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A Malaska Golf Member has a question that relates to humor, and Mike thinks it’s one of the most important aspects of playing golf.Mike says that golf is supposed to be fun. If you come up to a ball, hit a bad shot, blow up, and throw your club on the ground, you probably won’t get very good because there is too much pressure to perform. Your body starts to anticipate whether it will hit a great shot or a poor shot. You rarely see Tour Players play this way, especially when they are leading tournaments.It is better to laugh at yourself than get mad at yourself. Mike understands that it sounds easy, but it’s hard to do.If you have a concept with something you are trying to do in your swing and hit a bad shot, then go over what you did and try to process it. The more that you do that, then the better chance you have at becoming a better player.The more you get mad at yourself for a bad shot, bad round, or mad at the person you played, or the greens were bad, etc., all that is going to do is build up anxiety. Then you won’t be able to enjoy the round. You should enjoy it even when you don’t play that well, because you should learn from it.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FUN

Preparing your golf bag for a tournament.

TOURNAMENTS

Before you can hit a ball far, you must first learn how to control the face. Learn how to use the face of the driver to your advantage.

DRIVER CONTROL

Exercising, keeping fit, and stretching will help your golf game. It is the focus of this Malaska Golf Quick Fix Friday. Mike uses exercise bands to warm up and to get the blood flowing. 

You can do bicep curls and other exercises to work the upper body. Put a band around your legs and do leg stretches to warm up your hips.
There are multiple exercises you can do with leg bands.

Then move on to stretching by touching your toes, bending, or twisting.
This helps prepare you to be loose and ready to go when you hit that first driver.

USING EXERCISE BANDS

RAPSODO PARTNER VIDEOS

Lag is letting weight of the club maintain the angle in the wrist as you swing forward to the ball.

In the set up you want to make sure that your weight is on your front foot. Your weight stays on your front foot through out the swing.

SET UP & BODY

With the driver you want the club to catch the ball on the up swing. So the ball goes up off the inside of the lead foot. Or off the lead toe. Your weight is more on your trail foot than on your lead foot. This creates more tilt and an upward strike on the ball. This works because the ball is on a tee.

DRIVER AND ANGLE OF APPROACH

A Malaska Golf Member makes some brilliant observations about the golf swing. The member notices that the arc of the backswing is different from that of the downswing. When you start on the downswing, the club comes down on a steeper arc than the backswing.

The member wants to know if it is correct that your hands move away on a wider arc when you start down. He also wants to know if the reason you feel you are wider coming down and your downswing arc is steeper than your backswing is because of the change of direction.

Mike agrees with both of these assessments. Mike says you must be careful with how these things fit together. Mike has made a lifetime of observations and practicing the swing to figure this out.

Again, the backswing arc is different from the downswing arc. The downswing arc is steeper, but not because you aren’t pulling your hands in. It is the change of direction that causes this to happen.

Good players feel like their hands are moving away from them and that their right arm is constantly straightening from the elbow, not the wrists.

Mike concludes that if you understand this concept, you are well on the way to understanding the golf swing.

THE SWING ARCS ARE DIFFERENT

The mental side of golf is very important. Once your head is in the game, your swing will improve.

SWING STRATEGY

In order to swing correctly, your hips need to work in your favor. Learn how your left hip helps your swing.

GETTING YOUR LEFT HIP BACK

Mike talks with a Malaska Golf member about what encourages him to teach and draws on his shared experience of golfing after being injured.

MR. ESMOND - GOLF AFTER INJURY

When setting up to the ball. First make sure that you are balanced your bending from your hips but your toes are quiet You need to make sure that your arms have room to swing back. Set up with your lead arm on top of your left breast and your trail arm is on the side of your trail breast or on your side. This creates an open path way for your arms to swing back on the backswing. You then do not have to move your arms out and around your body. 

ASHLEY - SETUP & BALANCE

INSIGHTS: LAUNCH ANGLE

When it comes to pitching and chipping, you want to avoid letting your shoulder drop. Learn how to keep your shoulder at the optimal level.

PRACTICING PITCHING AND CHIPPING WITH ONE ARM

Swinging the driver while on your knees is a great exercise to feel how your arms loosen up and your wrists work.

