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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

Meet Matt Baker, PGA Professional and newest Malaska Golf Certified Coach. Matt is based in the United Kingdom. Matt has been a golf professional for over 25 years, working his way up from Assistant Pro to Head Pro, and now teaches full-time. Matt started playing at age 14 and immediately fell in love with the game and how the swing worked. Golf became his passion. Matt was intrigued with the motions of the game, putting the swing together, and helping other golfers, which led him to coach. Matt, who was looking to improve his game, came across Mike Malaska on YouTube, he loved what he saw, and the videos improved his game immensely. Not only did he improve, but Matt gained a better understanding of the game because it was simple and made sense. The key takeaway was that Mike Malaska&rsquo;s instruction and coaching just made sense to Matt! Matt has applied this knowledge to his game and especially to his students. Matt has seen great success from them as they start to play better golf and understand the game. Matt also loves the sport connect and how other sports relate to golf, making the game more understandable. His goal is not to teach you something you don&rsquo;t understand but to teach something you already possess and can do. Matt is excited to be a Malaska Golf Certified Coach and help others play better golf. The M-System is Matt&rsquo;s favorite, and he does it every day.

Malaska Certified Coach- Matt Baker

The Right Foot Back Drill works so well because you can get your hips out of the way, and it gives you the space for your arms to swing down into the ball.

When you drop your right foot back, it makes it easier to time the outside circle of the clubhead with the circle of your center as you go into the ball.

Many Tour Players will drop their right foot back to hit the ball harder. Doing this gets their hips out of the way, gives them more time to hit the ball, and gives them a more significant turn.

Hitting the ball with your right foot back allows you to hit the ball farther and be more consistent. The only downside is that your swing path might might follow your foot line. Whether your feet are open, square, or closed, your shoulders and eye line stay the same.

Moving your feet allows your lower body to do different things, and that’s why players adjust their feet. This lets you do other things with your arms.

The Right Foot Back Drill is excellent; everyone should learn to do it.

RIGHT FOOT BACK WILL CURE YOUR GAME

The latest additions to the Ask Malaska Golf Collection.

Ask Malaska Golf- What's New

BUY NOW: <a href="https://malaskagolf.com/collections/all-products/products/precision-impact-swing-trainer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://malaskagolf.com/collections/all-products/products/precision-impact-swing-trainer</a>Mike Malaska, 2011 PGA National Teacher of the Year, was recently honored by Golf Digest and elevated, along with a few golf instructors, to 2024 Legends of Golf Instruction. Mike has won numerous awards and accolades over the years, and this one from Golf Digest is a crowning achievement by his peers.Mike has taught hundreds of thousands over his 50-year career and has worked on many golf swings.There's never really been a training aid that Mike could endorse for hand action in the golf swing relative to the M-System, like the Precision Impact Swing Trainer.&nbsp;Mike covers how this training aid helps you with putting, chipping, iron swings, and driver swings - basically every club in the bag.&nbsp;If you purchase a Precision Impact Swing Trainer, refer back to this video to get the most out of it!

PRECISION IMPACT SWING TRAINER

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

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

Mike has a candid conversation with PGA Professional Austin Graham about the PGA Tour School. Mike shares his experience with the Tour School and compares it to the process Austin will experience this year. The PGA Tour School will be held at TPC Sawgrass, and the Top 5 will make the PGA Tour while the rest will be on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Austin Graham- PGA Tour School

Mike Malaska, 2011 PGA National Teacher of the Year, was recently honored by Golf Digest and elevated, along with a few golf instructors, to 2024 Legends of Golf Instruction. Mike has won numerous awards and accolades over the years, and this one from Golf Digest is a crowning achievement by his peers.
Mike has taught hundreds of thousands over his 50-year career and has worked on many golf swings.
Mike is excited to present a golf training aid by Pure Swing Products, the Precision Impact Swing Golf Trainer. Mike is passionate about golf training aids that give people immediate feedback to help them with the game. When he finds that training aid, Mike likes to get involved and help promote the product.
Mike is at FireRock Country Club in Fountain Hills, Arizona, to put the swing trainer to the test and review the product.
In 2016, Mike developed a world-class swing process called the M-System. This was a culmination of his entire life's work of understanding the golf swing process. Along the way, Mike has worked with Jack Nicklaus, Jim Flick, and Joe Nichols. This mentoring, coaching, and experience have been pivotal in developing the M-System. In the M-System, Mike talks about how your hands work because they are your only connection to the club and the face. This is where this swing trainer comes into play.
It is a shortcut to the learning curve relative to that M-System. Once you have this on and you know what you're trying to do with it, the Precision Impact Swing Golf Trainer will automatically give you immediate feedback as to whether your hands and wrists are hinging at the right angle in relation to your golf swing.&nbsp;
The swing trainer will make you do things correctly, and that's a big deal. This is a great device that gives you correct and immediate feedback to ensure that you are practicing the right way. You want to make sure you aren't practicing the wrong way and wasting your time.
What is excellent about the Precision Impact Swing Golf Trainer is that it can help you not only with putting but also with chipping, pitching, full swing, and even your driver.
In the M-System, specifically M1, Mike talks about line of compression. So, how will this help you with line and compression? Mike demonstrates this by grabbing his putter with the Precision Impact on. He holds the putter straight out in front of him. The Precision Impact lines up with the putter shaft. Now you have a perfect line. When you hit a putt, you have a little forward press. As Mike moves his wrist forward, you can hear the Precision Impact click into place. Now, it is set to the right amount of forward press he needs to putt the ball. When he putts, it holds, and his right arm pushes the putter shaft right through the ball.

