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PRACTICE-SWING TECHNIQUE

Elite Content

The movements in baseball are very similar to those in golf. Learn how to apply your knowledge of throwing to your golf swing.

LEARNING TRANSITION THROUGH BASEBALL

Now that you know how to putt, use that same stroke with your lofted wedges.

CHIP USING YOUR PUTTING STROKE

How your body moves is an important part of the swing. It is also a big speed and control producer if it works correctly. But if it is trained incorrectly it can make it almost impossible to reach your speed and control potential. It can also potentially create patterns that can lead to injury.

Body Motion

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know about the release pattern in the swing. Mike says this member is typical of those players who swing from the inside and have to roll their hands over at impact. He has a weak grip, holds the clubface open, and twists his forearms. The member wants some advice and drills to keep from doing this.

Mike uses a frisbee to show hand action. He first uses his right hand to throw the frisbee. Notice that Mike doesn’t twist his hand as he throws it. If he did, it wouldn’t go. He now throws the frisbee with his left hand, and you can see that hand action.

Throwing a frisbee with both your right and left hands gives you a feel for the hand action of the golf swing. Mike demonstrates this hand action with a golf club.

Mike has also put an ‘X’ mark with a sharpie on his left golf glove. The reason to have the X on the glove is to make sure that Mike’s hand was facing outwards on the follow-through. This was to teach Mike not to turn his hands over because if he did, the palm of his glove would be facing upward. 

These are two of the best ways to practice hand action.

LEARNING HAND ACTION

A Malaska Golf Member says he has improved how his right hand works through the ball. However, he wants to know why his dynamic loft has increased. The member’s dynamic loft has gone up 4 degrees, although he is not hooking the ball.

Static loft is when your club sits at a 90-degree angle to the ball. However, when most people hit the ball, there is a bit of forward shaft lean. Mike’s static loft at address is 50 degrees, but at impact, the clubface’s dynamic loft is 48 or even 46 degrees. Dynamic loft is the angle of approach of the clubface at impact.

The key is to monitor your right hand and keep your knuckles behind your wrists at impact. This will take the loft off the clubface. Therefore, you will add loft if your knuckles catch up with your wrist.

Once you start to feel this, you can lean the shaft backward to increase your dynamic loft more than your static loft, and the clubface won’t turn down. This means you can focus on the trajectory of the ball. With different lofts, the ball will carry different distances if you hit the ball straight.

Once you can get your right hand working correctly and you aren’t hitting pull hooks, it’s just monitoring where your knuckles are in relation to your wrists when you run the club into the ball.

CONTROLLING DYNAMIC LOFT

Head movement is the subject of this Skill Pathway. Your head doesn't remain still, so how and why does it move, and what keeps it still?
One of the biggest problems for players, especially amateurs, is how their heads move. The movement happens because they are trying to shift their weight.
Forces, not weight shift, are what causes your head to move. When you swing into your right heel, then into your left heel, and your left leg pushes back, your head moves as your body tilts. It is not because you are just moving it back and forth.
Mike stands on one foot and swings to demonstrate how his head doesn't move much as he pivots on one hip. He doesn't push off on his right foot when he changes direction and starts down.
It is vital to understand that you are not trying to shift your weight; you are trying to move force. Practice hitting on one foot to experience what it feels like to hit down into the ground instead of off the ground.
Correctly moving your body will make your head more stationary and not move around as much.

Weight Shift

Your mind is a muscle just like your body. It needs to and can be trained. The proper mindset is critical to maximizing performance. Your mind controls your body so how do we train it to make the correct decisions. React in a manner that gives us the best chance for success. And how do we train it to process what happens properly so it becomes a constant learning process and roadway to success.

Mental Game

Matt Baker, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A Malaska Golf Member is having problems getting his right elbow under his left. Too far underneath.

Matt says this comes from two different areas. You are shallowing the clubhead too much, and it’s getting too far behind you, or your left hip isn’t working properly on the follow-through. You may be stalling, and your hip goes upwards. This will cause you to tilt your body back, and you will get caught behind the ball.

There are two things you can do to work on this. First is the ‘Turning the Corner’ of ‘Tipping the Club.’ This is in the Malaska Golf Drill Center.
This is where you feel the handle is being pulled down, and the club feels like it’s going over the handle. This gets the club back out in front of you.

