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Grip is the same as full swing. The big difference is in how you set the face. The angle of attack or approach is not very steep. Much shallower than players think.

HAND ACTION

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

This is M1. The M-SYSTEM is a complete training system for your whole game. Start with M1. Learn the fundamentals, advance through M5. Then start learning about individual skills specific to Driving, Bunkers, Short Game, Putting, Chipping and Irons. Welcome to Malaska Golf.

M1-Swing Concepts

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

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.

Swing Concepts

This is a combination of short game tasks and skills. They are used and extended into full swing. Which is nothing more than more body motion and more arm swing with more speed. It is easy to learn if it is done in a skill development process rather than a by chance or random process it is something that most anyone can get fairly good at. It is not this mystical magical thing that you never get good at. And if you do it will for sure leave you. That is because you do not know the process to develop and maintain what is called a golf swing.

Skill Pathways-Full Swing

The latest additions to the Ask Malaska Golf Collection.

Ask Malaska Golf-What's New

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

The drill library is a collection of several drills to help your game. To begin, familiarize yourself with what is in there. Depending on what you are working on, guide yourself to drills that will help with your game. These drills all relate to some part of the M-System. If you have a problem with a particular part of the M-System, you can find additional drills in the drill library. These will help you navigate your game through that system. Just have fun. Try the drills. There is not a drill in the drill library that will hurt you. Suppose you find a drill that is hard to do. Work on it. It will make you a better player.

Drill Center

Elite Content

June Focus of the Month: Grip and Wrist Action- The foundation of a consistent and powerful golf swing begins with how you hold the club. This month, Mike Malaska takes you deep into the fundamentals of grip and wrist action, showing how these two elements influence every part of your swing&mdash;from setup to impact to follow-through. Across three focused videos, you&rsquo;ll learn how proper hand placement and natural wrist motion create a swing that is stable, efficient, and free of unnecessary manipulation.
 In the first video, Grip and Grip Instinct, Mike explains how a proper grip allows the clubface to square automatically through impact. He emphasizes gripping the club in your fingers rather than your palm, which promotes freedom in the wrists and supports the natural lever system of the swing. Drawing on experiences from other sports like baseball and tennis, Mike shows how athletic instinct often leads to better hand positioning than traditional mechanical instruction. This video lays the groundwork for developing feel, control, and confidence at setup. In Training Each Hand Separately, you&rsquo;ll learn how to isolate each hand to better understand its role in the swing. By gripping and hitting with one hand at a time, you can uncover tension, compensations, or inefficiencies that might be hidden when both hands are working together. This drill helps build awareness of how the clubface moves, how pressure should be applied, and how your hands sync through the hitting zone. It&rsquo;s a powerful way to refine hand function and train smarter.
 The final video, Chipping, connects everything by applying proper grip and wrist action to the short game. While the grip used in chipping is slightly different, the principles remain the same: square contact, quiet wrists, and clubface awareness. By starting each session with 10&ndash;20 chip shots, you remind your hands how to hold the club and move through the ball with control and stability. This not only improves your scoring but reinforces mechanics that translate directly to your full swing.
 Throughout this month&rsquo;s series, the message is clear: when your grip is right and your wrists function naturally, the rest of the swing becomes simpler. You&rsquo;ll stop fighting the clubface, reduce compensations, and start building a swing you can trust under pressure.

Focus of the Month (June, 25)

Start getting a feel for how the path of your arms controls where the ball goes.

CONTROLLING PATH WITH YOUR ARMS

Plus Content

Here we are with Ask Mike. I'm joined by Brian Gott and Billy Fitzgerald. Today's question comes from John Geraldo, who wants to know: Billy, when does a chip become a pitch?
That's an interesting concept for most people, and I think a lot of golfers have different ideas about it. I believe we're mostly on the same page, though. So, Billy, why don't you help him understand? When does a chip become a pitch?
First, let&rsquo;s define what a chip is and how it feels. Putting and chipping are almost identical, with a slight difference in ball position and the way we approach the ball.
For a chip shot, I use my putting grip. The ball is positioned slightly farther back in my stance, and I lean forward to ensure I catch the ball on the downward part of the strike. I can only make a certain length of swing with this setup before it starts to feel uncomfortable.
For me, that limit is about hip-high to hip-high. Any longer than that, and I feel like I have to involve my body more, which becomes uncomfortable. That&rsquo;s when it transitions into a pitch for me.
With a pitch shot, I need to generate more speed in the club, so I change my grip. I move from my putting grip to a pitching grip, which is closer to my full-swing grip but still slightly in the palm. This grip change allows my hands to work more, and it enables my body to pivot naturally, giving me the speed I need.
Let&rsquo;s go through both techniques:
For the chip shot, the ball is back in my stance. I lean forward slightly and make a putting motion. For the pitch shot, if I need to go a bit farther, I change my grip to a pitching grip. This allows for a little wrist hinge and some body motion, which adds speed to the club.
The difference between a chip and a pitch varies for each golfer. It comes down to when the chip motion feels uncomfortable or insufficient for the required shot. That&rsquo;s when you need to add speed by adjusting your grip and motion.
So, to sum it up, when you feel a chip is no longer sufficient for the shot, change your grip, add some speed, and transition into a pitch. That should help clarify the difference and improve your short game.

Chip vs. Pitch Key Differences

The Focus of the Month can be inspired by a number of things. It might come from something a tour player is doing &mdash; maybe someone who&rsquo;s winning right now &mdash; and there&rsquo;s something in their swing that&rsquo;s really valuable. Sometimes I&rsquo;ll look at that and say, &ldquo;Okay, here&rsquo;s what you can take from this&hellip; and here&rsquo;s what you shouldn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
 It could also be based on a swing technique or something that&rsquo;s trending in the golf world. I've been through a lot of these patterns, so I can say, &ldquo;I see how this could help, but here&rsquo;s the part that actually makes sense &mdash; the part that&rsquo;s really going to help your game.&rdquo;
 Sometimes it&rsquo;s about the time of year. Where are we in the season? What should your Focus of the Month be right now based on that?
 Now here&rsquo;s the great part: Every single Focus of the Month connects back to content on Malaska Golf. Everything I have you work on will be found in one of the Malaska Golf videos. There&rsquo;s nothing random here &mdash; it&rsquo;s all inside the site. And in the process, you&rsquo;ll learn how to use the site more effectively, how to learn more efficiently.
 That&rsquo;s really what I&rsquo;m hoping it does. It gets you thinking. It brings up questions. And the answers? They&rsquo;re in the site &mdash; or inside the M-System. This approach is powerful because it keeps you engaged. It gives you small, targeted things to focus on &mdash; and you start to see results. You might think, Why did that small adjustment improve my game so much? And when you want to understand why &mdash; the answer is right there in the M-System.

