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Setting up obstacles that when you swing you see if you can miss them. This helps train proper tasks and motions. You then as you can make the club or the motion work. Then add speed the obstacles will tell you if you are maintaining the motion you want. Use a less lofted club, like a 7 iron. The reason is you immediately start to see curve on the ball.

PRACTICE STATION OBSTACLE COURSE

Mike discusses right arm alignment and how he learned it from his dad. He had Mike hit a tire that was hanging from a tree with a baseball bat. Mike’s right arm would line up with the bat on the back to stabilize it and push the bat into the tire. 

Instinct told Mike how to hit, and his left leg pushed his left hip out of the way. When it came to golf, he took that same movement pattern with his golf club. Mike’s right arm and club shaft lined up and were in the same plane or on the same line. 

By practicing that swing, with your forearm lined up with the club shaft and your leg pushing your hip out of the way, you have it! Impact is an instinct.

Right Arm at Impact

Elite Content

The M-System Coaching Series by Mike Malaska provides a structured and progressive approach to mastering the golf swing. Spanning five series, M1 through M5, the program emphasizes foundational principles, body mechanics, and effective practice techniques to help golfers of all skill levels achieve consistency, power, and enjoyment in their game.
M1 introduces the fundamentals of the golf swing, focusing on concepts such as the line of compression, grip, and body mechanics. Through drills and techniques, players develop consistency in setup, short-game skills, and full-swing mechanics. By incorporating elements like trajectory control and athletic patterns from other sports, M1 establishes a strong foundation for swing development.
M2 builds on this foundation by teaching golfers to master the lever system, refine their grip, and develop face control. Central to the series is the interplay of hands, wrists, and arms, which drives both distance and accuracy. Using natural athletic instincts, players learn to create fluid and powerful swings while minimizing strain.
M3 shifts focus to body mechanics, teaching players how to harness the body&rsquo;s power while maintaining safety and efficiency. With an emphasis on offsetting forces and proper alignment of the pelvis, hips, and shoulders, golfers learn to engage ground forces and reduce injury risk. Functional movement patterns and exaggerated drills like the chair drill highlight the importance of integrating the body and club.
M4 emphasizes blending the body&rsquo;s movement with the lever system to create a cohesive and repeatable swing. Key concepts such as change of direction, ground forces, and offsetting forces are explored in depth. Golfers refine their ball position, alignment, and posture, ensuring static and dynamic consistency for long-term improvement.

M-System Coaching 

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I'm a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based here in the UK. This week&rsquo;s question comes from a gentleman named Jimmy Carlson. He commented on Billy Fitzgerald&rsquo;s video about the left hip and the clubhead swing, specifically using or pushing away from the ball.
Billy is fantastic at explaining this&mdash;probably better than any of us. He has a great way of breaking down this concept, and this feeling of pushing the left hip is incredibly important. If I stand this way and demonstrate, it&rsquo;s the feeling of the clubhead coming down to hit the ball while simultaneously pushing the left hip away from it. It feels like your body is moving in opposite directions as the clubhead comes through.
This movement creates natural forces that not only help speed up the club but also give your arms more room, as Jimmy observed. That&rsquo;s a great observation, by the way&mdash;it&rsquo;s not just about generating speed. A byproduct of this motion is that it does so many beneficial things, including directing the club on its arc or circle.
This drill is great to practice. It ties back to M1 in the M-System, and I absolutely love doing it. It&rsquo;s called the Pivot Drill, and it&rsquo;s one I do all the time. You swing with just one hand, standing there and hitting shots. It teaches you everything you need to know. I used to struggle with getting the left hip to push back, but the M-System simplified it for me. Once I could feel that motion, as Mike would say, "Once you feel it, it&rsquo;s very hard to forget it." And that&rsquo;s true&mdash;once you feel those forces pushing away and working together, it&rsquo;s difficult to lose that sense. Even if you temporarily forget it, the feeling comes back quickly.
For me, if I lose that feeling, I go back to making a few one-handed swings. It doesn&rsquo;t always start off great, but I&rsquo;ll grab a seven iron, hold it lower on the grip, and swing back while focusing on pushing the left hip back. As I do this, I can feel the clubhead swinging and the momentum working for me.
Even without a tee, I can practice just by swinging back, feeling that left hip push back, and creating space and room for the clubhead to swing around me. It&rsquo;s a fantastic drill, and if you ever lose that feeling, just return to these one-handed swings. They work superbly well.
So, great observation from Jimmy! Yes, Billy explains this concept really well. By focusing on pushing the left hip back and feeling those forces at work, you&rsquo;ll naturally create all the right movements at the right time. Once you master this, the timing becomes second nature, and if you ever lose it, just revisit the drill to regain that feeling.

Left Hip Push For Power

For Step 3 of Billy Fitzgerald’s player lesson, Mike Malaska talks about how you drop your foot back as you swing on the downswing. Your foot turns in, and your right knee stays behind your left knee. Mike explains to Billy how he should feel his femur rotate down and in and that his foot is rotating.

Mike talks about his baseball experience as a kid and how coaches teach you to rotate your right foot out in the baseball swing. This was referred to as “swish the bug.” Baseball players don’t do this much anymore. Mike applied that foot action when he came to golf, and Mike never struggled with his hips going out and his right leg moving up and out. If your right leg goes up and out, it will be limited to what you can do on your swing.

Billy makes some swings focusing on rotating his right foot back and in, and his right knee stays behind his left knee.

Billy comments that he feels his hip socket go back and stays there as his leg and foot are working. Mike says that the femur rotates in his hip socket, and it rotates because of what his foot is doing. His foot is twisting in the ground and not just pushing.

Baseball players talk about a second spike in their right foot, how they turn that spike down and twist it into the ground. This prevents their right hip from moving out.

Billy makes some swings so that Mike can analyze them. Billy is on the right track. Mike reiterates that Billy has a great impact position, and now he has mastered the right foot back and making it rotate into the ground.

BILLY FITZGERALD - FEEL HOW YOUR FOOT ROTATES

(Build a Better Swing from the Ground Up with Mike Malaska&rsquo;s Proven Process) What if you could rebuild your entire golf swing in just three weeks&mdash;step by step, with a system that actually works? 21 Days to Your Best Golf Swing isn&rsquo;t just a lesson plan&mdash;it&rsquo;s a structured transformation. Led by Hall of Fame coach Mike Malaska, this series guides you through the exact process he&rsquo;s used to help thousands of players break bad habits, simplify their motion, and gain total control of their swing. Each day introduces one key concept or drill that builds on the last, so you're never overwhelmed&mdash;and never left guessing. You&rsquo;ll train your hands, feet, body, and mind to work together as one. This is how the swing becomes repeatable, powerful, and built to last. Each day targets a key component of the swing: from grip, face control, and balance&hellip; to footwork, momentum, and impact. You&rsquo;ll learn how the body and club work together, how to generate effortless speed, and how to train smarter&mdash;not harder. Whether you&rsquo;re a weekend golfer or a serious player, this series will reshape your game from the ground up.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn Over 21 Days: Why your grip is your swing&mdash;and how to fix it How to feel and control the clubface without guessing How to train with L-to-L motion for speed and consistency Why your feet and lower body control swing path and power The truth about impact&mdash;and how to make it automatic How to stop early extension and maintain posture naturally How to separate Practice from Play for real improvement And how to build a long-term process to Master, Maximize, and Maintain your swing
Key Takeaway: Real improvement doesn&rsquo;t come from isolated tips. It comes from following a proven process that simplifies your swing and builds your instincts over time. 21 Days to Your Best Golf Swing is that process. Train one day at a time, and you&rsquo;ll never go back to guessing on the course again.

21 Days to Your Best Golf Swing

The lever system is the source of one of the biggest if not the most important speed producers in the swing. It is also the source of most of the control of the ball. Your hands are the only contact you have with the club. How your hands are placed on the club and how they work determines your ability to reach your potential. Not only with speed but with control.

