Thought it would be fun to open up the discussion at various times to let people share their experiences with Mike Austin and/or the Mike Austin golf swing.
Please share your stories.
Who among you met Mike or took a lesson from him?
Anyone play with Mike before his stroke? Witness him at a long drive contest? See him hit balls?
Anyone possess any newspaper clips or photo’s?
What about your experiences with the Mike Austin swing? Best drive? Best hole? Best round?
Any one given up on the swing? How come?
Mentored By The Legend - Mike Austin 
Hi Chuck,
you next post is desperately awaited :-)))
Thomas
Sorry for the delay, but here is the latest – a very critical part of the Mike Austin swing – the use of the right “hund”.
Thanks,
Chuck
My experience with the Austin Swing:
Wow. I’m so glad I found your blog, Chuck! I’m getting it… slowly. But with only a book, a video, and the odd internet gem, I’m basically teaching myself. So to see your vids of *actual* lessons from the legend himself… priceless. Thank you for sharing.
To date, after a short season, I’ve had flashes of brilliance with the new swing.. long and straight! Effortless. I was a decent enough mid-to-low handicapper but now getting older and want to take my game to a level where golf is enjoyable every time I tee it up; both physically and mentally challenging but not leaving me with any ‘itis’ pain. I believe i have found that in the genius of Mike Austin.
One last thought: Any man who’s popularity increases post-mortem I say was ahead of his time. I think Mike Austin was ahead of his time and only now are people catching on…
Stu
Stu,
Glad you are aboard. Those flashes of genius prove that (a) the method works, and (b) you have it – you just need to make it repeatable and/or refine the technique so you can do so on a regular basis. Mike Austin was really a genius in that his technique allows one to hit it longer and straighter but with not effort and no strain to the body. You want to hit it long but you want to be able to be functional the next day. Plus, you sure don’t want to be harming your body so that you can play down the road or are limited from playing well.
I am glad that so many are being exposed to what and how Mike Austin really taught. Thanks for the comment.
Best,
Chuck
Love the vids. As a beginner I have somehow migrated to Austin swing and appreciate this website. My concern in accuracy, particularly in the irons, with Austin swing. Everything I keep reading about Austin is he was super long and all the fans who have his swing also look to be long hitters. Maybe Austin is best for long drive competitors.
What about the finesse of irons where all the body/leg movement of austin might add issues against accuracy. I’d love to hear of scratch or better players who swing like Austin.
Jacob is a good example. I read somewhere he has had to get rid of some “austin” to gain accuracy as he tries to make PGA. True?
Appreciate the post!
On the accuracy concern: Not an issue. Mike Austin’s swing, especially after he changed he changed his technique, was designed to be “the most powerful and accurate way to hit a ball”. When performed appropriately, the ball goes dead straight. His lessons to me were focused on precision not power. I always say that he didn’t teach power golf. His teachings produced precise and powerful golf shots. Once I had the basics down, a good portion of the lessons was always partial shots and short game. Even there, the techniques provided deadly accuracy and touch.
As to the leg action, think about how many tournaments Nicklaus, Watson and the like won. Now think of up-and-comers like Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson. Check the post here on “mobility, not stability”.
Dustin Johnson is much more “modern swing” than Austin. He uses wide stance, keeps left heel firmly to ground, limits leg action and uses upper-body torque. He just does it super fast like a young Tiger (future injury issues for Dustin?). Look for yourself:
Bubba is almost a mirror image of a modern Austin. Tons of leg action. Watson is a “classic” swinger with leg action/heel lift, but he tones it down to a minimum.
Anyway, I will look to take some of your posts to the range.
Thanks for the comment Bud.
I saw Bubba Watson live at the CVS Charity Classic in Rhode Island a couple of weeks ago. Spent a lot of time watching him on the range. He kills it. Can’t think of a better example of the Austin leg action.
As to Dustin Johnson, I hear what you are saying. However, I did want to stress the point that the bow in the back of the leading hand was not necessarily a swing flaw as Johnny Miller insinuated. He also has a straightening of the right leg on the backswing and quite a lot of leg action on the way down. Thanks!
Thanks for posting the video clips of you getting a lesson from Mike. It’s nice to see some of the other people that have spent time with him coming out of the cracks and sharing their stories and especially videos.
It’s somewhat tragic that Mike has become more popular now that he has passed away. To that extent, I hope we can see more of your footage in the future. I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy seeing it and getting to know Mike further.
Here’s one of my photos with Mike and Phil Reed (the guy who wrote “In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing” and also the LA Times article about Mike that you referenced) when we were over hanging out at Mike’s house. I like it because it’s the only photo I recall seeing where Mike is actually smiling…although, I must admit that Phil whispered a dirty joke in Mike’s ear in the moment before the photo. Hahaha, Mike loved dirty jokes.
Thanks so much for posting Jaacob. We’ve never met, but i have enjoyed following your career and certainly have enjoyed your website.
It pains me at times to think of how many people did not have the opportunity to share in Mike’s brilliance. Mike and I discussed that potential fate often and came up with a plan. I don’t know if we could have done it justice 10 years ago, but with technological advances, we can now get his teachings accurately out to those interested. Loved the photo. Thanks for sharing. (And I know exactly what you mean by the jokes.) Fortunately, I have tapes and picture of him smiling and laughing which I intend to share.
Hi Paul,
Theresa is doing fine.
Tom