Focus of the Month (May, 25)

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

Mike Malaska introduces Garrett Richards for a Player Lesson and Sports Connect at Ocotillo Golf Course. Garrett, a retired MLB pitcher, previously played for the Boston Red Sox and, most recently, the Texas Rangers.Mike talks about how he had always wanted to play baseball as a kid, and he pitched until college. He loved the hand-eye coordination of the sport.Mike explains that he will look at Garrett's swing and relate that to pitching. Baseball players have great hand-eye coordination when they are hitting and throwing a ball. They already have the perfect golf swing.There is a misconception that baseball and golf are different; however, they have the same body movement patterns. You hit the ball on a different plane and at a different spot, but the swings are very similar.Garrett says that his misses are usually an over-draw to the left, and he struggles with pitch shots inside of 100 yards. He is more comfortable with 150 yards. Garrett says he tends to overthink tight lies with his wedges and catches the ball thin or fat.Garrett says he is looking for a mindset, a comfortable feeling, or a weight shift that will find the clubface more often.Mike asks Garrett how often he plays a week. He says that he uses a simulator at home and that he is a member of Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, AZ. He doesn’t get out as much as he would like because of kid’s activities, but usually, it’s once or twice a week.Garrett usually warms up with a pitching wedge to loosen up. Mike watches Garrett hit a few shots to assess his swing.Mike comments that Garrett has a nice motion, which he expected, having been a professional athlete. Mike says that he watched Garrett pitch, and Garrett explains that he was a cross-body pitcher. Mike says there are a lot of things that are similar in pitching and golf, specifically how quickly you open up. In golf, if your shoulders open up too fast, you are dead, and the same is true when you are pitching.Mike explains that in golf, instead of throwing a pitch out in front of you, you have a ball on the ground, and the pitch is down there. You must rotate and stay rotated until you plant your feet. There are many similarities.Mike says he will fix Garrett’s swing fast. He wants to work on a fundamental concept in golf that Garrett is weak on. Mike elaborates that he is fighting all his natural instincts for one particular motion. Once Garrett understands this, he will get significantly better.Mike asked Garrett what type of pitch he liked the best: a fastball or a curveball. Garrett liked his slider better because he had more control over it. Based on this, Mike says he will show Garrett why he hooks the ball. Mike continues to explain that Garrett controls the type of pitch with his fingers on the ball. When you play golf, you can also control the clubface with your fingers.That is how Mike does it because Mike used to be a pitcher. Mike controls the clubface by pressuring it with his fingers to hit a draw or fade and hit it straight, just like a pitcher does with a baseball. You curve and spin the golf ball the same way you do with a baseball. The clubface becomes an extension of your hands.Mike takes Garrett’s hand and fingers and shows him how to manipulate his fingers to hit different shots, which is similar to pitching. Mike tells Garrett that he is so good at putting spin on a ball that he should be good at it with golf.Garrett hits a ball, and Mike says that Garrett is going to improve easily.

Garrett Richards-Pitching and Golf Connect

Welcome to Malaska Golf Plus&mdash;and thank you for being a member! What this tells me is that you&rsquo;re truly committed to understanding what your game needs to improve. As a Plus member, you now have full access to the M-System, a step-by-step skill development process for building a golf swing.
Everything we do is built around step-by-step development. Golf instruction has often been a random mix of &ldquo;try this&rdquo; or &ldquo;try that&rdquo;&mdash;with nothing that truly fits together. One coach says one thing, another says something else entirely. But for real progress, everything has to fit. There has to be a system, a reason, and a structure&mdash;so all the parts work together like wheels in motion.
When people learn from random tips, those wheels don&rsquo;t connect. You might hit a great shot now and then, but you don&rsquo;t know how you did it&mdash;and when things go wrong, you don&rsquo;t know how to fix them.
That&rsquo;s where the M-System comes in. It&rsquo;s a structured process used by every top player I&rsquo;ve worked with. It&rsquo;s how they learn, how they practice, and how they maintain their swing. It works with how your body is designed to move, helping you build skill in a way that&rsquo;s both natural and effective.
We also include Sports Connect, which is incredible&mdash;and personal to me. That&rsquo;s how I learned golf. I played baseball, tennis, and basketball long before I focused on golf. Honestly, golf was fourth or fifth on my list&mdash;but I was naturally good at it, because the ball didn&rsquo;t move. To this day, I still believe golf is the easiest sport&mdash;if you do it correctly.
Your body is a pattern machine. So instead of trying to build completely new skills from scratch, use what your body already knows from other sports. That&rsquo;s the secret behind Sports Connect.
On top of that, you get access to Skill Pathways. This helps you break down and develop individual areas of your game: how to hit bunker shots, chip, putt, drive, or handle uneven lies.
Each of these is a specific skill that requires different movements and concepts. For example:
Bunker shots are actually one of the easiest parts of the game to become good at&mdash;yet most people fear them. Why? Because they don&rsquo;t have the right picture in their mind. Skill Pathways helps you see those pictures clearly and simplify each area of your game.
When you combine the M-System, Sports Connect, and Skill Pathways, your game gets easier and easier&mdash;because it finally starts to make sense.
Thank you again for being a Malaska Golf Plus member. Here&rsquo;s the most important part: all this information will help you tremendously&mdash;but I want to know what you&rsquo;re getting out of it. Are you seeing success? What are your breakthroughs? We want to share those with others. And if you&rsquo;re hitting roadblocks, let us know. Chances are, someone else is struggling with the same thing&mdash;and I may not have explained it the right way.
You become a key part of your own learning by staying in touch and letting us know what&rsquo;s working and what isn&rsquo;t. That&rsquo;s a big deal.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Welcome To Malaska Golf-Plus

Putting is the basis for the entire swing. Having an understanding and being able to attain the skills necessary to hit a putt with consistency, efficiency and also being able to duplicate it under pressure. This is the basis for the full swing. Many things that go on in an efficient putting stroke also happen in a driver swing.

