Mike Austin Swing
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The Mike Austin Swing is a golf swing. Some claim that this method is a more efficient and more accurate way of hitting a golf ball. The swing was developed by Mike Austin. Based on the principle of leverage, Austin, an engineer, demonstrated the power of the swing by hitting the world's longest drive with a 515 yard shot while playing in the U.S. National Seniors Open in 1974. He was 64 years old at the time.
The Austin swing breaks from standard Professional Golfers Association teaching in a number of ways:
- The hips slide laterally rather than turning.
- The club head is thrown from the top of the swing, not released at the last moment.
- The golfer bends forward from the hips rather than bending with the knees.
Late in his career, Austin changed his hand motion to a counter-rotation of the forearms that keeps the club facing the target throughout the swing, making misses nearly impossible.
Austin designed his golf swing to use the joints of the body in the way they are designed. He claimed that his swing did not cause back injuries which are so common among professional golfers.
Students of Austin include World Long Drive Champion Mike Dunaway, Thomas Dang and Jacob Bowden.
