I only just discovered Mike Austin’s swing ideas but came to the same conclusions about the physics and efficiency back in 2008 after retiring, taking a job at course where was able go practice and play unlimited golf for free and decided to retool my swing using Hogan’s Five Lessons and a set of unforgiving late 1970s blade irons. As in Austin’s swing I learned to release the lag fully in the downswing to take full advantage of the formula for striking force F=1/2(Mass x Velocity^2) which is why allowing the club force to whip the club head mass around the hands in the downswing is far more efficient than simply lagging and dragging it through the ball. After studying the history of golf and the evolution of the equipment I concluded that the conventional single plane golf swing was likely developed around the limitations of the thin hickory shafted clubs. Byron Nelson has been credited with developing the dual plane swing in the 1930 when switching to metal shafts and discovering how they could be loaded like leaf springs by dropping the hands at the top to reverse the club head direction and load the shaft then keep hands pulling down faster than shoulders turn by using side bend action extending the trail arm, sustaining the lag as long as possible through impact. That is a strategy used successfully by most pro golfers since Nelson but one that requires above average athleticism and coordination to get everything to work in the correct sequence to maintain that bend in the shaft and release the energy stored by it into the ball by the action of lagging the club head in the downswing. It was reading about trick shot artist Count Yogi that first exposed me to the ideal of letting the club head freely whip around the hands instead of lagging it. Since I had swung axes, sledge hammers done carpentry and even cracked bull whips before ever picking up a golf club at age 31 that similar approach for the golf swing made perfect sense. Per the striking force formula increasing the club head velocity 2x more by whipping it around the hands vs. lagging it before striking the ball will produce 4x more striking force! That will not result in 4x more distance due to the finite ability of the golf ball to compress but it will result in maximum possible compression of the ball for maximum possible distance with driver and maximum spin loft and steep trajectory soft landings on greens with highly lofted wedges that the conventional sweeping swing. The other important factor is that the force vector of the club head in the downswing points more toward the ground which creates a “ground effect” of the club force quite literally pulling the body mass down into the ground rather than off balance towards the target which results in a more consistent swing path and more accurate shots. The Mike Austin swing very similar to the Count Yogi (Harry Frankenberg) swing and I recently learned Austin not only knew Frankenberg but was the one who convinced him to move from Chicago where he was born to California to work at a golf school he was running at Bob Hope’s country club. The primary differences in the swings of both vs the conventional swing is how the trailing arm is utilized. In the conventional dual plane swing the lead arm starts at address as the primary lever arm in a Trebuchet-like dual lever action in which the club shaft acts like the sling hanging from the Trebuchet arm and the club head mass the projectile. The goal underlying the connection of the lead arm to chest at address, in the takeaway and the downswing and having the club force pull it straight is so that lead arm mass will fired off the chest during the middle of the downswing just like the lever arm of the Trebuchet being released to whip the rock in the sling around it. But where the conventional swing gets the physics wrong is that the release of the arm and whipping of the club head around the hands does not occur until well after the left arm drags the club held in a lagging orientation by bend in the trailing arm and extension (hinging back) of the trail wrist. In the conventional swing the lead arm remains the primary lever of the machine until after impact at which point the club force is allowed to pull trail arm straight to arrest the force of remaining in the club. But that arresting action requires an equal and opposite “counter fall” of body mass, either back opposite the direction of a flared front foot (e.g. Hogan) or a back and ankle / knee wrecking “reverse C” when the front foot is squared. The key to power in the conventional lead arm pulling club swing is keeping the back heel on the ground and by doing that forcing the hips to lock 45° open in the middle of the downswing as the trailing shoulders come back parallel and the momentum in the lead arm mass created by the hip and shoulder turn causes it to fly off the chest towards the target pulling the lagging club head behind it. That action is described in golf instruction as feeling like hitting an invisible wall and that is in fact what it feels like but pulling it off consistently requires technique and timing the average golfer lacks, which is why they don’t strike the ball with the same power trying in vain to use that technique. I tried in vain for twenty years to duplicate that action in Jack Nicklaus’ swing style before. The significant difference in both the CY and Austin swings and the conventional lagging club head strategy is that the trail arm is allowed to straighten and become the primary lever the club head whips around in the downswing. That changes the entire dynamic of the swing action and the actions of the body mass needed to stay in balance. It is a swing style with fewer moving parts requiring less athletic coordination to perform consistently which makes it much better suited for recreational golfers, especially older ones. The differenced between the Count Yogi and Austin swing appears to be that Count Yogi used an unconventional orientation of his wrists which fully extended his trail arm and pulled trail wrist straight before impact with the ball causing the wrist to lock just as the club face squared to the target as hips locked which causes the ball to release off the abruptly slowed face of the club straight at the target very predictably and consistently. In the Austin swing full trail arm extension and maxed out ulnar deviation causing the hands to turn over occurs just after impact without any attempt to slow the hips and lock the wrists to force the ball to release off the face the way Count Yogi did. Austin’s method will produce more power, Count Yogi’s less power but more accuracy. But both are far more efficient and better balanced than the conventional lagging swing which is based around the goal of loading the shaft of the club at the start of the downswing and maintaining the bend until impact, a feat pros can do but very few recreational golfers can.
Well written. I've just binned MORAD after 15 years to go back to this. Freddie Couples is my rhythm and release model. Gonna play with the grip a little to get optimum direction but I finally feel like I'm hitting a ball rather than worrying about loads of ineffectual positions.
I bought the Cybervision Austin swing method many years ago. I don't recall understanding it very well back then. I quit playing a decade ago and have just gotten back to the game this summer. Glad I found this as it is helping me connect the dots so to speak. It makes more sense to my older self for some reason; and I played my best round by far yesterday. For me, thinking of the swing as a dance in balance with no conscious effort to separate the backswing from the downswing - along with the "sling" of the club head seems to fix a lot of swing problems. Great stuff Mike and what an amazing driving range - it's like a video game! Wish we had one like that in IN!
