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Grip is the first and possibly the most important skill or task. How your hands are on the club determine what you are going to have to do to square the face. Your lead hand goes on how you're arm hangs. This is so when the momentum of the club pulls on your arm the grip squares the face. This is also a strong hit position for that lead arm. Your trail arm goes on with your palm as a mirror image of the face. This arm is to push the shaft and accelerate the club head not twist the face. If your grip is correct then squaring the face becomes much easier.

LEVER SYSTEM GRIP

Take two alignment sticks. Place one through your front belt loops. So that it is parallel to your hips. Take the other rod and hold it on the club shaft so it extends up the lead side of your body. On the back swing point the club shaft stick at the target line or just inside it. On the down swing the club shaft stick needs to come down infront of the hip line stick and behind or to the right of your trail hip. Then you swing the club into the ball. This is an exaggeration but it is what a lot of great players feel. It keeps the club in the correct arch an position relative to the rotation of your upper body.

TWO ROD RELEASE DRILL

Each Skill Pathways section takes an in-depth look at a fundamental part of your game. This allows you to select a trouble area, explore the breakdown of the shot, and perfect your abilities. Now, when you’re out on the course, you can really focus on the skills you want to elevate and fine-tune the shots that will help you score better.

SKILL PATHWAYS

Hi, and welcome to another Ask Mike. I’m Matt Baker, a Malaska Golf Certified Coach, and this week, we have a question from a gentleman named Lance Yednock. He's been working on transition, really liking it, and starting to feel some power while doing so. That’s great news because that’s what the M-System is all about.Lance’s question is about something Mike often talks about—working on transitioning earlier. Lance mentions that when he tries this, he tends to go a little quick from the top and comes over the top, as he puts it. His question is whether you can work on transitioning earlier in a way that keeps the shoulders turned and works into the downswing.Well, yes, there are two ways to approach this. The first method, which we talk about a lot at Malaska, involves throwing a ball. This simplifies the concept and removes much of the technical jargon. Throwing a ball is a natural movement, and as the arm goes back, the body instinctively starts moving forward. So, as I go back, I’m not pausing or holding anything; my body begins to move forward. This creates a natural transitional movement. When throwing a ball, this happens instinctively.The same principle applies here. As you take the club back and reach about the midway point, your lower half is already starting to move forward. This creates a moment where the lower body transitions forward, and a differential is created. As the club moves back, the hips start moving forward, creating a difference between the hip turn and the shoulder turn. This increases the angle, creating what I call a differential. It’s an athletic movement that happens naturally when done correctly.The second method is similar to what Lance describes. Tour players often approach this by focusing on holding their shoulders back as they swing back, then starting the downswing. One way to practice this is by holding the golf club behind your shoulders. Swing back and hold the shoulders in place with your left (gloved) hand while starting the transition earlier with your lower body. This exercise helps create that differential while reinforcing the proper sequencing of the swing.Both methods are correct. The key is starting the transition early. Working on this movement allows the hands and arms to drop naturally into place, creating speed and power. As you transition, focus on creating the differential between the shoulders and hips. This will help produce the “snap” in the swing.To summarize, transitioning early is vital for generating speed and power. Whether you approach it by throwing a ball or practicing with the shoulders held back, the goal remains the same: create a smooth, athletic movement that enhances your swing. I recommend trying both methods and finding what feels most natural for you.

TRANSITION TIMING SECRETS

A Malaska Golf Member has been having problems with the mental side of the golf game and reached out to Mike for advice on how to get mentally tougher. Mike looks at how strategy playing the golf course can help with the mental side of the game and having the right mindset. Find a shot you are comfortable taking and know that you could make that same shot seven times out of ten. The key is once you find that shot, be aggressive with it. Golf becomes whoever mishits the ball best wins at every level. The game is about your misses, not your hits.


STRATEGY-MENTAL GAME 

GOLF TALK WITH BOB TOSKI 201711

Set up to the ball. Take your back swing. By the time your lead arm gets parallel to the ground you want your club shaft and your lead arm to create a 90 degree angle. Then you swing down hit the ball. Now create a similar angle on the follow through by the time your trail arm is parallel to the ground. Once you can do that, Then you add face control. Make the ball curve to the right, left, and straight.

