Manage Account

Manage Subscription

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

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

How to practice looping the swing "out to under."