Putting

Ask Malaska Golf-Swing Concepts

A deep dive into Pitching with Mike Malaska and the M-SYSTEM

Pitching

In the fourth video of John Lang’s player lesson series with Mike Malaska, the focus is on refining the swing path by using drills that teach proper clubhead positioning and body alignment. Through hands-on adjustments and visual aids, this lesson highlights the importance of pushing the handle down during the takeaway to position the clubhead correctly and improve overall swing mechanics.The session begins with two critical drills designed to correct John’s swing path. The first drill emphasizes choking down on the club slightly to maintain control. Mike explains how pushing the handle of the club downward during the takeaway causes the clubhead to rise into the correct position. This motion prevents the flat backswing that has been affecting John’s consistency. Using a ball as a visual guide, John is instructed to take the clubhead over the ball on the backswing and swing down inside it on the downswing. This drill reinforces the concept of creating a proper swing arc.Mike observes John’s posture and notes the need for further adjustments. He points out that John’s hips must push back more to create the necessary spine angle, allowing the shoulders to rotate correctly. A key takeaway is the use of visual feedback tools like shadows, mirrors, or windows to practice and evaluate posture and movement. Mike demonstrates how observing these reflections can help golfers ensure they are maintaining proper alignment and body angles during the swing.To reinforce the changes, Mike uses side-by-side video comparisons of John’s swing from earlier in the lesson and after the adjustments. The improvements in posture, clubhead positioning, and shoulder rotation are evident. Mike highlights the critical difference between the two swings, showing how the new technique sets John up for more consistent and powerful ball striking. He also explains how focusing on the task of pushing the handle down naturally adjusts the shoulders and body to accommodate the desired clubhead movement, eliminating the need to overthink shoulder rotation.The lesson concludes with John practicing the drills while incorporating the adjustments. Mike emphasizes the importance of training the hands and club to work together since they are ultimately what control the ball. By focusing on the handle and clubhead, John can develop a more repeatable and efficient swing.This lesson provides John with practical tools and concepts, such as using visual feedback and task-based training, to continue refining his swing path and overall mechanics. The improvements in posture and clubhead positioning lay the groundwork for consistent and controlled ball striking moving forward.

Fix Your Swing Arc

Pepe Cortez, a PGA Golf Professional since 1995, has been helping students become better golfers for over 26 years in the Seattle area. Pepe fell in love with the game as a young boy playing golf with his father and went on to play competitively at junior, high school, and collegiate levels. After graduating from the University of Oregon, he went to work at Sahalee Country Club under the Director of Golf, Rick Acton. He taught there for 26 years and is now teaching at Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club. His approach with his students is grounded in the foundational teaching of Jim Flick and Mike Malaska, who both helped him improve his own game. But it was Mike’s mentorship over the past two decades that solidified Pepe’s understanding of the golf swing and fueled his passion for teaching. Pepe is proud to be a Malaska Golf Certified Instructor and is excited to help you reach your full potential as a golfer. You’ll better understand how the golf swing works and how the body works through the swing.

PEPE CORTEZ

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know how and why Mike does the one-arm swing.

Mike begins by swinging an iron back and forth, independent of his shoulder moving. Mike places a finger on the outside of his shoulder socket to show the pivot point. You aren’t moving your shoulder forward as you swing.

Your shoulder socket must be relaxed for your arm to swing. Mike demonstrates this and hits a few balls with his right hand and then swaps to his left hand. You will notice there isn’t much body movement, and the pivot is at the shoulder socket. The key is to loosen up your arms without much body movement.

As you go to your full swing, you must keep that same lack of tension in the shoulders. Your arms need to go faster than your chest to create more speed. If your shoulder sockets are tight, you can only go as fast as your shoulders can turn.

Once you have a feel for that, then it’s about making a swing with the same amount of lack of tension in your shoulder sockets so your arms can accelerate and hit the ball.

Shoulder Socket Tension

Core Content

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

A Malaska Golf Member mentions he is okay, feeling like he is back on the heels of his left foot, his lead foot, as the club goes through the ball.

Mike reassures the member this is correct and what the biomechanics are now preaching in the industry.

You play the game more from your heels than your toes. Mike has talked about this concept in previous videos. Every shot he makes, even pitch shots, his club runs into the ball, and his left leg pushes his left hip back. When this happens, Mike's toes lift slightly off the ground. As the club gets longer and the swing gets bigger, you will find that your toes lift even more.

Initially, when you swing down into the ball, force goes into the ball or the middle of your left foot; then, as you are halfway down on your swing, the force transfers to the heel of your left foot.

Mike demonstrates hitting a small pitch shot, another fuller pitch shot, and then a driver. You can see the left toe lift and force goes into his left heel.

Mike feels this same timing with all his swings. That's the beauty of all the forces around you when you swing. Mike also finds that his driver is the easiest to time the forces affecting the club because it creates the most force on him. It becomes easier to time those forces and make sure the rotation of his body is in sync with his club.

The driver should be the simplest club to time the circular forces. It is the same feeling and timing of the forces regardless of the length of the club. Practice with small shots and build up to your driver.

IMPACT AND FORCE IN YOUR LEFT HEEL

A good picture for your swing is the areas the handle of the club swings trough. If you take a line directly under the but end of the club. Extend it parallel to the target line. Just to the right of your back foot about 6 inches put a tee. Then place another tee the same distance in front of your front foot on that line. On the backswing the club shaft goes directly over the back tee and the club shaft aims at the tee. On the down swing the club hits the same point. On the follow through the butt end of the club is directly over the front tee and the club shaft is aimed at the tee. 

CORNER DRILL

Putting first establish line of compression. Then develop posture. Now your trail forearm pushes the shaft through the ball. Then you allow your wrist to flex and extend not twist. Now make the ball roll and finally find your tempo and maintain it.

PUTTING SUMMARY

There is a skill development process to max out your driver and get the best distance. 

The first part of this process is your grip and the lever system. Start swinging your driver back and forth with your left hand. Notice the lever created with your left hand, the club on the backswing, and the follow-through. This motion is the L to L.

Your arm should be relaxed going through this motion. Your body nudges and starts your left arm, but your left arm takes off, and your chest goes with your arm. The same levers work with your right hand.

The whole motion is soft; if you combine that and add speed, you have something. If your wrists are tight and you add too much body and swing hard without the lever system, you won’t create as much speed as you can.

One of the first drills you can do is Sitting on a Chair Drill or sitting on your knees and making swings with your driver. Start making easy swings, trying to hit tees, and then move to balls.

Sitting on your knees helps you focus on the lever system and keeps your legs out of play. You will be surprised how far you hit the ball with an easy swing. You will also realize how little effort goes into it.

Once you train the lever system and as your body starts to move faster and faster, then you can potentially create more speed. 

MAX OUT YOUR DRIVER

How the position of the ball affects spin.

BACKSPIN AND BALL POSITION

M-System Max

ENJOY THE GAME MORE Golf is not a complicated sport when you really think about it. Mike, or one of our certified instructors will answer your question with the M-Sytem learning process at the core to every response. It&rsquo;s been played the same way for hundreds of years. Our goal is to give you a better understanding of why things happen the way they do. So, ask us anything. If one of our videos raises a question, post your question in the comments section beneath it. Every week or so we will be exploring the most common questions, and we post our video responses right here for everyone in the Malaska Golf community to see.