Second, start working on moving your left hip backward on impact. Reference M1 of the M-System, where you chip and learn to pivot the left hip backward by pushing the left leg and hip back as you swing through. This will help you turn the shoulders and keep them level.

You can do either one, and that should help you.

Keep From Getting Stuck

A Malaska Golf Member asks about crossover sports and getting a feel for the golf club.

Mike has heard people in the golf industry talk about “throwing a ball.” They want you to feel the golf swing and feel like you are throwing the golf ball way out in front. Doing this causes your right elbow to go in front of your hip, an exaggeration you don’t want to happen. Your right elbow should work on your right hip. Ben Hogan kept his right elbow even with his hip when he swung a golf club. It never outran his hip.

Mike says you don’t want to feel like you are throwing the ball out in front of you. Instead, try throwing a ball at another ball placed where you would set it up on a tee.

Mike demonstrates this and says that if he practices enough, he can hit the ball anywhere on the surface of the target ball. This drill helps you to direct momentum down towards the ball and, in this case, a golf club. When you swing, you are directing the momentum of the clubhead down to the ball.

Mike also shows us if you follow what others are saying and want the clubhead to run into the ball, you will miss the ball on the swing.

Again, Mike says you are throwing momentum into the back of the ball with the golf club. Get a feel for throwing a ball and feel how loose your wrist is when you do this. This is the same feeling you have in a golf swing.

THROWING A BALL

Todd was a latecomer to golf. He began playing after high school and instantly fell in love with it. His friends, who played well, taught him great fundamentals (grip, posture, ball position) and what he considers a fundamental: the release.
Within a year and a half, Todd was a scratch golfer. He described his game as very arms, hands, and wrists-driven, allowing the body to respond athletically to the swing. He never considered himself a core-driven player and has always had a lot of speed. He never thought of playing professionally or teaching for a career. He just loved playing and competing with his friends and co-workers. A local instructor told him he had the talent to play at a high level and was so confident he would teach Todd for free.
Right away, they went to work on the &ldquo;tour&rdquo; swing, which was core-driven and involved a flip by turning the lead wrist down at impact. He worked hard following the development program but could never maintain consistency, and no one outworked him. A friend kept asking for a lesson, and Todd reluctantly agreed.
Interestingly enough, it was during that lesson that Todd got his game back. After years of struggling with one piece of advice, one feeling was Todd&rsquo;s lightbulb moment.&amp;nbsp; That moment changed his life, and he knew what he was meant to do. He fell back in love with the game, with practice and understanding the game. He became a student of the game and vowed to stop what happened to him from ever happening to anyone else.
He&rsquo;s been a Class-A PGA Professional since 2021 but has been teaching for 15 years. He plays to a +2 handicap with a pair of 59s under his belt. He is the Head PGA Professional and Director of Instruction at both Remuda and Cranefield GC&rsquo;s. He is the owner and director of instruction for Todd Heugly Golf, which offers private and online lessons. The Wasatch Golf Academy is his online player development academy and has produced some great players.
Over the past couple of years, Todd has been on a health roller coaster, and he believes it has made him a better player and coach.

Malaska Certified-Todd Heugly

Creating width is not a matter of how far you can move the clubhead from your body, it is how far you can distance the club handle from your chest. Creating width is the first step to increasing distance with your driver.

CREATING WIDTH

Matt Baker, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A Malaska Golf member who has a strong grip is struggling with what happens with the left wrist post-impact. He also wants a little more clarification on this.

The member says that with a weaker grip, he can get the feel and visualization. Matt says you do the same thing whether you have a weak or neutral, strong grip.

The first thing you must remember is that with a strong grip, you will be more stable with the clubface, and the club will be more stable through impact.

Matt demonstrates the hand action and says that the hands go into extension, and the wrist bends back on itself through impact. Matt illustrates his left arm rotating after he has hit the ball; his left arm folds, and the left wrist goes through extension. Matt says that when he does this, his left palm is facing the target on the follow-through. This facilitates the throwing action through the shot.

This is as easy as it should be! Matt uses a frisbee to illustrate this when he is teaching. Matt picks up a frisbee and shows the hand action of the left wrist. You wouldn’t want to roll your wrist in this throwing motion. The frisbee would flop to the ground.

