Mike Malaska: Understanding the Game
When it comes to playing golf, understanding the game is key. Mike Malaska has taught so many students and golfers that the game is not the swing, or putting or even your short game. The game is purely a clubface and a ball. The object is to put the clubface on the ball, on a path, to make the ball do what you want it to do. Here, Malaska goes in depth on what actually controls the clubface and if you can understand this aspect of your swing, you will be able to understand the game.
Controlling the Club Face
The first part of understanding the game that Malaska emphasizes is the importance of controlling the club face. He explains that the club shaft is a disconnect between the club face and the player. Unlike a tennis racket, hockey stick, or ping pong paddle, the club shaft is round and the player has to look to organize the face.
Malaska explains that the orientation of the club face should be in the player’s hand and that the player should be looking at the ball. He says that the player should be able to feel the club face in their hand and use their hands, wrists, and forearms to control the face.
Malaska also emphasizes the importance of training the hands to control the face. He says that tour players have phenomenal hand-eye coordination and have trained their hands to feel the club face and catch it up.
The Importance of the Hands
Malaska emphasizes the importance of the hands in the golf swing as a part in understanding the game better. He says that the hands drive the swing and that if the player can’t make the ball curve consistently both ways, they will have a hard time making adjustments. He says that the hands control the club face and that the player should start out by using their hands with little swings to make the ball curve.
Malaska also cites Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as examples of players who understand the importance of the hands in the golf swing. He says that Nicklaus said that his hands were his swing, and that Woods said that his hands drive his swing.