Oh, oh...

About 2 years since my last entry.

At present I'm having a great time with my students.
They have fun, hit well and win tournaments. :-)))

What I can say after all the years now:

We have a major-suitable fine adjustment of the golfswing.
The only thing missing is a top player ready to listen. :-))
(I'm talking to you, Sergio.)

All the big issues have been solved:

• Simplification
• Swing Thoughts
• Speed
• Impact above the fifth grove
• Lag, 2 simples drills, 1000$ :-)
• Reliability
• Decision Making
• Direction Control
• Distance Control
• Short Game
• Club Configuration
• Attitude

So come over for a visit or join one of our vacation trips.

Juan Quiros

After 20 years I had the pleasure to meet Juan Quiros again.

He played a senior tour event in Schwerin.

I joined his flight for 7 holes in the Pro/Am.

Awesome!


He was joking around the whole time and shot 6 under that day.

He doesn't make a big deal at all:

•  Look, align, hit (still 300 yards off the tee)
• Low risk
• Fairway or semi, green, long putt. Boom!

Chi Chi Rodriguez on Ladies' Golf

Ladies' Golf

So true!

YIHA

Y: Beginners upper body sway
I: Single Action Pivot
H: Parallel Shifting Spine
A: Top Players A-Frame

Distance and Temperature

It's cold outside. But does it really influence distance?

Yes!

Both air resistance and lift depends on density.
So distance depends somewhat on density square.

And density depends on temperature.

30 degrees difference are about 20% distance.

So 200 at zero could be 240 in hot summer.

Hit the Big Ball!

This quote comes from Harrison Frazar:

"Playing the tour is a funny job: Hitting the ground as hard as you can, 300 times a day, for 30 years."

Lamborghini vs. Golfball

Stuart Appleby competing against a Lamborghini.

• The Race
  

Rotation

Almost everybody talks about rotation, even top players.

But:

1. In the backswing they "rotate" by pulling the right shoulder blade back.
2. In the downswing they "rotate" by stretching the left side.

It's very funny!

Even Sean O'Hair talks about rotation. And he is one of the greatest stretchers out there.

How does it feel?

Feel is hard to explain. But I think I found a way.

For me swinging like Austin feels like this full blown '68 Camaro.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJIHCaD0A4k

Knowwhatamsayin?

Gear #9: Great Clubheads

A very few people in Europe know that, but affordable clubheads with very high quality come from Alpha Golf.

• Alpha Golf

Tour player gains 40 yards after 1 lesson

Yesterday I had the opportunity to work with Gary Birch jr. After 1 hour on the practice tee he gained about 40 yards on his drive. On the first tee, 590 yd par 5, he launched a 320 yd drive (no wind) and reached the green with a 3 wood.

(The longest hole in Augusta is 575 yd.)

The new distance could translate to about 8-10 strokes in a tournament. So 2011 could get very exciting. Hopefully the end of the world won't come in 2012.

Success

Obviously it's not the swing that makes a player successful.

I mean look at players like Arnold Palmer, Bubba Watson or Charles Owens (cross handed!!).

It's the ability to perform under pressure. But I think the easier the swing is, the higher is the probability to perform well.

"The Secret"

The secret is to accept that there is no single secret and how simple the golf swing is in truth.

On the other hand: To make money out there you need to know a million secrets. And they are in the dirt.

Like Trevino said:
I never had a mental approach to the game. I just went out and played. My confidence came from hard work.

Jack Lafite

A golf swing is like a great red wine. It gets mature through the years.

Watch this sweet wedge hit by Jack Nicklaus

Young Mike Dunaway

This video is freakin' awesome and drove tears into my eyes:

• Young Mike Dunaway hitting a persimmon wood
  

He got it!

Yes Sir! Martin Kaymer is #1.

Congratulations.

Smile The World!

Are you tending to be a little pissed sometimes?

Watch this, baby!

• Validation Video
  

It also helps on the golf course.

Decision vs. Execution

Many amateurs are struggling with execution. But the better a player gets the more decision making comes into play. The influence of execution should not be higher than 20%. And I think the real fun in golf starts if you don't have to worry about execution any more at all.

