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Hi, I'm Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska-certified golf coach from Chicago. Jimmy Thorne writes in with a question about arm drop in the golf swing. To clarify, yes, your arms do drop, but they do so as a reaction to your change in direction. I often see people trying to focus on dropping their arms or pulling them down intentionally.If I reach the top or transition point of my swing and simply try to pull my arms down, my right side, or trail side, is likely to follow, causing me to come over the top almost every time. This often results in pulled shots. From down the line, you can see that when I get to the top and just pull down, my entire right side follows. So, your arms naturally drop as a response to the change in direction, not from consciously pulling them down.When I swing back and my hip socket clears out of the way, as soon as I finish turning and change direction, I plant my foot in the ground. This action tilts my shoulders, which allows my arms to drop naturally. So yes, your arms do drop, but how do we work on achieving this?I have a board here to demonstrate. If I allow my arms to drop as I move left to right, as soon as my right foot plants on the ground, I turn out of the way and shift left again. My arms drop naturally with this movement. This step is part of the transition point in the swing. There’s a small amount of lateral motion—just enough to plant my foot without sliding, which stops the momentum, lets my arms drop, and allows me to turn through the shot.To practice, I suggest starting without a club, making swings to feel this rhythm. You can even hold the club out in front of you for some balance and rhythm as you swing back and allow the arms to drop. Think of it as “left-right,” with a little step that causes the arms to drop from the change in direction.So, yes, your arms do drop, but it’s the change in direction that makes them drop. That’s why you need to stay soft in the shoulder sockets so that when your foot hits the ground, your arms drop naturally, the club stays in front of you, and you can then turn through the ball.

STOP FORCING ARM DROP

A Malaska Golf Member says he feels the rotation of his body in his stomach rather than in his hands and arms. Mike says many people use their abdominals to move their upper body when they putt.

Mike holds a tennis racket and moves it from side to side. His abdominal muscles are moving his body. 

The Malaska Golf Member says when he turns the corner in the Turn The Steering Wheel Drill, he feels the rotation in his stomach or core. He wants to know if that is okay. Mike demonstrates with a tennis racket and says it is fine.

Mike has learned in golf that our biomechanics and feelings may be different, but we may all be doing the same thing.

Be careful with people pigeonholing what you should do or feel because it may not fit your DNA for motion.

The art of being a teacher is addressing what is going on and getting that person to see who they are. The key is to see what triggers it for them when they make the correct move. Many Tours Players work on the same things but may all have different triggers to make the shot.

Remember, it comes down to what you want the club to do, how you trigger it, and what it feels like when you do it. If you can identify that, then you've got it. What has always helped Mike is using a tennis racket as a steering wheel. When Mike swings back and his wrists hinge, he turns back and then turns the club down.

If you feel it in your stomach as you turn the club, that's okay if you do it correctly. Whatever you identify that makes it work is what is suitable for you.

ROTATING YOUR ARMS OR BODY

Hand action in the putting stroke is the beginning of full swing. The key is that there is no twisting in the wrists. The club shaft points back at your center. Your trail wrists can have flexion and extension but you do not want any rolling of the face or wrists.

HAND ACTION

Putters can be deceiving. Looks don't always mean that a club will work best for you. Learn how a putter is fit to your swing.

THE LOOKS OF PUTTERS CAN BE DECEIVING

PERFORMANCE COMBINES - GETTING STARTED

This Mulligan Monday, Harry Hooker looks at fixing his swing on the fairway.

When Harry usually swings, he hits the ground behind the ball. Harry practices hitting the ground with the club farther out in front of him.

Harry then sets up and makes a practice swing, where he again hits the ground farther out in front of him.

Then Harry addresses the ball and hits the ball solid. The purpose of this adjustment is to get a feel for where your club hits the ground.

HARRY HOOKER FAIRWAYS HIT THE BALL SOLID

Now that you know how to waggle to get the club to do what you want it to do, here is how to incorporate your body into your waggle.

INCORPORATE YOUR BODY

The task of shifting your weight creates a desire to sway.

STANCE AND TENDENCIES TO SWAY

Mike summarizes the driver series. He believes that you must have the proper grip, grip pressure, and tension to hit the driver well. This is key to making the Lever System work. Take the lever system you have learned from other sports and apply it.

Once you have the lever system working and you are relaxed, then the body comes into play. Make sure you have the correct posture and setup. When you move, you must have your joints lined up as bad posture locks up joints.

