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

[gioguy21]

been watching Mike's videos on youtube for the last week or so, working on the club out, hands in drills --- what an improvement. effortless distance and the more i practice the move the more i like it, the better my striking gets and the more confident i am hitting certain shots.

 

if mike reads this, just wanted to say thank you.

[glk]

This is a pretty good one

 

[AFcelica]

 

I think this should clear up the feel vs real debate.. it's a feel people!! 4 part series, they are all pretty informative

[GPF]

What is Malaska's concept for chipping? I saw his YouTube video and it looks like he promotes a putting stroke like motion for chipping. Anyone having as much success with his chipping method as his fullswing method?

[AFcelica]

What is Malaska's concept for chipping? I saw his YouTube video and it looks like he promotes a putting stroke like motion for chipping. Anyone having as much success with his chipping method as his fullswing method?

 

I mean his "chipping" method is a super simple bump and run... there are many different ways to do it but I can't see anything that would make it, or any other bump and run or chipping method difficult if you practice it maybe 2 or 3 hours a year

[zzilb]

Wanted to bump this thread. Mike's videos have helped me tremendously. Something about the way he explains things just clicks, and even helps other videos I have seen make more sense.

[krayzejava]

This works...Malaska has a very intuitive way of presenting his information. While most would scoff and say this would lead to OTT it is indeed the opposite. Eerily similar to bump, dump and turn IMO.

 

I have never hit the ball this well, ever....for a full on month...not a passing fancy.

[Hoganstriker]

Malaska helped me a lot but I don't do anything different than my own arm lift takeaway. I lift then turn but after that I try to stand it back up and it's been working. It's anti handle drag serum. If you drag the handle and don't realize it Malaska will have you striping it in no time.

I like his ideas on lead arm function very much it's gotta roll.

[juliette91]

This works...Malaska has a very intuitive way of presenting his information. While most would scoff and say this would lead to OTT it is indeed the opposite. Eerily similar to bump, dump and turn IMO.

 

I have never hit the ball this well, ever....for a full on month...not a passing fancy.

 

I share your kudos to Mike Malaska. I connect with his style of teaching too and at about 4:30 into that video when he demonstrates the downswing starting before the backswing completes really helped me start the downswing with my lower torso. Would love to do it like NYC (Na Yeon Choi) but I'll settle for being the best me I can.

[fowleristhetruth]

Anyone have any experience and thoughts on this with the driver? I have liked it with the irons and 3 wood but have yet to trust it with the driver.

[Strike Force]

Anyone have any experience and thoughts on this with the driver? I have liked it with the irons and 3 wood but have yet to trust it with the driver.

 

Mike Malaska's drills and method/technique is the same for all normal, full swings...including the driver.

[Skidz147]

Ive been fighting a big fade since I started playing. I watched this video last night and wanted to try it out. I went to the range this afternoon and hit the ball better than i ever have, dead straight. The biggest thing was the swing felt effortless but the power is still there.

[joeunc]

i like it

[Strike Force]

Ive been fighting a big fade since I started playing. I watched this video last night and wanted to try it out. I went to the range this afternoon and hit the ball better than i ever have, dead straight. The biggest thing was the swing felt effortless but the power is still there.

 

Here is a brief list of key points that you may feel is helpful to remember when practicing Mike Malaska's swing method:

 

Both Arms Turn (rotate) the Steering Wheel (tennis racket)

Clubshaft Points Well Inside Target Line

Stand the Club Up & 'Tip the Shaft Over' with Arms Rotating *

Flat Spot - Clubhead above Hands **

Don't Force (Swing) Down - Allow Gravity & Momentum to Move the Clubhead Downward to Ball

Steady & Early ‘Turn’ (into curve) of Arms Release (tip over)

Heel Slightly Leads the Toe into Impact

Swing (feel) like the Club is a Hockey Stick (e.g. split grip)

Hands & Handle In - Clubhead Out

Hands Don’t Swing 'At' the Ball

Arms Rotate - Left Arm Does Not Pull

No Handle Drag - Let Grip Cap Backup (snap towel)

Flexible Wrists & Relaxed Shoulders

 

* One of the most important points is to 'tip the shaft over' - meaning the clubhead is brought from being inside the hands to the clubhead being outside the hands, which is done with both arms turning the [so-called] steering wheel. This early downswing release motion only 'tips the shaft over', it does not unc0ck the wrist.

 

** Don't attempt to drive the clubhead down into the ball. As Mike explains in his swing drill you should keep the clubhead at chest level (above the hands). When swinging, the force and momentum will naturally move the clubhead downward to catch the ball with the low point after the ball.

 

[Strike Force]

i like it

 

Go Heels!