L TO L WITH FACE CONTROL

SMASH FACTOR-IMPACT POSITION

If you start the club back and the weight of the club stays towards the ball, you are doing what the pros do.

HOW TO USE MOMENTUM CORRECTLY

Twisting in the downswing is a very common flaw.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO TWIST

The top of your swing can be ceceiving. Learn how the swing is one fluid motion.

UNDERSTANDING TRANSITION

A discussion of swing theorist vs. swing realist.

DIVOTS AND SWING THEORY

LOW DRAW PITCH SHOT

Exercises such as the golfer's grip help strengthen your fingers, loosening your wrists and forearms.

PITCHING FITNESS

Seeing lines when you putt is very important. Learn how to set up lines so that you can improve your putting stroke.

PRACTICE FOR YOUR SHORT GAME

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

In the set up there are two positions relative to ball position. One is how far from the ball and the other is where in my stance front to back. The distance from the ball is extablised by first take your grip. Then let the club unhinge or radial deviate your lead wrist. Once the is established just bend until the club touches the ground. That will give you a great feel for distance from the ball. Then with short irons up to about a 5 iron the back of the ball goes in the center of your stance. That makes it easy to have a slight downward hit. As the club gets longer but on the ground the back of the ball moves slightly more forward. The last is the driver. Here the ball is up off your lead foot. Either just off the inside of your lead foot to even with your lead toe. This allows you to hit slightly up on the ball.

BALL POSITION

Using underhand throwing or tossing a ball will help you learn how to make your golf swing.

SPRING TRAINING THROWING MOTIONS

Dan Quyale is one of few politicians who is very competitive when it comes to golf.

GOLF IN POLITICS

In this player lesson, Mike Malaska helps beginner golfer Sandy James. He tells her to make a practice swing. As she sets up to the ball, Mike has her aim her body to the left. He wants her to lever her wrists, swing and hit the ball without worrying about where it goes. 

Even though the ball ended up in the hazard, Mike was happy because Sandy used her grip, got set up, and made a practice swing feeling the lever system.

Now they go down onto the fairway and take another swing. Mike doesn’t want her to spend a lot of time hitting multiple shots and certainly doesn’t want her to keep score.

After Sandy hits another shot on the fairway, they will go up to the green. Mike is then going to show her a game where she keeps score. It has nothing to do with these first shots. It is about getting used to being on the course, making swings, getting the ball in the air, and having fun.

PLAY THE GAME WITH SANDY JAMES

Using your hands to control the face to make the ball curve the way you want it to curve.

CURVING THE BALL: FACE CONTROL

INTRO TO ATHLETIC PERSONALITY

Hitting balls off your knees is a great way to start to put two things together. One the lever system.Two the path or plane that the club swings on. As you hit balls off your knees the first thing is to focus on the hinging, unhinging and rehanging of the wrists. Then as you hit the ball you must have the correct path into the ball. If you come over the plane. You will go right over the ball. Or drive it into the ground. If you drop the club under too much the club will hit the ground way before you get to the ball. You need perfect path. Once you do that you stand up and duplicate the feel relative to your upper body.

THROW THE CLUB DRILL - KNEES

Mike On Nicklaus Part 1 -- Golf Does Not Define You

GOLF CHANNEL INTERVIEW, MIKE ON NICKLAUS

A definition of the club getting "behind" your hands.

HOW THE CLUB GETS BEHIND YOU

Mike's gives Nocy, his guitar teacher, a golf lesson - and Nocy returns the favor.

GRIP AND TEMPO

Can you swing your arms faster than gravity?  Of course you can.   Can you swing faster than gravity in the right arc?  Challenge yourself to find out.

CHALLENGES

The body plays an important role in evrey sport. The golf swing utilizes your body when it works correctly.

YOUR BODY AND THE GOLF SWING

Why has the golf swing become position-oriented rather than instinct?

POSITIONS OVER INSTINCT

It is vital in the backswing to get the club and your arms up, so they can come down and drop into the ball. Extending your lats is a great speed producer.