Well, with all those conditions you mention and Mike Austin hit the Drive 515 yards, that is still amazing. Most people under those same conditions would not of even come close to driving the ball that far. I just came across this you tube channel video. I am 75 years old and have given up on trying to hit the ball for distance. And even if i were to attempt this swing, I don't think it will make any difference in my distances. I am still flexible, but i do not lift weights or worry about strength anymore. I hit the ball straight just no more than 200 yards. Good enough for me from the Senior Tees. In my younger years, I did shoot in the mid to high 70's and lowest round for me was a 69 for eighteen holes. Thanks for the video and happy holidays.
Love your set up routine ! I have been teaching for 34 years and that has been my go too fix after a good grip of the club. This past summer I had 8 birdies on punched greens. I shot 66 my lowest round ever. I turn 65 in 2022! Keep up the great training video's. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 👍
My wife is 20 yrs younger than I and I taught her from the time she was twenty-five with one lesson from Mike Austin. I taught at the studio city range and liked Mike and his method. Now at seventy-six and Cathy 56 she out drives me by twenty yards most days.
Steve, I used to be a baseball player. When I took up golf it was natural for me to swing the club the same way. Until everybody corrected me and slowly I learned the proper golf swing. I lost so much distance I thought this can't be right. After many years I went back to my baseball swing and now everything feels normal again. This video confirmed to me at the very least to swing the club in a way that feels natural to me. It has made a tremendous difference in my game. Thank you!
Yes, u are right. I went to the range to try your skool of taught. My striking improved drastically when I released the clubs with my arms at around 10.30 position. Thanks.
Disclaimer: My opinion...Golfers have been trying to emulate great golfers swings since the beginning of golf. There are basic imperatives that make a golf swing work and they are rooted in physics. Everything after that is a golfers style. All great golfers had there own style. Bobby, Jack, Arnie, Lee, Ben, Mike, Moe, and Tiger to name a few. Who's to say that one style is better than another. But, what they all had in common were the things that were based on physics, such as momentum, velocity, clubhead speed, clubhead path, angle of attack, and IMPACT! Keep the videos coming. I can't stop watching.
@@Inmotion70 I have to be honest here. I tried putting into play the driving methods you put forth in this video and just after one range session and one round of golf I increased my clubhead speed by 5 mph and my distance by 15 to 20 yards. This was verified on a launch monitor as well. No one was as shocked as me. Wow! There's definitely something to this method.
I just got back from the driving range and I used your lesson on bumping my hips and flexing my right leg. It felt unnatural each time, but the results were amazing. Thank you for the tip. Working on my game with a specific lesson made it enjoyable. Golfing tomorrow morning with my son. Can't wait to see the results in my golf game.
It appears to me that Mike Austin took the club more on the inside going back keeping the club plane even with his shoulders and he never let the club get outside that plane by taking it stright back going off plane. And Mike did roll the his hands after hitting the ball finishing with his left hand up high like holding a platter. He held the platter with his right hand on the back swing and then held the platter at the finish with his left hand.You do a great job explaining Mike's swing, He used to come out to Pico Rivera mens club and also gave Mike Dunnaway lessons at Scycamore Canyon in Arvin California. Great teacher.
I have played the golf for years and have had two different swings and postures also for years. The first one is Hogan's. I have struggled it and am unable to master it a bit. The common problem of Hogan's is you have to perfectly control/manipulate the body and arms and legs and hands altogether, and plus your mind. People always said to me you have a beautiful swing however I could never get low scores because of often fat or thin shots, and backache. My second swing is my Free Style and works well almost every time (or Fxxk it when I got frustrated with Hogan's), which I never knew Austin's exists until today I watched your UA-cam. THANK YOU and THANK YOU. Now, with your validation, I am going to stick on to this "freedom" "none -steering" hit.
Hi Steve a lot missed hits gripping the club but I remembered you said that you should think it as a touch pad and walla pivot with start downswing with left heal finally works
Thanks for the refresher, i have drifted away from these basics for some time now, been rehearsing them today with free and easy power from that wrist release. the word i reckon sums up that austin swing the best is "natural" thanks steve
In the past I had noticed that at time I would swing the club with the right over left action the club wanted to come out of my left hand. I am thinking now that this was because I was doing the action more with my right than the left. I've been a contractor all my life and am used to hammering 16d nails with one single pop so it makes sense that my right would take over. Previously I thought it was because I wasn't hanging on to the club firmly enough. Now I am concentrating on using right and left in a coordinated motion.
Really amazing work, Steve! Totally agree with all you are teaching and thanks for making my game WAY better! Come on up to British Columbia and I'll take you out for a round and some BC IPAs!
Mike, well done. Tried the "glue it (the driver) to the peck in a game yesterday - after a little practice -- seemed to work great. Hit some bombs (straight), I'm 72 years old. (A bomb for me is ~~ 230-240.) Hadn't watched hardly any of your videos so figured the "glue it to the peck" action would work for other clubs as well, --- seemed to. This video certainly cemented that thought. Will practice what your teaching - even though it seems a little unconventional. It will certainly help me improve my lower body "action". Thanks, Tom
Amazing content in here! Great vid Steve! Its taking me over 2 years to understand things enough too not think to much. But im getting it! I only practice this swing. My back is finally getting better from golftec telling me to swing in a barrel. Cheers!
I am 63 years old and my average score is 80 - 85. I will break 80 a few times during the season. I have attempted the Mike Austin swing after reviewing a lot of the videos. I had good success with the driver. I’ve invested several thousand dollars into golf lessons over the years and I agree that the idea of lag is false. The most recent swing method that I tried for the past season before this swing method was stack and tilt. In my my opinion, stack & tilt lacks a fluidness because of the extreme hip turn & all your weight starting & staying on your lead side throughout the swing. There is almost no way to generate club head speed smoothly with stack & tilt.
Excellent instruction. Working at incorporating the Mike Austin basics into my game and finding it quite natural and helpful for consistency. Thanks much Steve!
Yeah. Me too. -2(70). Practiced only two days with this method! Higher,straighter,farther! My normal scores were 80-85. Crazy. I got lucky though a few times hit some irons over green but got up and down. Only problem I had was three thin irons. But I think my ball position was too far forward.