Throwing a frisbee is the same feeling you want when you swing a club past impact. This is the same throwing motion of the hands and left wrist.

Matt summarizes this as he swings through and hits the shot, palm facing down; as his left arm folds up and rotates, his left wrist bends back on itself into extension.

Left Wrist Through Impact

Practice both path and face control with a starting line.

PATH AND FACE CONTROL

Turning gang kids into members of the band.

THE SOLID ROCK FOUNDATION

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

WRIST EXTENSION

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know why he still slices the ball despite having a stronger grip.

Mike surmises the member has a strong grip, which Mike calls a neutral grip; however, on the takeaway, he cups his left wrist. The problem is, when you twist your wrists, your clubface becomes wide open on the backswing. Then you are forced to compensate and get the club square on impact.

When you take the club away, ensure your left wrist hinges and the clubface is pointed back at the ball. For you to keep hitting to the right with a correct grip, your clubface is getting open on the backswing. The only way to do this is for you to twist your hand.

Again, as you take the club back, ensure the clubface is still aiming at the ball, then swing up to the top. Notice how your left wrist is flat and hasn’t cupped. Now the clubface is where it’s supposed to be.

Mike demonstrates this with a swing. The key is ensuring your clubface isn’t getting open, collapsing, or cupping the wrists. Doing this will stop your shots from going to the right.

FACE CONTROL WITH HAND ACTION

The topic of this Quick Fix Friday is to get a feel for how your hands work.

According to Mike, the idea that you should take your hands out of the swing is simply ridiculous.

Mike motions with his right and left hands to illustrate how they work. He uses his club to swing back and forth, switching from his left to right hand as he makes a swing. He then uses both hands to hammer home the point, basically the "L to L"  Drill. 

This is your golf swing.

HOW THE HANDS WORK

Invisible Swing: Swing Concepts

Bringing the range to the course is a process.

PRACTICE ON THE COURSE

Your grip determines what the ball is going to do. Practice using different grips to get a feel for what your hands need to do.

Golf Talk From the Quarry

The M4 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska delves into the critical concept of offsetting forces, focusing on how the hips and body movements interact with the club to create effortless power, consistency, and stability. This session emphasizes that by properly pushing against the forces generated by the club, golfers can achieve straighter arms, better alignment, and a swing free of unnecessary tension.
A key takeaway is the importance of hip motion during the swing. Instead of moving level, the hips must tilt and rotate back and up during the backswing, and down and in during the downswing. This natural arc of motion minimizes pressure on the lower back while promoting stability and speed. Relaxed arms and wrists, combined with these offsetting forces, allow the club&rsquo;s momentum to straighten the arms naturally, avoiding forced or tension-filled movements.
Through slow, deliberate practice, golfers can feel how their hips, shoulders, and feet coordinate to offset the club&rsquo;s force effectively. This balance of internal (body) and external (club) forces creates a dynamic yet stable swing. By maintaining proper angles and avoiding misaligned rotations, players can unlock both power and efficiency while reducing the risk of injury.

M4 Coaching Series-Offsetting Forces And Hips

Understanding how to make a center face hit can be difficult. Learn how to use knowledge you already have.

Feeling Center Faced Hits

When your toes move, your body knows it is unbalanced. Practice your natural standing position.

BALANCE

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

WHY CAN'T I HIT A DRAW

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

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

Knowing how the handle and bounce works are the first things to gain familiarity with for hitting these lob shots. Here's how you practice that.

Lob Shot-Fundamentals

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I'm a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based here in the UK. We've got a great question today from John Creighton, who asks which hand controls the club the most during the swing.The answer to that is, if you went to any PGA or tour event worldwide and surveyed the professionals, it would likely come up 50/50. Some players favor their left hand, while others prefer their right hand. Interestingly, this can change from event to event or even day to day. Some days, players feel more control with their left hand, and on other days, they may feel their right hand is doing more.The real answer is that it varies for each person. You need to experiment and find what works best for you. Personally, I tend to use my right hand more, but that's my preference as a right-handed person. It doesn't always go that way for everyone.To explore this yourself, I suggest practicing with both hands. I often hit single-handed shots with my left hand, focusing on controlling short chip shots down the range. Then, I do the same with my right hand to see which one feels more in control. This practice helps me understand which hand plays a bigger role for me.I encourage you to try this out and see which hand gives you the best control. I hope that helps answer your question, and I appreciate you watching. I look forward to catching up with you all real soon!