Ask Malaska Golf-Lever System

In this opening episode of the Malaska Golf Player Lesson, Mike Malaska welcomes Jeff Coburn and Jeff Krull to a true on-course learning experience. When the players arrive to find the range closed, Mike shows how to warm up for golf without hitting a single ball.
 He introduces a fast, functional golf warm-up routine that prepares the body for the motion of the swing. Starting with hand and forearm activation drills, followed by shoulder circles, elbow mobility work, and controlled hip and back stretches, the routine targets every muscle group used in the golf swing. Each movement is simple, takes seconds to perform, and helps prevent stiffness or injury before the first tee shot.
 Mike explains how golfers often skip physical preparation and rush to the range, which causes tension and inconsistency. Instead, a short pre-round stretching routine ensures freedom of motion and improves tempo from the very first hole. Tight shoulders change swing shape; stiff hips block rotation. Being loose isn&rsquo;t about flexibility&mdash;it&rsquo;s about feeling the same every day so your swing stays consistent.
 As both Jeffs follow along, Mike connects every movement to the M-System fundamentals of posture, rotation, and balance. He emphasizes that golf performance begins with the body&rsquo;s readiness, not swing thoughts. If you only have ten minutes before a round, spend it stretching, rolling putts, and chipping instead of rushing through range balls. You&rsquo;ll start the round confident, coordinated, and ready to swing naturally.
 This first lesson lays the foundation for the entire series. Mike&rsquo;s approach shows that great golf starts with body awareness and that preparation equals performance. By getting physically ready and mentally calm before teeing off, golfers create the consistency and rhythm that carry through every shot that follows.
 Key Takeaways: Warm Up Before You Hit: Five minutes of movement is worth a bucket of balls. Consistency Starts in the Body: The same level of looseness creates repeatable swings. Freedom of Motion First: Tight shoulders and hips change your swing path. Connect to the M-System: Preparation sets up better posture, rotation, and balance. Preparation = Performance: Physical readiness builds confidence and control.

How to Warm up for Golf

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I'm a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based here in the UK. This is a great question from Mike Witkowski, asking: When should you hinge the wrist? Is it at the start of the swing or at the top of the swing?That's a really good question because, as with many things in golf, there are so many different variations on this, especially if you watch tournament players.Our recommendation is to start hinging the wrist as soon as possible—almost immediately. The way I like to feel it is by imagining that I'm pushing the handle down while pulling the clubhead up. This really helps get the club swinging on the correct path.And that's the key feeling—you definitely don't want to hinge only at the top. You don’t want that sudden "snap" motion. Some coaches teach that, but in my experience, it can cause a rebound effect, and I don’t like that. I’ve tried it, and it didn’t work well for me. So, setting the wrists early is crucial.The feeling you want is that, as you take the club back, the handle is being pushed down and the clubhead is going up. Ideally, the full wrist set might happen around the halfway point of your backswing, then you complete the swing and follow through.So, the key takeaway is to hinge the wrists as soon as you can. Focus on the feeling of "handle down, clubhead up." Say it to yourself: "handle down, clubhead up"—and swing through. It will help you complete the swing consistently every time.It’s a gradual motion as you're swinging back—gradually pushing the handle down and lifting the clubhead up. It’s not a snap motion, but a smooth, continuous movement.I hope this helps answer your question, and good luck with it!

When To Hinge The Wrists

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

Renowned 2024 Golf Digest Legend of Golf Instruction Mike Malaska has crafted the M-System Lite, which stems from the world&rsquo;s premier golf swing process, the M-System.
Mike has distilled the M-System's main concepts into 5 concise, impactful, game-changing videos designed to simplify and improve your game quickly.
Mike understands that many people may not have the time or commitment to invest in or commit to a lengthy training program like the full M-System, and the M-System Lite is the answer.
With just 5 videos, you&rsquo;ll witness remarkable improvements in your swing and see your score drop dramatically on the course.
The M-System Lite starts with an overall introduction video from Mike. Then, videos on M1: Line of Compression, M2: The Lever System, M3: How the Body Works, M4: Combining Skills, and M5: Practice. This all aligns with the original M-System M1-M5, and these are the most important concepts to understand from the M-System.
The M-System Lite is a fast track to a better golf swing, and mastering these 5 videos will undoubtedly pay off in lower scores and increased confidence.
Once you have mastered the M-System Lite, you can continue your golfing journey and augment it with the full M-System.

M-System Lite

A Malaska Golf Member recently had an aha moment when he started to feel how the handle of the club comes down and moves the club out in front of him. He wasn’t dragging the handle.Mike says he knows some people teach this concept, and in fact, Mike did it for a big part of his career. The problem with this is that if the inside circle, your body gets way ahead of the clubhead, you will have a hard time catching the face up.Jake Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and others felt that starting the club released the club from the top. As the club started away, it worked back out in front of you instead of getting underneath. This got you ‘stuck.’Again, once you change directions and get the club out in front of you, the handle comes down, and the clubhead works out. This allows you to get to impact. You should feel like your chest and club are going through the swing together, as opposed to getting your hand way out ahead of you.Mike demonstrates the swing, and he iterates that the club and your chest go through the ball at the same time.Now, if you look at it on video, it doesn’t look that way, as the club is moving much faster. This is what it feels like to Mike, and it keeps the club in sync. You don't have to catch the club up or twist the face to get the ball to go straight.

Transition of the Club

The M5 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska emphasizes refining practice routines through the use of obstacles, exaggeration, speed adjustments, and managing time between shots. These tools provide immediate feedback, enhance muscle memory, and develop a swing that holds up under various conditions. By integrating these methods, golfers can move beyond random practice and achieve purposeful progress.
Obstacles like swim noodles and water bottles help golfers correct swing paths and promote immediate feedback. Exaggeration in practice is encouraged to push swings to the extreme opposite of current faults, making it easier to achieve the desired changes. Incorporating speed adjustments ensures control while gradually building power. Slowing down with longer clubs, such as drivers, allows for better feel and control before increasing speed.
Time between shots mirrors real game conditions and reveals tendencies, enabling golfers to understand and address their common misses. This practice approach teaches consistency under varied circumstances, preparing players for better on-course performance. By following these methods, golfers can turn practice into a focused, efficient process that leads to measurable improvements.

M5 Coaching Series-Obstacles, Exaggeration, More Speed, And Time Between Shots

Struggled over the weekend and now you need something to work on this week? Mike has just the tip for you.

Mulligan Mondays

The M-System is a 5-tier instructional plan designed to simplify the game and build your skills for every type of swing. It doesn&rsquo;t matter if you&rsquo;re just starting out or if you have been playing for years at a high level. We&rsquo;ll go step-by-step through every aspect of the sport from basic setup to advanced theory and swing drills. Each video explores a new aspect of the game to give you a greater understanding of what&rsquo;s happening when your club hits the ball. Every level increases its focus as you increase your ability. I promise you, golf is not overly difficult. You just have to unlock the game that works best for you. And this is exactly what The M-System is designed to do.

M-System

Jack Nicklaus shares Augusta insights to help you play smarter and finish stronger.

Golf Talk-Masters Secrets With Jack Nicklaus

IMPROVE EVERY DAY Whether you&rsquo;re a Tour Pro or a weekend player, there&rsquo;s always room for improvement. The more you understand about the forces at work in the golf swing, the better you&rsquo;ll be able to control the club face and strike the ball. When I&rsquo;m on the range or on the course as a coach, I do my best to explain these natural forces in a way that reveals the &ldquo;a-ha moment&rdquo; for players. It doesn&rsquo;t matter what your handicap is, seeing how other golfers are applying their understanding to improve will ultimately help you fine tune your swing as well. I&rsquo;m also going to share firsthand experiences at some of the world&rsquo;s finest courses, so you&rsquo;ll know what to expect when you visit and play. This is what the Player Lessons section is all about.