I've allways known...

...god is driving cab.

• George Clooney Cab Driver Spot
  

Why we don't write a book

So many students ask me to write a book. From our point of view writing a book claims to know something like an universal truth. That's not the way it works. Another problem with books is that there is almost no chance that the reader decodes the message the way the writer wanted it to be decoded. The only golfbook that really works is a book where a student writes down his experiences in his own words. In other words: We can show you the goldmine, but you have to dig for the nuggets.

Mike Austin Screensaver

Impress your buddies and coworkers and install the Mike Austin Screensaver.

1. Install Microsoft Video Screensaver.
2. Create a folder "screensaver".
   
3. Put the digitally remastered MA swing into that folder: ma.avi
   
4. Choose "Video Screensaver" in the windows screensaver menu and select your screensaver folder.
   

Dynamic Lie

Not a big deal. Paint the sole of your irons with a board marker and hit some balls off the mat.

Trackman

After my session with Santiago I asked myself how they are measuring spin. It's difficult enough to see a small plastic object on a radar screen. But the spin rate? So I called Trackman founder Klaus Eldrup-Jørgensen. They really get a signal from the top and the bottom of the ball and can calculate the spin. If you are interested in that stuff go and download the newsletters.

• Trackman Newsletters
  

Dewald Gouws Releasing

Watch Dewald Gouws releasing the clubhead!

• Dewald Releasing (0:25)
  

Driver Fitting

Last week I had a session with Santiago Mari from Titleist. Great guy! He figured out the best driver configuration for me. He looks at your clubhead speed, your ball speed and your spin rate and gives you the best clubhead/shaft combination. He reduced my spin rate from 4500 to 2500 rpm. I tell you, if you are looking for 30 yards more distance in 35 minutes, go and make an appointment with Santiago.

Backspin

Most players are working on reducing their backspin. If you try to put backspin on the ball you have to hit down. To hit it long you have to hit more upwards. If you hit your driver down you can loose 30 to 50 yards.

Typical Clubhead Speed

The picture from trackman.dk shows typical values for speed and distance.

On the PGA tour the highest values are coming from guys like Bubba Watson: 122 mph, 181 mph ball speed, 294 yards carry, 308 yards total

Why you can't see the speed

0.01 seconds of downswing time translate to about 10 yards carry distance.

Example:

• 0,279 s => 250 yards carry
• 0,242 s => 290 yards carry
• 0,213 s => 330 yards carry
  

Big Hitters Wear Red and Black

Sometimes I think a red shirt and black trousers are a tribute to Mike Austin.

Watch Mike Dobbyn smashing his driver. Dobbyn was hitting a 551 yards drive in a Pro Am. It was downhill and hit a sprinkler. His longest drive in competition was 462 yards.

Distance

"Drive for show and putt for dough."

Hogwash!

Distance is freedom.

Distance decides if you're putting for par or for birdie. 80% of the birdies are being played on the par fives. And with a slight tailwind some players out there can reach even a 650 yards hole with a driver and a long iron.

As a rule of thumb your maximum carry distance in yards is clubhead speed (mph) * 2.4. If you are shorter you should optimize technique and driver.

The following picture from Titleist shows the correlation between distance and handicap.

Gear #8

A tour player I was talking to recently lowered his scoring average about two strokes just by changing from Titleist to Ping. That translates to eight strokes in a tournament. He got fitted at the Ping headquarter.

Met Pete Cowen

Last week I went so Scotland for a few days and had some time to visit St. Andrews. At the chipping green I had the great pleasure to talk to Peter Cowen who was standing there with some pros he is coaching. It was good to hear that he had the same ideas on the fundamentals we are teaching. One of his pros he told a great chipping lesson: "Always use the natural forces, never fight them."

New DVD from Tom Watson

Tom Watson did a great new DVD Set: Lessons of a Life Time. That is real inside knowledge from one of the game's greatest players. You can order it at www.tgw.com for 15% off. They are shipping worldwide.

Top Player's Sites

As we posted sooner: Watch the top players!