Steve - you did a good video “ pizza box” on wrists, hands and arm for downswing - but can you do one in optimum “ setting” in the backswing from set up position. You do this on your web lessons ( 6 hour swing etc) but positioning of wrists ( bowed ? Cupped ? Flat ?) needs more detail.
@@NDW7 I don't prefer a thumb on top left hand because it gives a strong slice bias. 1 o'clock with the crease going up inside the right shoulder is considered neutral by most.
Hi Steve. I’ve been following the Austin swing for a while, but have got confused with some of the interpretations out there. Since coming across your work everything is starting to fall into place. Your instruction is clear and the drills are fantastic. I have fallen in love with the chair drill as I was hyper extending. Everyone interested in this swing should checkout the videos on your website. My buddies don’t understand how I am consistently out driving them by 20 yards (I’m 53 and 5ft 5 inches tall!) Keep up the good work.
Excellent articulation and demonstration. I am new to the sport and I am in love with golf. I really enjoy your outlook and approach to the fundamentals of a great golf swing.. I am looking forward to implementing your techniques to aid in lowering my score from high to low 80's. Thank you Steve!🙏🏼⛳🏌🏽♂️🍻
I am trying to wrap my brain around this concept. Ok so "throwing" the club out away from your chest creates a WIDE downswing? Most tour pros swing wide to narrow with downcock? So would this swing be more narrow to wide? Relaxing the arms in the backswing, letting the arms come close to the body in the backswing, a lot of wrist cock(to narrow) then the downswing is all about THROWING all that energy out AWAY from your chest??? The opposite would be swing back VERY wide with little to no wrist cock getting the arms away from the body(WIDE) then in the downswing COCKING the wrists and bring the arms close to the body(narrowing) and getting everything leveraged in (as opposed to throwing out?)? An in between of these extremes would be matching your turn and wrist cock without going too wide or narrow then syncing in the downswing.
Too many golfers trying to mimic the still photos of a tour pro like to yank the club down and overly cock the wrists. This is NOT what is happening in a pro swing. They are exerting outwards and around seeking torque immediately starting down. You are seeing an illusion.
@@jacobr4558 The angle may be getting tighter, but the forces are pushing it the other way. Like when you roll downhill in a stick shift from park - for a moment you hit the gas but you're still rolling downhill....less and less.
Totally get the analogy. Wouldn't there be individuality with this move depending on the player? Koepka, Champ, Sadlowski appear to be far more acute in their downswing than say JT, Kenny Perry, Louis Oustezen Angles seem very different to me.
I'd like to see more about the arms and hands through out. I dont pivot exactly like this but do have a good pivot and starting to throw the club behind me is a good feel. Especially with driver. I do have to make adjustments in the wrist to get the clubface square though so I would like more detail there.
@@Inmotion70 just detail of the throw and your arm position as you rotate. Kind of a "where everything should be with the arms and wrists in the swing" video in more detail.
Hey Steve, I've been working on this swing. Works great when I put it all together, but I get pain the left side lower rib area that feels like a ligament tear/muscle pull. Ever seen that with students learning the Austin move?
It’s a muscle tear. I did the same thing after returning to golf after abandoning the sport for years. (I had been a scratch player). I went nuts in early spring on the driving range without warming up properly nor stretching before hand. Instead of taking time off I kept returning to the range aggravating it worse. It felt like someone was punching me in the side on every follow through. Fortunately a good buddy of mine is a soccer coach with years of experience. He said, “Dude you have a classic muscle tear. The only thing you can do is stop golfing and let it heal.” About 2 or 3 weeks. So that’s what I did. After 3 weeks no more pain and I could play to my hearts content. And hit the range. I made sure I was properly warmed up before slamming away with the driver.
Great stuff Steve! Another thing much talked about is ‘the shallowing of the club’ which is really last second lag building. Mike doesn’t appear to do this. In fact it looks kind of like the opposite is happening. The throw round and the wrist flick seem to sort this out automatically. Am I reading this right?
Another great video. When you are talking about the release - would this be considered a more "active" release than what many others advocate. The active throw of the club with the right hand like skipping a stone or a sidearm throw. I am only asking to clarify because lately many instructors are advocating the left wrist be bowed (motorcycle move) like DJ- bowing the wrist throughout the swing to keep the face square. Can you clarify if this is similar or different than what you are discussing here. Thanks.
Steve - my comments echo David’s here - trying also to see if you are advocating a different method from those who want to force a lead wrist bow through and past impact and maneuver the hands dragging in front of the clubhead
@@migbgold3191 I've done videos on this - you can check my channel. But I can do another soon. While Mike's lead wrist was bowed in the slot, from there through impact was all slap. This was the first thing he ever showed me. I do not advocate attempting to bow the wrist at impact. You will lose tons of distance and hit the ball very low. Also risk the duck hook.
Tried that supple quickness. Kinda makes you wonder how the club face can square up. It certainly works if you can give up control (ie. the old control swing). Am I wrong, do I feel a whipping action in the arms?
Hi Steve love your teaching style. I do have a concern with the setup and posture. The bump and bend of the spine at setup seems like it will hurt the lower spine. The bum tucked under has been stressed to me as a stress reliever on the lower back. Any thoughts if this new position is ok for folks with back issues?
Shouldn't hurt the spine at all since you're simply tilting the hip line. The spine is staying all in line. Basically bending one leg to make it shorter. But you modify as needed.
great video Steve. thanks. Just a question leading away a bit from the video. You never really show MA methods on chipping. I have been trying it for weeks and finding it very inconsistent. I was learning to chip like Jason Day will a lot of success but to be a true MA fan i wanted to follow his methods in everything he did. Do you chip and pitch MAs way with the Modern grip and the flip of the hands and wrists, or like every other pro. ? i would like to know as i feel i am putting a lot of work practicing the wrong chipping and pitching methods. Thanks Steve .
I use a chipping style that will break the internet. Although I use Mike Austin principles, it is NOTHING like what he shows in Austinology. Mine is proven big time in tournament play and I would have legendary practice sessions. It's in the queue.