DRIVER PRACTICE FROM YOUR KNEES

PLAY THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT

Video honoring Toski at the 2017 Jim Flick Award ceremony.

JIM FLICK AWARD WINNER VIDEO

WELLS ADAMS

INTRO TO FULL SWING

All Day I Dream About Sports. You do not have to say much. Since I was in High School. I have worn Adidas products. To be a part of a global sports brand whose commitment is to continually come up with more functional. Better performing and great-looking sports shoes and apparel is again an honor. Every time I take a new pair of shoes out of the box. I ask myself. How can this perform better and or in my case feel better on my foot. And create a platform that I believe makes the games we play much easier to do. They are able to do it. I can not wait for my next pair of shoes to show up.

ADIDAS

Golf is all about recreating feelings. Practice deciding what swing you need to make.

FULL SWING PRACTICE

Get on your knees, tee a ball up in the middle of your body to slightly forward. Make a few practice swing. You will have to loosen up your shoulder sockets to allow your arms to swing rotate and fold as they go around you. Then hit some balls getting the feel of loose arms and wrists. Your arms move much more than your body. 

ASHLEY - KNEE DRILL

Your eyes are uneven with your target line, which causes you to hit the wrong path. Here is how to overcome your brain's limitation.

OVERCOMING YOUR BRAIN WITH NOCY

Starting the downswing too fast is like approaching a corner too fast.

FORCING THE CORNER

Brian Gott, Malaska Golf Certified Instructor and a nationally ranked club fitter, takes us through a five-day putting challenge to improve your overall putting skills on the green. He covers setup, correct grip, posture, and stance.

Brian then moves on to tempo and the importance of finding the putting cadence that works for you.

The next topic Brian covers is path and the significance of getting the clubface square to the ball.

On Day 4, Brian shows us his favorite drill for judging the correct putting speed.

Finally, on Day 5, Brian shows us how to put together all the putting skills you have learned so far. He also reiterates the importance of getting fitted for the right putter from a local club fitter. Your putter, not your driver, might be the most important club in your bag.

GOLF CHALLENGE: PUTTING

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know about the right hand. She explains that several teachers talk about holding the club in your fingers more than the palm of your hand. The member wants to know the upsides and downsides of this.

If it’s not more in your fingers than your palm, it is a downside because you won’t be able to do the lever system and create speed.

If the club is in the palm of your right or left hand, Mike says that’s called putting or maybe chipping. You do that to stop the hinging and unhinging of the wrists when you are putting or chipping. Turning your right hand under also gives you more stability. But if you do that in full swing, you won’t be able to create speed. 

Mike shows us how he holds the club in the fingers of his right hand. He places his left hand on the handle, and the right hand wraps around and over the thumb. Mike reinforces that his fingers are what is holding the club.

Your fingers are where your control and speed are. For full swing, you want it in your fingers! Some people make the mistake of putting it in their fingers and wrapping their hands too far over the top of the club. Your hands hinge back and sit on the thumb.

Mike uses a sports connection with throwing a baseball and how you use your fingers to throw a ball. You use your fingers to hold the club. Again, the club is in your fingers with your palm at the right angle.

RIGHT HAND IN THE GRIP

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 

Mike Malaska works with MLB Baseball Players, Kevin Pillar, Kevin Plawecki and Ryon Healy how the clubface is the bat and club shaft is an extension of your left arm.

CLUBFACE AND THE BALL WITH MIKE MALASKA, KEVIN PILLAR, KEVIN PLAWECKI AND RYON HEALY

A Malaska Golf member wants to know how to use the natural forces around him when he swings. When you make a golf swing, you are directing the momentum of the club, and the club just goes. It is very similar to a baseball swing.

Mike grabs a baseball bat and demonstrates. When you swing, you are getting the bat in the same arc as the ball. You let the bat go once you hit the ball. At the same time, your body pushes back away and throws the bat forward. It's the same flowing motion in the swing if you apply it to your golf swing as long as your grip is correct.

When you swing, as your body turns, the club will push out in front of you. With the correct grip, the club's momentum will square the clubface at impact. If your grip is off, something else must come into play to square the clubface.