[Strike Force]

Wanted to bump this thread. Mike's videos have helped me tremendously. Something about the way he explains things just clicks, and even helps other videos I have seen make more sense.

This works...Malaska has a very intuitive way of presenting his information. While most would scoff and say this would lead to OTT it is indeed the opposite. Eerily similar to bump, dump and turn IMO.

 

I have never hit the ball this well, ever....for a full on month...not a passing fancy.

Malaska helped me a lot but I don't do anything different than my own arm lift takeaway. I lift then turn but after that I try to stand it back up and it's been working. It's anti handle drag serum. If you drag the handle and don't realize it Malaska will have you striping it in no time.

I like his ideas on lead arm function very much it's gotta roll.

 

If anyone has difficulty compressing the golf ball and hearing that beautiful sizzling sound, they should give Mike's drills and swing thoughts/method a try. I suspect if people saw their swing on video they'd see the types of errors that Mike talks about in his videos. For many (probably most), it would be the first time they accelerated into the ball with a loaded shaft.

[Divot License]

Mikes methods are superb. My wife had never touched a golf club (except to clean mine) before November and using nothing but his videos and book I bought her for Christmas she is now regurly breaking 100.

[ayan]

Mikes methods are superb. My wife had never touched a golf club (except to clean mine) before November and using nothing but his videos and book I bought her for Christmas she is now regurly breaking 100.

 

Very, very cool stuff. Mike's drill/exaggeration touches on many things I had bumped into, one little bit at a time, that become what I consider to be a collection of good thoughts for me: (1) Bringing the hands back really close to the body on the downswing; (2) At the beginning of the downswing, bringing the hands down and by the right pocket, not towards the ball; (3) Starting the downswing by bringing the arms down and the butt of the club towards oneself, which will cause the body to get out of the way automatically, as opposed to bumping the hips first; (4) Supinating arms/wrists through impact, etc.

 

Cheers,

 

Gil

[i*windows]

Mikes methods are superb. My wife had never touched a golf club (except to clean mine) before November and using nothing but his videos and book I bought her for Christmas she is now regurly breaking 100.

 

where did you get his book from in the uk?

[Divot License]

Mikes methods are superb. My wife had never touched a golf club (except to clean mine) before November and using nothing but his videos and book I bought her for Christmas she is now regurly breaking 100.

 

where did you get his book from in the uk?

 

I ordered it direct from Mike himself. I reached out to them via email and they agreed to post me a copy. Since the shipping was so costly (about the same as the book) they didn't charge me the tax. Mike was awesome and even took the time to not only sign the book to my wife but also wrote her a very encouraging letter. It was a great example of a true golf lover who is willing to take the extra step. I can't sing his praises enough.

[joeunc]

+1

[i*windows]

Mikes methods are superb. My wife had never touched a golf club (except to clean mine) before November and using nothing but his videos and book I bought her for Christmas she is now regurly breaking 100.

 

where did you get his book from in the uk?

 

I ordered it direct from Mike himself. I reached out to them via email and they agreed to post me a copy. Since the shipping was so costly (about the same as the book) they didn't charge me the tax. Mike was awesome and even took the time to not only sign the book to my wife but also wrote her a very encouraging letter. It was a great example of a true golf lover who is willing to take the extra step. I can't sing his praises enough.

 

great thanks I'll mail him

[harolease]

Mikes methods are superb. My wife had never touched a golf club (except to clean mine) before November and using nothing but his videos and book I bought her for Christmas she is now regurly breaking 100.

 

Very, very cool stuff. Mike's drill/exaggeration touches on many things I had bumped into, one little bit at a time, that become what I consider to be a collection of good thoughts for me: (1) Bringing the hands back really close to the body on the downswing; (2) At the beginning of the downswing, bringing the hands down and by the right pocket, not towards the ball; (3) Starting the downswing by bringing the arms down and the butt of the club towards oneself, which will cause the body to get out of the way automatically, as opposed to bumping the hips first; (4) Supinating arms/wrists through impact, etc.

 

Cheers,

 

Gil

 

Careful about using the butt end for full swing. I think about the route of the butt end for the short game. The full swing need more dynamic use of the shaft and upper body /arms and better considered as one unit. Isolating butt end is too choppy

[ayan]

Mikes methods are superb. My wife had never touched a golf club (except to clean mine) before November and using nothing but his videos and book I bought her for Christmas she is now regurly breaking 100.

 

Very, very cool stuff. Mike's drill/exaggeration touches on many things I had bumped into, one little bit at a time, that become what I consider to be a collection of good thoughts for me: (1) Bringing the hands back really close to the body on the downswing; (2) At the beginning of the downswing, bringing the hands down and by the right pocket, not towards the ball; (3) Starting the downswing by bringing the arms down and the butt of the club towards oneself, which will cause the body to get out of the way automatically, as opposed to bumping the hips first; (4) Supinating arms/wrists through impact, etc.

