Do you want to hit the ball longer and straighter? I think I have a possible solution. Learn the Mike Austin golf swing.

Mike Austin was known as a long driver and in 1974 hit a drive for the history books. It is recognized as the longest drive ever hit in a sanctioned golf tournament and the record still stands today. The record shot was a 515 yard drive, yes it sounds unbelievable, hit when Mike was 64 years old! For this reason alone you should take a look at the Mike Austin swing.

Mike Austin studied the sciences, and based his swing method on the things he learned. Mike was way ahead of most golf instructors because he had studied Kinesiology and was applying this to the golf swing. His understanding of physics helped complete the picture.

Much of what Mike taught was in opposition to what your typical golf pro would say you should do. The modern swing is a vastly different swing than the Mike Austin swing. Below are some cases where Mike is thinking very differently than other golf professionals.

Mike said “at the start of the downswing I give the club a throw, which gives me the jump on almost anyone else”. Golf pros would tell you this is casting and is the worst thing you can do. We are taught that we store energy by delaying the release until just before impact. Mike explains that the there is a stimulus response time which requires starting the release from the top in order for the club to catch up to the left arm at impact.

The modern swing has the lower body staying very still, and only rotating. This will cause the head to move. Mike believed we should swing the lower spine laterally in both the backswing and fore swing, and then turn, a compound action he called it. This action creates a stable head position and a lot of lower body action into the swing.

The Mike Austin hand action is a twirling motion where the wrists are freely released through the hit. You do not want to keep the left wrist flat as Ben Hogan suggested. Holding on to a flat left wrist impedes the club. This will reduce both power and accuracy.

The set up for the Mike Austin swing is unique, critical and quite brilliant. Mike has a very well thought out process to get you set up properly. Taking the steps insures a consistent and correct set ups. The precision of the set up makes performing the swing correctly much easier.

The Mike Austin golf swing is a very precise and specific way of hitting the golf ball. It is truly a one swing fits all approach. The swing uses our joints in the way we are supposed to use them. When you learn to work your joints correctly during the swing your shots will soar long and straight. The late and great Mike Austin would always say “it is the most efficient way to hit a ball”.

If you want to learn more on the Mike Austin golf swing I think Steve Pratt is who you should turn to. He is available for live golf lessons in Los Angeles or online golf lessons at his website Hit It Longer (.com).

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Filed under: Golf Swing

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