Next, focus on the Lever System, how your body moves and pushes away, and how you put all those motions together. It is essential to have the outer circle, or the swing of your golf club, working with your inner circle, which is your body turning. The key is to have them work in harmony, so they start to offset and balance each other. This will help to accelerate the driver. Making sure you have face control is vital. Getting the ball to curve, hook, fade, high and low will teach you better face control.

Have fun practicing different shots. It’s about creating speed and getting your hips out of the way to give you the freedom to swing big and up high. This allows you to create a strong downward force and pressure into the ground and through the ball.

Make sure you practice these drills one at a time and build a good foundation. Set up and practice swinging with your driver. You don’t have to hit it hard. Gradually add more speed as you get more confidence. Trying to hit the ball too hard straight away won’t help.

DRIVER SUMMARY

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

THE SWING GAME

ASK MIKE: EQUIPMENT

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

MR. JIM PETERSON

Here's what drove Hale during the PGA Tour Champions.

BEING IN THE HUNT

At 120lb, Bob had to overcome physical challenges.

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

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

FEELING CENTER FACED HITS

Mike works with Danie on fairway bunker play and getting the ball in the air. Drawing a line in the sand is a great drill to figure out ball position and setup.

 FAIRWAY BUNKERS GETTING THE BALL IN THE AIR

Set up to the ball. First hinge your wrists and set the club on your trail shoulder. There needs to be no tension in your shoulder sockets to do this. Then Push your trail hip out of the way and turn your upper body until it is at a 90 degree angle to the target line. Then with your trail hand push your arms up and over your trail shoulder maintaining the angle in your wrists. Last swing down and hit the ball. This is a great drill for tension, creating the correct shoulder turn and creating the space you need to swing down into. 

FOUR STEPS

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

Build body movement in five steps, gradually adding motion.

FOOT ACTION

Mike Malaska works on wedges and irons with Austin Graham in the Malaska Golf Studio. Mike has worked with Austin for six years and historically has coached Austin with the idea of "I want to feel." You see the shot you have hit and its trajectory and get a feel for what you are doing. What the numbers say are just the numbers. Mike also adds that's what good players do. Their thought process is what they want the ball to do, and what does it feel like to get it to do that? They aren't necessarily wrapped up in perfect numbers.

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When Mike watched Austin make some warmup shots, he didn't necessarily like how Austin moved in his golf swing, and it is something Mike wants to fix.

Austin has a question for Mike regarding wedges. He feels good about his hands, arms, and grip, but when he gets into his right cleat, he feels that the turning of his hips isn't natural. Austin also feels like he is sliding his body forward. In tournaments, Austin goes back to the motion of throwing a ball because his legs and hips aren't doing what he wants them to do. Austin's desire is clean up his swing sequence with Mike.

Mike gets Austin to make a couple of swings to observe his golf swing. Austin swings into the TruGolf simulator to get some readings. Mike notices he swings slightly inside out, but the launch angle on his sand wedge is perfect.

On the second shot, the numbers look good. Mike says that relative to the numbers, it looks great; however, relative to what his body is doing, that's a different story. Austin has issues with his right leg and right hip. This is something that Mike wants to explore in the following video.

PLAYING GOLF WITH FEEL

This Quick Fix Friday is to help determine how wide your stance should be when you set up to the ball.

We all have DNA for balance, and if you notice how you walk during the day, just stop and turn. That is how wide your stance should be. Mike has a broader gait, so his stance is wider.

Players with broad stances have wider setups and vice versa. Find what stance fits you and what fits your gait pattern.

Use that on almost all your shots because that’s where you will be the most comfortable relative to balance.

HOW WIDE IS YOUR STANCE

Use how you stand to find your natural posture

NATURAL POSTURE

Grab a pair of drumsticks and practice tempo. Once you understand this, bring it to your golf swing.

GO SLOW TO GO FAST

A firm left side is about stabilizing and stopping lateral movement. Although, it still continues to rotate away from the ball and accelerates the club.

HITTING UP AGAINST A FIRM LEFT SIDE 

CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS

Pepe Cortez, a PGA Golf Professional since 1995, has been helping students become better golfers for over 26 years in the Seattle area. Pepe fell in love with the game as a young boy playing golf with his father and went on to play competitively at junior, high school, and collegiate levels. After graduating from the University of Oregon, he went to work at Sahalee Country Club under the Director of Golf, Rick Acton. He taught there for 26 years and is now teaching at Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club. His approach with his students is grounded in the foundational teaching of Jim Flick and Mike Malaska, who both helped him improve his own game. But it was Mike’s mentorship over the past two decades that solidified Pepe’s understanding of the golf swing and fueled his passion for teaching. Pepe is proud to be a Malaska Golf Certified Instructor and is excited to help you reach your full potential as a golfer. You’ll better understand how the golf swing works and how the body works through the swing.