Player Lessons

Posture might not be flashy, but it is one of the most important parts of your golf swing. Without the right posture, your body cannot move the way it is designed to. In Day 6, Mike Malaska breaks down exactly how to build your posture from the ground up&mdash;so you can move with power, balance, and consistency. You will learn how posture is built from your hip sockets, not your back or knees. Mike shows you how to start in a neutral standing position and then hinge from the hips, keeping your feet quiet and your weight balanced across your toes, heels, and the balls of your feet. From there, he explains the slight tilt needed to create a strong, athletic posture that works across your putting, chipping, and full swing. This is not just a setup drill. This is your entire swing foundation. Mike shares how even using your shadow can help you build body awareness and maintain posture throughout the motion. If your posture is off, your body will make compensations. But if it is correct, everything becomes easier.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About Posture: How posture starts with balance&mdash;not tension Why your bend should come from the hips, not the knees or back How to combine hip hinge with slight tilt for athletic setup Why posture stays consistent across putting, chipping, and full swing How to use your shadow to train posture visually
Mike emphasizes that this is something you train every day. Get into a routine where your posture is the first thing you check. Set your feet, hinge from the hips, add a slight tilt, and drop your arms naturally. If your posture changes, your swing changes. Make posture part of your pre-shot routine for life.
Key Takeaway: Posture is the foundation of movement. Hinge from the hips, balance your weight, and stay consistent. Your body can only move as well as your setup allows.

Day 6-Posture in the Golf Swing

The basic concepts and or tasks and skills that you take on determine how your body builds the patterns for the swing. It is critical that you have a good understanding of exactly what you are trying to do and what are the ways to develop them. Your body if given a correct task will eliminate anything and most everything not relevant to the task. That is why the base concept and or tasks are correct.

Ask Malaska Golf-Swing Concepts

Chipping is just off green putting. The ball gets in the air because of the loft in the face. Set up with your weight or force slightly on your lead foot. This changes the angel of approach to the ball. You are catching the ball on the face then brushing the ground. The loft of the face gets the ball in the air. Put a dot on the face on the fourth grove from the leading edge. The back of the ball and this dot connect. You use the same line of compression that you did in putting.

CHIPPING THE BALL IN THE AIR

(Build Shot-Shaping Awareness Through Feel) Now that you&rsquo;ve trained swing path and face control separately, Day 13 brings it all together. In this lesson, Mike Malaska shows you how to combine face orientation and path direction to shape shots intentionally&mdash;left, right, high, low, or straight. This is where control and creativity begin. You&rsquo;ll start by revisiting your daily warm-up routine: putting stroke, chipping, pitching, building your practice station, and training your hands one at a time. Mike explains why this daily rinse-and-repeat process builds lasting skill&mdash;and why you should work on the things you&rsquo;re worst at, not just what comes easily. Then comes the fun part. You&rsquo;ll start hitting controlled shots with different combinations: inside path with open face (fade), over-the-top with closed face (hook), and the ideal draw&mdash;slightly inside with a square-to-closing face. The goal is not to hit perfect shots, but to learn how different face/path matchups affect ball flight. The more you exaggerate the curves, the more you&rsquo;ll feel the cause-and-effect of your swing. You&rsquo;ll also revisit eye line control, using your hat brim to guide your arms. If your eyes are aimed right, your arms will swing from the inside. If they&rsquo;re aimed left, you&rsquo;ll swing over the top. Most golfers never train this&mdash;but tour players master it. What You&rsquo;ll Learn About Path + Face Control: &bull; How to intentionally curve the ball by blending path and face orientation &bull; Why your eyes determine arm path&mdash;and how to use eye line to shape shots &bull; How to exaggerate ball curves to better understand what creates them &bull; Why mastering crooked shots is the key to hitting it straight under pressure &bull; How to train slowly and deliberately with tee drills to build awareness Don&rsquo;t skip this step. Learning to shape the ball with intent gives you control over your game. This is the day when your swing starts becoming a tool&mdash;not just a motion. Key Takeaway: You can&rsquo;t find straight until you understand crooked. Mastering both path and face control builds real command over your ball flight.

Day 13-Blend Path and Face Control

(Let Gravity, Momentum, and Force Drop the Club Into the Ball) If you want to hit solid shots without forcing the club down, you need to rethink your swing plane. In Day 19, Mike Malaska challenges one of golf&rsquo;s most misleading instructions: &ldquo;hit down on the ball.&rdquo; Instead, you&rsquo;ll learn that it&rsquo;s momentum, gravity, and centripetal force&mdash;not effort&mdash;that deliver the club to the ball. When your wrists are relaxed and your swing motion is fluid, the club drops into perfect contact without you having to force it. Mike introduces the idea of swinging on an &ldquo;elevated plane,&rdquo; where the feel is that your club moves level to the ground&mdash;but because of the forces in play, it naturally descends into the ball. This lesson ties back to your L-to-L training and teaches you how to blend smooth shoulder rotation with wrist freedom for effortless impact. You&rsquo;ll also see how tour players use this elevated motion to stay loose, athletic, and consistent.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About Swinging on an Elevated Plane: &bull; Why &ldquo;hitting down&rdquo; is a harmful swing thought &bull; How relaxed wrists allow the club to drop into the ball naturally &bull; Why the swing should feel level, not steep&mdash;especially with irons &bull; How L-to-L motion and shoulder rotation work together to maintain flow &bull; The difference between position-based thinking and feel-based motion This drill is perfect for creating a free, connected swing. Forget tension. Forget holding angles. Once you understand how elevated motion creates compression, you&rsquo;ll start striking the ball with less effort&mdash;and more confidence.
Key Takeaway: Don&rsquo;t force the club down. Let it fall. When your wrists are relaxed and your swing flows on an elevated plane, momentum does the work&mdash;and solid contact becomes automatic.

Day 19-Swing on an Elevated Plane

(How to Keep Improving After the Program Ends) You&rsquo;ve completed all 21 days&mdash;now comes the most important part: staying on track and continuing to improve. In this final video, Mike Malaska reveals exactly what to do next. Success in golf doesn&rsquo;t come from endless tips or chasing new techniques&mdash;it comes from following a process. This program gave you that structure. Now, Mike encourages you to turn the 21-day sequence into your long-term training system. Each practice session should begin with short game fundamentals, build into motion and face control, and finish with speed and full swings. You don&rsquo;t need to do it all every day&mdash;but you do need to repeat the sequence consistently. This is the same process Mike uses personally and with his students&mdash;from beginners to tour players. Mike also shares a powerful story from his time in Japan, where he taught a group of students over 11 weeks using just seven core drills. Every week, they chose the one drill that challenged them most&mdash;and focused on it until they mastered it. The result? They made faster, more lasting progress than any other class. That&rsquo;s the real secret to continued improvement: find your weakest link and train it until it becomes your strength. This closing lesson ties directly into the M-System philosophy: Master, Maximize, Maintain. You&rsquo;ve now built the foundation. Keep refining it, and your game will keep evolving.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About What Comes Next: &bull; How to build a practice routine using the 21-day structure &bull; Why the most difficult drill should become your weekly focus &bull; How Mike practices every day&mdash;starting with short shots, then working up &bull; Why consistency in your routine beats random tips or YouTube swings &bull; How to use the drills as a testing system for long-term mastery
Key Takeaway: You don&rsquo;t need more swing tips&mdash;you need a repeatable process. Pick the hardest drill and master it. Then repeat. Stay inside the system, and your game will keep getting better. This isn&rsquo;t the end of your journey. It&rsquo;s the start of mastering your swing for life.

What's Next

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about feeling relative to where his hands are pointed. This is a really good question, as Mike always says, ‘Your hands control the golf swing.’ If you can control what your hands do, then there is a good chance the clubface will work.Now, if you aren’t connected to what your hands are doing or your grip, you are trying to do everything with your hips. Your hips don’t control the face.The Member’s comment is that as he is working on grip, line of compression, and impact, he feels like his left palm at impact is facing down and more into him, as opposed to facing out and up.Mike talks about what hurt him in golf. He had had his grip changed, and as he came into the ball, he had to bow his wrists.Mike got pretty good at this until he broke his wrist and tore a tendon. This was Mike compromising that joint.Now, instead of facing down, Mike’s palm is facing toward his leg. Mike said that what the member is feeling with his palm is a really good thing.If your grip is correct, it is a chopping action with your left hand and wrist. Your palm will be facing in if you do it this way. As you swing through, your arms straighten, and the release action is up. You don’t twist or rotate the club as you swing through. There is a big difference.If you use the grip Mike talks about, your joints line up, you hit the ball, and your hands work. It’s a good feeling to have your palm facing down and toward you, then toward the sky.

