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Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I’m a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based here in the UK. Today, we have a great question from Mark Helm. Mark is having trouble relating drills to specific movements in his swing. He also mentioned that others have had similar struggles.The key thing to remember about drills is that they are designed to create certain feelings, patterns, or skill paths, but they aren't always what you’ll be doing during a round. That’s why, for instance, when you see tour players making exaggerated practice swings, like big loopy motions, you don’t see them replicate those swings on the course.There's an old saying: “Feel versus real.” Drills are about creating the right sensations. For example, the "L to L" drill isn't necessarily something you replicate fully in play, but it’s great for feeling the hinging of the wrists in the backswing, unhinging through the ball, and rehinging in the follow-through. It's about the wrists' release pattern.Some golfers, including Mark, mention that forearm rotation feels extreme, but it’s a sensation they’re working on, not something they actively think about on the course. Drills are about building the correct feel.It's important to practice these drills as they create the right sensations and help with the overall swing. For example, the "right foot back" drill helps with hip clearance, creating the right feel for staying out of the way during shots.You don’t need to take drills literally. Even drills like hitting balls off your knees serve a purpose — to improve your golf. By practicing these drills regularly, you can blend the sensations into your full, athletic golf swing.Remember, it’s feel versus real. Drills enhance the speed of your improvement by building functional movement patterns. Keep practicing, and you’ll see improvements over time!

DRILLS AND MOVEMENT

Mike works with player Michael Bergbauer to prioritize swing changes that need to be made.

MICHAEL BERGBAUER

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

Nowadays, speed is the biggest goal with new players. Learn how the game has changed over the years.

THE GAME HAS CHANGED

Brian Gott, Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A Malaska Golf Member wants to know how you can tell if someone is dragging the handle in a video.

Brian suggests that when watching, imagine placing a dot where the arms are at the top of the swing. If the arms and hands drop and pull forward, you are dragging the handle.

What should happen is that the handle should go out and away from you and down. If the handle goes down and forward, then you are in trouble.

You should be concerned with this because most people think that at the top of the swing, they should pull as hard as they can and get the lag. They believe that is the way to develop speed. The problem with this is that you are late with the clubface, and you find yourself trying to catch up.

An analogy that Brian has used with his students is towing an innertube behind a boat. The boat goes fast in a straight line, then makes a left-hand turn. What does the boat do? It slows down, and the innertube slingshots around using centripetal force and momentum. This creates a lot of speed.

Brian points to the top of the handle of the club and says this is the boat. Then, he points to the clubhead and says this is the innertube.

He demonstrates the swing at the top and says you should go down and out. As you start to release, your hands and wrists slow down, and the clubhead takes off. It’s a bit like whipping your clubhead through the ball. This is how you generate more speed. Pulling the club at the top of the swing does not create more speed.

The hands and arms move out and away to create a bigger arc with more width, and the clubhead will come through much faster.

DRAGGING THE HANDLE

Mike talks about maintaining the M-System after going through the videos. The most important part of the M-System is the first, and Mike practices this daily. Mike starts with Line of Compression, how your right arm pushes the shaft, and how your wrist works. 

Take your club, hold it with your right hand, and just make small shots. Feel that motion, and then add both hands and the pivot. This is about moving your left hip out of the way. Your right forearm is still on the back of the shaft, with the pivot of your body, and you are running the club into the ball. 

The next step is Impact. Set up to the ball, and move your body and legs to impact position. Again, make little swings and shots. Mike goes through the routine: Setup, Impact, back to Setup, swing, and hit the ball at the impact position. Start there every day and build into the Lever System with more body motion. 

Mike stresses that you must get to the point where you practice certain parts of The M-System daily.

MAINTAINING THE M-SYSTEM WITH IMPACT

Gain insight as to what motivated Hale throughout his career and his life.

