Mike Malaska - Getting the club in front of you. Made easy...

[verderraul]

[quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444060210' post='12412630']
[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444059113' post='12412546']
[quote name=' Dave D' timestamp='1444058771' post='12412514']
[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444058136' post='12412466']
[quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444012459' post='12410832']
Times it perfectly every time ? Not happening ...
[/quote]

phil mickelson has 5 majors timing it well. Comes in super steep but the ball flight is amazing

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf9hnS2mRzI"]https://www.youtube....h?v=Pf9hnS2mRzI[/url]
[/quote]
mickelson can time it very well, but he also has probably the most gifted golf hands of anyone ever and also plays golf 8 hours a day every day, not going to work for us mere mortals
[/quote]

Agree with you 100%. So since we are mere mortals and not as talented and dont practice 8 hours a day.......Should i believe that bunch of amateurs were magically unstuckified by this drill ?
[/quote]

Here's an idea ...

Rather than you waiting around on some before and after video, try the feel and shoot some yourself. Or are you not one of the "stuckified" ?
[/quote]

I used to be stuck and now i am not. Its funny that you ask me to provide the proof

[Ghost of Snead]

[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444060848' post='12412660']
I used to be stuck and now i am not. Its funny that you ask me to provide the proof
[/quote]

Not funny at all considering you've been looking for before and after videos and are skeptical of Malaska's feel.

Oh, and better yet ... help all us out by letting us know how you got "unstuck".

[Slothead]

[quote name='Grayback1973' timestamp='1444057900' post='12412438']
Very simple solution.Film some swings of yours while trying this idea of MM.What does your swing look like?More important,what does impact look like?Does it look like your same ole swing?Not the teaching for you if it does.You might say "Well I am striking the ball better" but in the long run your ballstriking will go back to normal if nothing about your impact alignments were affected.[b]The good ballstriking you experience at the beginning is from nothing more than good timing that is more than likely produced from "excitement" about trying a new idea.[/b]

The camera never lies and is the best thermometer to determine if something is helping you or not.Just my opinion.
[/quote]

or instead, initial good ball striking at the beginning is from not having expectations about outcome, thereby getting out of one's own way mentally to experience what is happening around them for what it is, instead of what one wants it to be.

[verderraul]

[quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444060938' post='12412672']
[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444060848' post='12412660']
I used to be stuck and now i am not. Its funny that you ask me to provide the proof
[/quote]

Not funny at all considering you've been looking for before and after videos and are skeptical of Malaska's feel.

Oh, and better yet ... help all us out by letting us know how you got "unstuck".
[/quote]

Most changes were made in backswing.....hands in and club out in takeaway. Stand up the shaft more vertically in backswing. Then hands work more out (NOT down as MM suggests in that video) in downswing. Took me about 2 months of work to own it with an 7 iron....probably 6 months total to do it all thru the bag.

[chigolfer1]

Excellent find and something everyone should watch if they want to understand better what he's saying. The critical part starts at about 3:40 where he shows that he still wants the club in a standard on plane shallow position but then asks, "what do you need to FEEL to get it there?" Whether you believe this is a good exaggeration feel drill or not - and as others have stated, this is all this is - it's pretty clear he's not advocating swinging down with a vertical tipped over shaft.


[quote name='BeautifulNice' timestamp='1444060462' post='12412642']
I'd invite to people to watch this video again: [url="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDAQtwIwBmoVChMI-sOBydaryAIVwr-ACh0-pgtM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtzKZjIl5f9Y&usg=AFQjCNEmsdo1UA1Mq_qlAeHS8GCpvg9Kng&sig2=HKhby4zHzJvSTdkGlly41Q"]Mike Malaska: Joe Nicols and the Theory of the Full Swing ...[/url]

He's not talking about a swing corrective. He's describing Joe Nichols's understanding of the golf swing that gets the club in an upright position on the b/s (using his concept of "corners") and uses the club's momentum on the d/s by getting the hands on an inward path through the stroke. Malaska's very aware that what you feel and what it looks like are two different things. He knows you don't actually stand the club straight up, either on the b/s or the d/s. But it does have the affect of getting the club in front of you, speeds up the arms, eliminates the OTT move (for me at least) and increases clubhead speed. It's a revelation.