If the grip is correct, then when you swing, it is like you are pushing the club down into impact, and then you are letting the momentum of the cub run into the ball. It will go where you want it to. When your arm straightens out and your hands pressure the shaft, it does feel free flowing, like a baseball swing. It is the same as a forehand in tennis and throwing a ball.

It must be a flow of motion and not positions. The game gets in trouble when too many positions are going on, and you don't know the motion that connects them.

FLOW OF MOTION

Do sports really connect? Well, your body is a pattern machine.

Let's talk about fitness, nutrition, and how it all works together.

There are two basic movement patterns:
1. Throw (or Lag in Golf)
2. Hit (Impact)

Baseball and Golf Connect
Tennis and Golf Connect
Basketball and Golf Connect
Hockey and Golf Connect
Soccer and Golf Connect
PickleBall and Golf Connect
Bowling and Golf Connect
Ping-Pong and Golf Connect
Football and Golf Connect
Racquetball and Golf Connect

SPORTS CONNECT™

SPORTS CONNECT: OVERVIEW

This Malaska Golf Member question is about the Line of Compression and Impact.

Mike explains that 90 percent of his teaching focuses on this concept and how Impact is the only position that counts.

Regardless of the club, you want to maximize the amount of force that gets into the shaft and the back of the ball.

Your right arm must be lined up with the club shaft when the club runs into the ball. It doesn’t matter if you putt, make a chip shot, a pitch, or use your driver; the same applies.

When the club shaft is lined up with your right arm, and when you run the clubface into the ball, it stabilizes the shaft and compresses the ball at Impact. If your arm is a little high when you run the club shaft into the ball, the shaft will give.

When people in the industry talk about the golf swing and about having your hips 23 degrees open and your shoulders a certain way, Mike believes you should first look at Impact. Mike would rather have you run the club into the ball and have a good impact position with their arms.

If you were to slow that down and watch the swing, your hips would be closed to the target line. Others would say that you need to get your hips more open. When you do that, you will begin to twist your hips, and your shoulders will get involved. If this happens and you run the club into the ball, your right arm is now above your left. Photos of Tour Players show that their right arm is below their left at Impact. Their hips are open, but they are highly flexible.

That ensures the Line of Compression, which stabilizes the shaft, and when the club runs into the ball, it compresses the ball. You have all this force with your right arm and shoulder hitting the ball at Impact.

Getting Impact correct with arms, right arm, and the club shaft is important. You will play a lot better golf.

LINE OF COMPRESSION AND IMPACT

Almost every club has a life-long participant of the game. Superstition is fortunate to have Mr. Peterson, who has been playing 72 years.

A LIFETIME OF GOLF

"If you want to be a good player you can't afford to not take control of the things you have control over." Mike summarizes what good players practice.

TAKE CONTROL TO BE A GOOD PLAYER

CHIPPING REVIEW

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

HEAD STILL

Setting up a gate for the putter to swing through. This is a great training device. From 3 inches behind the ball to 3 inches past the back of the ball the putter head should not arch or rotate. The tees will tell you if there is any arch. If you hit the tees you fix the problem. You eliminate variables. Then use the drills to keep the stroke on the correct path.

GATE DRILL

Foot action cannot be overstated.  This is where your power comes from.  The more you can sequence this out in your swing, the more consistent and balanced you will be.

REVIEW

A Malaska Golf member feels like when he sets up to the ball, he makes a long, slow rotation of his left forearm. When he gets to the top, he wants to know what he must do to come back down and hit well. 

If you take the club, and as you’re going back and continually rotating your left forearm, the clubface becomes more open, so when you stop at the top, you must have a lot of forearm rotation when you come back down. But is that actually happening, or is it just a feeling?

When Mike swings, he feels the rotation of his arm in his shoulder socket but not his forearm. If you do indeed have a lot of forearm rotation going back, you must have it coming back down. It is difficult to make that happen consistently. 

If you are hitting it solid, have control, and don’t have to practice much, it is probably just a feeling, not a reality.