Ask Malaska Golf

Ask Malaska Golf-Advice

Mike Malaska introduces the M-System Lite M2: The Lever System.The Lever System is the most important part of M2 and the M-System. This is where you generate distance and speed from your irons and clubs.Mike demonstrates what the Lever System looks like, swinging an iron loosely, horizontally in front of him, from side to side. He looks very flippy with his hands as he swings the iron back and forth. However, this is how the Tour Players swing. Most amateurs tend to drag their hands throughout the swing.&nbsp;Mike explains that people don’t let the momentum of the club go and let the lever system work. This is how you create speed.Mike now drops the club down to the ground, applies the same motion/swing of the lever system, and hits a ball. Mike hits the ball 110 yards with little effort using the lever system.Even though the practice swings look flippy, they take on a different look once you add your body into the equation. The swing looks more fluid. Mike feels like he is doing the same thing. One of the biggest things he has learned in 60 years is what you feel like you are doing and what you see are very different.Mike now shows us a drill that puts the Lever System together, which is the L to L.First, make sure your grip is on correctly. As Mike demonstrates, the grip goes primarily in your fingers. People say it’s a strong grip, but really, it’s how your arm straightens and all your joints line up. Your right palm goes right on the back of your left thumb. Your right hand faces the target because it moves like a throwing or pushing action. Your left hand acts more like a chopping action.Once you get your hands on it, the lever can work correctly. Mike swings the club back and creates an ‘L’ with his arms and club on the backswing, then swings through to create the same ‘L’ on the follow-through. This is the L to L. Mike demonstrates the L to L, and you can see how the swing mirrors itself.It is important to be able to do this drill and let the momentum of the club rehinge your wrists. This should be an easy drill, but most people struggle because they tighten up and let their shoulders pull.This drill is monumental relative to distance, consistency, and the ability to relax and gain a lot of distance and speed.

M-System Lite M2-The Lever System

We are currently working on content for this category, please check back soon. You need to understand the basics of your own body. How it moves. What it can and cannot do. Every swing is unique. Even though you are trying to make the same moves you will look different doing them. That is Ok. You also need to understand the importance of your health. What you eat and drink has huge consequences on how you perform. Knowing how to control these variables can make big differences in your ability to perform and learn the swing and the game.

Fitness and Health

Mike Malaska has put together a fitness program that is easy to maintain and doesn&rsquo;t require going to a gym. He uses exercise bands and stretch cords for most of his workout program. You can also add a jump rope for cardio. Fitness is about being consistent, and this program does not require going to a gym six days a week. Using just the bands and stretch cords are handy and versatile. You can even pop them in your golf bag while traveling. All the exercises Mike has put together will help your golf game. He performs several of them to warm up before a round. Mike has been doing these exercises every day for 35 years. He shows you multiple examples for a complete and total body workout.

When you set up to the ball your trail wrist is at a 90 degree angle to your swing arch. As you swing back to waist high your trail wrist is still at a 90 degree angel to the swing arch. As your arm swings to the top of your swing your trail arm externally rotates in your shoulder socket. That rotation makes the club face look as thought it has opened up. Then as you swing down the arm internally rotates back so that at waist high the wrist is back to a 90 degree angle to the arch. It then stays in that same relationship until waist high on the follow through. At that point your lead arm continues to externally rotate. 

SWING ARC

The process of learning is to get the ball in the hole.

Toski-Best in the World

Set the ball down with the line pointing up. Then the goal is to hit the ball in the center of the face with the path correct so the line rolls perfectly. If the line wobbles then either the path of the face are off. To control distance you need to be able to roll the ball. If it is off learn to roll the line first. Trail arm is a big part of the stroke us it first.

ROLL THE LINE

Mike Malaska introduces the M-System Lite, a fast-track to the M-System swing process. The M-System contains many videos and information.The purpose of the M-System Lite is to cull down the most important concepts from M1 through M5.Mike says you will improve considerably if you get the M-System Lite down.The Full M-System will help you reinforce with different drills, concepts, and tasks, making it easier.The M-System Lite is a quick version of what you need in your game.If you master the M-System Lite, you should look at the M-System and brush up on all its other aspects.

M-System Lite-Introduction

Joe Nichols said that you practice a perfect golf posture everyday.  What he mean by this?  It was literally getting ready to sit in a chair.  This was his very simple and effective approach.

STANCE - SITTING IN A CHAIR

Getting a feel for how your body works when you swing is very important. Learn how your body pushes away from the club and how this benifits your swing.

How Your Hips Work

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

How and Why Your Arms Drop

Pointing the handle away on the backswing and the follow-through is a great drill to get the club to accelerate through the ball.

HANDLE AWAY DRILL

Using his 7 iron, Austin moves from the ROTEXMotion Floor discs to the floor, applying what he has learned.

Mike says this is how you should practice. Use the ROTEXMotion Floor discs, then transfer that swing motion to the floor. It has been a great coaching aid for Mike and his students. The rotating of the feet on the discs gets your hips to move correctly. This also helps you to feel where the force is going.

<a href="https://malaskagolf.com/products/rotexmotion-total-package-model" target="_blank" style="color: #EB3916">Get the ROTEXMotion Total Package from the ProShop</a>

Austin makes more swings with his 7 iron and puts the timing of his swing together. Austin talks about how his backswing felt wobbly a few weeks ago, but now after using the discs, it feels perfect.

Mike also notes that when you are on the discs, your right leg straightens, then pushes your right hip up and tilts your shoulders. This throws your arms up in the backswing allowing your shoulder and hip planes to work parallel. This all should be a free-flowing motion. It’s like swinging on an elevated plane; your swing should feel level.

7 IRON OFF THE DISCS

Mike Malaska has a Player Lesson with Javier Montoya. Javier has had problems shanking the ball or pulling the ball to the left with his irons and driver. Mike notices Javier tends to swing from the inside, and his clubface is open at impact. Mike works with a drill to lever the club and to get Javier to stand the club up on the backswing and the follow-through. Another thing Mike does to help Javier feel the club release upwards is by doing the Look Cool Drill. These few drills improve Javier&rsquo;s swing dramatically.