@@Inmotion70 Hi from Oz, Steve, The Mike Austin swing came to my attention 20+ years ago. Your videos have clarified points I wondered about. At age 68 I am longer and straighter than most of my golfing buddies yet old enough to be their father or grand father. Now, about the chipping style: please, oh please bring it on.
I use his chipping method but can use it from 100 yards in. I get a pitching wedge about 100 yards in the air with his method of keeping the right elbow on the hip and bringing the club square back and through. My 58 degree wedge maxes out at about 65 yards with this chipping method. Obviously they don't go has high as a full swing so don't stop on the green as quickly, but I love it. I also use it for chips around the green. Using this has saved me about 4-5 shots a round.
Great stuff Steve… The understand the but of the club advances via the pivot maintaining the 7… But is the 180 degree throw an active/conscious movement with the arms?
At 22.00 (approx) I would like to know how to get the right should from up and behind at the top of the backswing to under, ("under, up and out"). Is it the roll of the right foot? Anything else?
It's the action of the hips creating a secondary tilt of the spine combined with the flexion of the right knee and ankle action to drop the right hip and shoulder lower than the left. This gives you the under.
Steve..Your driver foot measurement was 14 inches. What distance for irons? I always used the shoulder width measurement. One more reason for my poor iron play. You are changing my entire swing ! Driver has had super results.
Where are you in relation to LA or SF? I probably can’t afford one-on-one lessons (although I believe you get more bang for the buck as you don’t have to sit through a one hour presentation that you may already be very familiar with. I used to instruct for Dave Pelz’ Scoring Game Schools, and people who had read his Putting Bible were familiar with the concept of why golfers under read breaks, but they had to go through it again in the school.) What are your hourly rates? Do you have any recommendations about how many hours a day work best? I’d sure rather do in person because you can correct, say, a small setup problem in seconds, whereas in a video, it’s a day or two. I’m definitely going to join your premium section and go step by step. I am full-in with the Austin method and compound pivot, etc. and I believe that I understand most of it completely. Except for maybe the most important part-the throw! I’m also plagued by early extension. I can keep my butt on the chair (in my case, the Sheftic swing training device), but I can’t hit the ball out of my shadow! At any rate, if I can’t do the personal lessons at least I can do the video analysis. Sort of like Pony Express golf lessons! Thanks for getting back to me.
Steve, do you consciously try to control your wrists in the backswing? When I do this pivot, my left wrist wants to cup at it goes past parallel from the weight of the club head. Is that something I should worry about? Or should I just let the pivot handle that on the downswing? That's my only concern with the Austin swing.
I recently struggled with a reverse pivot in my backswing that was most pronounced with the driver that led me to be really over the top. I kind of recoil from treading close to that again. I’ve made a lot of progress recently with your material (thank you very much). I know the compound part leads to rear tile later but do you find people/ students have issues getting stuck in the reverse pivot?
A reverse pivot is when most of your weight is transferred to your lead leg on the backswing and “falling back” with most of your weight transferring to your trailing leg on the downswing and at ball contact. Nothing in Austin’s technique would promote a reverse pivot in a student. Just the opposite. I think lots of newbies who don’t understand the golf swing notice that the body tilts forward with the head remaining over the ball on an Austin backswing and assume most of the weight is on the lead leg. It isn’t. It’s like a baseball pitcher - he winds up and loads his rear leg, tilts forward and throws the ball, releasing it about the time his forward foot touches the ground and receives almost all the shifting body weight. You will notice from old vids all the greats are tilted over the ball at the top of their backswing with most of their weight transferred to their trailing leg. Ben Hogan, recognized by most knowledgeable swing experts as having the greatest swing in history demonstrates this perfectly.
I don't understand why Austin emphasizes in the 1960 video that he presses his thumbs on the shaft to accelerate the club down but cautions that you must rotate the forearms turning the edge of the "knife" to the dull side, yet you never mention this. As far as "basics" goes isn't this part of his method that is pretty essential ?
I only just discovered Mike Austin’s swing ideas but came to the same conclusions about the physics and efficiency back in 2008 after retiring, taking a job at course where was able go practice and play unlimited golf for free and decided to retool my swing using Hogan’s Five Lessons and a set of unforgiving late 1970s blade irons. As in Austin’s swing I learned to release the lag fully in the downswing to take full advantage of the formula for striking force F=1/2(Mass x Velocity^2) which is why allowing the club force to whip the club head mass around the hands in the downswing is far more efficient than simply lagging and dragging it through the ball.
After studying the history of golf and the evolution of the equipment I concluded that the conventional single plane golf swing was likely developed around the limitations of the thin hickory shafted clubs. Byron Nelson has been credited with developing the dual plane swing in the 1930 when switching to metal shafts and discovering how they could be loaded like leaf springs by dropping the hands at the top to reverse the club head direction and load the shaft then keep hands pulling down faster than shoulders turn by using side bend action extending the trail arm, sustaining the lag as long as possible through impact. That is a strategy used successfully by most pro golfers since Nelson but one that requires above average athleticism and coordination to get everything to work in the correct sequence to maintain that bend in the shaft and release the energy stored by it into the ball by the action of lagging the club head in the downswing.
It was reading about trick shot artist Count Yogi that first exposed me to the ideal of letting the club head freely whip around the hands instead of lagging it. Since I had swung axes, sledge hammers done carpentry and even cracked bull whips before ever picking up a golf club at age 31 that similar approach for the golf swing made perfect sense. Per the striking force formula increasing the club head velocity 2x more by whipping it around the hands vs. lagging it before striking the ball will produce 4x more striking force! That will not result in 4x more distance due to the finite ability of the golf ball to compress but it will result in maximum possible compression of the ball for maximum possible distance with driver and maximum spin loft and steep trajectory soft landings on greens with highly lofted wedges that the conventional sweeping swing. The other important factor is that the force vector of the club head in the downswing points more toward the ground which creates a “ground effect” of the club force quite literally pulling the body mass down into the ground rather than off balance towards the target which results in a more consistent swing path and more accurate shots.