MALASKA CERTIFIED: PEPE CORTEZ

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Matt Baker, based in the United Kingdom, is answering a member question this week.A Malaska Golf Member has a question about the directional control finger, more specifically, what part of the finger points.Matt emphasizes that the directional control finger is an important part of the putting stroke. This will help you maintain your peripheral vision, keep the putter online, and keep the face square.The first thing you have to do is to establish which finger it is. There is a test where you have a person standing to the side of you, and you are looking straight ahead. They will place their hand in different places. Your goal is to try and point either finger to wherever you think it is close to the hand. You will use your peripheral vision to help you find the person’s hand. This helps you to establish which finger is better, your left index finger or your right index finger.When you grip the putter, you will use that more dominant finger to point on the follow-through. It doesn’t matter which one it is, and you can also apply this to different types of putting grips, too. For instance, the claw grip.First of all, establish which is your directional control finger. Then, regarding what part of your finger, it’s the tip, as this is where you will be pointing. Regarding the putting stroke, you will point your finger along the ‘target line.’ You start pointing at the ball, and then as you stroke it, it moves along the target line.’ You want to hold it as long as you can, and this depends on the length of the stroke.That’s really what it is about, and it is an important aspect of putting. Finding that finger is really the key factor to this. You have to really feel you are lining that face up towards the target and point your finger to where you want the ball to go. You are also using your peripheral vision to do so.Matt demonstrates how this works and reiterates that once you find your directional control finger, you will start putting better.

DIRECTIONAL CONTROL FINGER

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

THE LEFT ARM

In this video, a Malaska Golf Member has noticed that when Mike swings a club with one hand, his heel pad is off the club.

Mike explains that you should hold the club in the fingers and off the heel pad so there is space to insert your left hand to form the grip on the club.

Another reason the club should be off the heel pad is because you can’t implement the lever system. Once you have both hands together, you can do this. Your right hand should be resting on your left thumb.

Again, if you are just swinging the club with your right hand, you don’t want to keep your right heel pad on the club. It’s your left heel pad that stays on the club.

HOLD THE CLUB IN YOUR FINGERS

Your eyes are an essential part of the game. Developing the correct vision and seeing the right things is critical to hitting good shots.

Most players and teachers don't even talk about the eyes. Your eyes perceive something, giving your brain a picture, then your body reacts. Your brain must understand the picture that it sees. Because you are playing to the side of the ball and not on top, many things happen. It is called parallax. Training your eyes to see the line and path begins with putting and chipping.

Mike demonstrates by making chip shots using alignment sticks, aiming the face of the club down the path. His eyes turn and track down the line. Setting up, pointing your eyes parallel to your target line, and rotating your head down the track is crucial.

Use alignment sticks with putting and chipping to get used to seeing what it looks like to be set up correctly and the exact path your ball must follow to get into the hole. It doesn't look the same as it does when standing behind it. Train your eyes to see the line and where to hit the ball.

LEARN THE CORRECT VISION

Malaska Golf Certified Instructor, Pepe Cortez, explains how this drill can help separate your shoulders from dominating your putting stroke.

RIGHT ARM PUTTING DRILL

The importance of grip vs. squaring the face.

DISCUSSION ON GRIP

Turning gang kids into members of the band.

THE SOLID ROCK FOUNDATION

How your feet pressure the ground makes your body move. Start by hitting some balls flat footed. Then let your feet roll in but your heels can not come off the ground. Then let your lead foot roll in on the backswing then your trail foot rolls in on the downswing and into the follow through. Last blend the trail foot roll and letting it be pulled up. 

FOOTWORK DRILL

Players nowadays are getting better and better. Learn how the pros have imporved their games.

NEW GENERATION OF PLAYERS

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about the Malaska Move.Mike says the funny thing is that he had nothing to do with it. It was a move that Joe Nichols taught Mike, and several other coaches talked about it.Mike shows the Malaska Move, where you start down on your swing, and the club works back out in front of you rather than going out in front of your body.The Member’s question is if he does the Malaska Move, will it make his hands tip over the top and go over in the follow-through? Mike explains that won’t necessarily happen. When the club is on the downswing, when you change directions, the handle comes down, and the club will go out.The momentum of the club will be in the right arc as you turn into the ball. You don’t have to catch it up.A lot of the twisting of the clubface happens because the club is too back and out. Mike demonstrates this. You have to either twist your body hard or catch the club up with your hands.If you do the Malaska Move, where the arms and handle come down, with the club going out, you can just turn on the ball, and the clubface will run into the ball. There is no twisting of your forearms because the momentum of the club is out in front of you, and everything stays together as you hit the ball.It is all about directing momentum. It feels one way. It does something different.