If your theory about the golf swing tells you it's not possible to hit the ball by dropping the hands straight down as part of the d/s, yet other people (who are underplane or over the top or stuck) are telling you it works, maybe you need a new theory.
[/quote]

[ej002]

[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444063276' post='12412892']
[quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444060938' post='12412672']
[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444060848' post='12412660']
I used to be stuck and now i am not. Its funny that you ask me to provide the proof
[/quote]

Not funny at all considering you've been looking for before and after videos and are skeptical of Malaska's feel.

Oh, and better yet ... help all us out by letting us know how you got "unstuck".
[/quote]

Most changes were made in backswing.....hands in and club out in takeaway. Stand up the shaft more vertically in backswing. Then hands work more out (NOT down as MM suggests in that video) in downswing. Took me about 2 months of work to own it with an 7 iron....probably 6 months total to do it all thru the bag.
[/quote]

That's a scary P6.5 position - reminds me of John F Erickson. Super cF. You probably steepen like a boss if you hit it remotely straight or hit 30 yard Jim Venetos hooks.

[verderraul]

[quote name='ej002' timestamp='1444063634' post='12412920']
[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444063276' post='12412892']
[quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444060938' post='12412672']
[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444060848' post='12412660']
I used to be stuck and now i am not. Its funny that you ask me to provide the proof
[/quote]

Not funny at all considering you've been looking for before and after videos and are skeptical of Malaska's feel.

Oh, and better yet ... help all us out by letting us know how you got "unstuck".
[/quote]

Most changes were made in backswing.....hands in and club out in takeaway. Stand up the shaft more vertically in backswing. Then hands work more out (NOT down as MM suggests in that video) in downswing. Took me about 2 months of work to own it with an 7 iron....probably 6 months total to do it all thru the bag.
[/quote]

That's a scary P6.5 position - reminds me of John F Erickson. Super cF. You probably steepen like a boss if you hit it remotely straight or hit 30 yard Jim Venetos hooks.
[/quote]

naah....always a fader. Shallow divots with longer clubs.

I hope you are talking abt the one on left I was digging trenches with that one .

[chrisgilly09]

Good to see some stills, for a while i thought you might be another SVS moniker

Hands too far in but if it works then it doesnt really matter

[Ghost of Snead]

[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444063276' post='12412892']
[quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444060938' post='12412672']
[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444060848' post='12412660']
I used to be stuck and now i am not. Its funny that you ask me to provide the proof
[/quote]

Not funny at all considering you've been looking for before and after videos and are skeptical of Malaska's feel.

Oh, and better yet ... help all us out by letting us know how you got "unstuck".
[/quote]

Most changes were made in backswing.....hands in and club out in takeaway. Stand up the shaft more vertically in backswing. Then hands work more out (NOT down as MM suggests in that video) in downswing. Took me about 2 months of work to own it with an 7 iron....probably 6 months total to do it all thru the bag.
[/quote]

Thanks for that ... where are your hands at P6 ?

[chigolfer1]

Here's another one: at 8:45 - 9:30 "what you have to feel like you're doing with club to make the pictures a certain way isn't even close to what the pictures look like."

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I23oTVOY52k


[quote name='chigolfer1' timestamp='1444063287' post='12412896']
Excellent find and something everyone should watch if they want to understand better what he's saying. The critical part starts at about 3:40 where he shows that he still wants the club in a standard on plane shallow position but then asks, "what do you need to FEEL to get it there?" Whether you believe this is a good exaggeration feel drill or not - and as others have stated, this is all this is - it's pretty clear he's not advocating swinging down with a vertical tipped over shaft.


[quote name='BeautifulNice' timestamp='1444060462' post='12412642']
I'd invite to people to watch this video again: [url="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDAQtwIwBmoVChMI-sOBydaryAIVwr-ACh0-pgtM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtzKZjIl5f9Y&usg=AFQjCNEmsdo1UA1Mq_qlAeHS8GCpvg9Kng&sig2=HKhby4zHzJvSTdkGlly41Q"]Mike Malaska: Joe Nicols and the Theory of the Full Swing ...[/url]

He's not talking about a swing corrective. He's describing Joe Nichols's understanding of the golf swing that gets the club in an upright position on the b/s (using his concept of "corners") and uses the club's momentum on the d/s by getting the hands on an inward path through the stroke. Malaska's very aware that what you feel and what it looks like are two different things. He knows you don't actually stand the club straight up, either on the b/s or the d/s. But it does have the affect of getting the club in front of you, speeds up the arms, eliminates the OTT move (for me at least) and increases clubhead speed. It's a revelation.