Which Hand Leads Your Swing

As Scott demonstrates a martial arts movement, we see how all movements can be strengthened with a step-by-step understanding of sequence.  

MOTION THROUGH MARTIAL ARTS

These are the shots that everybody loves. Here we will take a look at what they are, how to do them, and what the basic concept is.

High Risk Lob Shots

A Malaska Golf member wants to know if he can use the feeling of ‘handle away, handle away’ to play golf while on the course.Mike explains that when you go to the golf course, you must understand why you are there. Are you there to compete or work on your swing?These are two very different ideas. If you are there to work on your swing and the score is not an issue, you can work on ‘handle away, handle away’ while on the course, regardless of where the ball ends up. Then, you base how well you did on that.If you are playing golf, there is a way to do it, and every Tour Player also does it. Make a practice swing doing ‘handle away, handle away.’Make a mental image of what that feels like, the motion when you go up and hit the ball, and duplicate that feeling. You aren’t forcing positions and thinking about ‘handle way, handle away.’Golf can be a reactionary sport, but you need something to react to. The key is that it is a picture of a feel, not about positions.If you are over the ball and saying, ‘Handle away, handle away,’ then you are practicing and not competing. That will prevent you from hitting good shots.Again, there are ways to practice and play simultaneously. If you are over the ball and competing, you had better have a motion in mind and just let it go.If you are over the ball practicing, forcing something to happen, you rank your day by how many times you made that correctly, not by the score you shoot.

Practice and Play on the Course

How path and face make the ball curve

IFYP-Impact

A mental approach to yourself and your game.

HOW TO SEE YOURSELF

Training videos on how to use the Lagshot Irons.

Lagshot-Irons

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Billy Fitzgerald is subbing in to answer “Ask Mike’s” from Beverley County Club in Chicago. A Malaska Golf Member has been struggling with his left arm collapsing for most of his golf career and wants help.Typically, this occurs because your wrist hinge is too late, or you might not have a wrist hinge at all. What happens is that there's no wrist hinge, and as you swing back, your body is looking for some kind of lever to make the club swing a little bit. The key is to get the swing going on the backswing, and that's why the left arm breaks down if there is no lever.The first thing Billy says you should check is your grip. If your hands are wrong on the club, the handle is too much in the palm and not in the fingers, or it's not lined up right, it will be hard to make this wrist hinge and hinge soon. That’s what you need. You need the wrists to hinge sooner so you can put pressure from your right hand into your left palm or from your right hand into your left thumb, which will pull the arm straight.Make sure your grip is correct. Billy demonstrates the grip and how the relationship of both hands helps you to hinge and push the grip away on the backswing.The remedy that Billy doesn’t recommend, and I see this all the time, and I have written about it, is a straight left arm. This is an effect of what we're talking about: the correct grip, early wrist hinge, and how your hands are pressuring each other or the thumb, which is going to pull your arms straight.Billy stresses checking your grip and making sure the club is in your fingers. When you swing back, the left hand is hinging.Billy says that you should do that because you probably don't have any wrist hinge to begin with and this needs to happen sooner. The sooner you can get the club up the sooner the right palm is pushing on your left thumb, which is going to make your left arm straighten up.To recap, get the correct grip, get over the ball, and make some small backswings. Feel the club hinging, and you will feel pressure in your thumb when you move the club into the backswing.Billy demonstrates by hitting a ball so you can see the wrist hinge and levers work.

Wrist Hinge is the Answer

Mike tells a story where he was fortunate enough to have Moe Norman hit balls for him. Mike had the pleasure of watching him hit balls for 45 minutes. It was when Mike was just starting out, and it was one of the most impressive things he had ever seen.

Regarding setup, Moe Norman wanted you to have your club more in a straight line with your left arm. The member wants to know if this is ok relative to what Mike teaches.

Mike loves what Moe teaches about this aspect of the setup. What happens when you swing the club is that the weight of the club pulls your arm out.
Moe’s philosophy was, if that is going to happen when you swing, then why don’t you position your arm in a straight line and start there?