Precision Impact

HOW TO HIT THE BALL LEFT

Full swing fundamentals applied to your wedge game.

HANDLE DOWN, CLUBFACE OUT WITH WEDGES

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

Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska-certified coach, addresses a question from Malaska Golf Member about the "left-right-left" movement in the golf swing—starting with pressure on the left side, shifting to the right, and then back to the left. This movement is a technique for generating momentum, and Billy notes it’s a question he receives often.Billy explains that this movement helps restore a sense of athleticism in the swing. In many sports, shifting weight to the opposite side before moving adds power by creating something to push off from. This left-right-left sequence not only enhances athleticism but also improves timing and rhythm while preventing a static start.One of the most common challenges he hears from golfers is difficulty initiating the swing. Billy explains that the left-right-left motion helps start the swing by signaling to the body that it’s time to go. He suggests that it’s a great addition to any pre-shot routine, helping break up the feeling of stiffness.To illustrate the concept, Billy references Vijay Singh, a golfer known for his smooth rhythm. Singh’s technique included a slight knee kick that would initiate a leftward shift, then back to the right, and finally left again in the swing—a consistent and powerful rhythm, regardless of the club he was using.Billy demonstrates his own routine with a balance board to practice shifting weight. He encourages students to place initial pressure on the left, then move right and return left in the swing. He notes that this slight movement brings rhythm to the swing, allowing him to initiate it smoothly, stay athletic, and easily pull the trigger at impact.

Power Up With Left-Right-Left

When it comes to playing this game well you have to develop face control. Your hands control the face and the face controls the ball. Every day you should set up a series of balls. Put a club face in your hands and feel how your hands control the angle of the face. Then take your grip and hit hooks, Fades, Low shots and high shots. All with the same grip and set up. Do it in slow motion. Then gradually build speed. Do not try to do this at high speeds. That is not the drill. Get control first speed second. 

FACE CONTROL DRILL

Rapsodo

When your toes move, your body knows it is unbalanced. Practice your natural standing position.

BALANCE

Mike takes another look at Kory’s grip. Because it's still not strong enough, he makes the adjustments using baseball analogies to get the point across.

GRIP REVISITED

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 

Harry Hooker returns to discuss what you can work on if your swing with a driver resembles Harry’s. 

Harry’s normal grip has his right hand underneath the club handle. This Mulligan Monday, Harry will rotate his right hand counterclockwise around to the top of the handle. 

Mike sets up and swings the driver. The ball shoots to the right and is lost. Because of Harry’s grip, Harry will have to adjust his aim and path to compensate. 

The grip changed Harry’s curve, so he must now change his path.

HARRY HOOKER DRIVER CHANGE YOUR GRIP AND PATH

Creating force and speed without creating injuries.

ROTATION & POWER

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

As you progress in golf, having a solid L to L is critical for helping stabilize your speed.

L-TO-L

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

Hale's swing was always his own. Here's how he shaped it by using what he saw in others.

GOLF LEGEND HALE IRWIN

The M5 Coaching Series by Mike Malaska introduces a focused, deliberate approach to practicing on the range. Emphasizing the importance of control and consistency over speed, this video guides golfers on building effective habits for long-term improvement. By utilizing structured setups, deliberate motions, and visual cues, players can train their hands, clubface, and body to work in harmony.
Mike stresses the importance of starting with small, controlled motions, such as waggling the club to train hand and wrist movements. This foundational action ensures the clubface maintains proper alignment and avoids twisting during the swing. Gradual progression from chip shots to full swings helps establish consistency while reinforcing proper mechanics. Visual aids like alignment sticks and target markers create clear paths for the club and ball, improving accuracy and feedback.
Consistent routines, including grip, posture, ball position, and swing patterns, are vital for reliable outcomes. Mike highlights that random practice leads to inconsistent results, while disciplined, repetitive practice develops muscle memory and dependable performance. By focusing on precision and gradually adding speed, golfers can make lasting improvements in their swing and ball striking.

M5 Coaching Series: Practice On The Range

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

Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A Malaska Golf Member has a question about how to determine grip pressure. The member says he is somewhere between extremely light and losing control of the golf club to extremely tight, where his arms and shoulder sockets tighten up.

Billy says this is a great question, especially since many people think they have the right pressure when, in fact, they don't. Billy notes that there is a point where you can actually hold the club too soft.

Grip pressure is important as it allows you to have control of the clubface. This is a constant feeling, and it never changes throughout the swing.

Billy suggests the first thing you do is grab and hold the clubhead with your hand. Feel the weight of the clubhead. Understand how that feels, even though you hold the club by the grip.

If you hold the grip of the club too tight, you won't feel the weight of the clubhead. If you hold the club too light, there will be a lot of play in the club. You won't feel the weight of the club either. 
The key is to feel the weight of the clubhead and secure it in your hands. Make sure there is no play in the grip.

One thing you can do is hold the club out in front of you and make big circles. This is a great drill to feel the weight of the clubhead without any play in your hands or your grip.

