Mike Austin
Encyclopedia
Michael Hoke Austin was an English
-American
golf professional and kinesiology
expert, specializing in long drives. He is credited with hitting the longest drive in tournament play (471m/515 yards) in 1974 at Winterwood Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada
. His golf swing, known as The Mike Austin Swing
, is practiced and taught by current golf professionals.
, and at the age of six, was sent to a local golf pro for his first lesson. Later, he claimed this lesson opened his eyes to the secret of the golf swing, known as "the release." It had just rained and the golf course was closed. Perhaps hoping to get rid of the young Austin, the pro handed the boy a "mashie niblick" (a 7 iron) and said, "Take this over to that mud bank and bury the head of the club in the dirt. But if you come back here with any mud on your sleeve I'll kick you right in your rump!" This exercise taught Austin to let the clubhead freely pass ahead of his hands at the moment of impact.
The Austin family moved from Guernsey to Scotland
, then to Boston, Massachusetts. After his father suffered a severe auto accident, they moved again to Florida
. There, Austin was beset by local boys for being a foreigner and a "Yankee." They lay in wait and beat him mercilessly. Austin's father, Joseph, got wind of what was happening, and sent young Mike to a boxing
gym to learn to defend himself. Soon, he was wreaking havoc on his enemies. A short time later the family moved once more, to Atlanta, Georgia
, and located close to the East Lake Country Club, where young Bobby Jones
was often seen practicing.
At first, Austin sneaked into East Lake to hit balls. The pro there, Stewart Maiden, caught him on the grounds. But instead of banishing him, Maiden said, "You have a good swing. You can practice here as long as you don't come on the weekends." One day, Jones saw Mike driving the ball across a lake that required a 300 yard carry. He said to Austin, "How do you do that?" Austin answered, "I'm not a pro; ask Mr. Maiden -- he'll tell you."
, Austin ran a local golf shop in Atlanta during the summer. In the winter he frequented the courses farther south in Florida playing big money games against vacationing gangsters from Chicago
. After the first year, they wouldn't bet against him so he found a set of left-handed clubs and played with that handicap. The next year he played one-handed. He often thought up impossible-sounding side bets. Once, he won a $5,000 bet that he could make par hitting the ball with a Coke bottle. His exploits earned him the nickname of "The Golfing Bandit."
Austin also traveled across the country performing trick shots and challenging anyone to try to outdrive him. He said he could hit a variety of shots with an ordinary set of golf clubs. No one was ever able to hit the ball farther than Austin. He told a biographer that he "lived like a maharaja" during that time.
to become a pro at the Wilshire Country Club. When he arrived, the job fell through so he worked at other golf courses, teaching and competing. His roommate was Errol Flynn
and they frequented local nightclubs in search of women. Austin also auditioned for roles in movies and eventually appeared in a number of motion pictures. However, his golfing and acting were put on hold when he joined the service. Having never completed U.S. citizenship, he went to Canada
and joined the R.A.F. He served as an intelligence
officer in Africa, often flying what appeared to be a supply plane as a cover for covert operations. At one point, Austin's plane crashed in a swamp in Africa and he broke both his legs. As water filled the cockpit he saw the waters were teeming with crocodiles. He was rescued before further injuries were inflicted.
Back in Los Angeles, Austin worked to get a PhD in kinesiology, the study of muscular
movement, and eventually became a pioneer in that field. He also established a name for himself as a golf teacher and was eventually sought out by Howard Hughes
for lessons. He eventually established a gym in Hollywood where he taught boxing, tennis
, baseball
and golf
. The walls of the gym were covered with mirrors which he said sped up the learning process. When he gave lectures about golf he dressed in a tight-fitting black leotard with white outlines of the skeleton. He wanted students to see how the bones were positioned in the correct golf swing.
. After hitting several 400-yard drives, Chandler said, "Mike, let's see you really let one go." Austin drove the ball on 450-yard par 4. It carried to the edge of the green, bounced over and rolled past the pin and off the back edge. In a 2003 interview, Chandler said he found a ball on the next tee box and called to Austin, "This is impossible, but there is a ball over here." They identified the ball as Austin's and stepped off the distance back to the center of the green. The drive was 515 yards. As of 2009, the record still stands for the longest drive in a golf tournament.
Several factors make this record feat especially amazing, although there was a tailwind estimated at 27-35 mph. The drive was done on level ground, using a persimmon wood driver with 10 degrees of loft and a 43.5" extra-stiff steel shaft, the ball was a soft balata and Mike Austin was 64 years old. The improved technology of today should achieve far greater distances in the same conditions.
Mike talked about setting the world record and revealed his secrets for hitting it long and straight in his video "Golf is Mental Imagery and Austinology," The videos were produced by Mike Austin, himself. Details of Austin's life and golf swing are included in the 2004 biography In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing by Philip Reed. Austin's last and best reviewed instructional DVD, Mike Austin: Secrets of the Game's Longest Hitter, was produced by Peace River Golf.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
golf professional and kinesiology
Kinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
expert, specializing in long drives. He is credited with hitting the longest drive in tournament play (471m/515 yards) in 1974 at Winterwood Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. His golf swing, known as The Mike Austin Swing
Mike Austin Swing
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 longest recorded...