PROVE IT TO YOURSELF

As 2024 comes to a close, I want to express my gratitude to all Malaska Golf members for their incredible support. Your commitment and enthusiasm are the foundation of everything we do.This year, we made significant upgrades to the site, improving the interface and expanding the range of content available. On a personal note, 2024 has been a milestone year for me. In April, I competed at Pinehurst and finished second in a field of talented professionals. Turning 70 also marked an important chapter in my journey, highlighted by my participation in the Utah Open, the tournament that launched my professional career. While I can no longer compete with younger players, I continue to test and refine the methods shared on the site to ensure they benefit golfers of all levels.The Golf Fitness Association of America recognized my longstanding contributions to the fitness side of golf with their Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Fitness has always been a vital part of my philosophy, but in 2025, I plan to emphasize it even more, helping you understand how personalized fitness and tailored techniques can transform your game. The focus won’t be on unattainable model swings designed for elite players, but on creating practical solutions that work for&nbsp;you.Looking ahead to 2025, I am excited to share new and meaningful content. Justin James, the World Long Drive Champion, will lead a series on maximizing distance, showing how his methods align seamlessly with the M-System. Additionally, I’ve secured an interview with Jack Nicklaus, who will share his invaluable insights on the mental game and techniques that can elevate everyday golfers. This session promises to be a treasure trove of knowledge, offering hidden gems that Jack has discovered over his legendary career.To help you start the year strong, I’m introducing a series called&nbsp;21 Days to Your Best Game. This program is designed to guide you through a step-by-step process, where each day builds on the previous, creating a structured path to consistent improvement. Whether you have just a few minutes or a couple of hours, this routine will help you build skills, evaluate progress, and get ready to play your best.The&nbsp;Ask Mike&nbsp;feature has continued to grow, with an increasing number of questions coming in from members. My team of experts has been instrumental in responding to these, ensuring that golfers across the country have access to practical advice and support. This system allows you to benefit from the knowledge of coaches trained in the M-System, even if you can’t access me directly.As we move into 2025, my goal is to make it the best year yet for both Malaska Golf and your personal game. This year will focus not only on golf improvement but also on enhancing your overall quality of life through fitness and nutrition. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey, and I look forward to helping you achieve your goals in the year ahead.

2024 RECAP 2025 REVIEW

In cold weather take one more club and hit it solid.

CLUB SELECTION IN COLD WEATHER

Setting gates down your target line helps you to see line correctly. Once you set the gates properly. Then if when you set up over the ball the gates look wrong. You then correct your eye line until the gates line up. This helps you identify the issues in your stroke. Your stroke might be perfect but you see line incorrectly.

GATE & YOUR ABILITY TO SEE THE LINE

It is imperative to grip the club primarily in your fingers and not in the palm of your hand. Mastering your grip is paramount to having the most leverage and strength in your hands.

CATHY KIM

ACTION OF THE LEFT LEG AND LEFT KNEE

Brian Gott, Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. Many Malaska Golf Members have had questions about the yips. In this video, Brian will explain what causes the yips and how to overcome them.

Brian stands over a ball with his putter, making a quick, jerky swing. He says that everyone was taught to make a short backswing and accelerate through the ball back in the day. This is not what you should do.

Brian explains that when the putter hits the ball, it has reached its maximum acceleration.
The putter is no longer accelerating, but it isn’t decelerating either.

The best putters in the world, their putters are accelerating at .05 to 0 feet per second, which is minimal. Most amateurs, when putting, are accelerating at 5 feet per second. This is a huge difference.

If you want to learn how to control your speed, the backstroke length needs to get longer, and the forward stroke needs to get shorter. The best putters don’t let their putter go past impact.

Great speed control requires good tempo. It’s the same tempo with a longer backstroke and a shorter follow-through. You can count it out in your head, one, two, as you putt.

The key is to avoid accelerating through the ball, giving you better speed control. If you do this, you will get rid of the yips.

OVERCOMING THE YIPS

Practice swinging with a baseball bat. The way the bat stands up, levels out, and the timing of how you change directions is very similar to a golf swing.