Hands Control the Golf Swing

M2 focuses on mastering the lever system, grip, face control, and utilizing natural athletic instincts to build a consistent and powerful golf swing. Mike Malaska emphasizes that the lever system, comprising the hands, wrists, and arms, is the primary driver of distance and consistency in the swing. Practicing a correct grip and loosening the wrists are essential for achieving fluidity and effortless speed.
Through drills like the L to L and exercises designed to develop face control, golfers can refine their mechanics and better understand their swings. Integrating insights from other sports, M2 ties together athletic patterns and body awareness, helping golfers enhance performance and avoid unnecessary strain.
Mike reiterates the importance of consistent practice and patience, urging golfers to spend time mastering these fundamentals before progressing to more advanced techniques. M2 delivers a comprehensive guide to building a swing foundation that improves accuracy, distance, and overall enjoyment of the game.

M2 Coaching Series-Summary

The M1 Coaching Series continues with a focus on chipping and pitching, expanding on the concepts introduced in putting and the line of compression. This session emphasizes understanding the pendulum motion of the golf swing and how different shots require catching the ball at various points in that motion.
Key to chipping is realizing that the ball gets airborne due to the loft of the clubface, not by lifting it. Chipping is essentially "off-green putting" with minor adjustments in setup, such as moving the ball slightly back and leaning forward, to catch the ball on a descending stroke. The line of compression remains consistent, with the right arm and hand driving the shaft through the ball for clean contact.
Pitching introduces additional wrist action, focusing on flexion and extension to control trajectory. Players practice one-arm pitch shots to develop a feel for clubface control and how wrist angles influence loft. This foundational drill helps ingrain proper mechanics and build confidence in shot-making.
Chipping and pitching are critical for mastering trajectory and precision. Golfers are encouraged to spend significant time practicing these tasks, as they lay the groundwork for more advanced aspects of the game. The concepts taught here integrate seamlessly into all parts of the swing, providing a solid base for continued improvement.

M1 Coaching Series-Chipping And Pitching

Joe Nichols is someone you may not have heard about, but is someone you should know.  His knowledge for improving your game is unparalleled and has influenced Mike's teaching and understanding of the golf swing.  Find out more in this video.

INTRODUCTION TO JOE NICHOLS

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about a video that Ashley Malaska Moss did on the L to L Drill.Mike Malaska explains that many of the drills are slight exaggerations. When you do the L to L, you move from the ‘L’ on the backswing to ‘L’ on the follow-through and hold that position. However, if your body stops, the momentum of the club swinging through will cause the club to turn or flip over.Mike demonstrates from straight-on, where you can see the rotation in his arms. This is what they were asking about.When Mike does the L to L, he doesn’t swing hard and holds the ‘L’ on both sides. That way, his arms are stopping, and he is able to do the drill.If he goes to full speed while doing the L to L, then some rotation in the arms will happen. The momentum of the club will take over as it swings through on the follow-through.Again, drills are exaggerations. Mike actually likes to see people do the L to L drill while loosely holding the club in their fingers. Mike explains that this is so that you can feel the momentum and weight of the club, making your wrists hinge, unhinge, and rehinge. This is better than trying to hold the club too tight and start hanging on the club with your shoulders. Drills like the ‘Look Cool’ drill help you create the momentum of the club.Start holding the club loosely, then add a little structure and tension until you find the correct pressure when doing the L to L. That’s how you build it.Remember, the L to L is a slight exaggeration. Some things wouldn’t happen in full swing. Mike also notes that because your body stops, your wrists will rehinge earlier than they would in full swing.The L to L is there for a reason and is a slight exaggeration, but if you master it, it will pay big dividends.

L to L is an Exaggeration

The latest additions to the Ask Malaska Golf Collection.

Ask Malaska Golf-What's New

Core Content

Take a driver. Tee up a ball then sit down in a chair to hit the ball from. Sitting in the chair you need to relax your shoulder sockets so your arm can swing independent of your shoulders moving. This is an important part of the swing for not only speed but consistency. You also need to let the momentum of the lever your wrists on both sides of the swing. 

CHAIR DRILL

Mike illustrates the momentum of the club and the up to under in the golf swing. Mike then finishes by getting Josh to curve the ball left.

PATH CONTROL CURVE LEFT

Certified Coaches

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about forward press, where at setup, you push your hips a little open and then swing back.Mike has studied the history of golf, which started in the 1800s, the original teachers and what they did, and numerous videos. Mike was on a quest to find out what happened to his swing after he finished playing professionally.&nbsp;Mike has studied from the beginning what these guys learned and how the swing developed based on equipment and all the different variables.Mike returned to the member's question about forward press. He said about 90% of golfers up until 1982 had a slight forward press. The reason for this is that they wanted to start the swing with some sort of ‘kick start.’Then someone decided you shouldn’t forward press after getting into the setup position. The new thought was to bounce or take a deep breath to start your swing. According to Mike, this was from someone who wasn’t even a golfer.This new setup didn’t even get you into an athletic motion; it just froze you up.Dr. Kwon, a prominent biomechanist, says when you set up to the ball, you should go left to go right to go left. This concept Mike has been preaching for years.&nbsp;Mike demonstrates the motion. Mike uses the analogy of other sports to reinforce this idea. In basketball, if you are guarding someone and they move right, then you have to go left first to go right, and the opposite is true if they go left. This is how sports work.Back to golf, Mike says if you want your backswing to go to the right, you have to go left to go right. Doing this gets the sequence moving and gets you where you aren’t static.What Mike does is he has a little left to right to go left in his swing. When he does this, it times his swing, and he is not starting from a static position.Having a slight kickstart, like Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Bobby Jones, or Ben Hogan, is probably a good thing. Mike thinks it’s crazy that we stopped doing this, and now everyone is putting it into their swings.Mike is a big proponent of this because it triggers the motion athletically.

Trigger Your Backswing

(Why You Must Decide Before You Swing) To play your best golf, you need to know your intention before you hit your first shot: Are you practicing&mdash;or are you playing? In this final bonus lesson, Mike Malaska shares one of the most overlooked keys to success on the course: separating training mode from scoring mode. If you step onto the range&mdash;or the tee box&mdash;without clarity, you&rsquo;ll sabotage your performance. When you practice, your focus is on reps and training the swing (like L-to-L or wrist rehinge drills), not the score. You&rsquo;re working on the swing, not the shot. But when you play, your focus must shift to feel and performance&mdash;working with your tendencies, not fixing your swing mid-round. Trying to &ldquo;fix&rdquo; your motion on the course leads to tension, poor contact, and mental confusion. It&rsquo;s a losing strategy. Mike emphasizes that your warm-up should reflect your goal. If you're practicing, dive into your drills. If you're playing, keep it light, reinforce what&rsquo;s natural, and trust your tendencies. This mental discipline ties directly back to the M-System&rsquo;s structure and prepares you to make real, lasting progress&mdash;on the range and on the course.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About Practice vs. Play: &bull; Why you must choose between training or scoring&mdash;never both &bull; How to warm up differently depending on your goal &bull; Why your tendencies matter more during play than swing &ldquo;fixes&rdquo; &bull; How to train a skill (like L-to-L) without worrying about score &bull; How this lesson connects directly to the full M-System process
Key Takeaway: Before every round, make a decision: Are you training your swing, or are you playing your game? You can&rsquo;t do both. Practicing is about process. Playing is about performance. If you separate the two, you&rsquo;ll make faster progress&mdash;and shoot lower scores.

Practice vs Play

A Malaska Golf member wants to know how to get a stock shot.Mike stands on the range, hitting multiple shots, and watches what curves are easiest for him. That is usually a draw.That’s the shot he sees, the one he has played most of his career, and the one Mike goes to when he is under pressure.Some days, Mike hits the ball solid, and it fades a little, so that will be the shot he starts with.The Member has an issue hitting a fade and ends up pull-hooking the ball. He wants to know how to hit his driver without pull hooking it.Mike demonstrates a pull hook with an oversized club. He explains that the only way to pull hook is if the club is closed relative to the path.It happens because you are turning your hand and wrist over. If your grip is correct, the motion with your hand is more of a throwing action, so your hand won’t turn over. Then you won’t pull hook!Phil Blackmar, an ex-PGA and Champions Tour player, helped Mike find a go-to shot: a slight fade. At the time, Mike was going to the Senior Tour School and competing that year. Mike needed a shot that he could be aggressive with and knew the outcome of.They decided on a shot where Mike could hit the ball as hard as he wanted without turning the face down.Every time Mike hit his driver, the ball would always fade because he wasn’t twisting his right hand. Mike demonstrates the hand action that makes the ball fade.If you want to get aggressive with your shots, ensure your grip is correct and work your hand through impact like a throwing motion.If you do this, you won’t turn the club down and pull hook the ball. Practice this with small, short shots and then gradually add speed. Do this, and you won’t pull hook!