Here we put the best player's websites for you together:

• www.tigerwoods.com
• www.nicklaus.com
• www.tomwatson.com
• www.fred-couples.com
  
• www.ernieels.com
• www.garyplayer.com
• www.philmickelson.com
  
• www.adamscott.com
• www.goantonykim.com

Mike Dunaway Footage

Here some nice footage from Mike Dunaway with quotes from Greg Norman, Davis Love, Gary Player, John Andrisani and John Daly.

• Mike Dunaway on YouTube
  

(Mike Dunaway worked with Mike Austin for about 20 years.)

Showing the arrows

The FedEx logo is the fastest way to explain what we do. Did you ever realize the arrow between the E and the x? Mike Austin showed the arrows in the professional golf swing.

Greatings from Colorado

Joe from Colorado with his copy of the Mike Austin DVD "Golf is Mental Imagery".

Thanks Joe!!

By the way folks: We're shipping worldwide by airmail free of charge.

Simple 's that

Slammin' Sammy used to put it simple:

1. Bring your ball into play.
2. Prepare well for the second shot.
3. Make a fairly good approach.
4. Avoid three putts.

Sam Snead on Overanalyzing

"I know a fellow who's been taking expensive high-speed sequence photos of his swing for years, and using them to plot out how steep his swing plane is, how he should change his hand position at impact, and such. ... After all these years my friend takes great photos - but he still can't swing the club worth a damn."

Gear #7: Unbreakable Tees

Looking for unbreakable tees? I like these:

• www.gg-golf.com
  

Course Management #4

Usually you're facing just a few real tricky situations on your home course. May be a tee shot on a long par 3, a shot over water or a second shot on a long par 4. Develop smart solutions for these shots and you will allways be prepared.

Gear #6: Persimmon vs. High Tech

Today I made a test. I hit balls with a steelshafted McGregor persimmon 3 wood and with a brand new Cobra S9-1 Pro 3 wood with an XS OZIK shaft. The longest balls I launched with the Cobra went about 10 yards farther. But it felt like I had much more control with the persimmon. Hmm...should I go back to real wood?

Gear #5: Best Grip

A few weeks ago I bought from golfbidder a set of old Mizuno TZOIDs for 86 Euro (incredible sticks!). They came with a "never-heard-of" grip called "Avon Chamois". I tell you: That is the best grip I ever played with. I googled it and found loads of other enthusiastic reviews. And they cost only $2,30 at rockbottomgolf.com.

Gear #4: Blades

Don't get me wrong: Nothing compares to a solid hit Ben Hogan Apex! But...

...a golfclub is an instrument designed to play golf with. With a good golfclub you'll play good golf. With a better golfclub you'll play better golf. Why should someone choose an instrument that downgrades his game? I don't need feedback for a bad shot from the club. The feedback I get from watching the ball is more than enough.

The Easiest Way

This one comes from Steve Elkington:

There is no only way to swing a club, but there is an easiest way: Throwing and shifting weight.

Course Management #3

SPC - LPC

For any shot you make you need to know the shortest and the longest possible club that could give you the best advantage for your next shot.

Example:

You are playing a 370 yards PAR 4 and you drive 30 yards behind the red stick. The distance to the front of the green is 120 yards. The green is 40 yards long. You have to hit it a least 120 and maximum 160 to hit the green. That could be a perfect pitching wedge or a mediocre 5 iron.

Augusta 2010: Unphilable

This guy makes shots I would not dream of dreaming of. I mean 210 yards out of the forest 5 feet at the flag. Isn't that forbidden? He wanted that jacket and he got it. And he deserved it. Same with Freddy: He had a makable birdie put on almost every whole. What if he would really like to win and taking some look at putting lines. Crazy guys!

Course Management #2

When Jack Nicklaus played a major tournament he usually arrived two weeks early.

Course Management #1

This one comes from Jackie Burke:

You wouldn't try to hit a flag stick with a rifle. Why should you wanna try that with a golf swing?

In other words: Go for realistic targets out there.