Billy recounts a story that Mike told him about Jack Nicklaus and that he controlled the grip pressure in his forearms. Jack was secure in his hands, but his forearms were soft.

You need to be soft enough in your wrists, arms, and club so that the weight of the club can hinge and unhinge your wrists, your elbows can fold, and your shoulders can turn. Billy notes that the member's grip pressure is probably more secure than his wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

To summarize, you want to feel the weight of the golf club. Even though you grip the handle, you still want to be able to feel the weight at the other end of the club. You want to be soft enough that the grip pressure is constant throughout the golf swing.

THE RIGHT GRIP PRESSURE

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

LET&rsquo;S MAKE GOLF UNCOMPLICATED Golf uncomplicated means going beyond the &ldquo;fixes&rdquo; that often just add confusion. The lessons here are all about creating a better understanding. This is where your progress becomes permanent. Once you understand how simple golf really is, you will start to find your own greatness in the game. And, it can happen immediately.

I Feel Your Pain

M-System Max

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

Each Skill Pathways section takes an in-depth look at a fundamental part of your game. This allows you to select a trouble area, explore the breakdown of the shot, and perfect your abilities. Now, when you&rsquo;re out on the course, you can really focus on the skills you want to elevate and fine-tune the shots that will help you score better.

Skill Pathways

Elite Content

Mike Malaska works with Dr. Joe LaCaze, Owner and Managing Partner of Rotex Motion. Joe plays golf mainly in the summertime and shoots anywhere from 75 to 77.

Mike observes Joe make a few practice swings. He notices that Joe's body mechanics are really good, although the way his hands and Lever System work is minimal.

Mike's goal with Joe is to get him to understand the Lever System and put that together with what his body is doing. Mike adds that if the Lever System works correctly with much less tension and effort, Joe could get more speed.

When Mike observes golf swings, he looks for how the body moves and what the Lever System is doing. Most of the time, Mike corrects the Lever System first and then the body. Because Joe's body motion is good, Mike mainly focuses on the Lever System with him.

Joe makes a couple of swings, and Mike notices Joe's grip is off. When Joe tries to lever the club, he levers at the elbows instead of the wrists. If he levers at the wrists, this will keep his arms straight on the backswing. Joe tends to cast the club on the downswing.

Mike works with Joe's grip to ensure that the club feels like it's more in Joe's fingers. Mike then works on Joe's takeaway and understanding that the Lever System is immediate. The lever needs to happen before the club is parallel to the ground. Mike also wants Joe to feel like he is pushing the handle away from him.

Mike gets Joe to swing and point the handle away on the backswing and the follow-through. This motion is the Handle Away Drill. Mike reminds Joe to keep the wrists loose and go easy on the swing.

Mike wants Joe to make practice swings with a plastic ball with his right foot back. This helps Joe to feel the Lever System and practice the Handle Away Drill. Mike really wants Joe to get a feel for how the hands work.

FEEL THE LEVER SYSTEM

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

An Instagram member wants to know why he keeps hitting slices now that he has a strong grip. Mike believes that the member's grip is more neutral than strong.

Mike demonstrates with a strong grip why the member slices the ball. As Mike hinges his wrists on the backswing, the wrists cup, and at the top of the swing, his left wrist is bent, and his right wrist is flat.
This causes the clubface to be open. When you start the downswing, your clubface is still open and will be open at impact, causing you to slice the ball.

Even though your grip is strong, it doesn't mean your wrist will work correctly.

This time Mike demonstrates the solution. When he takes the club back and hinges his wrists, it is flatter, so the clubface is facing the ball.

Mike then shows the difference between the two wrist hinges on the takeaways. It is obvious the member's wrist hinge will cause the clubface to be open. The key is ensuring your wrists work correctly with a strong grip.

CORRECT WRIST HINGE

Updates from Mike Malaska about what is happening in the World of Golf.

Malaska Golf News

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know about the right shoulder in chipping. Mike explains when you swing, the shoulder doesn't go lower than where it started.

The biggest problem most golfers have is setting up to the ball and having their right shoulder tilted down. This causes you to hit behind the ball because your legs will drive into the ball, and your shoulders will tilt. When you set up in chipping, you want to feel like your shoulders are level through the swing.

The Malaska Golf Member wants to know if this is relevant to your full swing. Mike's answer to this is yes. The only difference is that your shoulders turn significantly more in a full swing, and the right shoulder goes a lot higher. When your right shoulder comes down, it will be level through the swing. This is called "covering the ball." It is not swinging "over the top."

When you go back during the full swing and turn in the downswing, the right shoulder is just below your left shoulder, your left leg pushes out of the way, and your right shoulder will level out and go right through the ball.

Mike concludes that it does have relevance to a full swing as it is the same move with a lot less shoulder turn. Again, the shoulder turn is minimal in chipping before it levels out on the downswing. The bigger the shoulder turn, the more your shoulder will go down before going around. This depends on the shot, but the relevance is the same.