FULL SWING GETTING UP TO COME DOWN

Mike takes us through the first of 3 bridge exercises. These basics are for your core and to stabilize your lower lumbar spine.

Mike lays on a towel with his knees bent. You should lay on your back with your hands on your chest and lift your hips off the ground. The key is to hold your hips there, then lift and stretch out your left leg. Hold for a few seconds, and then switch to the right. Make sure your body is straight and diagonal to the ground.

If you can’t lift your leg without your hip dropping, hold the pose or lay your arms out for support and then lift your leg.

BRIDGES

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

IMPORTANCE OF GRIP WITH CHRIS ANTARIKSA

ADJUST TO WHERE YOU HIT THE BALL WITH RON ROENICKE

Tension can kill your game. Practice being relaxed.

CREATING SPEED

In the Four Step Drill, force is on your left side in step three. 

FOUR STEP DRILL

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I'm a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based in the UK. This is a great question from Russ John. His question is whether you should hold the angle in the right wrist at impact or throughout the swing.The answer is no, you shouldn’t forcibly hold that angle. Doing so creates tension and can cause you to lose speed and power by dragging the handle through impact. Instead, you want your wrist to hinge and unhinge naturally, with proper timing.At impact, there should still be a slight flex in the right wrist, but after hitting the ball, the momentum of the club will cause the right arm to extend and form a straight line, followed by the wrist hinging up. This slight wrist flex at impact is due to correct use of the club's momentum, and it's all about timing the hinge and unhinge properly.A key tip is to practice the pivot drill, which helps time everything correctly. Some golfers tend to stop their hips, releasing the wrists too early. By tying the swing to proper body movement—pushing the hips back and away from the target—you can create the right release at the right time for a solid, compressed shot.Instead of focusing on holding the angle, work on pushing the left hip back and through. Practice with smaller shots to get the feel, ensuring the wrists hinge, unhinge, and rehinge, along with the proper hip movement. This will help you strike the ball cleanly and generate more distance.

DON'T HOLD THE ANGLE AT IMPACT

Maintain your favorite club tempo with longer clubs.

LONGER CLUBS

Nicklaus takes 3 hours to hit 30 balls.The greats practice by hitting one shot at a time, and learning from every shot they hit.

NICKLAUS ON PRACTICE

Hi everyone, I'm Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska Certified Instructor. Tom Pivotone writes in with a question about posture and what he's been reading. I'll demonstrate, but essentially, he keeps reading that people shouldn’t push their hip sockets back.Tom notes that for balance, once you get into your posture, you should flex your knees to get off your toes, putting your weight on the balls of your feet. However, from my teaching experience, I’ve found that if I flex my knees to bring my heels down more, it locks up my hips, which is critical to avoid in the golf swing.I need my hips to move freely to create space for my arms and allow for a proper turn. For the typical golfer, this locked-hip position is one of the biggest mistakes, as it restricts movement. If we can set up correctly before the swing begins, we’re already one step closer to better performance.To establish the correct posture, start by standing straight up. Your toes should be on the ground, but without gripping or lifting. Maintain that feeling as you lean over the golf ball. To counterbalance your posture, begin by pushing your hip sockets back, which lets your shoulders move forward. You don’t need excessive knee flex—just enough to feel grounded without locking your hips.For a good setup, hold the club out in front of you, push your hip sockets back, and let your shoulders move forward. In this position, your hips are free to move, so when you swing back or forward, your hips can clear away from the ball, giving your arms room to swing.Remember, the posture you take to the course has to make sense and allow for athletic movement. Too much knee flex will lock up parts of your body, making it difficult to play your best. Aim for a functional posture—it's the foundation for better golf.

FREE YOUR HIPS WITH KEY POSTURE

Work on getting a stronger grip. Hold the club more in your fingers, left hand on top, and palms facing down.

GET A STRONGER GRIP

Golf Challenge is made up of simple programs to help you become the best golfer you can be and get you closer to your best game. These challenges will be the cram course on how to become more consistent within a specific skill/task in your swing and/or your game.

GOLF CHALLENGE 

A Malaska Golf Member talks about how he has always set up as what is called duck-footed or everted. He did it because he felt it allowed him to turn more on the backswing and the follow-through.