THE MALASKA MOVE

Begin every practice session by pivoting the club.

BOB JACOBSON

SPORTS CONNECT: TENNIS

Hello, I'm Matt Baker, a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based here in the UK. This is my at-home studio, and I want to address a great question from Ryan Bart. Apologies for the delay in getting to this, as it relates to something he noticed while watching Wimbledon, which was some time ago now.While watching the players at Wimbledon, Ryan noticed something very insightful, which ties directly into what Mike and our coaching philosophy at Malaska Golf emphasize—natural athleticism. What he observed was that no tennis player ever moves forward into the ball when they hit it.For example, if a ball is coming toward them, they don't move forward to play the shot. Instead, they instinctively move away from it to give themselves time, space, and room to execute the stroke. Whether they're playing a forehand or backhand, they never crowd the ball. If anything, they naturally create distance. This is an instinctive movement found in almost any sport.Take baseball as another example: if you’re swinging a bat, you don’t move up into the ball. You naturally create space and time by moving away slightly to make the swing more efficient. This concept is key in golf as well.The trick to understanding this is to start by mimicking a forehand stroke. You can use a racket or even something simple like a bottle—though my dog, Ted, might not be too happy with me using this as a prop! The point is to get a feel for how your body naturally moves. As with tennis, the racket goes up and then comes under to hit the ball. Pay attention to how your body works during this motion, particularly the pressure in your feet.When practicing this, notice how your left hip moves naturally. In the Malaska Method, we emphasize the importance of this "push-away" motion with the left hip during the swing. Golfers often say they struggle with turning their left hip, but when you give them a tennis racket, they do it instinctively without even realizing it.So, the drill here is simple: make some forehand tennis strokes. Practice this as much as possible to build a sense of how your body moves. Once you've got the feeling, pick up a golf club and try to replicate that same motion. Don’t overthink what the club is doing on the backswing or follow-through—just focus on swinging through the ball.Here’s how it looks: take a few swings, feeling that same "up and under" motion. Start slow, and you don’t need to hit the ball hard. If you’re using a tee, focus on pushing away as you swing through. You’ll notice that the motion becomes more fluid and natural with practice.This is the essence of athletic motion—creating space and letting the body move instinctively. Golf isn’t as hard as people make it out to be. The movements are already familiar; we just need to transfer those skills from other sports, like tennis or baseball, into golf.And that’s the beauty of the M-System at Malaska Golf—it simplifies the game by building on movements and patterns you already know.

MASTER ATHLETIC GOLF MOVES

GRIP - Part II

Drills are used to benefit your swing. Learn how the walkthrough drill can help your swing.

CONSISTENCY

Mike Malaska continues his player lesson with Joe LaCaze, stressing the importance of the Lever System. Mike wants Joe to practice the Lever System at home by looking in a mirror, ensuring his arms are at a 90-degree angle on the backswing, then swinging down into the ball and making another 90-degree angle on the follow-through.

Mike doesn’t want Joe to make full swings when practicing this because Joe’s shoulders are in too big of control of his hands and arms. Joe is a body guy who is so tight in his arms and shoulders that his body is pulling his arms.

Your arms must accelerate on the swing as your body goes with them. In Joe’s instance, his body is ahead of his arms. Mike adds that your shoulder sockets must be relaxed like a baseball pitcher. Mike reiterates that Joe needs to keep the club in his fingers with a strong grip, with at least three knuckles showing.

Joe should choke down slightly on the club, ensuring the handle points down and away on the backswing and the follow-through. If Joe focuses on the Lever System when he swings, he should be able to hit the ball farther with little effort. His shoulders should not be pulling his arms through the ball.

Joe makes more practice swings and notices that he uses less effort. Mike says that when the effort goes down, the efficiency goes up.

The key to Joe’s success is getting his hands moving and working on the Lever System. 

IT’S IN YOUR HANDS AND ARMS

Wrist action stays at a 90 degree angle of your swing arc.

WRIST ACTION

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about the rotation in the left arm and when it starts.