FOREARM ROTATION

Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska-certified coach, addresses a question from Malaska Golf Member about the "left-right-left" movement in the golf swing—starting with pressure on the left side, shifting to the right, and then back to the left. This movement is a technique for generating momentum, and Billy notes it’s a question he receives often.Billy explains that this movement helps restore a sense of athleticism in the swing. In many sports, shifting weight to the opposite side before moving adds power by creating something to push off from. This left-right-left sequence not only enhances athleticism but also improves timing and rhythm while preventing a static start.One of the most common challenges he hears from golfers is difficulty initiating the swing. Billy explains that the left-right-left motion helps start the swing by signaling to the body that it’s time to go. He suggests that it’s a great addition to any pre-shot routine, helping break up the feeling of stiffness.To illustrate the concept, Billy references Vijay Singh, a golfer known for his smooth rhythm. Singh’s technique included a slight knee kick that would initiate a leftward shift, then back to the right, and finally left again in the swing—a consistent and powerful rhythm, regardless of the club he was using.Billy demonstrates his own routine with a balance board to practice shifting weight. He encourages students to place initial pressure on the left, then move right and return left in the swing. He notes that this slight movement brings rhythm to the swing, allowing him to initiate it smoothly, stay athletic, and easily pull the trigger at impact.

POWER UP WITH LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT

Before hitting balls, work on your movement.

WORKING ON MOVEMENT

The motion of kicking a soccer ball or football with your foot is the same principle applied when the clubface hits the ball.

PITCHING SPORTS CONNECT

Stand on your right foot, use your left toe to balance, and make a swing. This drill will help you feel how to put pressure into the ground and not jump off your right side.

RIGHT FOOT LEFT TOE DRILL

The right arm lines up with the club shaft. Learn how to practice this with putting.

FOREARM AND SHAFT

INSIGHTS: CLUB SPEED

Putting in your worst shot will improve your performance on the course.

PUTTING YOUR WORST SHOT

This Malaska Golf Quick Fix Friday is all about your least favorite shot. 

Most golfers tend to slice the ball, so this week, practice hitting hooks. If you hit a hook shot, strengthen your grip, shut the clubface a little, swing from the inside and try to turn the clubface over. 

Take your driver and try to make the ball hook or curve to the left. The purpose of this drill is to curve it in the opposite direction you normally would.

LEAST FAVORITE SHOT

In the second video, Mike Malaska works with Ashley Huizing to address key issues in her swing mechanics by focusing on proper hip movement, hand coordination, and sequencing. These adjustments aim to improve control, prevent early extension, and establish a solid foundation for her swing.Mike begins by emphasizing the importance of protecting the left knee. He sets Ashley up for a 20- to 30-yard pitch shot with a wedge, encouraging her to focus on a compact stance with her feet closer together. During the swing, Ashley’s left hip needs to move back, naturally lifting her left foot's heel. This motion ensures that her hips maintain proper distance from the ball and stay aligned, reducing strain and preventing her from getting stuck underneath the swing.Mike explains that the hips, arms, and club must work together. The left hip drives the motion, pulling the left heel off the ground and allowing a smooth, balanced rotation. By correcting her tendency to move up onto the ball of her foot, Ashley reduces the risk of knee injury and achieves better control.He addresses a common issue where golfers try to "push" off their right side, causing the right hip to move forward. This creates vertical force, stalls the left hip, and results in the club dropping behind the body, leading to inconsistent strikes. Instead, Mike teaches Ashley to let the left hip move back to meet the right hip, enabling a more natural and efficient rotation.To reinforce this movement, Mike introduces pitch shot drills. He highlights how improper sequencing, such as starting with the arms rather than the hips, disrupts the swing. The focus is on syncing the hips and hands, allowing the club to flow naturally through the motion. Mike demonstrates how the left hip pulling back initiates the swing, pulling the arms and club forward in unison.Mike also explains the importance of understanding the clubface’s movement. He teaches Ashley how the clubface should rotate naturally without forcing or flipping it. By practicing small, controlled pitch shots and focusing on proper mechanics, Ashley begins to develop muscle memory and feel the benefits of balanced hip motion and hand coordination.Through these adjustments, Ashley learns to create a smooth, powerful swing that minimizes strain and maximizes control. This lesson lays the groundwork for integrating these mechanics into longer swings and building consistency in her overall game.