Mike’s response to this is yes and no. He explains that your body is designed to function with your feet straight ahead. That will give you maximum turn on both sides and control of your joints.

If you turn your feet out, you may get more turn in the backswing, but as you come back to impact, you will find that you get restricted. This makes the follow-through difficult.

Likewise, if you turn your left foot out, it makes it harder to swing back. This is because it is a functional joint. When you turn your feet out, you will increase one thing but decrease the other. You are, therefore, making compensations.

Mike explains that the body is a right-angled articulator and works off 90-degree angles. That is where the joints line up and where you can functionally move the best.

People turn their feet out to get their hips to turn. They are trying to keep their knee flexed
and not rotate their hip. They are trying to coil.

When Mike swings, he tries to straighten out his right leg a little. The key is not to lock the knee. Anytime you take your body out of 90-degree angles, you may be able to turn more, but you will be restricted when you swing through.

It is vital to be careful about why and what you do with your body because it will dramatically affect the rest of the system.

FOOT ALIGNMENT IN THE SWING

CLUB SELECTION AND LOFT

Practice working on swinging the club with the trail arm. This drill helps you keep your shoulders level, not slide your body, stop the up and down motion in your wrists, and get your hips out of the way as you pivot through the ball.

TRAIL ARM DRILL

Toski on Ben Hogan photo Part 4 - Don't Copy Swings

TOSKI ON BEN HOGAN PHOTO - DON'T COPY SWINGS

Hand-eye coordination is very important. Learn how to bounce a ball on the club face.

BOUNCING THE BALL

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about grip and whether it is the same when using wedges all the way up to the driver.Mike responds that some of it is and some of it isn’t. When Mike grips the club, he makes sure that it is in his fingers, and when he closes his hands, he has the maximum amount of lever potential. This allows his wrists to hinge the way they are supposed to.Mike says, on all your full shots, yes. However, when Mike takes a wedge out, instead of his club being in his fingers, it’s a little more on a diagonal in his hand.Mike does this because he doesn’t want his wrists to hinge as much. The club is now a lot shallower, and you don’t want a lot of up-and-down in the swing. You want to keep it shallower to control the angle of approach and the flight of the ball.Again, Mike does change his grip, adjusting the position of the club in his hand a little bit to accommodate the up-and-down motion of his wrists.You don’t want to do that with the driver. The driver is in your fingers because when you swing back, you want to be able to lever your wrists and get the maximum amount of speed out of his hands and the lever system.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF GRIP

You control something with what touches it. Your hands are your only connection with the club. The more your hands become aware of and can control the face the better player you will be. Take a sand wedge. Place it in either hand. Take a ball in the other hand drop it on the face and try to bounce the ball on the face. Then change hands. Try to pick the ball up off the ground with the club head. Use two clubs and bounce the ball back and forth. Great for hand eye coordination. 

BOUNCE BALL ON FACE

All golf courses are different, as some can be trickier than others. Practice perfecting shots that may get you in trouble during your game.

PLAYING ON DIFFICULT GRASS

Our second installment of the Spotlight Member brings us to Utah with Todd Heugly.

TODD HEUGLY - UTAH, USA - 20210109

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about the rotation of the left arm in the swing.

Mike demonstrates this action and takes his left arm back on the backswing. His arm slightly rotates and continually internally rotates to the transition point (top of your swing.) When you come down, your left arm externally rotates down to the ball.

The Malaska Golf Member wants to know, if your left arm continually rotates throughout the swing, how do you stop it from rotating too much?

Momentum is the answer! Mike explains when you swing down, and your arm starts to rotate the club out in front of you, there is so much force in the club pulling your arm. If you get the club in the correct arc and let the club go, the momentum of the club will monitor how much the club rotates.

The momentum of the club rotates the arm along with the force of the club. You don’t have to force your arm to rotate; this motion happens automatically.

Players feel pressure in the chest when they swing down. That is your left arm externally rotating on the downswing. This is how you pressure your chest. You don’t do this by spinning your body. You start the swing, and you ride the momentum throughout the swing.