, is practiced and taught by current golf professionals.
The early years
Austin was born on the channel island of GuernseyGuernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, and at the age of six, was sent to a local golf pro for his first lesson. Later, he claimed this lesson opened his eyes to the secret of the golf swing, known as "the release." It had just rained and the golf course was closed. Perhaps hoping to get rid of the young Austin, the pro handed the boy a "mashie niblick" (a 7 iron) and said, "Take this over to that mud bank and bury the head of the club in the dirt. But if you come back here with any mud on your sleeve I'll kick you right in your rump!" This exercise taught Austin to let the clubhead freely pass ahead of his hands at the moment of impact.
The Austin family moved from Guernsey to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, then to Boston, Massachusetts. After his father suffered a severe auto accident, they moved again to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. There, Austin was beset by local boys for being a foreigner and a "Yankee." They lay in wait and beat him mercilessly. Austin's father, Joseph, got wind of what was happening, and sent young Mike to a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
gym to learn to defend himself. Soon, he was wreaking havoc on his enemies. A short time later the family moved once more, to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and located close to the East Lake Country Club, where young Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
was often seen practicing.
At first, Austin sneaked into East Lake to hit balls. The pro there, Stewart Maiden, caught him on the grounds. But instead of banishing him, Maiden said, "You have a good swing. You can practice here as long as you don't come on the weekends." One day, Jones saw Mike driving the ball across a lake that required a 300 yard carry. He said to Austin, "How do you do that?" Austin answered, "I'm not a pro; ask Mr. Maiden -- he'll tell you."
"The Golfing Bandit"
During the DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Austin ran a local golf shop in Atlanta during the summer. In the winter he frequented the courses farther south in Florida playing big money games against vacationing gangsters from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. After the first year, they wouldn't bet against him so he found a set of left-handed clubs and played with that handicap. The next year he played one-handed. He often thought up impossible-sounding side bets. Once, he won a $5,000 bet that he could make par hitting the ball with a Coke bottle. His exploits earned him the nickname of "The Golfing Bandit."
Austin also traveled across the country performing trick shots and challenging anyone to try to outdrive him. He said he could hit a variety of shots with an ordinary set of golf clubs. No one was ever able to hit the ball farther than Austin. He told a biographer that he "lived like a maharaja" during that time.
Moving to Hollywood
In the late 1930s, Austin moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to become a pro at the Wilshire Country Club. When he arrived, the job fell through so he worked at other golf courses, teaching and competing. His roommate was Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
and they frequented local nightclubs in search of women. Austin also auditioned for roles in movies and eventually appeared in a number of motion pictures. However, his golfing and acting were put on hold when he joined the service. Having never completed U.S. citizenship, he went to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and joined the R.A.F. He served as an intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
officer in Africa, often flying what appeared to be a supply plane as a cover for covert operations. At one point, Austin's plane crashed in a swamp in Africa and he broke both his legs. As water filled the cockpit he saw the waters were teeming with crocodiles. He was rescued before further injuries were inflicted.
Back in Los Angeles, Austin worked to get a PhD in kinesiology, the study of muscular
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
movement, and eventually became a pioneer in that field. He also established a name for himself as a golf teacher and was eventually sought out by Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
for lessons. He eventually established a gym in Hollywood where he taught boxing, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. The walls of the gym were covered with mirrors which he said sped up the learning process. When he gave lectures about golf he dressed in a tight-fitting black leotard with white outlines of the skeleton. He wanted students to see how the bones were positioned in the correct golf swing.
Setting the World Record
For years Austin was well known by professional golfers for his length off the tee. But it was one drive in 1974 that secured his name in history. While playing in the U.S. National Seniors Tournament, at the Winterwood Golf Course (now the Desert Rose) Austin was put in a foursome with PGA Champion Chandler HarperChandler Harper
John Chandler Harper was an American professional golfer best known for winning the 1950 PGA Championship. He won seven times on the PGA Tour and played on the 1955 Ryder Cup team....
. After hitting several 400-yard drives, Chandler said, "Mike, let's see you really let one go." Austin drove the ball on 450-yard par 4. It carried to the edge of the green, bounced over and rolled past the pin and off the back edge. In a 2003 interview, Chandler said he found a ball on the next tee box and called to Austin, "This is impossible, but there is a ball over here." They identified the ball as Austin's and stepped off the distance back to the center of the green. The drive was 515 yards. As of 2009, the record still stands for the longest drive in a golf tournament.
Several factors make this record feat especially amazing, although there was a tailwind estimated at 27-35 mph. The drive was done on level ground, using a persimmon wood driver with 10 degrees of loft and a 43.5" extra-stiff steel shaft, the ball was a soft balata and Mike Austin was 64 years old. The improved technology of today should achieve far greater distances in the same conditions.
Mike talked about setting the world record and revealed his secrets for hitting it long and straight in his video "Golf is Mental Imagery and Austinology," The videos were produced by Mike Austin, himself. Details of Austin's life and golf swing are included in the 2004 biography In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing by Philip Reed. Austin's last and best reviewed instructional DVD, Mike Austin: Secrets of the Game's Longest Hitter, was produced by Peace River Golf.