Be aggressive and Not Hook

Throw the Sand, Don&rsquo;t Hit the Ball (Learn the Simple, Repeatable Way to Get Out Every Time) Bunker shots don&rsquo;t have to be scary. In this bonus lesson, Mike Malaska simplifies the entire concept: you&rsquo;re not hitting the ball&mdash;you&rsquo;re throwing the sand. Everything you&rsquo;ve learned over the past 21 days&mdash;body motion, arm structure, face control&mdash;still applies here. But instead of striking the ball directly, you use the sand to lift it out. By learning to stay on your lead side, swing through the sand, and direct it toward your target, you gain immediate control over a shot that frustrates most golfers. The best part? The feel and technique you develop here translate directly from your full swing foundation. Mike breaks down the setup, motion, and mindset required to become consistent in the bunker. You&rsquo;ll learn that where the clubface points doesn&rsquo;t matter nearly as much as where you throw the sand. This tip alone will change how you approach every greenside bunker. Plus, Mike demonstrates how staying on your left side and trusting your motion will keep you from falling back or digging too deep.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About Bunker Play: Why bunker shots are all about throwing sand, not hitting the ball How to set up on your left side and stay there throughout the swing Why your target is the sand&mdash;not the ball How face setup and swing direction control your sand (and ball) trajectory How to train consistently with simple visual cues like a line in the sand
Key Takeaway: Stand on your left side, hit behind the ball, and throw the sand toward your target. If you can move the sand where you want it to go, the ball will follow&mdash;every time.

Bonus Video 1-Bunker Play

Understanding basic swing concepts is the number one key skill in a golf swing. It is universal across all sports. How the trail arm lines up with the club, racket, Bat or stick is the same. The value of this skill is monumental in achieving maximum control and force into the ball. That is what creates your potential ball speed. In golf it starts with the putter but works on chipping pitching and with the driver. It should be the first and most important skill in the golf swing. Most every thing should be built of this task.

SWING CONCEPTS - OVERVIEW

The ability to see the correct line and start the ball down the line is critical in putting. Practicing on a chalk line to learn how to start the ball down your intended line is a basic skill. Once you can do that. Then it is how well do you see line when the line is not there.

SEEING THE CORRECT TARGET LINE

(Control the Low Point to Strike Every Shot Clean) If you want to improve your contact, especially with irons and fairway woods, you must learn to control your angle of approach. In this Bonus lesson, Mike Malaska shows you one of the simplest but most effective drills in golf: draw a line in the sand, place a ball just behind it, and train your swing to brush the sand (or turf) in front of the line. This teaches you where your club is truly bottoming out&mdash;an essential skill for compressing the ball, avoiding fat shots, and striking cleanly from any lie. Mike has spent thousands of hours on this one drill, and it applies to nearly every shot in your game. By learning to control your low point, you gain consistency in your swing path and confidence through impact. Whether you&rsquo;re working on full swings, fairway bunker shots, or dialing in your irons, this drill builds precision into your swing&mdash;without needing to hit a single ball.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn in This Lesson: &bull; Why controlling your low point is critical for solid contact &bull; How to use a simple line-in-the-sand drill to improve swing consistency &bull; What causes fat shots, thin shots, and poor bunker play &bull; How angle of approach affects both full swings and fairway bunker shots &bull; Why tour players excel by mastering this basic but essential skill
Key Takeaway: You can&rsquo;t strike the ball cleanly if you don&rsquo;t know where your club bottoms out. Use this drill often. No ball required&mdash;just awareness. Draw a line. Swing through it. Control your angle of approach and start making the kind of consistent, crisp contact that lowers your scores.

Bonus Video 2-Master Your Angle of Approach

Set up and toss a ball behind you using your right and left hands. Doing this will teach you the feel of the backswing and get the club on the correct arc. 

BALL TOSS

M-System Max

A Malaska Golf Member asks about DGF or Death Grip Syndrome. All this means is that golfers grip the golf club too tightly.

Mike explains that gripping the club too tightly is a misunderstanding of the motion of the club and how it works.

Mike demonstrates the "Look Cool" Drill, swinging the club with one hand. Notice how relaxed his wrists are as the club drops through the swing. They are just reacting to the weight of the club. This is also important to feel how your wrists hinge, unhinge and rehinge.

The next aspect Mike discusses is tension. Once you feel the hinging of the wrists, then your grip needs to be correct. When the lever and weight of the club make your wrists hinge and unhinge, it squares the clubface.

If your grip is wrong, you don't have tension, and you let the weight of the club go, making the face wide open at impact. You will slice the ball. Then you think the way to solve this issue is to catch the face up, and end up getting tighter and tighter because you are anticipating this problem.

Tightness and tension exist when you don't use the club's momentum, your grip is off, and the club doesn't square itself.

DEATH GRIP SYNDROME

IN THE CLUBHOUSE WITH FRIENDS, PLAYERS AND LEGENDS Sometimes the best part of the game is talking about the game. Find out what&rsquo;s really going on inside players&rsquo; heads. Hear the stories that become legends firsthand. Get a better understanding of the mental side of the game, the highs and lows. Explore what players and instructors think about how the game is taught, practiced and played. This is how I end every day at the course. Now, it&rsquo;s here for you to enjoy as well. These are the clubhouse conversations that keep the game going long after the sun has set and the clubs have been put away.

Golf Talk

M-System Elite

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Matt Baker based in the United Kingdom is answering a member question.We've got a question here from Richard Solman, who is talking about parallax and how it's really helped his game and improved his ability to visualize alignment. This is a fundamental aspect of improving your golf game because getting alignment right is crucial. There's an old saying: "What you see, your brain receives, and then your body reacts." What you're seeing at address is often different from what's actually happening or what's correct, and it's important to understand that.Parallax refers to the difference in perception when you're standing behind the ball, aligning yourself towards your target. You can even practice this in a net. When I address the ball, my eyes have a different perception of where my start point is. Where my start line is crucial, and when I look at the target from here, it might appear far left of where my actual target line is due to parallax. However, I know that everything is aligned squarely toward my target.It's very important to get this correct and to work on it. Using alignment aids like lines or sticks down the fairway will help you get a better visual of what you're aiming for. If I'm standing over the ball and perceive the target as left of where I intend to start the ball, my body will naturally react to that perception. I'll end up swinging to the left, thinking I'm correcting the aim, but that's why it's essential to practice alignment.Some people like to use a marker; for example, I can use the end of my stick. Others might use a spot in front of them. However, when I'm standing here and looking at it, it might seem way off to the right, like it's hitting the side of the net, when it’s right online. That's parallax, and it's crucial to work on this so your body reacts correctly at address.Focus on your start point, and your body will react by starting the ball on the right line. Mastering parallax and alignment is essential; it's the basic 101 of alignment that every golfer needs to learn.

Parallax: Key To Accurate Shots

Golfers everywhere chase the same things: solid contact, effortless power, and consistent results. But for most players, those goals stay just out of reach&mdash;because they&rsquo;ve never been taught the one move that ties it all together. That move is called the line of compression. It&rsquo;s not a trendy tip or swing theory&mdash;it&rsquo;s the core motion that creates real ball-striking consistency. It&rsquo;s what allows the club to strike the ball solidly, compress it against the ground, and send it on a true, penetrating flight. The best players in the world have it. Most amateurs don&rsquo;t. In fact, many golfers practice for years without ever learning how to create it. In this opening lesson of the 21-day series, Mike Malaska breaks it down. He shows you how to feel it by aligning your right arm with the shaft and using simple training tools like a putting track or a tee gate. Your goal is to roll the line on the golf ball smoothly while striking the center of the clubface without clipping the toe or heel. This daily calibration drill ensures that every shot you hit is built from the same solid foundation.
What You'll Learn About Compression in the Golf Swing: How to create the line of compression with a connected, powerful motion Why solid contact starts with center-face strikes How to roll the ball cleanly with no wobble How this motion applies to every shot&mdash;from putts to sand shots
Train the Feel If you&rsquo;re struggling to connect the motion, grab a tennis racket or a baseball bat and swing it. These larger tools exaggerate the feel of compression and make it easier to sense how your hands, arms, and body should work together.