If your theory about the golf swing tells you it's not possible to hit the ball by dropping the hands straight down as part of the d/s, yet other people (who are underplane or over the top or stuck) are telling you it works, maybe you need a new theory.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[verderraul]

[quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444072303' post='12413622']
Thanks for that ... where are your hands at P6 ?
[/quote]

Roughly in front of my right thigh

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-rCNnlk5y8"]https://www.youtube....h?v=s-rCNnlk5y8[/url]

[Ghost of Snead]

[quote name='chigolfer1' timestamp='1444072620' post='12413638']
Here's another one: at 8:45 - 9:30 "what you have to feel like you're doing with club to make the pictures a certain way isn't even close to what the pictures look like."
[/quote]

Malaska emphasizes again at around 10:30 that hands in clubhead out is a feeling, not a reality.

[Ghost of Snead]

[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444073847' post='12413728']
[quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444072303' post='12413622']
Thanks for that ... where are your hands at P6 ?
[/quote]

Roughly in front of my right thigh

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-rCNnlk5y8"]https://www.youtube....h?v=s-rCNnlk5y8[/url]
[/quote]

P6 looks good from my amateur POV. I'd bet that Malaska would say that his "stand the club up" drill/feeling is to get folks into a similar position to yours at P6. Those who either push the hands more out from the top and stall or those who drop the back shoulder too much and get underplane or both ...

[Grayback1973]

[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444073847' post='12413728'][quote name='Ghost of Snead' timestamp='1444072303' post='12413622']
Thanks for that ... where are your hands at P6 ?
[/quote]

Roughly in front of my right thigh

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-rCNnlk5y8"]https://www.youtube....h?v=s-rCNnlk5y8[/url][/quote]Position looks very sound to me.

[martynbirch]

[quote name='BeautifulNice' timestamp='1444060462' post='12412642']
I'd invite people to watch this video again: [url="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDAQtwIwBmoVChMI-sOBydaryAIVwr-ACh0-pgtM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtzKZjIl5f9Y&usg=AFQjCNEmsdo1UA1Mq_qlAeHS8GCpvg9Kng&sig2=HKhby4zHzJvSTdkGlly41Q"]Mike Malaska: Joe Nicols and the Theory of the Full Swing ...[/url]

He's not talking about a swing corrective. He's describing Joe Nichols's understanding of the golf swing that gets the club in an upright position on the b/s (using his concept of "corners") and uses the club's momentum on the d/s by getting the hands on an inward path through the stroke. Malaska's very aware that what you feel and what it looks like are two different things. He knows you don't actually stand the club straight up, either on the b/s or the d/s. But it does have the affect of getting the club in front of you, speeds up the arms, eliminates the OTT move (for me at least) and increases clubhead speed. It's a revelation.

If your theory about the golf swing tells you it's not possible to hit the ball by dropping the hands straight down as part of the d/s, yet other people (who are underplane or over the top or stuck) are telling you it works, maybe you need a new theory.
[/quote]

I would agree with this. I am an OTT out to in goat humper. Not all solved by any means, but...

Idea of inward hands on d/s has helped my left arm rotate as MM shows rather than drag and chicken wing, release feels much better.
I am also getting my right shoulder in a much better position with some down to go with the large amount of out.
Ball flight is very high draw, going to keep working on it.
Finish is good also.

[Slothead]

[attachment=2981748:mmc.jpg]

[grizztrax]

Just checking back in on this thread after being away for a while - wow! Pretty cool that this thread has gotten so much attention. I just finished MM's book and I actually thought it was pretty good - at least if you are interested in going down the rabbit hole a little more. Yes there is a lot of basic stuff on the grip, setup, etc. He does go deeper into his swing theory and has a ton of drills in there as well as lots of demo pics. If you played other sports (tennis, hockey, baseball) he shows how the moves flow into the golf swing.