RIGHT SHOULDER ACTION

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

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Billy Fitzgerald is subbing in to answer “Ask Mike’s” from Beverley County Club in Chicago. A Malaska Golf Member has been struggling with his left arm collapsing for most of his golf career and wants help.Typically, this occurs because your wrist hinge is too late, or you might not have a wrist hinge at all. What happens is that there's no wrist hinge, and as you swing back, your body is looking for some kind of lever to make the club swing a little bit. The key is to get the swing going on the backswing, and that's why the left arm breaks down if there is no lever.The first thing Billy says you should check is your grip. If your hands are wrong on the club, the handle is too much in the palm and not in the fingers, or it's not lined up right, it will be hard to make this wrist hinge and hinge soon. That’s what you need. You need the wrists to hinge sooner so you can put pressure from your right hand into your left palm or from your right hand into your left thumb, which will pull the arm straight.Make sure your grip is correct. Billy demonstrates the grip and how the relationship of both hands helps you to hinge and push the grip away on the backswing.The remedy that Billy doesn’t recommend, and I see this all the time, and I have written about it, is a straight left arm. This is an effect of what we're talking about: the correct grip, early wrist hinge, and how your hands are pressuring each other or the thumb, which is going to pull your arms straight.Billy stresses checking your grip and making sure the club is in your fingers. When you swing back, the left hand is hinging.Billy says that you should do that because you probably don't have any wrist hinge to begin with and this needs to happen sooner. The sooner you can get the club up the sooner the right palm is pushing on your left thumb, which is going to make your left arm straighten up.To recap, get the correct grip, get over the ball, and make some small backswings. Feel the club hinging, and you will feel pressure in your thumb when you move the club into the backswing.Billy demonstrates by hitting a ball so you can see the wrist hinge and levers work.

WRIST HINGE IS THE ANSWER

How your body moves is an important part of the swing. It is also a big speed and control producer if it works correctly. But 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.

Body Motion

Learning to play golf is about how to accommodate uneven lies. There are more uneven lies on a golf course than flat lies. Even fairways that look relatively flat have slopes, and the more you make little adjustments to compensate, the better you will become.

There are two essential things to understand when it comes to uneven lies. First, you must ensure that your body is perpendicular to the ground as if you were hitting off a flat lie. If you are on a downhill lie, your body should tilt forward. 

Most people on a downhill lie tend to lean back when they try to hit the ball. Your club will bottom out early when you try to make your swing. Make sure you are getting your shoulders even relative to the ground. Mike also drops his right foot back because your knee tends to be more up on a downhill lie and in the way of your swing. The more severe the downhill lie, the more your foot goes back.

Second, once you accommodate the lie with your body and stance, make a practice swing to see where your club bottoms out. You will find that the club will bottom out slightly in front of the ball. You will have to adjust your position in your stance so the club will bottom out and hit the ball.

When it comes to playing golf, it’s about adjusting; in this instance, it’s about making those adjustments to the lie and not your swing. A downhill lie will take loft off the face; an uphill lie adds loft; below your feet doesn’t do much, and above the feet, your shot goes to the left.

Remember, on a downhill lie, get your shoulders level with the ground, drop your right foot back and see where your club bottoms out. Set up and go from there.

MASTERING UNEVEN LIES

With chipping, we begin to apply the concept of line-of-compression. It is about developing the impact between the club and the ball. You are not only learning the feel of impact, but how the club interacts with the ball. Chipping is about trajectory control. Chipping is the first step in creating a bigger arc and learning how to control the bottom of your swing. Maintaining this control is critical in the full swing. In addition to controlling the swing arc and impact, there is a face control component. Combining all of those components together allow us to start developing distance control (not only total distance but also carry distance).

CHIPPING

Ball Position is a vital part of The M-System series. Mike Malaska walks us through how using different clubs, from your driver to your wedges, affects ball position in your setup. Mike builds a practice station for you to follow to help with ball placement and how you line up your body to the ball. Mike’s approach from 120 yards out is consistent with hitting from his left side. As Mike gets into fairway woods, rescue clubs, and his driver, the approach and ball position are more forward, and both legs come into play. The golf swing is a circle, and the ball position and angle of attack change with the club.

BALL POSITION

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

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

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Matt Baker, based in the United Kingdom, is answering a member's question this week. The member is concerned about casting on the downswing, which a friend has pointed out. This friend also noted that the member has a flippy release, or is releasing the club too early, resulting in hooking the ball to the left.First, double-check your grip. Make sure that your left hand is placed correctly on the club. Matt refers to this as a natural neutral position. He suggests letting your hands hang naturally before transferring them onto the club handle. Matt also talks about the knuckles you should see and demonstrates how the heel of the hand acts in a chopping action, instead of a flippy release. This is the first thing you need to get right.The second thing to focus on is practicing impact. Matt addresses the ball and moves into his left side, as you would do in a swing. He emphasizes feeling pressure move from the middle of the feet to the heel of the left foot, by pushing the left leg backward to clear the hip.This improves hand position, making the left shoulder go back and the right hand and shoulder come down. The right side will then align behind the club shaft for proper compression. Matt also mentions feeling his right leg coming down and inward when hitting the ball, rehearsing the impact position.Visually, when Matt is at the impact position, he can’t see his left hand as it covers his left knee. It feels like his hands are far forward, though from the camera view it might not appear that way. This is an important concept to grasp. You don't need to hold the angle through impact; it's a position you will naturally achieve.Matt demonstrates this process down-the-line by getting your grip correct, taking your address position, then moving into your left side, getting the left hip back with your left leg. Ensure your left shoulder goes up and your right shoulder goes down. The right hand and arm should be behind the club shaft at impact. Start with chip shots to get the feel of impact. Progress from chips to full swings, moving from impact backward. Matt practices this frequently, as it’s the most crucial position. He then demonstrates with a full swing.Practicing the impact drill will significantly improve your strike and give you much better control of the ball.