Day 1-Line of Compression

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

The right shoulder levels out as it goes through the ball.

HOW THE RIGHT SHOULDER WORKS

Ashley talks about the three planes of movement and the importance of functional health in your golf game.

Ashley Huizing

Master Bunker Play by Practicing with a 7-Iron (or Even a 3-Iron!) In this bonus lesson, Mike Malaska shares a breakthrough drill he discovered while watching Seve Ballesteros hit high, soft bunker shots with a 3-iron. Inspired, Mike trained himself to hit bunker shots using long irons like a 7-iron&mdash;and the results transformed his short game. Why train with a 7-iron or 5-iron from the sand? Because it forces you to learn how to manipulate loft, use bounce, and trust the club to pass your hands. If you can create height and softness with a long iron, using a sand wedge becomes automatic. Mike demonstrates how to open the face, adjust hand position, and use bounce properly&mdash;even when the club wasn&rsquo;t built for it. Practicing this way sharpens your skill, increases feel, and makes your standard wedge shots feel easy by comparison. Key Takeaway: Practicing bunker shots with a 7-iron teaches you to control loft and bounce. If you can hit it high and soft with a long iron, your sand wedge shots will become automatic&mdash;and your confidence will soar.

Bonus Video 3-Bunker Challenge Drill

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.

Malaska Certified-Brian Gott

Matt Baker, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A Malaska Golf Member is having problems getting his right elbow under his left. Too far underneath.

Matt says this comes from two different areas. You are shallowing the clubhead too much, and it’s getting too far behind you, or your left hip isn’t working properly on the follow-through. You may be stalling, and your hip goes upwards. This will cause you to tilt your body back, and you will get caught behind the ball.

There are two things you can do to work on this. First is the ‘Turning the Corner’ of ‘Tipping the Club.’ This is in the Malaska Golf Drill Center.
This is where you feel the handle is being pulled down, and the club feels like it’s going over the handle. This gets the club back out in front of you.

Second, start working on moving your left hip backward on impact. Reference M1 of the M-System, where you chip and learn to pivot the left hip backward by pushing the left leg and hip back as you swing through. This will help you turn the shoulders and keep them level.

You can do either one, and that should help you.

Keep From Getting Stuck

&nbsp;(Let the Club Do the Work) If you want consistent speed and solid contact, you have to learn how to use momentum. In Day 18, Mike Malaska explains how to let the weight of the club do the work&mdash;hinging, unhinging, and rehinging the wrists naturally through the swing. Too many golfers try to force motion or "release" manually, which destroys timing and consistency. Instead, this lesson teaches you to feel and direct the club&rsquo;s energy with smooth, controlled motion. Using drills like swinging the club handle-first, you&rsquo;ll learn how to sense the natural momentum of the shaft and head. Mike relates this concept to Iron Byron&mdash;the robotic arm that proves momentum alone can create perfect release and ball striking. When your grip is correct and your motion allows momentum to build and unload, you&rsquo;ll strike the ball cleanly with effortless speed. This is one of the most powerful lessons in the series, showing you how to maximize your swing without muscle&mdash;by trusting momentum.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About Momentum: Why forcing the release ruins your swing&mdash;and how to stop doing it How to train your awareness using the handle-first drill What the Iron Byron machine teaches us about swing physics How a correct grip and swing path allow momentum to hinge and unhinge naturally Why this is the secret to consistent distance and face control
Key Takeaway: If you want to strike the ball with speed and control, let momentum do the work. Trust the natural motion of the club, and your wrists will release at the right time&mdash;without trying.

Day 18-Unlock Power With Momentum

Most all sports crossover. 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

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

So what does the body really do in the swing. How do you incorporate it. What are its basic tasks that synchronize the swing. And finally how do you practice how it moves. Once you understand its roll it becomes much easier to maximize its use in your game. Instead of well intended having it just get in your way and create a lot of compensations.

HOW THE BODY WORKS - OVERVIEW


When good players hit the ball, their swing looks effortless, and the ball goes a long way. How do they do that? The Lever System is the secret and magic to generating a lot of speed and force with your driver. It is important to create 90-degree angles on the backswing, holding the angle on the downswing and letting the arms unhinge into the ball.

On the follow-through, your arms have straightened out, and then the club rehinges because your body stops rotating. You need to learn how to swing the driver back and forth fluidly because your hands have to react to the momentum of the club.

Learning to use the Lever System correctly is the first and most crucial aspect of driver consistency and getting maximum speed.


LEVER SYSTEM - PART 1

Ball flight starts with face control&mdash;and this month, Mike Malaska shows you how to master it. In July&rsquo;s Focus of the Month, you&rsquo;ll learn how to control the clubface through impact to shape shots, manage trajectory, and improve consistency. Across three detailed videos, Mike walks you through the instincts, drills, and training habits that build true face awareness &ndash; one of the most overlooked but essential skills in golf. In the first video, Face Control: Why It Matters, Mike explains how the best players at every level &ndash; tour pros to elite amateurs &ndash; win with face control. You&rsquo;ll learn how the face relates to your grip, wrist angles, and swing path. Using real-sport examples from baseball, tennis, and skiing, Mike draws clear parallels that help you understand how to manage the clubface like a true athlete &ndash; not a robot. This lesson sets the foundation for gaining feel, understanding loft, and using the face to make the ball curve on command. The second video, Control the Curve, gets hands-on with how to hit draws, fades, high shots, and low shots on purpose. Mike takes you through one of his most effective student drills: setting up with the intent to curve the ball. Whether you want to hook it around a tree or hold off a fade into the wind, this drill forces your body to react to your intention &ndash; and teaches you how to instinctively adjust loft, angle, and release. You&rsquo;ll learn to &ldquo;own&rdquo; your shots by consciously controlling spin and flight. The final video, Clubface Awareness, shows you how to feel the face throughout the swing and train it in your warmups. Mike introduces visual and tactile techniques like marking your clubface or rehearsing impact positions slowly. These methods sharpen your feedback loop and help you recognize when the clubface is open, closed, or square &ndash; without second guessing. It&rsquo;s one of the simplest ways to sharpen your short game and iron play. This month&rsquo;s series drives home one essential idea: if you can control the face, you can control the ball. Instead of guessing where your shot will go, you&rsquo;ll develop the skills to shape it on purpose&mdash;with confidence and clarity.

Focus of the Month (July, 25)

A waggle is a smaller version of your full swing. If it does not include elements of your swing that you wish to show up, you are waggling wrong. Here is a deeper look on what is a waggle.

Working on Your Waggle

Core training modules to improve your game.

Select Your Training Program

Dropping your right foot back gets your right hip out of the way and makes it easier to hit balls on the range and the course.

STAGGERED STANCE PROGRESSION

(Master Face Control with One-Handed Swings) This is where your range routine should begin&mdash;every time. Day 10 focuses on face control and how your hands influence the clubface from takeaway to impact. Mike Malaska teaches a simple but powerful one-handed drill that he&rsquo;s used since childhood to develop feel, precision, and trajectory control. The concept is simple: train one hand at a time to control the clubface&mdash;and you&rsquo;ll start every practice session with purpose. In this video, Mike shows how hitting short pitches with your trail hand only teaches the club to work correctly through impact. Then he switches to lead hand only to develop strength and face awareness. You&rsquo;ll learn how the hands influence the club&rsquo;s path, face angle, and shot height&mdash;all without flipping or twisting. Mike explains how small changes in hand position affect trajectory and control, helping you train touch and accuracy from the very first swing of your day. This is not just a warm-up&mdash;it&rsquo;s the foundation for everything else that follows.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About Face Control and Hand Training: How to train the clubface to stay square through impact Why starting your session with one-handed swings improves consistency How to control trajectory based on wrist and knuckle position How lead and trail hands work differently through the swing Why this drill is the first thing Mike does&mdash;every day Mike emphasizes that this isn&rsquo;t just a drill&mdash;it&rsquo;s your daily checkpoint. These short swings train your hands to square the face, control height, and develop feel. Whether you&rsquo;re warming up or rebuilding your motion, start with this drill.
Key Takeaway: Train your hands before you train your swing. Start every practice session with short one-handed shots to teach your hands how to control the clubface. Better face control equals better golf, simple as that.