The Mike Austin swing very similar to the Count Yogi (Harry Frankenberg) swing and I recently learned Austin not only knew Frankenberg but was the one who convinced him to move from Chicago where he was born to California to work at a golf school he was running at Bob Hope’s country club.
The primary differences in the swings of both vs the conventional swing is how the trailing arm is utilized. In the conventional dual plane swing the lead arm starts at address as the primary lever arm in a Trebuchet-like dual lever action in which the club shaft acts like the sling hanging from the Trebuchet arm and the club head mass the projectile. The goal underlying the connection of the lead arm to chest at address, in the takeaway and the downswing and having the club force pull it straight is so that lead arm mass will fired off the chest during the middle of the downswing just like the lever arm of the Trebuchet being released to whip the rock in the sling around it. But where the conventional swing gets the physics wrong is that the release of the arm and whipping of the club head around the hands does not occur until well after the left arm drags the club held in a lagging orientation by bend in the trailing arm and extension (hinging back) of the trail wrist. In the conventional swing the lead arm remains the primary lever of the machine until after impact at which point the club force is allowed to pull trail arm straight to arrest the force of remaining in the club. But that arresting action requires an equal and opposite “counter fall” of body mass, either back opposite the direction of a flared front foot (e.g. Hogan) or a back and ankle / knee wrecking “reverse C” when the front foot is squared.
The key to power in the conventional lead arm pulling club swing is keeping the back heel on the ground and by doing that forcing the hips to lock 45° open in the middle of the downswing as the trailing shoulders come back parallel and the momentum in the lead arm mass created by the hip and shoulder turn causes it to fly off the chest towards the target pulling the lagging club head behind it. That action is described in golf instruction as feeling like hitting an invisible wall and that is in fact what it feels like but pulling it off consistently requires technique and timing the average golfer lacks, which is why they don’t strike the ball with the same power trying in vain to use that technique. I tried in vain for twenty years to duplicate that action in Jack Nicklaus’ swing style before.
The significant difference in both the CY and Austin swings and the conventional lagging club head strategy is that the trail arm is allowed to straighten and become the primary lever the club head whips around in the downswing. That changes the entire dynamic of the swing action and the actions of the body mass needed to stay in balance. It is a swing style with fewer moving parts requiring less athletic coordination to perform consistently which makes it much better suited for recreational golfers, especially older ones.
The differenced between the Count Yogi and Austin swing appears to be that Count Yogi used an unconventional orientation of his wrists which fully extended his trail arm and pulled trail wrist straight before impact with the ball causing the wrist to lock just as the club face squared to the target as hips locked which causes the ball to release off the abruptly slowed face of the club straight at the target very predictably and consistently. In the Austin swing full trail arm extension and maxed out ulnar deviation causing the hands to turn over occurs just after impact without any attempt to slow the hips and lock the wrists to force the ball to release off the face the way Count Yogi did. Austin’s method will produce more power, Count Yogi’s less power but more accuracy. But both are far more efficient and better balanced than the conventional lagging swing which is based around the goal of loading the shaft of the club at the start of the downswing and maintaining the bend until impact, a feat pros can do but very few recreational golfers can.
Well written.
I've just binned MORAD after 15 years to go back to this.
Freddie Couples is my rhythm and release model.
Gonna play with the grip a little to get optimum direction but I finally feel like I'm hitting a ball rather than worrying about loads of ineffectual positions.
A small point: 1/2 * Mass * Velocity Squared is a measure of kinetic energy and not force.
I bought the Cybervision Austin swing method many years ago. I don't recall understanding it very well back then. I quit playing a decade ago and have just gotten back to the game this summer. Glad I found this as it is helping me connect the dots so to speak. It makes more sense to my older self for some reason; and I played my best round by far yesterday. For me, thinking of the swing as a dance in balance with no conscious effort to separate the backswing from the downswing - along with the "sling" of the club head seems to fix a lot of swing problems. Great stuff Mike and what an amazing driving range - it's like a video game! Wish we had one like that in IN!
Best video i have ever seen in my life and i am 68!
wish I'd found this guy a few years back! Cheers Steve.
Well, with all those conditions you mention and Mike Austin hit the Drive 515 yards, that is still amazing. Most people under those same conditions would not of even come close to driving the ball that far.
I just came across this you tube channel video. I am 75 years old and have given up on trying to hit the ball for distance. And even if i were to attempt this swing, I don't think it will make any difference in my distances. I am still flexible, but i do not lift weights or worry about strength anymore. I hit the ball straight just no more than 200 yards. Good enough for me from the Senior Tees. In my younger years, I did shoot in the mid to high 70's and lowest round for me was a 69 for eighteen holes.
Thanks for the video and happy holidays.
Love your set up routine ! I have been teaching for 34 years and that has been my go too fix after a good grip of the club. This past summer I had 8 birdies on punched greens. I shot 66 my lowest round ever. I turn 65 in 2022! Keep up the great training video's. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 👍
That's fantastic! Many more birdies to you in 2022.
Thanks Steve!
Been watching all the videos for about a year and my game has vastly improved.
The way you articulate these concepts is masterful
Very nice explanations and demonstrations. Everyone who is starting the Austin journey would greatly benefit from this vid.
My wife is 20 yrs younger than I and I taught her from the time she was twenty-five with one lesson from Mike Austin. I taught at the studio city range and liked Mike and his method. Now at seventy-six and Cathy 56 she out drives me by twenty yards most days.
Amazing. I would love it if you shared some stories about Mike and Studio City. Please feel free to email me.
I wanted to give you thanks after watching your videos I feel like things are coming into place and it feels great
Watched this 3 times and have enjoyed it each time. Will take it to the course tomorrow
Steve, I used to be a baseball player. When I took up golf it was natural for me to swing the club the same way. Until everybody corrected me and slowly I learned the proper golf swing. I lost so much distance I thought this can't be right. After many years I went back to my baseball swing and now everything feels normal again. This video confirmed to me at the very least to swing the club in a way that feels natural to me. It has made a tremendous difference in my game. Thank you!
This happen a lot!