Stop Casting

This Malaska Golf Member wants to know what you do on the backswing after hinging your wrists.

Mike Malaska says you must be careful to avoid getting too segmented in your swing; instead, think of it as a blend of motions.

Swing the club slightly forward, then start the club back and toss the momentum backward. When you hinge your wrists on the backswing, your left arm is parallel to the ground, your shoulders are 90 degrees, and force is in your right leg. Once you reach this point, your arms go up and down.

It’s not just about shoulder turn, although some players feel that. Mike feels a more up-and-down motion after the wrists hinge. This up-and-down action also helps load the ground, and Mike goes on the downswing.

When do all these motions all sync out? There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way to do it. Mike’s wisdom is that if you add tension to the equation, then don’t do it.

Start with the club out in front, then push back and let the club swing and hit the ball. The reality of the swing is that your shoulders, arms, and body are moving at different speeds. Nothing is traveling at the same rate, but there is a blend of those circles. A combination of those different swing arcs makes up the swing.

Mike talks about how players feel connected and together. What does that mean? Mike describes this as a feeling, and you must be careful with what you do with it.

In summary, the swing isn’t tight and too position orientated. Just toss the club back and let the arc of the different circles work together in your swing.


BLENDING ARM SWING, WRIST HINGE AND BODY TURN

Your body is a very important part of your golf swing. You must understand the basic task that it is trying to accomplish. Once you know what the task is and you have drills to feel how it works, it is not that hard to allow your body to do what it is designed to do. You are making perfect body motions for your swing multiple times per day, and you are not even thinking about them.

M3: HOW THE BODY WORKS

Pressure can cause you to make mistakes in your game. Learn how to adjust and correct your errors.

THE PRESSURE OF TOURNAMENT PLAY

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

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

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know whether or not to keep her left arm straight.

Mike’s answer to that question is that it depends, and really, it’s not that important. If you have locked your left arm and are trying to keep it straight, then you will have tension in your arm. Your shoulder will lock up as well. This makes it impossible for your arm to move faster than your shoulders to create speed.

There are many Tour Players that have their left arm slightly bent. The only place your left arm needs to be straight is at impact. Your arm stays straight because the lever system starts to work when you swing the club back. 

Your wrists hinge, and your right arm constantly tries to straighten out on the backswing. Your right palm pushing against your left thumb keeps your left arm straight.

Now, if your left arm bends because your wrists don’t hinge, then you need to learn to lever your wrists, but if you lever your wrists and your left arm bends a little, don’t worry about it.

Your left arm stays straight because the lever system hinges, and your right arm pushes, keeping your left arm relatively straight.

LEFT ARM STAYS STRAIGHT

Mike has received the highest honor of PGA National Teacher of The Year in 2011. He wrote, “I Feel Your Pain” in 2013 and is proud to announce the new release of this 2nd book entitled, “The Invisible Swing” in 2019. Mike produced his own DVD, You Are Your Own Swing, featuring 2 ½ hours of both golf and fitness instruction in 2004. In 2010 he was selected for PGA Southwest Section Teacher of The Year and went on to be named The National PGA Teacher of the Year In 2011. In 2017 Mike was honored to receive once again, the PGA Southwest Section Teacher of The Year Award for a second time.

Since 2000, Mike has ranked among Golf Digest’s America’s Top 50 Greatest Teachers, and currently listed in the top 20 in the nation. Mike has also been selected as Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America every year from 1995 to 2017. Since 2012 when the Golf Range Association of America started its list of award winners, Mike has been one of the top 50 on that list for his contribution to growing the game of golf. This award called Growth of The Game Teachers in America is yet another of his accomplishments. In 2017 he was voted the Top Teacher in Arizona by Arizona Foothills Magazine.

A graduate of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, Mike was a college All American in 1974. He was then inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in February 1999 and into the Utah Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. In September 2013 Mike was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for his service to the University and his community. Mike is currently the Director of Instruction for the Nicklaus Academies Worldwide, Superstition Mountain Country Club, and a member of the National Advisory Board for TaylorMade Golf since 2002. He has been a summertime guest instructor for the prestigious Maroon Creek Golf Club in Aspen, Colorado in 2017 and 2018. As Director of Instruction for the Jack Nicklaus Golf Centers in Japan from 1992 to 1995, Mike was featured in Golf Digest Japan and was nominated for Japan’s Teacher of the Year in 1993. Then in 1996, he received Teacher of the Year for the Utah PGA Section.

As the continuing Director of Instruction for Nicklaus Academies Worldwide, Mike instructs the teachers at each of the centers around the globe. He continues to be a guest lecturer at countless corporate functions, PGA Section Seminars, PGA National Coaching and Teaching Summits, and as a guest speaker for the World Golf Fitness Summit in 2012. He has appeared numerous times on The Golf Channel as a guest instructor.

Malaska Certified-Mike Malaska

&ldquo;Golf&rsquo;s Biggest Secret is the Swing You Cannot See&rdquo; Unleash the M.A.G.I.C. in your golf swing. I talk a lot about the natural forces at play in your swing &ndash; Momentum, Acceleration, Gravity, Inertia, and Centripetal Force. These natural factors make the golf swing work. Even though you cannot see them. You can feel them. You can develop them and learn to control them to get greater distance and consistency without putting more stress on your body. Golf is a human development game &ndash; one of the best ones out there. Let&rsquo;s get started and see what it can bring out in you. Add 15-Years to Your Game!