Secret In The Dirt

Tour player Steve Elkington did a great website with loads of premium quality teaching videos:

• secretinthedirt.com

Their vision of the future of golf is the good amateur. That fits with our vision of "professional golf for anybody".

Gear #3: Club Fitting

To make a long story short: Most tour players are playing standard length (max. + 0.5 inch) and are changing loft and lie until it fits their needs. Some players reduce their loft up to 8°. That's the reason they are hitting an 8 iron 170 yards. The reason is simple: They need low trajectory and reliable shots from lets say 165 yards in. The easiest way to get a reliable shot from the red stick is to fit the loft of your 8 iron to that distance.

Examples:

• Tiger plays shorter than standard.
• Nick Faldo (+ 1,90 m) plays just 1/4 inch longer.
  

Can't believe it!!!

Yesterday I found one of the most informative videos on YouTube. It comes from my old pro Juan Quiros for whom I carried the bag during my caddy days 20 years ago. And he is referring to Hogan (ok, who does not) and Toski. Now we've come full circle.

• Juan Quiros Video
  

Side Wind

This one comes from Butch Harmon:

• Tee Shots: Aim against the wind.
• Approach Shots: Curve against the wind.
  

Putting Yips

If you are fighting a putting yips your grip might be too tight.

Watch Tiger Woods and Butch Harmon talking about grip pressure:

• Tiger and Harmon 4 / 7
  

Inside Knowledge

Yesterday a 1.4 Hcp from New York City ordered a GIMI.
Should know why...

"...I am a 1.4 handicap and I am convinced that Mike Austin's method with the compound pivot and lateral hip motion is the absolute best way to move a club..."

Yes Sir. Absolutely! That's what they do.

Travel Articles from Babbo

This has nothing to do with Golf but I want to share it with you.

My entire live I was looking for inside knowledge on good restaurants in Italy.

Now I found Babbo. Mario "Babbo" Batali runs the best italian restaurant in New York City. On his website he offers travel articels on every region in Italy.

• Babbo's Travel Archive

Lee Trevino on Fairway Woods

"You can talk to a fade but a hook won't listen."

This great insight comes from Lee Trevino.

Here he shares how to hit fairway woods solidly: Put the ball back in your stance!

• Lee Trevino on Fairway Woods
  

Perception

If want to learn something from the pros you need to have good eyes.

Make a test:

1. Watch this video and count how often the white team got the ball.

2. Check your result. (Don't preview!!!)

Tiger on Track

Tiger shows a perfect compound action in this take. But remember: It's the swing, not the gear.

Gear #2: Clubs

If you are looking for a real bargain visit golfbidder.com. It's the leading provider for pre owned clubs in europe. "Must click" for all beginners. First click the category (e.g. Iron Sets) and then go for your favorite brand.

What's your real handicap? And where is it?

To improve your handicap first of all you need to know the weak parts of your game.

In truth a player has three handicaps (at least):

1. Long game handicap: How many strokes more than 42 to reach 18 greens? (Remember: The average tour player hits 12 greens in regulation to shoot PAR.)

• Test: Play 18 holes without putting. How many strokes do you need to hit the greens?
  
• Solution: solid golfswing, fitness, fitted clubs

2. Short game handicap: How many strokes more than 14 to get down on 6 greens from 20 yards off the green? (Tour average is 2 of 3. Tiger does 3 of 4.) Remember: If you really can get down 2 of 3 you are able to shoot 78 without hitting any green. It's a license to win!

• Test: 6 balls from 20 yards around the practice green, different lies
  
• Solution: short game technique (hinge and hold), hard practice
  

3. Putting handicap: How many putts more than 34 on 18 holes on the putting green, if 4 of them are between 10 and 15 feet and 14 of them are between 10 and 15 yards.

• Test: 18 balls on the putting green from different lies
• Solution: putting technique (Seve), 100% three footers, 60% six footers, 100% closer than 3 feet from 10 to 15 yards.
  

Are you ready to break 80?

If you want to break 80 you have to build some critical capabilities:

1. Length: You need to hit your driver 220+. Your 9 iron should carry at least 130 yards. To get length you need to work on a solid golfswing.