Finally someone understands that you start releasing from the top of the backswing, jack has said this for years as Bobby Jones has said also.
Yes, u are right. I went to the range to try your skool of taught. My striking improved drastically when I released the clubs with my arms at around 10.30 position. Thanks.
Disclaimer: My opinion...Golfers have been trying to emulate great golfers swings since the beginning of golf. There are basic imperatives that make a golf swing work and they are rooted in physics. Everything after that is a golfers style. All great golfers had there own style. Bobby, Jack, Arnie, Lee, Ben, Mike, Moe, and Tiger to name a few. Who's to say that one style is better than another. But, what they all had in common were the things that were based on physics, such as momentum, velocity, clubhead speed, clubhead path, angle of attack, and IMPACT! Keep the videos coming. I can't stop watching.
Comment of the month award! Stop making sense.
@@Inmotion70 I have to be honest here. I tried putting into play the driving methods you put forth in this video and just after one range session and one round of golf I increased my clubhead speed by 5 mph and my distance by 15 to 20 yards. This was verified on a launch monitor as well. No one was as shocked as me. Wow! There's definitely something to this method.
I just got back from the driving range and I used your lesson on bumping my hips and flexing my right leg. It felt unnatural each time, but the results were amazing. Thank you for the tip. Working on my game with a specific lesson made it enjoyable. Golfing tomorrow morning with my son. Can't wait to see the results in my golf game.
It appears to me that Mike Austin took the club more on the inside going back keeping the club plane even with his shoulders and he never let the club get outside that plane by taking it stright back going off plane. And Mike did roll the his hands after hitting the ball finishing with his left hand up high like holding a platter. He held the platter with his right hand on the back swing and then held the platter at the finish with his left hand.You do a great job explaining Mike's swing, He used to come out to Pico Rivera mens club and also gave Mike Dunnaway lessons at Scycamore Canyon in Arvin California. Great teacher.
Yes Mike did take it back a bit inside. Which is viable.
I have played the golf for years and have had two different swings and postures also for years. The first one is Hogan's. I have struggled it and am unable to master it a bit. The common problem of Hogan's is you have to perfectly control/manipulate the body and arms and legs and hands altogether, and plus your mind. People always said to me you have a beautiful swing however I could never get low scores because of often fat or thin shots, and backache. My second swing is my Free Style and works well almost every time (or Fxxk it when I got frustrated with Hogan's), which I never knew Austin's exists until today I watched your UA-cam. THANK YOU and THANK YOU. Now, with your validation, I am going to stick on to this "freedom" "none -steering" hit.
Keep us updated!
Hi Steve a lot missed hits gripping the club but I remembered you said that you should think it as a touch pad and walla pivot with start downswing with left heal finally works
Best explanation of the compound pivot
Thanks for the refresher, i have drifted away from these basics for some time now, been rehearsing them today with free and easy power from that wrist release. the word i reckon sums up that austin swing the best is "natural"
thanks steve
worked on this and used today, shot a nice 79. keep it going!!
I agree as I tried it again yesterday. But it takes time to excel in this move.
In the past I had noticed that at time I would swing the club with the right over left action the club wanted to come out of my left hand. I am thinking now that this was because I was doing the action more with my right than the left. I've been a contractor all my life and am used to hammering 16d nails with one single pop so it makes sense that my right would take over. Previously I thought it was because I wasn't hanging on to the club firmly enough. Now I am concentrating on using right and left in a coordinated motion.
Really amazing work, Steve!
Totally agree with all you are teaching and thanks for making my game WAY better!
Come on up to British Columbia and I'll take you out for a round and some BC IPAs!
Mike, well done.
Tried the "glue it (the driver) to the peck in a game yesterday - after a little practice -- seemed to work great. Hit some bombs (straight), I'm 72 years old. (A bomb for me is ~~ 230-240.)
Hadn't watched hardly any of your videos so figured the "glue it to the peck" action would work for other clubs as well, --- seemed to. This video certainly cemented that thought.
Will practice what your teaching - even though it seems a little unconventional. It will certainly help me improve my lower body "action".
Thanks,
Tom
Congrats for this video
Amazing content in here! Great vid Steve! Its taking me over 2 years to understand things enough too not think to much. But im getting it! I only practice this swing. My back is finally getting better from golftec telling me to swing in a barrel. Cheers!
Hurray! Cheers Franco!
Great training video, you cleaned up numerous questions I had.
Took me too long to find you. Thanks for the detailed information
Thanks Steve for yourtime , great instruction.
Hope it helps. Cheers Andrew!
I am 63 years old and my average score is 80 - 85. I will break 80 a few times during the season. I have attempted the Mike Austin swing after reviewing a lot of the videos. I had good success with the driver. I’ve invested several thousand dollars into golf lessons over the years and I agree that the idea of lag is false. The most recent swing method that I tried for the past season before this swing method was stack and tilt. In my my opinion, stack & tilt lacks a fluidness because of the extreme hip turn & all your weight starting & staying on your lead side throughout the swing. There is almost no way to generate club head speed smoothly with stack & tilt.
Excellent instruction. Working at incorporating the Mike Austin basics into my game and finding it quite natural and helpful for consistency. Thanks much Steve!
Thanks so much for watching!
75 today, wow, love golf again!!
Cheers John!
Yeah. Me too. -2(70). Practiced only two days with this method! Higher,straighter,farther! My normal scores were 80-85. Crazy. I got lucky though a few times hit some irons over green but got up and down. Only problem I had was three thin irons. But I think my ball position was too far forward.
Excellent lessons
Skip to 4:20.
This is such good stuff here Steve!!! Keep it up and I will see you in person soon!!!!
Thanks for watching Flavio!
Thank you for this video Steve, it's been very helpful. Cheers!
Very welcome
Gonna try today. Will update results tonight
Illuminating!! Excellent content! Thank you! !
Yes, Steve! No doubt that the ‘Compound Pivot’ and throwing the “hunds” in the 180*deg arc...works🏌️♂️✔️
Steve - can you do a video on what position hands and wrists should be in at the top of the backswing.
Yes. Anything else?