Verderraul you made a reference to the Dobyn video saying how throwing away the lag is exactly what MM is advocating. It is simply not true. In fact the last still you posted above is exactly the position MM advocates. You don't release the club by "throwing the club away" according to MM, you do it by rotating the left arm. This is what maintains the lag. Also you lead with the heel of the club, don't let the toe turn down as Dobyn was demonstrating the amateur swing. So having read the book and watched the vids, I don't think you are fully understanding the MM swing. I jacked up my knee a couple weeks ago, but was having success with the swing. Would love to post a before/after when I get back to it!

Another part of the swing is holding back the right shoulder and hip as the left arm rotates down and puts the handle in the "second" corner. To me this is syncing up the arms and body so you can go hard through impact without a fear of getting stuck. That is also something I am not seeing address in the "unstuckiness" discussion.

[djdragon3]

[quote name='Slothead' timestamp='1444083672' post='12414664'][attachment=2981748:mmc.jpg][/quote] haha this is too funny

[Gamble Gamble]

Anyone else feel like they are starting to EE from steepening the shaft? Maybe the correct intent is to just not let the club fall back rather than drop it steep?

[vaterman]

[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444056273' post='12412300']
[quote name='bph7' timestamp='1444015640' post='12411024']
[quote name='verderraul' timestamp='1444014105' post='12410942']
[quote name='bph7' timestamp='1444012816' post='12410856']
Montes posted many before and afters of golfers of differing levels for whom it dramatically improved impact. Since you said you'd "love" to see it, I'll leave the searching to you but the stuff is out there on this board. If you would love to see it so much, run some searches. I really just don't think you understand why some people generally lose the leverage. Lots lose it because their arms are behind them and not moving fast enough. This requires a dump to get to the ball. If the arms get moving faster in relation to the club, the club "lags" behind the arms more and you get more of the leveraged look for some. Lots of bad golfers are bad because the arms are just so far behind, so the feel of throwing the lag speeds up the arms and gives the correction they need. Again, there are also some who need to feel like they spin like a top. It's just different feels for different faults/people. I don't think it really relates to ability.
[/quote]

I am not talking abt Monte. I am talking about what MM preaches. He preaches handle moving down ( [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ii-FU3PouE"]https://www.youtube....v=1ii-FU3PouE [/url] at 1:20 ) and tipping the shaft. That's supposed to get an average golfer unstuck ? Isnt the reason for getting stuck that hands move more down and not out ?
[/quote]

The quote you took from me before was about the feel of throwing the angles away. I was referring to montes drill there. As for the MM stuff, again I think it's a fix for a specific issue. I think the feel of tipping the shaft would help some to get the arms accelerating better. I don't think it's worthwhile to generalize about the issues of the "average golfer". I think the mm stuff would help some and not others, just like pretty much everything. I don't think the only way to get stuck is to move the hands down and not out. That is one way, but another way is to leave the arms frozen and spin like a top, leaving the arms behind the pivot for many. For the latter group, I think the mm thing would help. I just think there are lots of ways to good the "good impact" that you are seeking, with leverage and shaft lean. And sometimes feels which would be totally counterintuitive help some get there. That's what makes a good teacher, the ability to figure out the true cause and fix it, rather than just watch a video of someone and say " well the angles are being dumped, you have to hold the leverage and pull it through". That just isn't the way to fix the dumping issue for everyone and there are better ways for many.
[/quote]

And all i wanted to see was some footage of before and after. I read lots of comments on how this has helped people.......but there is no evidence of getting unstuck.
[/quote]

[color=#222222]Maybe the thread and the comments isn’t intended to provide you with any proof.[/color]

[AntLockyer]

My name engraved on the Coronation Cup is all the proof I needed

[chigolfer1]

This is a feel, the intent is not to actually drop it steep. In the videos he shows that and demonstrates a perfectly on plane downswing being the result of this feel. However, I can see steepening happening if someone over exaggerates it.

This isn't just meant for you Gamble and you may already understand this, but I don't think I've ever seen so much confusion over an exaggeration feel concept. Either MM has to be more explicit in his videos or we're just not watching closely enough what he says in them. And I'm separating the above comment from whether it is even a valid concept or not since that is almost a separate discussion.