2. Greens in Regulation: You need to hit more than 10 greens per round:
- All PAR 5
- 2 of 4 PAR 3
- 4 of 10 PAR 4

3. Short Game: If you miss 8 greens, you have to scramble at least three of them. That is the toughest part of the game. Tiger makes 75%. That's what he does: Scrambling and sinking long putts.

4. Putting: 100% of the three-footers, 60% of the six-footers, not more than 2 threeputs per round

5. Birdies: To break 80 usually you need two birdies per round. Remember: 80% of all birdies are made on the PAR fives.

Mickelson's New Short Game Video

Stop wondering about how the tour players make it stop with a full motion from 20 yards out and buy the new short game video from Phil Mickelson.

Here is a preview on youtube:

• The Flop Shot
  

Another Golfswing from Heaven: Anthony Kim

Seve at Work

Watch Seve Ballesteros closing the Masters 1983 with a chip. It's magic!

Tom Watson sharing "The Secret"

So funny: Tom Watson said he didn't know how to swing a golf club until 1992 when he figured out the golfswing in Hilton Head at the Heritage Golf Classic at 3:15 pm on tuesday.

Putting like Seve

Short game master Seve on putting:

• Ball position: left heel
• Stance: slightly open
• Elbows: slightly bent
  
• Eyes over the ball
• Both index fingers long
  
• Short putts: straight back and through, same way back and through
• Middle putts: move it naturally on a circle, control distance by how far you take it back
• Long putts: add some wrist action
• Practice, practice, practice
  

This comes from Seve's great video tape "The Short Game". If you find a copy somewhere go get it!

Some Genuine Golf Spirit

The canadian pro George Knudson also could pure it like Hogan.

I don't know how you feel about it, but I love that genuine golf spirit of the old guys...and they also had to hit in long and straight to earn some money.

Clubhead Speed

Most amateurs are looking for more clubhead speed.

If you ask a tour player if he is looking for clubhead speed or solid contact, what do you think would be his answer?

Clubhead speed without solid contact can make your ball go off the planet.

If you learn how to hit it sweet speed will follow.

Austin Lives!!!

Yes we can!

Austin swinger Angel Cabrera wins the Masters 2009.

Watch this video and compare it to Mike Dunaway:



El Pato's club is in "complete release". Tiger could learn something from him.

Ball Position

Is there a correct ball position?

That depends quite a bit on where your club touches the ground. And that depends on how well you manage to get your hands forward. So most beginners won't have a lot of fun playing the ball from the left instep. But: There is also a correlation the other way arround. So find the ball position that works best for you. Today!

Throwing

Watch these guys and get some impression of what's going on and what the right arm is doing.

Chipping

There are different kinds of chipping methods out there: body methods, arm methods, hands methods. Most players are playing "oily" combinations. Try all three and choose the combination that works best for you.

Copyright on Hands Action

That's funny:

Watch the Tiger Woods Anthony Kim Golf Clinic Part 8 on Youtube.

• Golf Clinic Part 8
  

There is only one sequence showing a copyright signature:
A blurred view on Tiger's hands action (at 3:46).

Left or Right?

Uuhh...that is a tough one!

Nicklaus advocated thinking "left", Seve and Hogan preferred thinking "right".

Who is right?

Thinking too much "right" can definitely ruin your golfswing. On the other hand: What makes the important muscles of the right side (arm and leg) work if you don't think "right" at all? From our point of view the left arm adds speed and the right arm has to take care of coming from the inside and hitting not too soon.

Forgotten Beauty: Larry Mize

If I should choose the greatest swing ever I would take Larry Mize. He combines the best elements from Tiger, Freddy and Ernie.

J. B. Holmes on Power

A great short description of J. B. Holmes and his teacher. That is very close to our teaching.

New Austin Website: FREE Videos

The producers of the legendary Austin DVD "Secrets From The Game's Longest Hitter" published a lot of free footage. Don't miss it:

• http://mikeaustingolfsecrets.ning.com

Swing from the 50s

This gentlemen shows both pretty nice hip and hands action.