Invisible Swing

In the set up you want to make sure that your weight is on your front foot. Your weight stays on your front foot through out the swing.

SET UP & BODY

If you know how to practice, and you know what type of practice stations to set up, and what type of aids you need to give you feed back, you will start to see some amazing progress. Most players do not know how to practice. They think practicing is just hitting balls. That becomes a plan for failure. Lets make a plan for success.

M5: HOW TO PRACTICE

Mike and Alice discuss common swing flaws.

SWING FLAWS ARE BAD TASKS

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

The M-System Bunkers series is all about throwing sand. The concept is hitting and throwing sand. You are not trying to hit the ball.

Next, Mike explains the idea that the ball goes where the sand goes. The clubface works with the sand differently. Where the clubface is aimed isn’t where the ball will go.

Mike covers hand action, which is more of a level swing than an up-down action because you are trying to hit down and throw the sand.

Lastly, Mike talks about setup and how you need to be stable and control your swing circle. Distance, control of swing, uneven lies, how you set up, and how to use the club are other topics Mike covers in The M-System Bunker Series.

BUNKERS

Consistently position the ball where your swing bottoms out.

If you stay on your left side when you hit the ball 100 yards in, is it ok to do that with all your clubs?

Mike says this is the Stack and Tilt method, and you are basically playing off your left foot. Force is going from right to left. You aren't trying to hit the ball as far as you can, but you are trying to control trajectory as much as possible.

Mike stands on his left foot and swings from 100 to 120 yards. When he gets outside that range and is still on his left side, he finds it harder to get the ball in the air. Also, Mike can't hit the ball as far.

When you are creating speed, it comes from the ground up. When you swing left, right, left, that whole change of force is a considerable speed producer that goes through your body.

If you stand on your left side, you have eliminated the loading of the shaft, and you won't hit the ball as far. You will hit the ball a little lower and more to the right.

Golf is about a blend of motions and actions. When Mike is hitting short shots, he hits from his left side. If he hits his driver with the same setup, he could hit it fine, but he wouldn't get the distance. Using the left, right, left motion allows Mike to pressure the shaft and become a big speed producer.

It's the change of direction in your body and the force it puts into your club.

Playing on your left side is a way to play, but after 100 yards, you will have to give up distance and speed.

 STANDING ON YOUR LEFT SIDE

Making "out to under" swing change with wrist hinge drill.

THE WRIST HINGE DRILL

Head movement is the subject of this Skill Pathway. Your head doesn't remain still, so how and why does it move, and what keeps it still?
One of the biggest problems for players, especially amateurs, is how their heads move. The movement happens because they are trying to shift their weight.
Forces, not weight shift, are what causes your head to move. When you swing into your right heel, then into your left heel, and your left leg pushes back, your head moves as your body tilts. It is not because you are just moving it back and forth.
Mike stands on one foot and swings to demonstrate how his head doesn't move much as he pivots on one hip. He doesn't push off on his right foot when he changes direction and starts down.
It is vital to understand that you are not trying to shift your weight; you are trying to move force. Practice hitting on one foot to experience what it feels like to hit down into the ground instead of off the ground.
Correctly moving your body will make your head more stationary and not move around as much.

Weight Shift

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

The swing is a channeling of ground forces being moved through your body.  It may sound counterintuitive, but the ground is not a bad place to start.

START YOUR SWING WITH YOUR FEET

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know some drills so they don’t pull their hands in on the swing instead of extending them.Most teachers who see students come into the ball and pull their arms in call this the ‘dreaded chicken wing.’Mike demonstrates how the chicken wing happens. People think that the answer is to straighten your arms on the follow-through. Mike explains this is not the case; your arms are pulling in because they must. People have more hand-eye coordination than they give themselves credit.What happens is that when people swing back, they don’t push their hips back. On the downswing, their body ends up moving closer to the ball. To hit the ball, they resort to pulling in their arms to get the clubface on the ball. Hence, the ‘chicken wing.’&nbsp;Mike explains the fix! When you swing a golf club, the thing that makes your arms straighten out is when your left hip pushes back and away. By doing this, it throws and accelerates your arms forward.When Mike has students who do the ‘chicken wing,’ he gets them to step back from address and try to hit the ball. They usually miss the first one because their arms pull in. When they hit the ball, their arms must straighten out, and the ‘dreaded chicken wing is gone.’The ‘dreaded chicken wing is an effect of people moving closer to the ball. Once you figure out that if you push your left hip back, your arms will straighten out, and the ‘chicken wing is gone.’

THE DREADED CHICKEN WING

Mike Malaska continues his player lesson with Joe LaCaze, stressing the importance of the Lever System. Mike wants Joe to practice the Lever System at home by looking in a mirror, ensuring his arms are at a 90-degree angle on the backswing, then swinging down into the ball and making another 90-degree angle on the follow-through.

Mike doesn’t want Joe to make full swings when practicing this because Joe’s shoulders are in too big of control of his hands and arms. Joe is a body guy who is so tight in his arms and shoulders that his body is pulling his arms.