Then Moe wanted you to set up with clubface back from the ball on the tee. This was because the takeaway killed most people, so he took that out of play. This is how he swung and hit the ball, and he would pipe it every time.

There is some misunderstanding about Moe relative to his grip. That setup, where your arm and hand are flat, and you start back from the ball, is definitely ok. The key is to have the club in your fingers. Moe had really big grips, and his club often appeared to be touching his palms more. This was just due to the circumference of the grips.

If you swing like Moe Norman, just don’t put the club in the palm of your hand.

Moe Norman and Setup

Jack Jr. works with Mike on a chipping lesson.

ON THE RANGE WITH JACK NICKLAUS JR

Utilizing your putting grip and stroke with a lofted club will get the ball in the air and onto the green.

CHIPPING OFF GREEN PUTTING

A Malaska Golf Member watched a video where Tiger Woods out-drove another golfer while hitting off his knees. The member wanted to know the value of this drill and what it does.Mike says everyone should learn to hit a driver off their knees. It’s not hard on your back and teaches you several good things.Mike gets on his knees the same way Tiger did, and what it teaches you is how to lever the club and create speed with your arms.Mike demonstrates the Lever System. If you are tight when you swing, you won’t be able to hit the ball. Many Tour Players can hit the ball off their knees because the Lever System is the biggest speed producer.Mike hits the ball about 200 yards off his knees with an easy swing. Another thing this drill does for you is help with the club path and angle of approach.Most people who attempt this drill for the first time will hit the ground behind the ball. They are so used to throwing their body out and into it that the club drops behind their hands, and they can’t feel the arc and direct the momentum of the club right into the back of the ball.If you swing over the top, you will stick the club in front of the ball. By making practice swings, you will start to learn the club path. Mike hits another ball off his knees, and he explains the club path.This is the same club path and arc when you stand up and address the ball. It’s just on a different angle. Your hands work the same way.Mike throws his hands around him with the club, and this is where you create speed. You aren’t playing with ‘quiet hands,’ as Mike demonstrates.Your hand might feel quiet for other reasons, and Mike has done videos about this on the website.The drill that Tiger did is monumental and good for everybody in golf.

Hitting a Driver From Your Knees

How to find a light grip pressure using a pre-shot routine on the course.

ON THE COURSE

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

GRIP - Part II

A Malaska Golf Member dips his right shoulder down when he swings. He wants to know if there is a solution.

Mike explains that it starts with the M-System, M1, right arm, and pitching. When standing on your left foot and swinging your right arm, your left leg pushes your left hip out of the way. This brings your right hip forward, which brings your right shoulder forward.

Mike demonstrates this first drill by making a few swings.

The biggest reason your right shoulder goes down is that halfway through the downswing, you push with your right foot. When you do that, your right leg takes off, and your right hip goes forward and drops your right shoulder!

When you get your left hip out of the way, it pulls your right hip forward. Mike makes a swing, and as you can see, his hip doesn't take off, causing him to dip his shoulder.

Another great drill is to stand on your right foot and use your left toe to balance. The object of this drill is to make a swing and not fall forward. Players who have the problem of dropping their shoulders when they swing will have a tough time doing this drill. They will find themselves falling forward and off balance.

The reason is that they try to push off on their right foot too much and lose the stability of their right hip. Again, this causes the right hip to take off, resulting in you dropping your shoulder.

Practice this drill without falling forward, then migrate to your full swing. Make your change in direction, so your hips don't take off.

These two drills will help you feel what was supposed to happen in your swing, so your shoulder doesn't go down.

STABILIZING YOUR RIGHT SHOULDER

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

The easiest way to see break to by rolling a ball.

ROLLING A BALL

When you understand how the body is designed to move, proper shoulder rotation becomes easy.  This is why and how we hinge the wrist.

