visuals of the swing path of the ball. Mike is working with four alignment sticks.

First, he has an orange stick he uses for the target line. He places a yellow stick at a 40-degree angle off the target line. It is also aimed straight at the ball. Another yellow stick, about 6 inches in front of the ball, is angled off the target line stick. The last orange stick aimed at the ball is slightly more than 40 degrees. This helps you visually understand the golf swing while standing over the ball.

Mike sets up behind the ball. His left foot touches the second orange stick, which helps with impact. The target line will guide Mike on his backswing. The setup of all the alignment sticks will provide a path throughout the swing.

To get a view from Mike’s perspective, he uses the Malaska Golf Cam to help illustrate the swing path.

When Mike swings back, his arm is parallel to the orange target line stick. When Mike swings to the top and changes direction, his arm is now parallel to the yellow alignment stick. His arm follows that stick until it hits the ball, and the club shaft at impact lines up with the second orange stick. 

Once Mike hits the ball at impact, his arm is back to following the target line. When his arm moves up to shoulder height, it is now parallel to the other yellow stick.

Mike goes through the motion of the golf swing where the sticks line up and come into play.

SWINGING A CLUB ON AN ARC

Use alignment sticks to form 90-degree angles on the tee box to figure out how to aim correctly down the fairway.

USING ANGLES

Training videos on how to use the Lagshot Driver.

LAGSHOT: DRIVER

Livestream replays for Malaska Golf Members.

MALASKA GOLF LIVE

ECLIPSE EDITION

INSIGHTS-DISPERSION

Pro golfers describe the motion as 'painting' with the club.

FEEL LIKE YOUR PAINTING

Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A member has a question about the lead thumb (or, for right-handers, the left thumb) and how it goes on the club and fits into the right hand.

The club is in your fingers of the lead hand, and your hand wraps around slightly on the side of the grip. You will notice a gap in the palm of your right hand, which goes over and pressures your lead thumb when you grip the club.

Billy demonstrates how the hands work together on the handle. There is no gap in his hands. This is a good pressure point of how your hands fit together. You will use that connection in the swing. If you need more width on your backswing, you can push back on your grip to do so. In the process, you will feel that pressure point.

The same thing happens when you swing down into impact. Your left arm is straight out, your left thumb is slightly on the back of the shaft, and your right hand fits behind the left thumb. This will line up the club shaft, and that will help compress the ball when you hit.

Getting the correct grip with the thumb and pad relationship is critical. Billy shows us this and how you grip the club in your fingers. Ensure you have the correct contact points, that your hands are on the club correctly, and that you are aware of those pressure points.

THE LEAD THUMB

A Malaska Golf Member has a question on how to keep his anxiety level down while on the golf course.

Mike explains that most anxiety happens because you focus on what could potentially happen. Most good players are not worried about the outcome; they focus on the process of what they are doing.

When amateurs get over the ball, they are not sure what they are doing and don’t have a feel for their swing. Standing over the ball and going through a mental checklist before you hit the ball is not the way to go. This will create a lot of anxiety in the process.

Mike says you have to get committed to a shot and a motion. Make a practice shot behind the ball and visualize. This is about feeling the shot and previewing what you will do.

Mike approaches the ball; it is about the process, not the outcome. If you do the process, the outcome should be good.

Mike also notes that regardless of the outcome, he learns from it. If Mike hits the ball the way he wants, he replays it in his head. If Mike hits it wrong, he figures out what he did incorrectly. He then makes a practice swing to correct it.

Mike concludes that every swing you make is a process. You go through the process and learn from the outcome. Replay it or fix it and then go on to the next shot. That’s how you play the game. It is a constant process that will help reduce anxiety.

RELEASING ANXIETY

Get the club out in front of you and feel the club's momentum at impact. This will prevent you from getting stuck, bringing the club around to the left.

GETTING STUCK BEHIND AT IMPACT

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I'm a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based in the UK. Today's question comes from a gentleman named Mark Hughes. I know Mark—he’s from Wales—and he’s been working on the four-step drill. His question is: when he performs the drill with a driver, it works well, but when he uses an iron, he tends to hit the ball out to the right. He’s checked his grip and says it’s okay. So, he wants to know what might be causing this issue.First, let’s recap the four-step drill before addressing the problem. The four-step drill is designed to help build a good backswing and establish a sense of where the club should be in time and space at the end of the backswing, ready for transition into the downswing.To perform the drill, take your address position over the golf ball. Lift the golf club and rest it on your right (trail) shoulder while maintaining your golf posture. Turn your body by pushing your right hip back and feeling pressure shift to your right heel. This gets you to the end of your backswing position. Push your arms away to achieve the correct top-of-backswing position, then swing through and hit the ball. This sequence—address, step one, step two, step three, step four—is excellent for building consistency and understanding proper club positioning.Now, let’s diagnose what might be going wrong. The first thing we always check as golf professionals is the grip. A poor grip often causes the clubface to stay open, leading to shots that veer to the right. If the grip is too weak (hands positioned incorrectly on the club), the clubface can remain open during the swing. Mark has confirmed his grip is fine, so let’s explore other possibilities.One common issue we see is the left wrist position at the top of the backswing. Sometimes, when performing the four-step drill, golfers create a "cupping" motion in the back of the left wrist. This happens when the wrist hinges upward, leaving the clubface pointing downwards (toe of the club pointing toward the ground) at the top of the swing. This cupping often results in an open clubface through impact, causing shots to go right.To fix this, aim to keep the left wrist flat or slightly bowed at the top of the swing. This keeps the clubface square or slightly closed. Focus on your left wrist position as you swing back. Avoid hinging your wrist excessively upward, and work on achieving a flat wrist at the top, ensuring the clubface is at a more neutral angle. From the front view, the left wrist should align with the forearm, and the clubface should be angled rather than pointing straight down.If the grip and wrist position aren’t the issues, another possibility could be improper hand rotation through the swing. However, nine times out of ten, the problem lies in the cupped wrist. Practice focusing on your left wrist position during the drill, and this should help you immensely.Let me know how it goes!

THE FOUR-STEP SWING FIX

The correct swing feels slightly different every day.

HOW THE SWING FEELS TODAY

How rotation gets the club moving from the top.

ROTATION AND ACCELERATION

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

MY FAVORITE LESSON

Instead of focusing on the ball, pick a target or spot on the horizon and swing.

FOCUS ON A TARGET

To control trajectory, practice using a sand wedge to hit a low shot followed by a high shot. Play around and experience this same drill with other clubs.

CONTROL TRAJECTORY

Finding Your tempo is one of the keys of this game. Use your putting stroke to find what is natural to you. This will be the tempo that you use in the rest of your clubs.

FIND YOUR TEMPO

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

The next step in John's lesson is to get his right hip out of the way on his backswing.

Mike makes John drop his right foot back in his stance and wants John to push his right hip back on the backswing. This allows John to have more swing with the right foot back while pushing the right hip back. Having more room gives you more speed for your arms to come down into the ball.

You will likely come over the top with your swing if you don't push your hips back.

Again, pushing your hip back creates more space, allowing your arms to come down and your hands to lever the club.

Mike reinforces to John to work on his new grip and get his right hip out of the way.

GET YOUR HIP OUT OF THE WAY FOR MORE SWING

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

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