Your arms must accelerate on the swing as your body goes with them. In Joe’s instance, his body is ahead of his arms. Mike adds that your shoulder sockets must be relaxed like a baseball pitcher. Mike reiterates that Joe needs to keep the club in his fingers with a strong grip, with at least three knuckles showing.

Joe should choke down slightly on the club, ensuring the handle points down and away on the backswing and the follow-through. If Joe focuses on the Lever System when he swings, he should be able to hit the ball farther with little effort. His shoulders should not be pulling his arms through the ball.

Joe makes more practice swings and notices that he uses less effort. Mike says that when the effort goes down, the efficiency goes up.

The key to Joe’s success is getting his hands moving and working on the Lever System. 

IT’S IN YOUR HANDS AND ARMS

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 discusses a lesson he gave where the member was having problems with hitting behind the ball.

The member on the backswing would return to their right side, and their whole upper body would shift to the top of the swing and stop. Then on the downswing, the member couldn’t get to their right side fast enough and would hit behind the ball.

Mike’s solution was the Left Right Left Drill. This exercise is an important drill because it’s the sequence of a golf swing.

You put weight on your left foot, then force on your right foot, back to your left foot, and then swing from the top transition point. Remember you are already to the left foot at the transition point, so your swing circle moves forward to catch the ball and then the ground.

The problem was when the industry said to swing to the stop and stand on your left foot. Then once you are there and stable, swing forward.
The problem with this is that you are so out of sequence, and it’s hard to get to your left side. You would end up being behind the ball or leaning forward too much to hit the ball.

Practice this drill by swinging the club forward to the left, then right, and back to the left. Your arms will swing and accelerate from the transition point through the ball.

STOP HITTING BEHIND THE BALL

You control something with what touches it. Your hands are your only connection with the club. The more your hands become aware of and can control the face the better player you will be. Take a sand wedge. Place it in either hand. Take a ball in the other hand drop it on the face and try to bounce the ball on the face. Then change hands. Try to pick the ball up off the ground with the club head. Use two clubs and bounce the ball back and forth. Great for hand eye coordination. 

BOUNCE BALL ON FACE

If you watch a hammer thrower. Or if you create the action with a basket and some balls. As the hammer and or weight swings around you. You are constantly offsetting the motion of the basket with an opposite force. This is what accelerates the basket and or maintains the circle and the balance. If you move into the force created by the basket you are immediately off balance. Plus the basket slows down. Tension then tries to make compensations to regain control. The same skills or tasks in throwing the hammer are what happens in a golf swing. I have never had someone swing a weight around them and move into or the same direction the weight moves. It is not instinct. So try this simple motion and feel how your body moves where is force going in your feet. Then duplicate it in a swing.

HAMMER THROW

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

Mike Malaska shows us how there are three ways to hit a draw.

First, you can set the clubface closed and make your normal swing. That will make the ball draw.

Second, you can put the ball back in your stance, making your swing path come more from the inside, which will also make it draw. 

Third, you can swing and use your hands to make the clubface work. This is ideal for putting you in pressure situations and trying all three ways to hit a draw. The critical thing is that you need what works best for you on the range and then take it to the course.

There is no right or wrong way to make the ball draw or fade and go high and go low. Try some experimenting on the course and figure out which way suits you the best.

BEST WAY TO HIT A DRAW

Start with standing upwright with the putter in your trail hand. Your weight should be even in your feet. Your toes quiet. Line your trail forearm up with the putter shaft. It should be pointed just above your belly button. Then push your hips back keeping your toes quiet. Place the putter head behind the ball. Then make a stroke and let your trail forearm push the shaft through the ball. Fell the force into the back of the shaft and into the ball. This should happen in all shots.

PUTTING

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

When setting up to the ball. First make sure that you are balanced your bending from your hips but your toes are quiet You need to make sure that your arms have room to swing back. Set up with your lead arm on top of your left breast and your trail arm is on the side of your trail breast or on your side. This creates an open path way for your arms to swing back on the backswing. You then do not have to move your arms out and around your body. 

ASHLEY - SETUP & BALANCE

Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska-certified coach, addresses a question from viewer Peter Zhu about the slapping motion of the hand through impact in the golf swing and the role of the right wrist. Billy explains how the wrist and forearm should align at a 90-degree angle to the spine to ensure proper mechanics.Using a dowel for demonstration, Billy shows how this alignment keeps the club on plane, allowing the hand to return to impact naturally without twisting. He emphasizes the importance of shoulder alignment, as maintaining a 90-degree angle with the spine enables the arms and hands to follow a vertical path, supporting a consistent swing.The slapping motion at impact, Billy explains, is achieved by this vertical arm and hand movement. Without the proper shoulder alignment, the arms can twist, causing the clubface to open and making square impact difficult. This coordination is key to a powerful and accurate strike.Billy highlights the role of grip, especially the left hand, referred to as the "chopper." This grip position stabilizes the clubface, allowing the right hand to slap through impact without twisting, making the swing more reliable.To build awareness, Billy recommends practicing the feel of each body part—the shoulders, hands, and arms—independently before integrating them into a cohesive movement. This approach helps golfers understand each component’s role in a fluid, powerful swing.In summary, the correct grip, along with coordinated movement of the shoulders, arms, and hands, enables a clean, effective slapping motion at impact. Billy thanks Peter for the question, hoping this breakdown clarifies how each part contributes to optimal performance.