Mike had asked a similar question to his mentor, Joe Nichols. Mike wanted to know at what point you want your wrist to be hinged or loaded.

Joe’s response was that he didn’t really know and that it was somewhere on the backswing.
Mike was looking for a specific time and place for this to happen. Again, Joe’s response was that he didn’t know specifically where, but it was somewhere on the backswing.

The reason for Joe’s nebulous answer was he didn’t want people to get so technical and worry about that when they can’t even do some of the basic things in a golf swing. He didn’t want them to get ahead of themselves.

So, when does your arm rotate? At some point and time on the backswing and sometimes earlier than others. It needs to rotate by the time the club is halfway through the backswing. The left arm must rotate so the club can get in the right arc. 

There isn’t a right or wrong answer; however, when you swing, it is a gradual, continual process.
The key is not to overthink when this process happens and be too technical about it. 

Use the momentum of the club when you start the club back. If you have no tension in your shoulder socket, the momentum will determine the right time for your arm to rotate.

Again, Mike reiterates that it isn’t a specific point where the rotation happens. This is a problem in golf where people get off track because they want to know specific positions when, in fact, it’s an overall flow of motion.

Use all the natural forces around you to do all the work in the golf swing instead of trying to connect all the dots. Let momentum in the club rotate the left arm into position.

WHEN DOES THE LEFT ARM ROTATE

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GREATLIFE

Mike On Nicklaus Part 2 -- Neutral Is The Way To Do It

NEUTRAL IS THE WAY TO DO IT

All sports you are trying to catch the ball in a certain relationship to your body or the arch of the swing. So wether it is golf or tennis or baseball. Timing where you hit the ball of setting up to catch the ball in the same part of the swing arch is very important to consistency.

BALL POSITION SPORTS CONNECT

LAG SHOT FACE CONTROL

Hi, I'm Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska-certified coach based in Chicago. Chris Downer asks about using a metronome to build rhythm and wonders about the correct beat—whether it's 70, 80, or another tempo. Chris, that’s a great question, because when it comes to rhythm, one thing I notice across the board is how varied it is among the people who come to me for lessons and those I see practicing on the range every day.Typically, the tempo gets faster as the club length increases, with the driver often being the quickest and rhythm sometimes almost nonexistent with the putter. That’s one area where tour players excel—they have consistent rhythm throughout their game. Even if their swing is a bit off, good rhythm can help save their shots. When we lose rhythm, our timing gets thrown off, and the swing can feel different each time.In terms of using a metronome, I recommend starting with the putter. I always emphasize rhythm in putting lessons, as it greatly impacts speed control. I use a simple pattern: “take back, impact, take back, impact.” The exact tempo doesn’t have to match mine—it will vary based on your personality, lifestyle, and natural pace. Some people are naturally slower, others faster, and it’s about finding what feels right for you.To illustrate, if I use my natural rhythm with my putter, I might go “take back, impact” at a comfortable pace. If I try it too quickly or too slowly, it feels off. Finding the right rhythm and sticking with it is crucial. Once you identify your rhythm, you can use a metronome to match the beats, but since rhythm is so personal, assigning a specific number might not be accurate for everyone.Whether I’m using a putter, an eight iron, or a driver, my rhythm remains the same— “take back, impact.” The rhythm doesn’t change, whether it’s for a two-foot putt or a driver. Once you find your rhythm, make it part of your pre-shot routine and use it every time. The best players have the most consistent routines and rhythm, suited to their own feel and personality.In summary, find a rhythm that works for you and keep it consistent throughout your game. This will give you stability and confidence, regardless of which club you’re using.

CONSISTENT RHYTHM ACROSS CLUBS

A Malaska Golf Member has a question pertaining to a video Ashley did about tipping the club out and ‘L to L.’ The member thinks this looks contrary to what Ashley talks about because your arms are rolling over.Mike’s answer to that is that they are crossing over. First, Mike demonstrates the tipping of the club, where most people tend to drag the handle forward instead of bringing it down.Once the club runs into the ball, you let the club rehinge on the follow-through. The club is working up, and your arms aren’t rolling over. There is a big difference between the two.Mike explains that Ashley is exaggerating to get people to let the weight of the club break up on the follow-through. Her right hand is not rolling over at impact.&nbsp;Mike demonstrates the hand action where the clubface works up without turning down. Make sure your forearms aren’t rolling over. They are crossing over after you hit the ball. This is the same way you hit a baseball.

DON'T TWIST THE FOREARMS

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