Steve - you did a good video “ pizza box” on wrists, hands and arm for downswing - but can you do one in optimum “ setting” in the backswing from set up position. You do this on your web lessons ( 6 hour swing etc) but positioning of wrists ( bowed ? Cupped ? Flat ?) needs more detail.
@@NDW7 I don't prefer a thumb on top left hand because it gives a strong slice bias. 1 o'clock with the crease going up inside the right shoulder is considered neutral by most.
@@charlesdoyle1 Optimum setting as in position at the top? Sounds like a good idea.
Hi Steve. I’ve been following the Austin swing for a while, but have got confused with some of the interpretations out there. Since coming across your work everything is starting to fall into place. Your instruction is clear and the drills are fantastic. I have fallen in love with the chair drill as I was hyper extending. Everyone interested in this swing should checkout the videos on your website. My buddies don’t understand how I am consistently out driving them by 20 yards (I’m 53 and 5ft 5 inches tall!) Keep up the good work.
Very cool! Let's make it 50 yards.
Excellent articulation and demonstration. I am new to the sport and I am in love with golf. I really enjoy your outlook and approach to the fundamentals of a great golf swing.. I am looking forward to implementing your techniques to aid in lowering my score from high to low 80's. Thank you Steve!🙏🏼⛳🏌🏽♂️🍻
I am trying to wrap my brain around this concept. Ok so "throwing" the club out away from your chest creates a WIDE downswing?
Most tour pros swing wide to narrow with downcock?
So would this swing be more narrow to wide? Relaxing the arms in the backswing, letting the arms come close to the body in the backswing, a lot of wrist cock(to narrow) then the downswing is all about THROWING all that energy out AWAY from your chest???
The opposite would be swing back VERY wide with little to no wrist cock getting the arms away from the body(WIDE) then in the downswing COCKING the wrists and bring the arms close to the body(narrowing) and getting everything leveraged in (as opposed to throwing out?)?
An in between of these extremes would be matching your turn and wrist cock without going too wide or narrow then syncing in the downswing.
Too many golfers trying to mimic the still photos of a tour pro like to yank the club down and overly cock the wrists. This is NOT what is happening in a pro swing. They are exerting outwards and around seeking torque immediately starting down. You are seeing an illusion.
Are you saying that downcocking is an illusion?
Didn't think so
@@jacobr4558 The angle may be getting tighter, but the forces are pushing it the other way. Like when you roll downhill in a stick shift from park - for a moment you hit the gas but you're still rolling downhill....less and less.
Totally get the analogy. Wouldn't there be individuality with this move depending on the player?
Koepka, Champ, Sadlowski appear to be far more acute in their downswing than say
JT, Kenny Perry, Louis Oustezen
Angles seem very different to me.
Great video, thanks!!
My pleasure!
Great Job!
He starts talking basics at the 4:57 mark.
I'd like to see more about the arms and hands through out. I dont pivot exactly like this but do have a good pivot and starting to throw the club behind me is a good feel. Especially with driver. I do have to make adjustments in the wrist to get the clubface square though so I would like more detail there.
Sure Bryan! Can you clarify the topics you'd like to see videos on?
@@Inmotion70 just detail of the throw and your arm position as you rotate. Kind of a "where everything should be with the arms and wrists in the swing" video in more detail.
@@bryanlina4724 Hmm ok I have a couple ideas that might cover that. Thanks!
Hey Steve, I've been working on this swing. Works great when I put it all together, but I get pain the left side lower rib area that feels like a ligament tear/muscle pull. Ever seen that with students learning the Austin move?
Ouch! No I haven't. Please rest and see a doctor if you don't get better.
It’s a muscle tear. I did the same thing after returning to golf after abandoning the sport for years. (I had been a scratch player). I went nuts in early spring on the driving range without warming up properly nor stretching before hand. Instead of taking time off I kept returning to the range aggravating it worse. It felt like someone was punching me in the side on every follow through. Fortunately a good buddy of mine is a soccer coach with years of experience. He said, “Dude you have a classic muscle tear. The only thing you can do is stop golfing and let it heal.” About 2 or 3 weeks. So that’s what I did. After 3 weeks no more pain and I could play to my hearts content. And hit the range. I made sure I was properly warmed up before slamming away with the driver.
I love your video it helps me a lot that you
EXCELLENT!!!
Great stuff Steve! Another thing much talked about is ‘the shallowing of the club’ which is really last second lag building. Mike doesn’t appear to do this. In fact it looks kind of like the opposite is happening. The throw round and the wrist flick seem to sort this out automatically. Am I reading this right?
Thanks
Steve, it looks like you are rolling your wrist very aggressively. How are you during the flap at the same time?
Another great video. When you are talking about the release - would this be considered a more "active" release than what many others advocate. The active throw of the club with the right hand like skipping a stone or a sidearm throw. I am only asking to clarify because lately many instructors are advocating the left wrist be bowed (motorcycle move) like DJ- bowing the wrist throughout the swing to keep the face square. Can you clarify if this is similar or different than what you are discussing here. Thanks.
Steve - my comments echo David’s here - trying also to see if you are advocating a different method from those who want to force a lead wrist bow through and past impact and maneuver the hands dragging in front of the clubhead
@@migbgold3191 I've done videos on this - you can check my channel. But I can do another soon. While Mike's lead wrist was bowed in the slot, from there through impact was all slap. This was the first thing he ever showed me. I do not advocate attempting to bow the wrist at impact. You will lose tons of distance and hit the ball very low. Also risk the duck hook.
Tried that supple quickness. Kinda makes you wonder how the club face can square up. It certainly works if you can give up control (ie. the old control swing). Am I wrong, do I feel a whipping action in the arms?
You are correct. And yes this is exactly what golfers doing it for the first time feel - reckless and out of control.
Do you use a 10 finger grip? Does it matter with this concept? Thanks.
Hi Steve love your teaching style. I do have a concern with the setup and posture. The bump and bend of the spine at setup seems like it will hurt the lower spine. The bum tucked under has been stressed to me as a stress reliever on the lower back. Any thoughts if this new position is ok for folks with back issues?