HINGING WRISTS

The M4 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska dives into the critical concept of change of directions, teaching golfers how to synchronize the club&rsquo;s transition with the body&rsquo;s motion for a more efficient and powerful swing. Mike emphasizes that the transition of the club and the body should not occur simultaneously; the body should start its forward motion before the club reaches its natural "top" position. This sequence, already intuitive in sports like baseball and tennis, allows for smoother and more dynamic movement in the swing.
Mike critiques traditional static drills that disconnect the body&rsquo;s motion from the swing&rsquo;s natural flow, such as holding the top position before starting the downswing. Instead, he encourages golfers to embrace movement, using drills like stepping motions to train proper sequencing.&nbsp;
By understanding the role of inertia and opposing forces, players can maximize ground force and create more speed while maintaining balance and control.
The lesson also highlights the importance of dynamic footwork, dismissing the outdated notion of static feet in golf. Incorporating purposeful foot and hip movements not only helps with sequencing but also enhances proprioception&mdash;your body&rsquo;s awareness of its position and movement.&nbsp;
By practicing these principles slowly and consistently, golfers can build a fluid, natural swing that leads to significant and lasting improvements.

M4 Coaching Series-Change Of Direction

Before you start to swing, your grip must be correct.

GETTING YOUR GRIP RIGHT

The lever system is a very important part of your swing. Learn to get the club hinging and unhinging correctly.

THE LEVER SYSTEM

Most all sports cross over. Your body is a pattern machine. It does not know if you are playing golf or tennis or baseball. It is just duplicating or learning patterns. Once you learn a pattern it is transferable to other sports. So any sport that you play has application to golf. And if you play golf it has applications and direct crossovers to other sports. So rather than learn something new why not use what you already know. Most of the motions you make in a swing you already know how to do them. You are doing them every day just moving around and being involved in the universe.

Sports Connect

Mike Malaska is working with former MLB pitcher Garrett Richards. In this video lesson, he is showing Garret the sports connection between baseball and golf.Mike gets Garrett to swing with a baseball bat and wants him to feel what his left hand does when it releases on the follow-through. Mike comments that Garrett’s left wrist doesn’t twist when he swings a baseball bat. It is the same when he swings a golf club and hits a ball. Your wrists should not twist, but that’s what is currently happening in his golf swing.&nbsp;Mike said Garrett would hit grounders if he rolled his wrists with a baseball bat. Mike holds the bat with Garrett and demonstrates the hand and wrist action, which is the same as the golf swing.Garrett now goes back to his wedge, and Mike adjusts his grip. He also shows him how to release the toe of the club on the follow-through. It goes up, not over.Mike just wants Garrett to make an easy 100-yard shot. He does, and Mike says that Garret didn’t hook the ball. Mike explains to Garrett that he had so much twist in his arms that it was hard for him to be consistent. However, Garrett was athletic enough to swing the club from the inside and to catch his hands and clubface up. Being a few degrees off in having the clubface square at impact can cause miss-hits.Mike gets him to hit the ball again, imagining him hitting a baseball bat with his left hand. It's more of a chop action with no twist. Garrett hits an awesome shot. Mike laughs and tells him how easy it will be to hit it straight. Garrett says it feels like hitting a cricket bat and hitting the ball square.Mike shows how the clubface works, demonstrating the swing path with Garrett’s club. The clubface is open relative to the target line; however, it is 90 degrees to your body on the swing arc. What the club doesn’t do is rotate and turn over. Garrett describes it like a pinball flipper. Mike explains this is how the Tour Players swing. The clubface hardly rotates relative to their swing arc.Mike tells Garrett that his right hand is his pitching hand, and he is aiming at the ball to throw it. His left hand is like hitting a baseball. Garrett describes to Mike that he feels like he is reaching up and ringing a bell on his backswing. He says that it feels like a more direct path up and directly to the ball than swinging out and hoping the timing is right back to the ball.Mike wants to work with Garrett on his short shots, which will help him significantly improve his short game and also his long game.&nbsp;Mike is trying to get Garrett to trigger something his body already knows how to do, and he says this is where golf went wrong. The golf industry decided to turn the clubface down because they didn’t want the ball going up in the air. This came about because of how golf started historically: the balls were expensive, the players wore suit coats, and it was windy in Scotland. As the game progressed, it became less important to keep the ball low.The new balls that players have used in the last 15 years don’t spin very much. You have to hit the ball higher. You have to stop the ball with ‘angle of descent,’ than you do with spin. Therefore, all the rotation of the arms and turning the hands down is gone. Mike explains that the new Tour Players swing so fast, but the clubface doesn’t rotate much. They can hit the ball pretty far because the clubface isn’t twisting.Garrett feels that what he is doing now with Mike with his swing is compressing the ball versus hitting the ball. Mike says that this is awesome.Mike explains to Garrett that a good way to get the correct grip is to hold the golf club like he is holding and swinging a baseball bat. Adjust the thumb slightly and lower the club down behind the ball. This is the correct grip you should have. Mike says that he had this grip coming from baseball, and after college, he was talked into another grip by his instructors, which ruined his career. With the grip Mike had, they said he wasn’t a golfer and had a shut face with a throw release. The irony is that’s what everyone wants today.Mike works with Garrett’s grip again to get it on correctly, and he talks about force going into the hand. Mike wants Garrett to make small pitch shots. Mike notices his ball flight is now lower, with a slight draw. This is what Garrett wants.Again, Garrett says it feels like hitting a cricket bat. Mike says he has never heard that before but says to Garrett that if that is what it takes to get a feel to hit the golf ball correctly, then to go with it.