Javier Montoya- Player Lesson

Let&rsquo;s talk about what you&rsquo;re getting&mdash;and more importantly, what really matters most.
First of all, your membership is loaded with information. So now that you have access to everything, the big question is: What should you actually focus on?
There are two key places to start: The M-System Lite and I Feel Your Pain.
The M-System Lite is a simplified, streamlined version of the full M-System. It&rsquo;s built around the core fundamentals of each step&mdash;exactly what you need to understand to make real progress. If you just focused on the M-System Light, fully understood it, and could actually duplicate what it&rsquo;s asking you to do, your game would get better.
Not only would your swing improve, but you&rsquo;d also understand how a golf swing is actually built. You&rsquo;d learn the key fundamentals behind it&mdash;what really matters&mdash;and that clarity would start removing the confusion. As that clears up, your game improves, because your mind knows exactly what it needs to do.
Then there&rsquo;s I Feel Your Pain&mdash;the book I wrote because I&rsquo;ve lived through what you&rsquo;re going through. Whatever you&rsquo;ve struggled with in your swing, I&rsquo;ve likely been there. Over the course of my career, trying to make the PGA Tour, I worked with five major swing methods, each one promising something new.
I practiced hard. I got better at all of them. But none of them ever felt quite right. And eventually, injuries and setbacks caught up with me. That&rsquo;s why I truly understand the frustration that comes with not knowing what you should really be working on.
After everything I&rsquo;ve been through, I now know what matters when it comes to the golf swing&mdash;and I want to help you avoid the confusion and the pain of not understanding what you&rsquo;re trying to do.
Thanks again for being a Malaska Golf Core Member. We love that you&rsquo;re part of this community. And we want your feedback&mdash;tell us how you&rsquo;re doing, how you&rsquo;re progressing, and what questions you have.
Whether it&rsquo;s about the M-System, your swing, or your overall game&mdash;we&rsquo;re here to help. My goal is to make your game as good as it can possibly be.
&nbsp;

Welcome To Malaska Golf- Core

When it comes to playing the game and understanding the mind, Mike’s good friend Phil Blackmar is probably one of the best in the world, in his opinion.

Mike was recently talking with Phil about hitting the ball solid and what works for Mike is that he focuses on just that concept. Making sure he hits the ball solid; Mike tends to hit the ball better rather than just thinking about making swings.

This comes down to athleticism, and it’s essential to hit the ball solid. Practice hitting the ball solid and putting the clubface on the ball. You can also practice different stances and takeaways but hit the ball solid.

When you start working on making the clubface hit the ball solid, your body starts making corrections as you swing because your body is focused on making your hands run the club into the ball. Then your athleticism takes over.

Like when you play tennis, when the ball bounces, your body reacts athletically to hit the ball. When you start hitting multiple golf balls your body athletically gets into position.

Practice hitting multiple balls solid. This is a great drill to train your mind and focus on hitting the ball solid with the clubface. It will start to eliminate things that aren’t relevant to your swing, like how your swing looks.

Putting the clubface on the ball is a crucial part of practicing.

HITTING THE BALL SOLID WITH ATHLETICISM

The Malaska method of teaching is very different from most teachers. Practice getting a feel for what your hips need to do at impact.

Live Lessons

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

Don't Hold The Angle At Impact

As you swing the club on the backswing step your trail foot back 6 inches to a foot. This moves your trail hip out of the way. It makes it so much easier to rotate your body. You start to feel very free to swing and rotate. That instead of the coil feeling. This is much easier on your body and creates a much bigger turn and more effortless swing. 

RIGHT FOOT STEP BACK DRILL

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

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

In the second video of this series, the focus is on aligning the grip and shoulders to improve John Lang’s swing mechanics, consistency, and ball-striking ability. By addressing foundational elements such as how the club is held, how posture affects the swing plane, and how the shoulders move during the takeaway, John learns to create a more efficient and repeatable motion. These adjustments aim to give him better control and confidence in his swing.The session begins with an analysis of John’s grip. It is immediately clear that the club is being held too much in the palm, with the grip cap incorrectly positioned against his hand. This creates tension and reduces control. Adjustments are made to reposition the club more in his fingers, which allows for improved wrist alignment and a stronger, more natural connection to the club.Particular attention is paid to the role of the right hand. The two lower fingers are emphasized as key points for pulling the palm down onto the left thumb, which creates proper pressure and stability. This grip correction ensures that both hands work together effectively, with the right palm facing the target. John is also instructed to choke down slightly on the club rather than gripping the very end, which helps with control and prevents the club from moving around during the swing.Next, the lesson shifts to posture and stance. John is standing too close to the ball and not bending over enough, which throws off his dynamic swing plane. Corrections are made to widen his stance slightly and to push his hips back while ensuring he stands at a comfortable distance from the ball. Dropping the right foot back slightly is also introduced as a way to improve balance and comfort. Weight distribution is adjusted, favoring the left side for shots where the ball is on the ground and shifting slightly to the right for drivers. This allows for a shallower angle of approach and helps catch the ball on the upswing for more effective drives.Shoulder movement is the next critical focus of the lesson. It’s observed that during John’s takeaway, his left shoulder is rotating outward rather than moving downward and around. This outward rotation causes the club to move inside and off-plane, resulting in an inconsistent swing path. Mike demonstrates the correct shoulder motion, where the left shoulder moves downward and around, maintaining a 90-degree angle relative to the spine. This adjustment not only keeps the swing on-plane but also prevents the shoulders from blocking John’s view of the ball during the swing.To help John internalize this correction, drills are introduced. One drill involves placing the club across the shoulders and practicing rotational movements to ensure the shoulders stay aligned with the spine angle. As John practices, he begins to feel the difference between the outward motion he had been using and the correct downward motion that keeps the club on-plane.The lesson concludes with John putting these adjustments into practice. After setting up with his corrected grip, stance, and shoulder motion, he makes several swings. The improvements are evident as his ball striking becomes more consistent and controlled. Mike emphasizes the importance of repetition and deliberate practice to reinforce these changes and build muscle memory.By the end of the session, John demonstrates noticeable progress. Aligning his grip, improving his posture, and refining his shoulder mechanics have created a stronger foundation for his swing. These adjustments not only enhance his ability to control the ball but also provide a roadmap for continued improvement in his overall game.

Align Grip And Shoulders

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

Mike works with Austin Graham on stability of his swing. Austin Graham Played Golf in College at UC Davis. He played in South America and Canada after College and attended PGA Tour Latin America and Canada. He has been to Qualifying Schools around the world and has won multiple times in the U.S. on mini tours. He has plans to play in the PGA Tour Canada in 2022 on his way to The Korn Ferry Tour and then The PGA Tour.

Austin Graham

Mike has found that the driver is one of the easiest clubs to hit as it swings in the largest circle and creates the most force, making it simple to time everything.