Shouldn't hurt the spine at all since you're simply tilting the hip line. The spine is staying all in line. Basically bending one leg to make it shorter. But you modify as needed.
Lease explain the release sometime Thanks
great video Steve. thanks. Just a question leading away a bit from the video. You never really show MA methods on chipping. I have been trying it for weeks and finding it very inconsistent.
I was learning to chip like Jason Day will a lot of success but to be a true MA fan i wanted to follow his methods in everything he did. Do you chip and pitch MAs way with the Modern grip and the flip of the hands and wrists, or like every other pro. ?
i would like to know as i feel i am putting a lot of work practicing the wrong chipping and pitching methods.
Thanks Steve .
I use a chipping style that will break the internet. Although I use Mike Austin principles, it is NOTHING like what he shows in Austinology. Mine is proven big time in tournament play and I would have legendary practice sessions. It's in the queue.
@@Inmotion70 Hi from Oz, Steve, The Mike Austin swing came to my attention 20+ years ago. Your videos have clarified points I wondered about. At age 68 I am longer and straighter than most of my golfing buddies yet old enough to be their father or grand father. Now, about the chipping style: please, oh please bring it on.
@floG Golf You should see my chipping! No point in driving it up by the green if you don't chip it close.
I use his chipping method but can use it from 100 yards in. I get a pitching wedge about 100 yards in the air with his method of keeping the right elbow on the hip and bringing the club square back and through. My 58 degree wedge maxes out at about 65 yards with this chipping method. Obviously they don't go has high as a full swing so don't stop on the green as quickly, but I love it. I also use it for chips around the green. Using this has saved me about 4-5 shots a round.
Steve Pratt Golf bhjn
Great stuff Steve… The understand the but of the club advances via the pivot maintaining the 7… But is the 180 degree throw an active/conscious movement with the arms?
Or is it centrifugal force?
Good question! It's mostly active/conscious movement but YES you're right...there is a passive/gravity/centrifugal force helping too.
At 22.00 (approx) I would like to know how to get the right should from up and behind at the top of the backswing to under, ("under, up and out"). Is it the roll of the right foot? Anything else?
It's the action of the hips creating a secondary tilt of the spine combined with the flexion of the right knee and ankle action to drop the right hip and shoulder lower than the left. This gives you the under.
How wide are your feet apart on the irons? If they are too wide would this cause the ball to go lower?
If they are too wide you would have a harder time making the correct pivot. My feet are fairly narrow on the irons.
Steve..Your driver foot measurement was 14 inches. What distance for irons? I always used the shoulder width measurement. One more reason for my poor iron play. You are changing my entire swing ! Driver has had super results.
Terrific!
Do you have any academies or schools? E.g.-two or three days in a group setting.
Hi Art - not currently but you can do one on one for 2-3 days.
Where are you in relation to LA or SF? I probably can’t afford one-on-one lessons (although I believe you get more bang for the buck as you don’t have to sit through a one hour presentation that you may already be very familiar with. I used to instruct for Dave Pelz’ Scoring Game Schools, and people who had read his Putting Bible were familiar with the concept of why golfers under read breaks, but they had to go through it again in the school.)
What are your hourly rates? Do you have any recommendations about how many hours a day work best? I’d sure rather do in person because you can correct, say, a small setup problem in seconds, whereas in a video, it’s a day or two. I’m definitely going to join your premium section and go step by step. I am full-in with the Austin method and compound pivot, etc. and I believe that I understand most of it completely. Except for maybe the most important part-the throw! I’m also plagued by early extension. I can keep my butt on the chair (in my case, the Sheftic swing training device), but I can’t hit the ball out of my shadow!
At any rate, if I can’t do the personal lessons at least I can do the video analysis. Sort of like Pony Express golf lessons!
Thanks for getting back to me.
Steve, do you consciously try to control your wrists in the backswing? When I do this pivot, my left wrist wants to cup at it goes past parallel from the weight of the club head. Is that something I should worry about? Or should I just let the pivot handle that on the downswing? That's my only concern with the Austin swing.
At one point when I was 13 maybe, but not since then.
Mike’s swing looks like it goes back quite inside
Grear content
I recently struggled with a reverse pivot in my backswing that was most pronounced with the driver that led me to be really over the top. I kind of recoil from treading close to that again. I’ve made a lot of progress recently with your material (thank you very much). I know the compound part leads to rear tile later but do you find people/ students have issues getting stuck in the reverse pivot?
A reverse pivot is when most of your weight is transferred to your lead leg on the backswing and “falling back” with most of your weight transferring to your trailing leg on the downswing and at ball contact. Nothing in Austin’s technique would promote a reverse pivot in a student. Just the opposite. I think lots of newbies who don’t understand the golf swing notice that the body tilts forward with the head remaining over the ball on an Austin backswing and assume most of the weight is on the lead leg. It isn’t. It’s like a baseball pitcher - he winds up and loads his rear leg, tilts forward and throws the ball, releasing it about the time his forward foot touches the ground and receives almost all the shifting body weight. You will notice from old vids all the greats are tilted over the ball at the top of their backswing with most of their weight transferred to their trailing leg. Ben Hogan, recognized by most knowledgeable swing experts as having the greatest swing in history demonstrates this perfectly.
👍🏻👍🏻
🔥🔥🔥
whta's your height ?
6'2"
So far just sticking my butt back has been huge! Not just for my butt either!
this is almost a single plane setup for impact swing.
Dalton McCrary....commonly thought of as a kook....same stuff
I don't understand why Austin emphasizes in the 1960 video that he presses his thumbs on the shaft to accelerate the club down but cautions that you must rotate the forearms turning the edge of the "knife" to the dull side, yet you never mention this. As far as "basics" goes isn't this part of his method that is pretty essential ?
Because so many golfers think they need to hold the angle.
When do the flip, my ball goes to my left….
/
Please change that transition sound like at 4:47. It is so jarring. It actually made me jump the first time I heard it. Awful.
You have to be kidding. A compound pivot? Please golf is not that complicated.. see George Gankas or Shawn Clements
Too much for 1 video