Wrist Position For Perfect Impact

Set up to the ball. Then move your trail hand down on the club shaft below the grip. So there is a space between your lead hand and your trail hand. You are now holding the club like a hockey stick. Then make a back swing. This will naturally make your wrists lever. Then swing back to the ball. To do that the handle has to swing in towards your body instead of out and away from you. Then rehinge the club on the follow through. You can do this and hit the ball at slow speeds. It gives you a great feel for how your arms and wrists work in the swing. 

SPLIT GRIP

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

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Matt Baker, based in the United Kingdom, is answering a member question.A Malaska Golf Member has a question about the Arm Drop video and how it doesn’t get the club parallel to the path on the way down or to the ground. However, when Mike does it, it does.Matt agrees with the member, and he explains that the golf swing is a dynamic motion and there are lots of other things moving as well. The arm drop is just a feel. Matt demonstrates when you take the club back to the top of the swing and you let your arms drop, the club is still behind your hands. What you want to do is learn to have a separation between the arms and the body. You want the club to just fall down. During this motion, other things are happening as well, because the golf swing is a dynamic action. Your body is moving and pushing away from the ball from the clubhead through the shot.Also, at the same time, you are directing momentum on the way down, famously called the ‘Malaska Move’ or tipping the club. Matt demonstrates this move. As he starts the club down, you will see that Matt is ‘tipping’ the club out or forward on the downswing. If Matt had a steering wheel, it would feel like he was turning the wheel to the left.Matt reiterates that as you are changing the direction of the club, you are changing the momentum of the club. Matt’s favorite drill is the 3 Corners Drill. This drill helps you with ‘tipping the club’ out in front of you. When Matt practices the 3 Corners Drill, he feels like he gets everything out in front of him, and the club just swishes through on the swing and takes off.Matt agrees with the member that if you do drop your arms, the club will still stay behind your hands, because of momentum. What you must do is offset that momentum and change that path. This all happens in transition. Performing the 3 Corners Drill and working on changing momentum will transform your golf game.

Master The Arm Drop

The toe should make contact with the ground, not the heel.  Also your arms should swing to the left.  Watch this video to learn why, as well as to review.

WHERE TO PLACE THE TOE

When it comes to a great visual for a bunker shot. It is like skipping a rock on water. The rock has to be angled to make the rock skip. Plus you throw the rock on a shallow angle at the water. The steeper you throw the rock the less chance for it to skip. The back or bottom of the rock is the bounce or sole of the club.

BUNKER SPORTS CONNECT

For this Quick Fix Friday, we look at using the brim of your golf cap to help with alignment. Flatten the brim of your cap and bring it down over your eyebrows. Looking at the line on the golf ball, get the brim of your hat parallel with the line on the golf ball. 

When you swing, the object is to keep the brim parallel to the line. If you want to hook and swing from the inside, turn your brim a little to the right. You want to keep the brim in the same line until after you have hit the ball. 

This is one of the best ways to control your path. Remember, your club goes where your eye line goes.

FLATTENING THE BRIM OF YOUR CAP

Back in the Malaska Golf Studio, Austin Graham is making swings with his wedges. He still has more lateral movement than he should but is well on the way to getting where he needs to be. Mike also notes that Austin’s launch angle has come down. When you slide on the ball or have too much lateral movement, you constantly try to catch the clubface up to the ball at impact and will tend to hit the ball higher.

Mike reiterates the idea of Right Foot, Right Hip. Austin makes some great swings. Mike then discusses the golf swing philosophy of “getting on top of the ball.” Mike understands the meaning behind the concept but feels that most golfers misunderstand it. People tend to get too top-heavy in their swings with their interpretation.

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Mike then gets Austin to narrow his stance and put more weight onto his left side. Austin’s stance is too wide for the wedge. Narrowing his stance will make it easier on his swing. If your stance is too wide, you tend to slide back and then forward. Your right side is just reacting to what your left side does. Your right hip shouldn’t push your left hip out of the way.

After watching Austin make some swings and looking at the numbers on the screen, Mike concludes that he is hitting the ball perfectly.

RIGHT FOOT RIGHT HIP

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

Place a chair so that the seat of the chair touches the back or your upper leg very close to your gluteus. Then make a backswing when you start the downswing move force up to your lead leg then sit down in the chair. Then as your arms go through the ball then stand up. So you sit down to stand up. This is necessary to create a downward force that you can use to create a lot of force into the club. If you do not load down you will never hit the ball very far.

SIT DOWN CHAIR DRILL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OVERCOMING THE YIPS

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

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

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

Build body movement in five steps, gradually adding motion.

FOOT ACTION

When it comes to combining motions there is an order in which it needs to be done. First, is set up and balance. Then, the main task is impact. Learn what that is. Then, gradually develop your swing based on the task of impact. Start with small swings and gradually build the motion until you are to full swing.

M4-Combining Skills

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 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

To create maximum speed and control the lever system needs to work properly. By the time your lead arm gets parallel to the ground on the backswing. You need a 90 degree angle between the lead arm and the club shaft. That same relationship needs to happen on the follow through by the time your trail arm gets parallel to the ground on the finish. Your hands need to also work in a manner that minimizes the face rotation relative to the swing arch. This makes power and consistency very attainable.

L TO L

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