Garrett Richards-The Baseball Swing

Pitch and chip shots require face control. Practice adding loft to the face.

OFF GREEN PUTTING

Sliding sometimes occurs as people try to shallow the club. Here's how to get the result you way

EXAGGERATE TO FIX SLIDING

Mike connects the relationship with baseball to golf and how the grip is almost identical at impact. Hitting a golf ball and a baseball is essentially the same.

BASEBALL SWING

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know if the 10-finger grip makes your right hand too active.

Mike doesn't believe this. He played with the 10-finger grip in his senior year of high school and first year of college and played some of his best golf.

Sometimes when Mike practices, he takes his thumb off the club and assumes a baseball grip. Placing the thumbs on the club shaft gives it more stability. Interlocking and overlapping your fingers on the club put your hands together more as a unit. 

Mike has done all three grip versions; however, if you want to master the lever system, using a 10-finger grip will help keep your arms relaxed when you swing. Mike often starts juniors with a split grip with the thumb off the club shaft. This will help to get the lever system working on both sides.

What tends to happen when you put your thumb on the club is that your thumbs tend to tighten your wrist and make it hard to work.

Get your left hand on the club correctly and put it in your right hand's fingers. The grip is a trial-and-error process to see what works best for you.

CHOOSE YOUR BEST GRIP

A Malaska Golf member initially struggled with a hook when strengthening his grip. Then when he started to work the clubface more, he started hitting a push fade.

Mike talks about how many golfers have a weak grip or, as the industry calls it, a neutral grip. The problem with this grip is when your left arm on the swing gets pulled, and the clubface opens, you must add a lot of rotation in the arms to compensate. Mike offers his solution.

Mike would like you to have a stronger grip, and you shouldn’t have to rotate your forearms. However, you may end up still doing it and hitting hooks. There don’t have to be a lot of twists, bowing of your left wrists, and turning your arms over. You want to swing, your right arm is a throwing or pushing action, and your left hand is a chopping motion.

As you swing through the ball, use the levers, and release the club. Your hands swing through like a throwing action.

If you have hit hooks before, you tend to overcompensate and chase the ball to the right on your swing. You will be afraid to let the club swing around to the left because you are worried the ball will go there.

It is typical for someone hooking the ball to stop using their hands and hold off on the clubface, which tends to push fade.

The key is to hit the ball as hard as possible and let the club go, release and lever. Make sure you don’t turn the clubface down.

Once you start moving your hands correctly and swinging around to the left, you won’t hit a pull hook because the face isn’t turning down.

HOOK TO A FADE

Mike discusses right arm alignment and how he learned it from his dad. He had Mike hit a tire that was hanging from a tree with a baseball bat. Mike’s right arm would line up with the bat on the back to stabilize it and push the bat into the tire. 

Instinct told Mike how to hit, and his left leg pushed his left hip out of the way. When it came to golf, he took that same movement pattern with his golf club. Mike’s right arm and club shaft lined up and were in the same plane or on the same line. 

By practicing that swing, with your forearm lined up with the club shaft and your leg pushing your hip out of the way, you have it! Impact is an instinct.

Right Arm at Impact

Swaying changes the bottom of your swing.