Day 10-Train Your Hands at the Range

How your body moves is an important part of the swing. It is also a big speed and control producer (if it works correctly). However, if it is trained incorrectly it can make it almost impossible to reach your speed and control potential. It can also potentially create patterns that can lead to injury.

Ask Malaska Golf-Body Motion

In the fourth video of the Player Lesson series, Mike Malaska shifts his focus to one of the most fundamental elements of the golf swing: the grip. This session emphasizes how the way a golfer holds the club directly impacts every aspect of their swing, from power and control to ball flight and consistency. For Jimmy Pearcy, learning to perfect his grip is a transformative step in his journey to improving his game.Mike begins by explaining that the grip is the connection between the golfer and the club, and getting it right is essential. He walks Jimmy through a step-by-step process for properly positioning his hands. Starting with the left hand, Mike instructs Jimmy to grip the club in his fingers rather than his palm. The hand should fold naturally over the club, with the thumb resting gently along the side. The right hand then fits snugly over the left thumb, with the "V" formed by the thumb and index finger of both hands pointing toward the same spot.Mike emphasizes a critical checkpoint for grip alignment: when Jimmy looks down, he should see three knuckles on his left hand. This alignment ensures that the wrist and forearm are positioned to support the natural movement of the clubface. Mike warns that if this alignment is off, the rest of the swing will falter, making it impossible to strike the ball consistently.To illustrate the role of grip in swing mechanics, Mike draws on analogies from other sports. He describes how a baseball player grips a bat to generate leverage and power. Similarly, in golf, the grip allows the wrists and hands to act as levers, creating speed and control. Mike shows Jimmy how this lever system works by having him practice a "lever-and-hit" motion, where the hands guide the club into the ball with a fluid release.As Jimmy practices, Mike identifies an issue with tension in his grip. He explains that excessive tightness robs the swing of speed and power. A relaxed grip, on the other hand, allows the club to move naturally, maximizing both efficiency and control. Using a series of drills, Mike encourages Jimmy to let the weight of the clubhead dictate the motion, focusing on a smooth hinge and release of the wrists.Mike connects these concepts to ball flight and spin control, introducing Jimmy to the idea of shaping shots. Just as a tennis player learns to apply topspin for greater control and precision, a golfer must master the clubface to produce a consistent draw. Mike explains that a proper grip ensures the clubface aligns correctly at impact, allowing Jimmy to hit powerful, controlled shots that start slightly to the right and curve back toward the target.The lesson continues with Jimmy hitting shots while applying these principles. Initially, he struggles to adjust, but as he loosens his grip and focuses on the lever action, his swings become more fluid and powerful. He begins to hit solid shots with less effort, a testament to the effectiveness of a proper grip and relaxed motion.Throughout the session, Mike emphasizes the importance of practicing the fundamentals. He reminds Jimmy that the grip is the foundation of a successful swing and that consistent practice is key to making it second nature. He advises Jimmy to spend time hitting balls into his net at home, focusing on his grip and the lever system until it becomes an automatic part of his swing.By the end of the lesson, Jimmy experiences the difference that a correct grip can make. He learns that the hands and wrists play a crucial role in controlling the clubface and generating power. With Mike’s guidance, Jimmy begins to see how mastering his grip can unlock greater consistency, accuracy, and distance in his game.This session marks a significant milestone in Jimmy’s journey. By focusing on the grip, Mike equips Jimmy with a foundational skill that will improve every aspect of his swing. With this newfound knowledge and practice, Jimmy is poised to take his game to the next level.

Perfect Your Grip Step By Step

The lever system is one of, if not the biggest speed producer in the golf swing. If you do not have a solid understanding of the main components: Grip, Face control, Lever System, Arm Path and Club Head Path, you will fight the swing forever. These are simple but most of the time they are over looked. This could be the main reason you are struggling with the game. It really is simple if done in the correct sequence of learning.

M2-The Lever System

Plus Content

Knowing how the handle and bounce works are the first things to gain familiarity with for hitting these lob shots. Here's how you practice that.

FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS FOR HITTING LOB SHOTS

Identify the cause to fix the chicken wing.

THE CHICKEN WING

In this eight-part on-course Player Lesson, Mike Malaska joins Jeff Coburn and Jeff Krull for a real-world learning experience. The range is closed, so there&rsquo;s no warm-up and no time to fix anything&mdash;just golf the way it&rsquo;s actually played.
 Mike begins by showing how to prepare the body in minutes, then guides both players through every stage of the round: putting, chipping, driving, fairway shots, approach play, and finishing on the green.
 Throughout the series, Mike reveals a simple truth: great golf isn&rsquo;t about changing your swing; it&rsquo;s about learning your swing. Each shot follows the same process used by tour players: Program &rarr; Execute &rarr; Evaluate &rarr; Fix or Reinforce.From center-face contact to tempo, distance control, and shot awareness, the lesson shows how small adjustments lead to consistent play.
 By the end, both Jeffs understand that the real key to scoring is mindset. Golf is a learning process, and when you treat every shot as feedback, improvement becomes automatic.

Jeff Coburn and Jeff Krull Player Lesson

Get into your set up. Now go to impact. Once you have that position established then take the club back about 2 feet. This is a very small swing. Then from there hit the ball. Putting the center of the club face on the back of the ball. Lining up your trail arm with the club shaft. Now you start to feel what it is like to compress the ball. Just small swings identifying the impact postion and the line of compression. Plus the portion of your body. Most importantly your lead hip socket.

HITTING A BALL FROM IMPACT

(How L to L Generates Effortless Power) You&rsquo;ve trained face control and path&mdash;now it&rsquo;s time to generate speed. In Day 14, Mike Malaska introduces the &ldquo;L to L&rdquo; lever system, a fundamental movement pattern used by every powerful athlete, from tennis players to baseball hitters. This simple, repeatable action creates effortless clubhead speed by allowing the wrists to hinge and rehinge naturally through the ball. Using a 7-iron and a seated drill, Mike demonstrates how to train the pivot point of the swing without using your body or brute strength. The secret is not in swinging harder&mdash;it's in letting the club work. When you understand how the wrists, arms, and pivot function together, your speed will increase without tension or over-effort. You&rsquo;ll learn how elite players build speed with minimal effort and how to groove this same motion into your game with short, controlled swings. These drills not only improve swing speed, they also help you feel proper sequencing and strike the ball with more consistency.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn About the Lever System (L to L): &bull; Why clubhead speed comes from the wrists&mdash;not the shoulders &bull; How the &ldquo;L to L&rdquo; motion builds effortless, repeatable power &bull; How to train your hands and arms with the seated drill &bull; Why a light grip and proper pivot create speed more than strength &bull; How to transfer this feel into your full swing over time Key Takeaway: Speed comes from learning how to use the club&mdash;not from swinging harder. The L to L motion unlocks your natural power. Train it with small swings, feel the hinge and release, and let the club do the work.

Day14-Create Speed With The Lever System

October's focus of the month is Body Motion.
How the lead hip moves in the golf swing is an integral part of stabilizing the clubface and creating a consistent, powerful swing. It&rsquo;s not just a turn &ndash; it&rsquo;s the movement of the left hip socket that creates the turn.