[quote name='Gamble Gamble' timestamp='1444102141' post='12416164']
Anyone else feel like they are starting to EE from steepening the shaft? Maybe the correct intent is to just not let the club fall back rather than drop it steep?
[/quote]

[Golfbeat]

[quote name='Gamble Gamble' timestamp='1444102141' post='12416164']
Anyone else feel like they are starting to EE from steepening the shaft? Maybe the correct intent is to just not let the club fall back rather than drop it steep?
[/quote]

I think that EE is caused by the right shoulder and the hips moving forward. If you keep the chest up and the hips back and right shoulder back and up, the shaft can be steep coming down. The club will be in front of your body under your shoulders and you will not be over the top.

Let the club fall back and you will get stuck for sure.

[gators78]

Mike is a great player in his own right and I think he approaches instruction from the standpoint of what can work under the gun and not bogging players down with detail overload, which usually means simple thoughts and feels. Not sure why folks are getting bent out of shape from a 'feel' he's suggesting...

[color=#3B3A38]“I have preached to The PGA that playing should be a big part of what we do as an organization,” said Malaska. “As far as re-certification, I think that you should have to participate in Section events. It doesn’t mean that you have to be one of the best players, but if you are going to be in the game, you need to play the game and understand and feel what it is about.”[/color]
[color=#3B3A38]Malaska said re-certifying as a player is more than an exercise, more than say, renewing a driver’s license.[/color]

[color=#3B3A38]“It is a bigger deal that that,” said Malaska. “If you are going to teach, if you are physically capable of playing, you need to go out and play. It keeps you connected with the game and whole mental side of it. You need to experience what it really takes to hit a shot when it counts. [/color]

[color=#3B3A38]“A lot of us get trapped into theories and methods. Your swing might look good, but can you pull it off on the golf course when it counts? I think maintaining that relationship with the game, where you are constantly refreshing your memory; to have the demons coming at you and understand how you deal with that, is important. You got to know what it is to adjust under pressure.”[/color]

http://www.pga.com/news/pga/former-pga-teacher-year-mike-malaska-anxious-challenge-himself-southworth-senior-pnc

[The Pearl]

Mike is being inducted into the Utah Golf Association Hall of Fame on Oct. 10th.

[chigolfer1]

Gator, with all due respect, other than him wanting to stick to basic concepts, I'm not sure what the below has to do with the thread. I don't think anyone is questioning Mike's credentials or ability. We're, first, trying to interpret what he's saying - this is just a feel, etc. - and, second, discussing how effective we think is. We do the latter no matter who the instructor is.

In fact, I'd contend it garnering this much discussion indicates people respect Mike's opinion and think he may be onto something so want to get to the bottom of it.

[quote name='gators78' timestamp='1444136305' post='12417100']
Mike is a great player in his own right and I think he approaches instruction from the standpoint of what can work under the gun and not bogging players down with detail overload, which usually means simple thoughts and feels. Not sure why folks are getting bent out of shape from a 'feel' he's suggesting...

[color=#3B3A38]“I have preached to The PGA that playing should be a big part of what we do as an organization,” said Malaska. “As far as re-certification, I think that you should have to participate in Section events. It doesn’t mean that you have to be one of the best players, but if you are going to be in the game, you need to play the game and understand and feel what it is about.”[/color]
[color=#3B3A38]Malaska said re-certifying as a player is more than an exercise, more than say, renewing a driver’s license.[/color]

[color=#3B3A38]“It is a bigger deal that that,” said Malaska. “If you are going to teach, if you are physically capable of playing, you need to go out and play. It keeps you connected with the game and whole mental side of it. You need to experience what it really takes to hit a shot when it counts. [/color]

[color=#3B3A38]“A lot of us get trapped into theories and methods. Your swing might look good, but can you pull it off on the golf course when it counts? I think maintaining that relationship with the game, where you are constantly refreshing your memory; to have the demons coming at you and understand how you deal with that, is important. You got to know what it is to adjust under pressure.”[/color]

http://www.pga.com/news/pga/former-pga-teacher-year-mike-malaska-anxious-challenge-himself-southworth-senior-pnc
[/quote]

[Gamble Gamble]

[quote name='chigolfer1' timestamp='1444129057' post='12416722']This is a feel, the intent is not to actually drop it steep. In the videos he shows that and demonstrates a perfectly on plane downswing being the result of this feel. However, I can see steepening happening if someone over exaggerates it.

