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Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A member has a question about how the hips move and how they time up with the club.

First, your hips move because of what your feet and legs do on the ground. When you swing back, your right hip moves back because your right foot, knee, and thigh push back. You are not twisting your hip back. As you push off the ground, that movement pushes your right hip back up and out of the way.

On the downswing, the same thing happens to your left leg. The left leg pushes the left hip back and out of the way. Your hips are moving, but you aren’t setting up to the ball and twisting your hips back and then forward. Doing this moves you off the ground. You want to stay on the ground.

It also helps you move your center away from the ball, giving you room for your arms to swing back and on the follow-through. This is how your hips work, and this is because of your feet and how they work into the ground. It is a reaction.

When you talk about speed, it’s all about lining the clubface up and timing it as you push off the ground. As you do this, your right hip pushes back, creating speed as you come through the ball.

Again, your feet are what moves your hips, and the timing of the club and how your feet push off the ground is what accelerates the clubface through the golf ball.

How the Hips Move

Mike talks with a Malaska Golf member about what encourages him to teach and draws on his shared experience of golfing after being injured.

Golf After Injury

Your hands control the club. Decide which position works best for you.

HOW YOUR HANDS WORK - 20181113

In this episode of Ask Malaska Golf, Mike Malaska answers a question from GS in Japan about grip pressure in putting. Should you grip tight with one hand, both hands, or stay loose? Mike shares his own journey experimenting with different pressures &ndash; &nbsp;and reveals the feel-based approach that works best. Mike explains that just like in a full swing, the key to consistent putting lies in feeling the weight of the putter head. Whether it&rsquo;s a driver, a wedge, or a putter, the goal is the same: let the clubhead do the work, and don&rsquo;t let tension in your hands or forearms block the motion. To emphasize the point, Mike recounts a recent conversation he had with Jack Nicklaus. When asked what he putts with, his hands, shoulders, or core &ndash; Jack replied simply: &ldquo;I putt with the same thing I play golf with... the putter head.&rdquo; That single line captures the entire philosophy: swing the head, not the handle. And when it comes to grip pressure, the better you want to putt, the less tension you should have.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn in This Video: &bull; Why feeling the weight of the putter head leads to better speed control and touch &bull; How to avoid forearm tension that kills your feel and stroke &bull; Why Jack Nicklaus&rsquo;s putting advice centers on swinging the putter head &bull; How grip pressure in putting relates to your full swing
Key Insights &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Grip pressure is everything in putting, too much tension in the hands or forearms blocks your ability to feel the weight of the putter head, which leads to poor speed control. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;The secret to great putting is the same as the full swing: feel the clubhead, not the handle. This allows momentum to guide the stroke instead of forcing it with muscle. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Mike reinforces this principle with insight from Jack Nicklaus, who famously said: &ldquo;I putt with the same thing I play golf with... the putter head.&rdquo; &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Most golfers lose their feel because they squeeze too tight, especially under pressure. A lighter grip helps keep the stroke smooth and instinctive. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;Learning to swing the head, not steer the stroke, builds confidence and repeatability, and reduces overthinking on the greens. &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp;This concept ties directly into the M-System, which teaches motion and feel over mechanics &ndash; even on the putting green.
&ldquo;As soon as your forearms tighten, you lose the feel of the putter head, and that&rsquo;s when putting breaks down.&rdquo; &ndash; Mike Malaska

Right Grip Pressure For Putting

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

CURVING THE BALL: FACE CONTROL

The M3 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska delves into the role of the pelvis and hip sockets in creating a stable, efficient golf swing. This segment emphasizes how understanding and controlling the movement of these critical areas allows golfers to maintain balance, generate power, and improve overall swing consistency.
A key takeaway is the importance of tilting and rotating the pelvis correctly during the swing. Mike explains how the alignment of the hips and pelvis affects the body's connection to the ground and its ability to produce controlled, powerful movements. By visualizing proper hip and pelvis motion and practicing targeted drills, golfers can reinforce correct patterns that translate into better performance.
The series introduces simple, effective exercises that golfers can practice anywhere. For example, using a chair as a guide helps players ensure their hips and knees maintain proper spacing during the swing. Additionally, golfers are encouraged to use mental imagery to internalize these movements, enabling efficient and focused practice without needing a driving range.
The M3 Coaching Series makes these complex mechanics accessible and repeatable, helping golfers build a more powerful and consistent swing while emphasizing the importance of body awareness and visualization.

