Steve Pratt's Hit it longer.com

There is so much conflicting and misleading information online about the Mike Austin Golf Swing, I decided to create a FAQ section for you.  If you have any questions that aren't answered here, please email me at Steve@hititlonger.com and I will answer them to the best of my ability!

Q: What is the Mike Austin Golf Swing?

A:  The Mike Austing Swing is a precise style of golf swing used by legendary ball striker and World Record Holder Mike Austin.  It can be defined as a classic swing rather than a modern swing.

Q:  Who was Mike Austin?

A:  Mike Austin was a professional golfer and teacher who lived from 1910-2005.  Obsessed with developing a perfect golf swing, Mike never blossomed into a fantastic scorer, and therefore never really excelled on the PGA Tour.  His putting was fairly poor, and he would typically shoot around par after hitting every fairway and green in regulation.

Q:  What was Mike Austin famous for?

A:  Besides Mike's development of an incredibly efficient swing motion, he is best known for his 515 yard drive in the 1974 National Senior Open in Las Vegas.  If you knew him, it was like watching Moe Norman on steroids.  Other than that, Mike was probably famous for being what his critics would describe as 'cantankerous' or 'surly.'  His students often had to endure getting manhandled and cursed at, but he would beam just as big when you got  what he was talking about.

Q:  Who has Mike Austin taught?

A:  Austin's most famous student is Mike Dunaway of Arkansas who was a long drive champion before the days of the REMAX World Championships.  Mike gave lessons to many notable celebrities, such as Jack LaLanne (who told him if he got a brain transplant he could putt better), and Howard Hughes.  Reportedly, Payne Stewart had a lesson in Mike's front yard before he won the U.S. Open.

Q:  Is the Mike Austin swing a new technique?

A:  No.  Mike was a naturally gifted athleted and quickly learned the swing of the era by emulating the great players he saw, like Bobby Jones.  The more he learned, and the farther he hit the ball, he started to realize that there were inefficiencies in most of the pro golfers' swings.  This spurred him on to study science in depth and get physics and engineering on his side.  Mike refined his technique, eliminating all extraneous movements until it was finally as perfect of an action as humanly possible.

Q:  When did Mike perfect this swing?

A:  It appears that Mike did not make any notable changes in his swing theory after around 1946.

Q:  Who has used the same swing style on the PGA Tour?

A:  Although the following golfers were not swinging precisely like Mike, they shared most of the same swing DNA and basic principles:  Nicklaus, Watson, Snead, Nelson, Jones, Floyd, Player, Rodriguez, Stewart.  All had the same classic leg action and released the club freely from the top.

Q:  OK, but give me some pros who are more recent?

A:  John Daly is very similar, and Mark Wilson is currently doing very well with a similar style.  Fred Couples has always swung with Mike Austin principles of pivot and release. 

Q:  Why do so many PGA tour players favor a different swing method?

A:  The 'modern' swing started evolving in the late 80's and early 90's with the increasing popularity of handicams.  Once video analysis software was invented, it was a different ball game.  In my opinion, these two things set the golf swing back 25 years.  Now modern golfers strive to 'plane the shaft' and match up their impact with address.  This is also where the idea of 'lagging' or delaying the release got popular.  Once professional players were observed to be 'holding the angle' on their downswings (which wasn't technically happening), the influence on the everyday player became immense.

Q:  I hear the Mike Austin swing is supposed to be better on the back?

A:  The modern swing involves more twisting of the hips and creating an 'X factor' between shoulders and hips.  This likely creates excessive torque on the lower spine and discs.  The Mike Austin swing and its unique pivot allows the spine to rotate more together, like a Discus thrower, to reduce stress on the back.

Q: Is the Mike Austin swing just for hitting longer?

A:  No. Actually the strength of Mike's swing is accuracy and precision.  The distance kind of just comes accidentally and with little effort.

Q:  Why is the Mike Austin swing so powerful?

A:  Because it utilizes every ounce of leverage available in the human body.  It also allows a greater time to accelerate the clubhead, therefore resulting in increased swing speed.

Q:  Why is Steve Pratt the guy to learn this method from?

A:  Steve learned the swing directly from Mike Austin in its pure form.  Steve, like Mike, has a background in Kinesiology and can perform the swing to consistently drive the ball straight well over 300 yards.  Steve teaches numerous long drivers, helping them to hit longer and straighter with more consistency.  Steve's students get quick results.