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DIVINE NATURE PARTNER VIDEO

The golf swing is a continuous motion. All your parts need to be working together in harmony. If one piece is off, the entire swing is off. Understanding how your entire body works independently and together from your hands and wrists to your shoulders, legs and hips will help you be a more consistent player.

KEVIN PLAWECKI - SHOULDER TURN

Overcoming the challenges of shooting your lowest score

SHOOTING YOUR LOWEST SCORE

Set up, hinge your wrists parallel to the ground, and swing the club to the top. This drill will help you hinge your wrists and get your club to the transition point of the swing.

THE HINGE DRILL

WHAT IS A SWING

Having the yips does not mean you will miss your shot.  Here are ways to work with the yips.

STAY ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE YIPS

Brian began Gott Golf in 2008. As he developed his unique approach to fitting clubs for golfers of all skill levels, demand grew.  For 2015 and 2016, Brian was awarded Golf Digest’s coveted “Top 100 Club Fitters in America Award” (new award winners will be announced by Golf Digest in November).  Today, he works with some of Colorado’s most prestigious golf clubs, including The Broadmoor, Cherry Hills Country Club, Castle Pines, Maroon Creek, and others. “I wanted people to know that they could get a tour quality club fitting experience without having to break the bank to do it. They don’t just have to settle for off the rack clubs, either. Give me about 45 minutes in a fitting session, and I can build a custom set that is tailored to your specific needs and abilities.”

Though the current season is winding down, Gott has interesting plans for Colorado golfers and encourages people to visit www.gottgolf.com for new offerings that will be launching next season. Some things to keep an eye on include putting clinics, the launch of a new online store, and the expansion of his current events and relationship with Common Ground Golf Course, the PGA, and golf courses throughout Colorado.

BRIAN GOTT

This Mulligan Monday focuses on foot action. Begin by making a swing flat-footed. Then make another swing and let your right foot roll in. Repeat this motion, but finish the swing after allowing your right foot to roll in. Then your blend all these movements together. The object of this exercise is to start to hit the ball with your feet firmly on the ground and add more and more foot action.

BUILDING BETTER FOOT ACTION

Mike sits down with MLB Hitting Coach Craig Wallenbrock and team to discuss the similarities between the golf swing and the baseball swing.

POWER CLEAT WITH CRAIG WALLENBROCK

Technology can give us the numbers that give us consistency, but here's how to adjust to the changes that you feel.

ADJUST TO WHAT YOU FEEL

The process of learning is to get the ball in the hole.

THE PROCESS OF LEARNING

Mike has found that the driver is one of the easiest clubs to hit as it swings in the largest circle and creates the most force, making it simple to time everything.

The industry says your body and core are the main focus and emphasis in your swing. Mike believes this is important; however, this isn’t the right place to start for most people as a priority. Learning how to hit the driver well and have fun is a skill development process. Most people don’t approach the driver the right way and therefore don’t maximize the benefits of hitting the ball farther.

The M-System Driver series covers, Posture, the two parts of the Lever System, Increasing Driver Speed, Face Control, Creating Driver Speed, Driver Sports Connect, Driver Fitness, and concludes with a Driver Summary. The M-System Driver series will get you on the right path and produce the results you need to hit the ball farther and with more control.

DRIVER OVERVIEW

First take a ball. Get set up and just turn and throw a ball into the ball that is on the tee. You should also just like throwing step with your lead foot. Then once you have a feel for how the transition works. Your lower body starts going forward as soon as your arm starts going back. Set up to the ball with a club. Now all you are doing is throwing the club head into the ball on the ground. So as you start back step forward and throw or direct the momentum of the club head at the ball. 

ASHLEY - THROW THE BALL DRILL

Mike moves to the Downward Dog position and explains how this helps your golf game.

Mike has a towel laid out and gets on his hands and knees, ensuring everything is at 90 degrees. The first thing he does is to pike up with his hips and legs, forming an inverted V. His back is flat, and he
lowers his heels to the ground. You might find that you won’t be able to flex your heels as they might feel tight.

If you can’t extend your heels back so that they are flat and your hips are round, then you must be careful with your golf swing. Because Mike is flexible, he can bend a lot at setup. If you aren’t as flexible, then don’t bend as much.

FITNESS DOWNWARD DOG

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.