Focus of the Month (October, 25)

MLM-How to Grip

The driver and putter are the two most important clubs in the bag. With the driver, it is essential to hit the ball a decent distance and control where it goes off the tee. It is crucial to get started the right way. You can't play the game if you can't hit your driver well. It won't put you in a position to chip or putt the ball because you are out of play all the time. Learning to hit the driver well is paramount to playing the game. Hitting a driver well is the most enjoyable part; everyone likes to see how far the ball goes. The problem is that what people perceive will make the ball go farther and what makes the driver move fast is incorrect. What people attempt to do with tension and effort to make the club move faster actually slows the club down. When you put everything together, you can have fun with how the driver works, how those forces work, hitting the ball farther, and controlling the golf ball. When you go through The M-System Driver series, you will learn different parts of what you are trying to do to get the right feel of swinging the driver. If you get out of sequence and one part doesn't work, and you try to make the ball go far or create more speed, then you are creating speed the wrong way. This is harder to control the clubface and to be able to have fun. Getting off the tee successfully and getting the ball in play can make the driver the most important club in the bag.

Driver

How does force actually move through your feet and what helps it work.

HOW DO YOU MOVE FORCE THROUGH YOUR FEET

Mike analyzes Josh’s swing and discusses grip, posture, alignment, dynamic swing plane, and clubface.

BREAKING DOWN THE SWING

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Billy Fitzgerald is stepping in to answer “Ask Mike’s” from Beverley County Club in Chicago.A member has a question about what happens when your lead leg doesn’t push away when you swing.Billy says he sees this often with players and that it is a great question. The main idea of having your left leg push away is to give room for your hands, arms, and golf club in sequence when you hit the ball. The clubface is moving out, while your hands can fit in front of you and your left hip and golf club are matching up.It is a matching combination, and it is about giving the golf swing, grip, clubface, and shaft enough room to go into the ball.When you don’t push away, your arms will get too close to the ball when you swing down. Your grip will also run out into the ball, exposing the heel of the club. The club will start to make a mad dash to the golf ball. Billy typically sees many heel shots and a lot of the shots off the hosel of the club.Billy again reiterates that it is about matching the clubface with the left leg. When the left leg pushes away, the clubface can go out, the handle can slow down, and that’s how you want to match the left leg pushing away so you have plenty of room to go into the ball.Billy makes some small swings so you can see how the left leg pushes away, the handle slows down, and the clubface works out.Your grip also squares the face at impact. Billy makes a small chip, and you can see the combination of the club stabilizing the face and giving Billy plenty of room for his arms, golf club, and grip to swing into a great impact position.Remember to push away and give yourself room to make good contact.

Left Leg Pushing Away

The M3 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska introduces the concept of offsetting forces, a critical principle for achieving balance, power, and precision in the golf swing. This lesson emphasizes the dynamic relationship between the body and the club, showing how opposing forces naturally create an efficient swing motion.
A key takeaway is the "tug of war" analogy, which demonstrates how pushing away from the club&rsquo;s momentum helps maintain balance and generate power. This concept simplifies the transition phase, blending the change of direction between the body and club. Drawing from sports like baseball and tennis, Mike Malaska shows how offsetting forces can feel intuitive for those with athletic experience.
Momentum is highlighted as an ally in the swing, guiding movements to achieve better timing and coordination. By understanding these natural forces and practicing targeted drills, golfers can develop a functional, instinctive swing. The M3 Coaching Series lays a strong foundation for continued improvement throughout the M-System Coaching Series.

M3 Coaching Series-Offsetting Forces

There are no positions in the golf swing because it is a fluid motion. If there were one position that mattered, it would be impact.

POSITION AT IMPACT

Training videos on how to use the Lagshot Irons.

Lagshot-Irons

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

How is tee time in under 24-hours? Use this tip to quickly prepare for that match with your friends.

Quick Fix Fridays

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

Practicing in your yard can be fun and improve your swing. Learn how to set up a place to practice.

PRACTICING IN YOUR YARD

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about the backswing. Sometimes, his arms get too far back behind him. The member wants to know a drill that he can use to make the club do what it’s supposed to do.When Mike takes the club back, the club gets behind his hands, and his arms and hands swing back and straight up; that’s okay. That’s how Mike takes the club away. He doesn’t necessarily bring it back and make a loop with it.Mike swings back with the club in line with his hands and then moves it behind his hands, demonstrating this.He is swinging the club on a line (arc), and his shoulders keep this all in sync.The problem most people have is that their shoulders don’t turn on the same arc of the swing, but they turn back. This is what gets most people in trouble.Holding an alignment stick with your golf club is a good drill for feeling how your club works and getting your shoulders steep enough. Mike holds the stick together with his club, and the stick extends up past the handle and the back of his belt.&nbsp;The key to this drill is to take the club back. As you do this, you have to get the stick off your hip and make it swing down on the other hip. When you do this, your shoulders turn steeper. Mike again demonstrates the swing with the alignment stick on the end of the golf club.Again, this is a great drill to help you turn your shoulders steeper instead of turning your shoulders and arms back.

Don't Turn Your Shoulders

Mike works on his grip in the next part of the lesson with retired MLB pitcher Garrett Richards. Mike explains that your hands to the golf club are the only connection to the game. How you put your hands on the club is then critical. If you don’t put them on correctly, it can have an adverse effect when you swing the club because the way the club puts force in your body will make the clubface do weird things.Then what happens is that you will find yourself trying to catch the clubface up.Mike is first going to show Garrett the correct grip, have a conversation about baseball, tie in what instincts he already has, and not try to fight them. Then Garrett should hit the ball more solid and not hit it as high as he does. Mike says that he has an early release, and this is the reason he is trying to catch the clubface up. Garrett’s grip is off, and he is trying to catch the clubface up because it is out of position.Mike gets Garrett to relax, bend from the hips, and let his hands and arms relax. Mike explains how the joints line up in this position. If you twist the right hand out, as Garrett currently grips the club, then any kind of force hits his right arm, and the right hand will twist back and be wide open. Then, his right hand will roll over to try and catch the clubface up.Mike elaborates that the right hand’s job is to push and throw. There is no twisting. Now Mike gets Garrett a baseball bat and swings it straight out in front of him. Mike stops the bat, twists the bat and hands, and asks Garrett why he wouldn’t hit the ball like that.Garrett responds that it wouldn’t be as powerful. Mike now moves his hands back and adjusts his thumb slightly. Mike drops Garrett’s hand with the baseball bat down into a golf club position.&nbsp;This is your golf grip, Mike explains. You want to hit with your hand positioned just like you would hit a baseball. Unfortunately, Garrett currently can’t because of the way he grips the club. If he tried to, he would hit it to the right because the clubface is wide open.Mike wants to change his grip so that he can hit a golf ball the same way he hits a baseball. Mike takes the baseball from Garrett and swings the bat. Mike’s Dad played professional baseball, and Mike played until college. Mike used to take a baseball bat and swing it at a tire hanging from a tree. When Mike came to golf, he adjusted his thumb slightly and dropped his arms and hands in front of him. This was his golf swing. And it was the same move as a baseball swing.Mike takes the club, places it in Garrett’s fingers, and wraps his hand over it. Mike explains as far as in the golf industry, it is a strong grip,However, as far as joint alignment is concerned, it is a neutral grip. The key is to line up all the joints with the clubface the way they are designed to work.Mike sets his grip and guides the club back and forth so that Garrett can feel the motion of the golf swing. Currently, Garrett twists the clubface open on the backswing, comes down, and twists the clubface back to square at impact. Mike is eliminating the twisting action.Mike gets Garrett to do an exercise where he takes a golf ball back and just throws it down to the ground. Again, as Garrett takes the ball back to throw, there is no twisting of the hand. You want your hand to line up with the ball. Mike again illustrates that there is no twisting in the hand and equates the throwing of the golf ball to the back and downswing.Mike adjusts Garrett’s grip and gets him to hit a couple of balls the same way he would hit a baseball bat.

Garrett Richards-Use Your Baseball Grip

To control path and face. First set up with the putter more in the palm of your hands. Then line your trail forearm up with the putter. Now push your hips back. Set the putter behind the ball. Make a stroke with either just your trail hand and or with both hands. The task is to roll the line. If the line is not rolling place four tees forming a box around the putter head. With about 6 inches front to back in the tees. You should be able to swing the putter head through the tees and not hit any of them. If you do and the ball is still wobbling then it is a face issue. You can also use a putting track for this skill.