FIND YOUR SWING WITH A BASEBALL BAT

Your body learns through patterns. Learn how to start feeling and developing the right movements.

HOW YOUR BODY WORKS

PRACTICE-SETUP

Over the top of your hands, from inside the target line.

BRIAN HOLMES

Mr. Peterson owns a club that helps him make center face hits. This increases his enjoyment of the sport, which keeps him physically active.

CENTER FACE HITS

A Malaska Golf Member has an observation about the downswing. He notices that when you change directions, the handle comes down before you twist.Mike Malaska says that this is ideal. One of the worst things you can do is immediately twist your body before the club starts down as you start down on your swing. People struggle with this in the golf swing.A great drill to learn how to feel the arms drop is to set up to the ball with your right foot back, let your arms drop, and run the club into the ball. Your shoulders need to be relaxed in order to do this.When it comes to your full swing, Mike demonstrates the reason the arms drop. Mike starts his back swing; his shoulders are turned, his wrists are hinged, and his club goes up. When he starts to change direction, Mike’s pelvis starts to move a little laterally, and when this happens, his spine angle tilts. When this happens, the shoulders tilt, and your arms will drop. It is what your lower body is doing that makes your arms drop.Again, you want your arms to drop. Many Tour Players move the club handle away and down, and then everything twists into the ball together. One of the worst things you can do is have your body outrun the club. You want your body and clubface to stay together.

HOW AND WHY YOUR ARMS DROP

If you turn correctly by moving your hip sockets, you won’t put any pressure on your lower back.

TURNING AND NOT HURTING YOUR BACK 

Set up to the ball. Then drop your trail foot back until the toe of your trail foot is even with the heel of your lead foot. As you swing back now your trail hip will be out of the way. This creates the space you need to swing your arms into. On your down swing leave your trail foot or heel on the ground. Your force or weight moves up to your lead foot but your trail heel is still on the ground. This will help you accelerate your arms faster than your center. 

RIGHT FOOT BACK

Using the simple circle to shallow the club.

SHALLOWING THE CLUB

Learning how to control the club is very important. Learn how momentum effects your swing.

MOMENTUM AND WEIGHT

Using a launch monitor when you practice can drastically improve your swing.

PRACTICING WITH A LAUNCH MONITOR

The first mistake golfers and drivers make is holding on too tight.

HOLDING ON TIGHT

As you are making a small swing. As the club comes into impact the momentum of the club is moving forward. As that happens you push your lead hip back away from the target line. These apposing forces will straighten your arms and accelerate the club into the finish.

SMALL SWING OFF-SETTING FORCES

When you are getting a driver fitted, the shaft comes before the club head. Learn how Gott Golf fits clubs.

FITTING A DRIVER HEAD

Where your swing bottoms out is an essential part of hitting the golf ball.

BOTTOM OF THE SWING

We work with professional guitarist Nocy to raise the club vertically in order to come more from the inside at impact.

NOCY KARKOUR

Your brain is a computer and your swing is a program.  By making a small adjustment,  you force your brain to do this...

REWIRE YOUR BRAIN TO BYPASS THE YIPS

The first thing in a bunker you are throwing sand. Use the face angle to determine how much sand. Force stays on your front foot. Length is determined by amount of sand, Length of swing, and loft in club.

BUNKER REVIEW

Using an impact bag with an alignment stick will help you feel how the hands work and swing through impact.

USING AN IMPACT BAG

When you watch top athletes in other sports, they warm up first. They don’t go right into their activity, they stretch their body up. Do this in golf and you’ll be able to hit it better.

NEUROLOGY

Brian covers topics such as how to read the green, two types of speed to consider, the importance of line, and how to aim the putt.

PUTTING OVERVIEW

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.

GOLF TALK WITH BRENDEN DEVORE OF BE BETTER GOLF

How to change your set up in fairway bunkers.