The industry says your body and core are the main focus and emphasis in your swing. Mike believes this is important; however, this isn’t the right place to start for most people as a priority. Learning how to hit the driver well and have fun is a skill development process. Most people don’t approach the driver the right way and therefore don’t maximize the benefits of hitting the ball farther.

The M-System Driver series covers, Posture, the two parts of the Lever System, Increasing Driver Speed, Face Control, Creating Driver Speed, Driver Sports Connect, Driver Fitness, and concludes with a Driver Summary. The M-System Driver series will get you on the right path and produce the results you need to hit the ball farther and with more control.

DRIVER OVERVIEW

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I’m a Malaska Golf Certified Coach based in the UK. Today’s question comes from Mark Hughes, who is asking about the ideal degree of hip openness at impact, and its relationship to the shoulders.The simple answer is that it depends on your flexibility. It’s crucial to work on flexibility not just for your golf game but also for your overall health. As we age, it becomes increasingly important to stay flexible and strong, so incorporating simple stretching exercises into your routine is essential. Mike has some great exercises available on the site, especially focusing on the posterior chain, which includes your hip flexors, glutes, thighs, hamstrings, calves, and lower back. Stretching these areas will help you improve your hip movement and, consequently, your swing.In our current lifestyle, we often spend a lot of time sitting, which reduces flexibility, so regular stretching is critical, no matter your age. Even young people can struggle with flexibility due to sedentary habits.In addition to improving flexibility, understanding how the hips work during the swing is vital. I had a breakthrough when I learned that the hips work in straight lines rather than a turning motion. The concept of pushing the left hip back during the follow-through helped me maintain proper momentum and complete my swing arc. You can also practice drills like the M1 drill with one arm, adding the pivot action for better feel.Regarding how much the hips should be open compared to the shoulders, it varies based on flexibility. Mike said his hips are about 20 degrees open at impact, but it really depends on how flexible you are. Working on your flexibility will significantly benefit your game and help you achieve the desired openness of the hips at impact.I hope this answers your question, and I look forward to catching up with you soon!

Boost Hip Flexibility 

Mike Malaska explains the "Look Cool Drill," which is an isolation of the right and left hand for the L to L Drill. 

He demonstrates this by holding the club in his right hand and bringing the club back in an "L" formation and swinging through, forming another "L." He then puts both hands together, and his body rotates, which is the L to L Drill.

Mike then demonstrates the L to L in his left hand, where Mike's hand and the club shaft form an "L" with the arm.

Again, the "Look Cool Drill" isolates the right and left hands without moving the body. Add both hands and swing with your body. That is the L to L Drill.

LOOK COOL AND L TO L DRILLS

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

Lower Body

Mike Malaska works with Frank Cox on his golf swing. Frank played college golf, and his lowest handicap was 2.4. He played 55 rounds of golf last year.

Mike will work with Frank on his driver. Frank has a unique swing, and Mike likes players with unique swings. Mike names a few players like Jim Furyk, Fred Couples, and newer players on tour, Bryson DeChambeau, and Matthew Wolff, who also have unique swings. They may not have what is considered the perfect swing, but if they have the two or three things that make a player consistent, that's what matters. Mike quotes an old saying, "What is the perfect swing? Something that duplicates itself under pressure."

Mike only judges swings and players based on where their misses are. The better your misses are, the better player you are. If you have a double miss, right and left, you can't play. The better the player, the misses go in one direction and get tighter. How good you are is more about when you are off than when you are on. 

Frank sets up and crushes a few shots with his driver. He tends to fade with a giant pull. After looking at Frank's swing, Mike comments that speed is not an issue and that Frank has basically eliminated the left. This is ok; however, it's hard to be consistent with that swing. Mike says that the only thing that matters in golf is impact position. There are a lot of ways to get there.

Frank has a weak grip, and he sets the clubface very open. Because of the grip and setup, it forces Frank to twist and turn hard on the swing to get the clubface square at impact, and Frank will rarely pull hook. Frank hits the ball right to right if he doesn't twist enough. 

Studies have shown that you can't square the clubface with the rotation of your body. It can be helpful, but with the amount of clubface rotation from waist height to the ball, you can't create enough of it to work at impact. This means there will be some rotation of the arms.

Frank will not have to worry about hitting pull hooks with his driver but will flare some shots to the right. He will be steep with his irons and hard to control.

The game is played from 100 yards and in, and whoever is the best from 100 yards wins.

FRANK COX DRIVER: HAVING A UNIQUE SWING

Your right arm needs to line up with the club shaft. Learn this through chipping.

CHIPPING

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

LEAD ARM DRILL

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

Your hands are your swing. If you use them in a certain manner. It becomes significantly easier to control the ball. Your lead hand basically hinges and unhinges. Your trail hand flexes and extends. There is very little fact rotation relative to your swing arch. Also if your lead hand is in this hinge position it is very strong. IT is how the lead wrist is designed to hit an object with the most force and the least chance for injury. Your trail hand flexing and extending is how you throw a ball, Shoot a basketball, or throw a bowling ball.

WRIST HINGE

Hitting a base ball is an exact duplicate of hitting a golf ball. With only a couple of small exceptions. One when you hit a baseball it is infront of your lead foot by about 6 inches. In golf the ball is more in the center of your body. The ball is also lower than in baseball. But the transition of the body and how your lead leg stops the forward motion and then becomes a stablizer before it pushes back and away from the forward motion of the bat. That is what one causes acceleration and tow keeps your head looking like it stays still or moves backwards through impact. The other difference is that the shaft of the club is not the bat. The bat is the face of the golf club. 

CROSSOVER SPORTS

For this Quick Fix Friday, Mike pulls out his driver and starts practicing on the range.

Mike sets up three tees, and the key is to make easy swings and hit the ball solid. Mike hits the first ball in the center of the face, online, with a slight curve. 

Mike hits the next shot, adds a little draw, and follows with the third shot hitting a fade.

With all three hits, you can feel what the club is doing with face control even though you aren't making a full swing. 

This drill will help you with your full swing, especially since you aren't adding acceleration. Mike starts with the driver, puts it away, and works on his other clubs before returning to the driver.

START WITH YOUR DRIVER EASY SWINGS

Understanding how to practice is a basic skill. If you understand the steps and the reason for each one, and if you are consistent with them, your game will continue to improve. If you practice incorrectly or do not develop the basic skills that proper practice builds then your swing and your progress become limited.