This isn't just meant for you Gamble and you may already understand this, but I don't think I've ever seen so much confusion over an exaggeration feel concept. Either MM has to be more explicit in his videos or we're just not watching closely enough what he says in them. [/quote]

I agree it may not be for me, but before moving on, I wanted to give it a shot since it seems to help a few people. Many "exaggerated feel" drills are either misused or misunderstood. That is why we have a forum here to go over these questions.

Others probably have questions as well, but do not want to deal with the Fundamentalist WRXers that get personally offended when people ask questions about their instructor.

If you watch Ramos start her DS she looks exceptionally steep which could lead one to think it could lead to EE.

[attachment=2982540:ImageUploadedByGolfWRX Mobile1444148204.972843.jpg]

[Gamble Gamble]

[quote name='Golfbeat' timestamp='1444132390' post='12416846'][quote name='Gamble Gamble' timestamp='1444102141' post='12416164']
Anyone else feel like they are starting to EE from steepening the shaft? Maybe the correct intent is to just not let the club fall back rather than drop it steep?
[/quote]

I think that EE is caused by the right shoulder and the hips moving forward. If you keep the chest up and the hips back and right shoulder back and up, the shaft can be steep coming down. The club will be in front of your body under your shoulders and you will not be over the top.

Let the club fall back and you will get stuck for sure.[/quote]

I think there must be a middle ground between the club falling back and too steep and that is where I am exaggerating the drill too much. Or more likely it could be that I am on plane but I need another feel to get my arms moving fast.

I keep bouncing between firing the right wrist and trying to keep my back to the target with some success but like anyone here we are all searching for the "holy grail" feel. That is why I wanted this to work but I do not want my EE from steepening the shaft to come back.

[Golfbeat]

Mike specifically talks about moving the hips/pelvis back in the downswing so to avoid EE. It is a conscious move.

[Shipwreck]

[quote name='chigolfer1' timestamp='1444140167' post='12417364']
Gator, with all due respect, other than him wanting to stick to basic concepts, I'm not sure what the below has to do with the thread. I don't think anyone is questioning Mike's credentials or ability. We're, first, trying to interpret what he's saying - this is just a feel, etc. - and, second, discussing how effective we think is. We do the latter no matter who the instructor is.

In fact, I'd contend it garnering this much discussion indicates people respect Mike's opinion and think he may be onto something so want to get to the bottom of it.

[quote name='gators78' timestamp='1444136305' post='12417100']
Mike is a great player in his own right and I think he approaches instruction from the standpoint of what can work under the gun and not bogging players down with detail overload, which usually means simple thoughts and feels. Not sure why folks are getting bent out of shape from a 'feel' he's suggesting...

[color=#3B3A38]"I have preached to The PGA that playing should be a big part of what we do as an organization," said Malaska. "As far as re-certification, I think that you should have to participate in Section events. It doesn't mean that you have to be one of the best players, but if you are going to be in the game, you need to play the game and understand and feel what it is about."[/color]
[color=#3B3A38]Malaska said re-certifying as a player is more than an exercise, more than say, renewing a driver's license.[/color]

[color=#3B3A38]"It is a bigger deal that that," said Malaska. "If you are going to teach, if you are physically capable of playing, you need to go out and play. It keeps you connected with the game and whole mental side of it. You need to experience what it really takes to hit a shot when it counts. [/color]

[color=#3B3A38]"A lot of us get trapped into theories and methods. Your swing might look good, but can you pull it off on the golf course when it counts? I think maintaining that relationship with the game, where you are constantly refreshing your memory; to have the demons coming at you and understand how you deal with that, is important. You got to know what it is to adjust under pressure."[/color]

[url="http://www.pga.com/news/pga/former-pga-teacher-year-mike-malaska-anxious-challenge-himself-southworth-senior-pnc"]http://www.pga.com/n...orth-senior-pnc[/url]
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I might be wrong but I believe Gators quote from MM fits perfectly into this discussion. Look at people like Leadbetter. When do you think was the last time he actually went out and played a serious round of golf, say a PGA Section tournament? Instead he focuses purely on teaching and theory this and that. Theories are great on the range, but does you zero good if you cannot produce it when it matters. Mike is saying that you need to be able to prove what you preach to these people, and not just speak from the podium. I think some instructors get so tied down in perfecting something that will forever be imperfect, they forget about the true beauty of the game.