 

Cheers,

 

Gil

 

Careful about using the butt end for full swing. I think about the route of the butt end for the short game. The full swing need more dynamic use of the shaft and upper body /arms and better considered as one unit. Isolating butt end is too choppy

 

Interesting how what I meant to write is not the way it came across to you, but I can definitely see how you interpreted it... it is hard to describe feels! :) In (3) above, what I meant to say was to start the arm motion towards oneself, by bringing the arms and hands closer to the body. I believe if one starts the club down by making sure the hands don't hit the body, they will end up far away and high, out towards the target line if you will. On the other hand, if I start my downswing by basically trying to bring my hands (and therefore what they are holding, which is the butt end of the club) more towards their address position, i.e., below the belt buckle, my hips will move away sort of diagonally (by which I mean away from the ball and towards the target) from the "incoming object" and will make room for the arms and club to swing, which is how weight transfer happens. It's a good thing that self-preservation maneuver happens automatically, otherwise there would have to be other considerations before trying something like this. :swoon: That move is much easier for me than thinking about bumping the hips first as an isolated event, then dropping the arms, etc. Tomy Tomasello talked about it in one of his videos, saying that the body got out of the way all by itself. Many of Shaw Clement's videos feature him saying "out of the way!" as well, which alludes to the same concept. I hope what I meant is clearer now.

 

Cheers,

 

Gil

[Strike Force]

The thing to understand about Mike's drills and the techniques and methods he teaches (which applies to the vast majority of golf swings - both amateur and tour professional alike) is that most everyone 'thinks' their golf swing looks a certain way (both in-motion and positions), but the reality is - their swing looks immensely different than what they think. Mike puts the golfer (amateur or tour pro) in the correct movements and positions by having them swing a certain way, which may feel strange - yet it looks (and works) beautiful. Thus, Mike teaches 'This is what it feels like - but, this is what it looks like', which are two totally different things and accomplishes exactly what is needed.

 

When you see some of the tour pros (e.g. Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell) take strange looking pre-swing practice moves that look more like an 'over-the-top' move, they are doing exactly what Mike Malaska is teaching...

[Fireballer]

Talk about counter intuitive...but it works. After being an OTT guy for years, last year I was hitting the ball pretty well after figuring out the ASI. But now I realize I was "chopping" too much towards the ball on bad shots. With the Malaska "feel", the only though I have is driving the butt of the club towards the inside of my lead thigh on the downswing. And then, the hips bump and rotate to keep the club from actually hitting my leg. The clubhead just feels like it "pops" into the impact position. I really like this feel because I'm a hitter by nature. This allows me to swing my arms and hands down just as hard as I want, but to keep my balance, my hips naturally have to bump first to keep from falling over. This seems like it would be death for and old OTT guy, but it works wonders. I had been working on Monte's "head back, arms forward" feel, and now the missing piece was realizing that I was still throwing my hands towards the ball, and not towards my body.

[juliette91]

The thing to understand about Mike's drills and the techniques and methods he teaches (which applies to the vast majority of golf swings - both amateur and tour professional alike) is that most everyone 'thinks' their golf swing looks a certain way (both in-motion and positions), but the reality is - their swing looks immensely different than what they think. Mike puts the golfer (amateur or tour pro) in the correct movements and positions by having them swing a certain way, which may feel strange - yet it looks (and works) beautiful. Thus, Mike teaches 'This is what it feels like - but, this is what it looks like', which are two totally different things and accomplishes exactly what is needed.

 

When you see some of the tour pros (e.g. Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell) take strange looking pre-swing practice moves that look more like an 'over-the-top' move, they are doing exactly what Mike Malaska is teaching...

 

Just re-posting Mike's email to a friend of mine, well not the entire email just the big idea, that if you can get your swing to feel "like it's over the top but from the inside" then you've achieved the move Mike advocates.

[MaybeImLeftHanded]

the "heel first" idea got me shanking the ball at the range. Thought I'd try it but don't think it's for me.

[skraly]

the "heel first" idea got me shanking the ball at the range. Thought I'd try it but don't think it's for me.

I don't mean to sound harsh but if you are shanking you are not doing it right.

[bph7]

the "heel first" idea got me shanking the ball at the range. Thought I'd try it but don't think it's for me.

I don't mean to sound harsh but if you are shanking you are not doing it right.

 

Probably, but to be fair, if the guy's issue is getting the club kicked out too earlier, either through ott or arms rotating too early, then most of malaskas feels are going to be disastrous. As with lots of instruction, it doesn't fit everyone.