Ask Malaska Golf-Practice

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about Jack Nicklaus's practice of putting the ball in the same position with every club.With a sand wedge, Jack would position the ball off his left heel. The handle of the wedge was right on his left thigh, where his left hand would be and where Jack would always set up.Moving to a 7-iron, Mike’s right foot drops back. It looks like the ball is further forward, but the hands and handle are in the same position off the left thigh.Now, to the driver, It’s the same as the 7-iron, only the right foot is farther back. The hands and handle still come off the left thigh.All Jack does is keep dropping the foot farther and farther back, but the hands and handle are in the same position, regardless of a wedge, 7-iron, or a driver. Jack is very consistent in the way he sets his club up relative to his body.He also has a leg action that allows it to work on all his clubs. Now, some players do that by having everything up off their left heel. Others move as the club gets shorter and goes farther back in their swing. You must find what's best for you and then be consistent with it.

Jack Nicklaus and Ball Position

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

Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska Certified Coach, is helping Mike this week. A Malaska Golf Member has a question about the right foot, right femur twist, and how it works down into the ground.Our members have probably seen the videos on the ROTEXMotion Floor discs. This is a great training aid because the discs allow your foot, thigh, and femur to twist in, which gives you a sensation of the femur working in. Even though you don't twist like that in your swing, the discs help you feel how the femur rotates in the hip socket.Both sides work in unison when you swing down into the impact position. As your left leg pushes the left hip up and back, your right femur is working down and in.Billy demonstrates how both sides are working as he swings down to impact. As Billy takes the club up to the transition point, he works the swing down; you can see how his right thigh works down and in. At the same time, his left leg pushes his right thigh up and back.Part of the member's question is, do you start to twist your foot when you are at the top of your backswing?Billy responds that it is about sequencing, and you need to talk about both the right and left legs simultaneously. Your left leg triggers the start of the downswing. As soon as your leg pushes back,you can feel your right foot and femur twist down and in.Your hip socket must be soft enough so your femur can rotate. Your foot doesn't twist, but you feel the pressure on the inside spike of your shoe.

Right Foot, Right Femur Twist

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know about The Loop Drill and its purpose.

When you watch Tour Players on their backswing, by the time the club gets waist high and parallel to the ground, the clubhead is even with or to the golf ball side of their hands. No one has the club pointed back behind their body. The club must come up over the top on the downswing if you do this. Some players like Craig Stadler and Sam Snead swung their club like that; however, they were able to get the clubhead back on track on the downswing.

As the clubhead goes back, the club is constantly moving away from the ball. Their shoulders and hips are back when they change directions, and the club starts to shallow or loop on the downswing. This allows them to come in at the right angle of approach to the ball. The clubhead is completing more of a circle than their arms. The clubhead is making a good-sized loop.

Mike demonstrates this loop with a wedge, a fairway wood, and a driver. If you get the loop action going, your club automatically shallows the club.

LOOP DRILL SHALLOWING THE CLUB

At Malaska Golf, we believe improvement starts with clarity. Each month, Mike Malaska highlights one essential focus&mdash;drawn from tour trends, seasonal strategy, or core mechanics&mdash;to simplify your swing and accelerate your progress.
Each focus ties directly into the M-System, giving you the tools to Master the move, Maximize your potential, and Maintain your edge. Through drills, visuals, and real-time guidance from Mike, you&rsquo;ll develop a clear feel for what matters&mdash;and how to build it into your game.'
This is how you take control. When you own your swing, you own your game.

Introduction to Focus of the Month

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

Mike Malaska talks about the change of direction in a golf swing. He believes there is no "top of the swing," just a start and a finish. 

There is a point and time in the backswing at the club transition point where inertia takes over, and you start on the downswing. This should be one fluid motion, so think of the "top of the swing" as "the club transition point."

If you change directions correctly, that's what drops your arms and gets the club coming down perfectly into the ball. You will come over the top if you change directions incorrectly or too late.

A great way to practice change of direction is to use an Eye Coach tennis machine, where you can practice your forehand with a tennis racket. As Mike swings and hits the ball, the racket goes back, and he moves forward.

That same timing and motion are identical to a golf swing. As Mike swings the golf club back, he steps forward. This change of direction is a continuous athletic motion. It is not wrong to practice the transition point, but when your mind thinks to swing to the top and start down, you won't be able to get to your left side soon enough.

This same concept applies to multiple sports, such as baseball, hockey, soccer, and golf.

USING A TENNIS SWING MACHINE TO PRACTICE TRANSITION

Joe hated a "floating right elbow." See what he wanted you to feel and learn how pivoting your right elbow will automatically steer your hands and arms.

PIVOT YOUR RIGHT ELBOW

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

PUTTING WITH THE SMARTLINE

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

Fitting an Iron

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about Moe Norman and Ben Hogan. Mike has had the opportunity to see them both hit golf balls.

Back in the 80s, Moe Norman hit balls for Mike at the finals of the Tour School. He hit balls for 45 minutes, and Mike was amazed
at how good Moe could hit it. Mike was also able to see Ben Hogan hit balls for about 15 minutes, and that experience was unbelievable.

The Member's question is about hand action. Did they both have the same hand action and lever system? They did not.

Moe had the club more in the palm of his hand as he had big grips on his clubs. He flattened or bowed his left wrist when he took the club away. Then, as he turned into the ball, he hit it and released the club on the follow-through. Moe didn't twist his forearm. Mike demonstrates how Moe sets up and hits the ball.

Hogan had a much weaker grip, and as he took the ball away, he would have a little cup in his left wrist. He wanted the clubface to be on the swing plane with his right palm facing out. Moe Norman's right palm was facing down. Because of this, Norman had much less face rotation in the club than Hogan did.

When Hogan took the club back, he had a lot of rotation in his forearms, palms facing up, and then he rotated his forearms really hard through the ball. This looked a lot looser in his wrists.

Now, Mike demonstrates Ben Hogan's swing.
Mike tried to imitate that same swing for a long time early in his career. Mike had difficulty timing the rotation of the forearms for that style of swing. The benefit of this swing style was that it helped Hogan not to hook the ball. Hogan wanted a hand action, an application that felt like he had two right arms. He wanted to be able to rotate his forearms as hard as he could and not hit a pull hook. This will work for you, but it isn't easy to time the clubface.

The two swings were very different, but where they were similar was if you stopped them both at impact. This is the most important position in the game, and there are many ways to get there. Moe Norman and Ben Hogan were very different but also very proficient in their golf swings.

Ben Hogan and Moe Norman

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

Milo discusses fundamentals that start off every lesson, and every practice session. These include grip, posture and ball position.

Lesson With Milo Lines

To get into impact. Take your posture and set up. Then move just a little bit of weight or force into your lead leg. As you are doing that push your lead hip back away from the target line. This will pull your trail hip forward. It will drop your trail shoulder and your trail arm will now be no the shaft plane. Once you feel that portion. Then go back to address and do it again. Keep duplicating the process of set up and impact. The more you understand that feeling the easier it will be to develop your swing.