THE SWAY FORWARD AND BACK

Mike has a candid conversation with PGA Professional Austin Graham about the PGA Tour School. Mike shares his experience with the Tour School and compares it to the process Austin will experience this year. The PGA Tour School will be held at TPC Sawgrass, and the Top 5 will make the PGA Tour while the rest will be on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Austin Graham- PGA Tour School

Fixing problems in the downswing by fixing the backswing.

FIXING THE DOWNSWING BY FIXING THE BACKSWING

Getting a feel for the club can help improve your swing. Practice getting a better feel for your club.

FEELING THE CLUB

To pitch effectively, you need to have great face control. Here's how a dot can help you build this.

Set-Up for Natural Pitch Shots

On long irons, rescues and fairway woods you want very small amount of downward hit. Weight is more in your trail foot and the ball is slightly more froward in your stance. This makes it easy to hit the ball then jus slightly brush the ground in-front off the ball. You still want a downward hit but very slight.

RESCUES AND FAIRWAY WOODS

Start by taking your grip. Then lift the clubbed up until it is directly above your hands. The club will feel very light. Then let the club drop until the club head is even with your hands. You will feel your arms tighten. Now lift the club to about a 45 Degree angle and make some small circles with the club head. Once you can make these circles and always feel the club head. Then try to keep that same pressure throughout your swing. 

ASHLEY - GRIP PRESSURE

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

Mike Malaska opens by welcoming everyone to Riverside Country Club and reflects on the significance of his 50th anniversary since winning the Utah Open. He shares how winning the tournament as an amateur at Ogden Country Club 50 years ago marked the beginning of his professional golf journey. Now, as he prepares for this year's final round, he views it as a rebirth, embracing the opportunity to continue competing and giving back, particularly through his involvement with the Special Olympics.He highlights the importance of grip in golf, explaining how it connects the hands to the clubface, and addresses common questions from the audience about grip and swing mechanics. Mike emphasizes the value of having the correct grip and offers practical advice on how to develop and refine it. He also discusses the influence of his mentor, Joe Nichols, and the key drills that helped him master his technique, which he now passes on to younger golfers.Finally, Mike introduces Mark Ruff, the former green superintendent who played a pivotal role in his early golf career and was also his original caddie. Mark will be caddying for Mike once again in the 2024 Utah Open. They reminisce about the impact of working on the maintenance crew at Nibley Park Golf Course, which shaped Mike's respect for the game and the work that goes into maintaining a course. Mike encourages others to experience the same, while also reminding the audience about the special offers from Malaska Golf, including discounted memberships and exclusive giveaways.

Malaska Golf Live Utah Open Replay

Take a driver. Tee up a ball then sit down in a chair to hit the ball from. Sitting in the chair you need to relax your shoulder sockets so your arm can swing independent of your shoulders moving. This is an important part of the swing for not only speed but consistency. You also need to let the momentum of the lever your wrists on both sides of the swing. 

CHAIR DRILL

A Malaska Golf Member has questions about positions in the golf swing. You can get too fixated on hitting certain positions in the downswing, but if you use motion correctly, the positions show up automatically.You must be careful about trying to hit certain positions. Mike demonstrates positions that you might want to hit. The problem with trying to practice this way is there is no force involved. You must have enough force so that the momentum of the club is doing things so that you can learn to offset those forces.The golf industry has struggled because we have tried to learn a motion sport with our feet still. Mike explains that in baseball, you stride when you hit the ball. You move your feet in tennis as you swing the racket to hit the ball. The same is true with ping-pong. In hockey, you are moving your feet.However, when you move to golf, the industry wants you to make a swing and keep your feet static.Mike demonstrates a drill to help you move your feet. Place your club forward outside a golf ball and start to step back while making a swing and hitting the ball.Many Tour Pros, when they practice, will make small steps before they hit the ball. They are using this footwork to create motion that creates positions.The key is to know what motions you need to do to create those positions. Motion is very different compared to static positions.Mike explains that he ruined a career by slowing his swing down to look at positions and trying to get to those spots! Those spots happen, but they don’t happen by what you see. The biggest thing that Mike has learned is that you can’t see a golf swing. That’s why he wrote the book, ‘The Invisible Swing.’It’s not about what you see but what causes what you see. That’s why static positions can be detrimental.