Malaska - I Feel Your Pain: Lets Make Golf Uncomplicated

Credits

Special thanks to my family: Charlene my wife, Jennifer and Ashley. To Phil Blackmar, Mark King, Steve Lowe, Julie Yang, David Huffman, Steve Lotz, and Bob Gaus at Tower Tee St. Louis for outstanding contributions with content. To George Reynolds for keyline design. To Bob Toski without him, the teaching profession would not be where it is today. His instinct for the game and his enthusiasm for teaching are an example to all of us. And to Jim The Master Edgeworth and Dr. John The Knife Campbell for their commitment to the game and for helping with this book.

I would like to offer a note of sincere gratitude to the Superstition Mountain Golf Club, its members and ownership, for a 14-year professional relationship and for the opportunity to work at such an inspiring venue.

Foreward

I have never been one to look back and reflect. I prefer to look ahead and focus on how I can positively shape the future, be it mine or the game of golf. I believe that ones legacy is based less on wins, records and accolades than it is about leaving the world a better place. That legacy is my passion in the world of golf. I have always tried to surround myself with likeminded people whose love for our sport has translated into a passion for embracing its great traditions, promoting the fun and beauty of the game, and protecting its future. Mike Malaska is of like mind and spirit.

I have known Mike for more than 25 years, and it has been gratifying to witness his maturation into an outstanding teacher of golf, as well as a spokesperson for the game. Mike has a strong commitment to the game, an unwavering zeal for teaching it. He brings an infectious enthusiasm every day to the golf course or practice tee. He possesses the rare ability to not only motivate people to learn but also put them at ease during what can be at times a stressful process. He takes the technical out of technique, while emphasizing the fun in fundamental. Mike inspires people to continue to grow, learn and enjoy the game. These are the types of people we need in golf to help secure its future.

Mike spent many years working alongside my long-time friend and instructor Jim Flick, and Jims influences on Mike are evident. Mike understands how I like to approach the game from both a playing and teaching perspective, and like Jim, he has a deep-rooted dedication to passing along the game to the next generation. Just as important, Mike was and is a tremendous athlete who has a strong understanding of the physical make-up of the body and the mechanics behind the swing. In an era where we are seeing wonderful athletes gravitate towards golf, Mike is able to bridge the bodys mechanics and teaching methodologies to get the most out of a persons game.

For many years, Mike has been a wonderful representative of our Jack Nicklaus Academies program. His ability to help countless golfers of all ages and levels of playing ability have made him a wonderful representative of the game of golf. Hopefully after reading Mikes first-ever book about golf instruction, your game will be in a better place than you found it.

-Jack Nicklaus

When I think about my golf experience I can only imagine where Id be if it werent for Mike. More than likely I wouldnt be able to play golf at all. Some say I still cant play, while others say I never could.

When I first went to see Mike, he spent a great deal of time with me before I even hit a golf ball. Mike used that time to ascertain what I could and couldnt do physically.

Being a former hockey player, Ive had too many injuries to count, too many surgeries to recover from, and as my friends say, too many pucks to the head. However, Mike was able to help me achieve my goal of being able to continue to play golf.

After each one of these surgical train wrecks, Mike would put me back together again with a different swing based on whether I had knee surgery, shoulder surgery, a back injury, cancer, or an abdominal surgery.

At various times in our lives, we all have different goals for our golf game. Early in life, that goal may be to play competitive golf for high school, college, etc. Next in that life cycle, we try to play competitive golf as amateurs, and then as we age, the injuries and illnesses set in. Now its time to continue our golf for our enjoyment and to play with our kids.

As we age and health issues inevitably arise, Mike works within the framework of our physical abilities to keep us playing our beloved game. Many of us joke that we have swing 52A or 83B, a bad-left-knee swing, bad-right-knee swing, bad-shoulder swing, bad-neck swing, bad-gut-surgery swing, bad-back swing, and so on...

Mikes unique ability defines each students capability. Hes not into any one method. He understands each persons physical and psychological makeup. Mike then conforms his knowledge and imparts it to each student as that student is capable to absorb it.

I dont know where I would be without Mike. Both my kids and my wife have also benefited from his teaching. Mike is truly the Family Golf Guy! We are blessed to have learned the game of golf from him.

-Jim Edgeworth

Jim is a graduate of Dartmouth College and now works in the insurance industry in Houston, specializing in sports and special risk. He played professional hockey and is now an avid golfer.

In recent years, it has become popular to utilize a scientific approach when teaching the game of golf. While this approach has some benefit, ultimately the game, as it is played, is more of an art form than a science. A persons swing, short game and mental approach needs to be more a reflection of the individual not a model if they are to perform on the links and under pressure. The path to this realization for Mike has been interesting, intriguing and maybe a little longer than it should have been but the benefit to this is that it has provided him a unique and diversified base which makes him a perfect messenger to share with you his powerful insight.

-Phil Blackmar

Phil has played on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour for 20 years. He won multiple titles in 15 years on the PGA Tour before joining the Champions Tour in 2007.

How To Use This Book

Current golf instruction tends to focus on the technical aspects of swing analysis. In many instances it has missed entirely the proper order to learn.

For example, why work on backswing or hip rotation if you have no feel for proper impact?

I have written this book to help you understand a personal sequence of learning.

The challenge of this book is to keep the learning process simple, allowing you a hand in developing a game that is unique to you.

The first half of the book offers an in-depth perspective into game play. (Above all, golf is a game.) These sections offer insight into the mental game, practice and your own personal athleticism. These sections show you how to incorporate the way you think and move into your golf swing, while accessing the knowledge you gained from the other sports youve played.