Create your own swing library

Watching the swings of the tour players can definitely help your game.

Create your own swing library:

1. Install Mozilla Download Helper Addon.
   
2. Download a video from YouTube and follow the instructions to install a converter.
   

If you need help, send me an eMail.

Golf Books

Cab Driver: "What do you think about golf books?"

Tour Player: "Golf books? Great idea...wrong planet!"

Rollers

Roller: A golfer being not aware of that he would be longer and straighter without rolling (consciously).

The Ultimate Golf Lesson by JC Anderson

Amazing: Mike Dunaway smashing a 5 iron

Links

• www.mikeaustingolf.com
• www.mikedunaway.org
• www.peacerivergolf.com
  

Austin Discussion

There is a lot of discussion about Mike Austin out there. And that's good. It reminds me on George Bernhard Shaw: "All great truths begin as blasphemies."

The truth is as the following:

Mike Austin "cracked the code" by describing the two real fundamentals of the golf swing: The Compound Pivot (covers ancles, knees, hips and shoulders) and the Throwing Motion (covers arms and hands). If you know where to look at, you can see his fundamentals in any golfswing of the greatest ball strikers of the game. So if you want to understand "these guys", you should study Mike Austin because (as far as I know) he did the most precise description of what is really important and developed the fastest way to learn it.

Modern Day Golfswing

Modern what?

Sounds like modern day Pythagoras!

A Nugget: The Slammer on the Range

For Newbies: Sam Snead is leading the ranking "Most Tour Victories" with 89 wins. Second is Jack Nicklaus with 73 wins. Watch that divot!

What's possible after 5 lessons?

Everybody thinks golf is difficult. It depends!

This gentleman came for lessons when his hcp was 23. The video shows his swing after 5 lessons Mike Austin Training. After the 3rd lesson he shot 82 (41/41) on a championship course.

Gear #1: On Buying Drivers

1. You don't have to get you a new driver every year. You better work on your movements.
2. If you really need one, visit a demo day where you can try a few models.
3. Make 5 shots with each driver. If they are long and straight it might be a good one - for you!
4. Don't buy a new driver on ebay. Nobody is selling a fine working driver.

Jack Nicklaus on Releasing the Club

Unfortunately this video has been removed.

But the message was clear: Let it go from the top and never try to hold it!

Smooth: Freddy Couples

Ben Hogan from Shell Houston Open DVD

Sam Snead: 89 Tour Victories in 6 Decades

Great: Bob Toski on Tiger

Visit Hamburg

10 good reasons to come over to germany:

1. Hamburg is beautyful.
   
2. I'll drive you through the city with my '73 Chevy Impala.
3. Food is cheap and high quality.
   
4. Beer is cheap...and also high quality.
   
5. You can ride your rental car without speed limit.
   
6. The girls are pretty.
7. In Hamburg we have that famous party mile "Reeperbahn".
8. There is a "Hofbräuhaus" in Hamburg. Means: Forget Munich!
9. You can play golf where Tiger played.
10. And last but not least: You'll become a big hitter. It's the best feeling a man can have with pants on.
    

Beginners Guide #2

You know the first milestone?

1. Develop a proper shifting motion.
2. Educate your right hand.
   

Halloween? No Sir! We call it Master Code

Mike Austin swings a club in his famous skeleton suit. It's from his legendary teaching DVD "Golf is Mental Imagery".

Players Footage

It's simple: If you want to understand them, watch them!

Here some nice resources on the web:

1. Peace River Golf
2. Mike Dunaway
   
3. Sybervision
4. Golf Digest Swing Sequences
   
5. Swingplex
6. Shell Houston Open Videos
7. Tiger Woods
8. PGA Tour
   

Beginners Guide #1

Wanna start playing golf? Great!

First of all you should be aware of three golden rules:

1. Get a big picture of what that really means.
Compare it with other complex tasks, for example playing piano, learning a language or learning karate. Otherwise you won't have a lot of fun.

2. Don't try to teach yourself for the first three years. You need feedback from a skilled teacher. In the best case he will enable you to teach yourself.

3. Watch Larry!