Impact

Hi, my name is Matt Baker, and I&rsquo;m a Malaska Golf-certified coach based here in the UK. Today&rsquo;s question comes from Chris Murrell&mdash;or Murrell (apologies if I&rsquo;ve mispronounced your name). Chris asks, &ldquo;When the moment of impact comes into play in the golf swing, is it the body or the momentum of the body that directs the club into the ball? Or is it the hands and arms that do this?&rdquo;
This is a great question, and the answer is that it&rsquo;s a combination of both. When you swing a golf club back, the momentum of the club starts first. As the swing transitions into the change of direction, the shoulders help direct the club. This change of direction creates the proper spine tilt as you move into your left side. It also helps establish the split or shift in momentum that directs the arms back down toward the ball.
From there, the momentum of the club pulls the hands, arms, and shoulders through the swing. The weight and inertia of the club, along with the forces you generate, all work together to create a fluid, coordinated motion. It&rsquo;s not just one element doing all the work&mdash;they all play a role.
As the club starts back, momentum initiates the movement. Then, as you transition at the top of the swing, the shoulders guide the club back down. The key is to keep the shoulder sockets relaxed. If they&rsquo;re relaxed, the transition happens naturally, allowing the forces and momentum to work efficiently.
It&rsquo;s essential to keep everything smooth and relaxed, letting the momentum of the club swing around you. The club initiates the motion, the shoulders guide it, and the momentum pulls you through, delivering power and accuracy to your shot. This harmony of movement helps generate clubhead speed and ensures proper swing mechanics.
To summarize, it&rsquo;s not about choosing between the body or the hands and arms&mdash;it&rsquo;s about how the forces, momentum, and coordination between them all come together. Using momentum correctly and allowing it to work for you will help you swing on the right path and generate speed and power.
I hope that answers your question, Chris. Keep practicing, and I&rsquo;ll catch you soon!

Master Momentum For Impact

When we talk about release. We are not taking about letting go of the club. We are talking about how your hands direct the momentum of the club to the ball. And how they react to that momentum as the club goes through the ball and into the finish. So the question is how do your hands work or direct the momentum of the club.

Release the Club

Austin Graham, a Southern Californian native now residing in Ohio, is in Phoenix to work with Mike Malaska. Austin is eager to work on his wedge game, as he is experiencing confusion with his transition in the golf swing. He has too much lateral movement in his swing and wants Mike to help him with that. In this six-part series, Mike evaluates what is going on with Austin&rsquo;s golf swing and addresses the lateral movement that is happening in Austin&rsquo;s golf swing. Mike introduces Austin to the ROTEXMotion Floor Models to help with the movement of his hips and minimize the lateral movement of his body. Austin has an aha moment with this fitness device.

Austin Graham- Player Lesson

Adjust your grip to make the ball curve differently by setting the clubface more closed if you tend to slice the ball.

FIX YOUR TENDENCIES

The trail arm works the same in most all shots. It lines up with the shaft of the club you are hitting at impact. Start with your putter. Set up with just your trail arm. Your wrist is parallel to the club face. Then hit puts just using your trail arm. Your forearm should line up with the shaft. It pushes the shaft through the ball. The key is that your forearm does not twist. You can then do the same thing with your lead arm. The task is to make a stroke where the arm does not rotate. Then put both hands on the putter and hit some putts. This is the same relationship of your trail arm with even your driver.

IMPACT DRILL - PUTTING

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 

When you move your left hip out of the way, your right hand goes under so it doesn't have to twist. You won't hit a pull hook.

RETURN TO NATURAL JOINT ALIGNMENT

Set up is a skill. You need to be in a position where your body is ready to move. To achieve this first you need to know what balance feels liked. When you stand if you are on balance your toes are quiet. If they are grabbing or lifting you are not in balance. Then you need to push your hips back. Your knees stay over your ankles but your hips move back which angles your upper body. Then you use a club down the front of your body. You bend first. The club will go between your legs. You then tilt so that the club touches your lead leg. This is because your trail hand is lower on the club than your lead hand. Now you are in a position to move any direction. Plus your structural muscles are relaxed so it is easy to rotate your body.

POSTURE

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

Baseball and Golf Connect

June's Focus of the Month is centered around grip and wrist action

June Focus of the Month Introduction

In this six-part Player Lesson series, Mike Malaska works with Jimmy Pearcy to transform his golf game by focusing on core fundamentals and personalized instruction. Starting with an exploration of Jimmy&rsquo;s &ldquo;golf DNA,&rdquo; Mike identifies how Jimmy&rsquo;s athletic background and natural movement patterns shape his swing. By tailoring the lessons to Jimmy&rsquo;s strengths, Mike provides a foundation for improvement that is both effective and sustainable.
The series begins with grip fundamentals, as Mike emphasizes the critical role of a proper grip in supporting every aspect of the swing. By positioning his hands correctly and reducing tension, Jimmy learns how to maintain control of the clubface and create consistency in his shots. This foundational step sets the stage for unlocking greater speed and power.
In subsequent lessons, Mike introduces Jimmy to the concept of speed generation. Using drills that highlight the importance of relaxation and leveraging the natural hinge and release of the wrists, Jimmy discovers how to create effortless power. Mike reinforces that tension-free motion, combined with proper sequencing, is the key to maximizing clubhead speed with minimal effort.
The series progresses to the concept of leverage, where Jimmy learns to let the club&rsquo;s weight and momentum dictate the swing. Through exercises that focus on feeling the club&rsquo;s natural movement, Jimmy develops a deeper understanding of how to generate power without relying on force. This approach not only improves his swing but also enhances his confidence in controlling the club.
In the final two lessons, Mike focuses on advanced concepts of shot shaping and control. Jimmy practices manipulating the clubface to produce hooks, fades, and straight shots, gaining the ability to navigate different course conditions and play with more versatility. By mastering the relationship between his hands and the clubface, Jimmy unlocks a new level of creativity and precision in his game.
Throughout the series, Mike&rsquo;s personalized coaching helps Jimmy develop a relaxed, efficient swing that capitalizes on his natural strengths. By addressing fundamental issues and progressively building new skills, Jimmy gains the tools and confidence to approach the game with a deeper understanding. This series marks a significant transformation in Jimmy&rsquo;s golf journey, equipping him with a more powerful, controlled, and versatile game.

Jimmy Pearcy-Player Lesson

Joe Nichols' leverage system combats one of the primary problems that people encounter in their backswing.  Learn how to move your left shoulder in order to set up a good backswing.