SET UP SLIGHTLY BACK

Your Mulligan Monday assignment is to work on controlling curve by adding clubface or path. Set up a practice station if possible. Your first task is to start the ball to the right of the alignment stick aimed at the bunker. You can also pick a target on the driving range. Close both your stance and your clubface. Swing way from the inside, hit the ball out to the right, and curve it back into the bunker or on the green. You will do the complete opposite for your second ball, aim left, open the clubface and come over the top on your swing. Start to the left and slice it to the green. These are two totally different ways to control curve and get a feel for path and face.

CONTROLLING CURVE

THE CLUB RESTS ON THE BRIDGE OF THE HAND

Foot action lets you transfer ground for effectively through your body.  Start to get a feel of this by keeping your feet flat and making swings with the club.

THE FIRST STEP

The lead arm has to do its job for the trailing arm to work correctly for chipping, pitching, and your full swing.

LEAD ARM CHIPPING PITCHING AND FULL SWING 

If you struggle to hit a shot going slowly, odds are you won't hit it better by adding speed. Going slow is one of the fastest ways to practice your driver.

TRAIN YOUR DRIVER USING TEMPO WITH NOCY

As you hit the ball you keep your arms in front of your chest and rotate your arms back to the set up position. The club head then works up with your arms after you hit the ball. Rather than going around your body. This is important because your have to have loose shoulder sockets to allow your arms to continue to swing up and around with out moving your shoulders. This helps train your hands how to accelerate the club and keeps the tension out of your shoulders. 

ROTOR DRILL

Welcome to our new feature, the Malaska Golf Member Spotlight, where we feature one of our active members. This Member Spotlight focuses on Chris Grundy and what Golf has meant to him.

CHRIS GRUNDY

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

Andy Pierce and I were both introduced to Nibley in similar ways. Learn how got to where I am today.

ANDY PIERCE AND NIBLEY PARK

A fall-line is where the ball rolls straight.

SEEING THE FALL-LINE

Mike takes a closer look at analyzing Kory’s swing from down the line. He works on getting Kory’s left hip out of the way as he swings through impact.

ANALYZING THE SWING PART 1

Learning to read greens is your Malaska Golf Quick Fix Friday. First, start by reading off the green from 40 to 50 feet away. This will help you see how your ball will break when it lands.

Second, look from behind the ball and towards the hole.

Third, where Mike spends most of his time is walking it off, standing behind the pin, and viewing the putt from this angle. Doing this is a great way to gauge your putt's path and give you the best perspective of how the putt will break in the last 3 feet.

Once you make that decision, step up, aim the ball, take the putter back and try to roll the ball on the line. This is a great way to read greens.

LEARN TO READ GREENS

Several Malaska Golf Members have had questions about Ben Hogan and what he did with his clubs. Ben used to take a coat hanger and measure the length of the club handle against a metal coat hanger. He would then clip off the hanger, just barely the length of the grip.

He would then put that on the back of the club shaft and tape it on the club handle. Mike demonstrates this. Ben did this because when he gripped the club, he could feel a ridge on the handle with his fingers. Mike shows how he put the club in the crease of his fingers where the second knuckle of the hand is. Mike closes his hand over the club and grips it.

This is a really great way to get a feel of putting your hand on the club. The coat hanger helps you feel the ridge in your fingers. When you have a round handle, it’s hard to feel the back of the club relative to your hands.

Hogan also set the hanger a little off-center so that the clubface was slightly open when he gripped the club. This is a great way to feel the club in your hands.

Some companies like Lamkin have a reminder grip on the handle; however, they show the handle going into the third crease of the fingers instead of the second crease. It is the second crease where your knuckles are. When you wrap your hand around the club, you have the strongest finger-hand lever system you can create in the golf swing.

Using a coat hanger is a great tool to help you practice and feel the back of the club shaft with your fingers.

BEN HOGAN COAT HANGER TRICK

The downward force and pushing up to make a basketball shot is the same motion applied in a golf swing.