M3 Coaching Series-Pelvis And Hip Sockets

L TO L LEAD FOOT ONLY

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

Tip the club out in order to get  the momentum of the club working for you.  If you are late, you will have to force the club to catch up.  This is avoidable by tipping the club through shoulder rotation.

FROM THE TOP

Joe Nichols related Mike's background in sports such as baseball into the golf swing.  Of everyone Mike has encountered, Joe knew the swing the best.   Hear Mike recount some of why that was.

THE MAGIC ABOUT JOE

Golf is primarily a mental game. If your mind doesn't understand the task at hand, the body won't do what you want it to do.

MENTAL SIDE WITH GIULIA SERGAS - 201811

Take a ball and just throw it overhand. That action is the same action your trail arm does in a golf swing. It is a universal action in sports. Wether you are throwing a ball. Or shooting a basketball. Or throwing a bowling ball. The wrist and hand works the same. If you take that same over hand throw. Then throw side arm then under handed. You start to feel how your hand and arm works on different planes. Put that same action into your golf swing. The other thing is that when you throw a ball there is no tension in your shoulder socket. That should be the same in a golf swing. 

THROW DRILL

The iron is one of the most important clubs in your bag. Learn how they are fit a players swing.

Fitting an Iron

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

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

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

This is your golf swing.

HOW THE HANDS WORK

Hear Mike speak candidly on his experience with Joe, what he's learned looking back, and why Joe's wisdom matters.

WHY JOE'S WISDOM MATTERS

If you understand momentum, you can put as much power as you want into your swing. If you don't understand this, you will be in trouble.

MOMENTUM WITH GIULIA SERGAS - 201811

Draw a dot on the center of your clubface. Concentrate on putting that dot on the back of the ball, and you'll make great shots.

DOT ON THE FACE

Day 21: Swing Left-Handed (Balance Your Body. Sharpen Your Awareness. Finish Strong.) In the final lesson of this series, Mike Malaska introduces a surprising but powerful tool: swinging left-handed (for right-handed players). It may sound strange, but there&rsquo;s a reason this drill has been part of Mike&rsquo;s personal training for years. When you swing one direction over and over, your body becomes imbalanced, and your feel for motion starts to fade. Day 21 shows you how switching sides brings everything back into alignment. By swinging left-handed&mdash;even without hitting balls&mdash;you activate muscles on your non-dominant side, restore balance in your body, and heighten your proprioception (your awareness of where your body is in space). It&rsquo;s not about performance&mdash;it&rsquo;s about feel. When things start to feel &ldquo;off&rdquo; during a practice session, this drill resets your body and refreshes your motion. You&rsquo;ll be amazed at how much better your swing feels when you go back to your dominant side.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn from Swinging Opposite-Handed: &bull; How swinging the other direction rebalances your body &bull; Why your dominant-side motion creates physical and neurological imbalances &bull; How left-handed swings improve feel, face control, and tempo &bull; The best way to reset your practice when things go off track &bull; Why this final step will keep your swing sharp for the long haul Mike doesn&rsquo;t just teach this&mdash;he lives it. He&rsquo;s taught himself to swing left-handed using every drill in this series. If you&rsquo;re serious about long-term improvement, this might be the best &ldquo;secret weapon&rdquo; you&rsquo;ve never used.
Key Takeaway: Swinging the opposite direction resets your system. It balances your body, enhances feel, and gives you a fresh start. Whether it&rsquo;s the end of a practice session or a mid-round reset, a few left-handed swings can reconnect you to your motion&mdash;and help you play better, longer.

Day 21-Swing Left-Handed

Mike gives a Player Lesson to Malaska Golf Spotlight Member Chris Grundy from Southport, England. Mike lesson focusses on setup to the ball , balance, and how the right arm rotates in your shoulder socket.