Those of you who have been around for the past few years might remember my constant harping on my view that Mike Dunaway’s swing was not the same model as Mike Austin’s.
If you aren’t familiar with Mike Dunaway, he is largely regarded as the father of modern long driving and who passed away last year around this time.
Byron Nelson is the greatest ball-striker ever on the PGA Tour, though not many would know it or even remember his name as something other than the man for whom the “Iron Byron” golf swing machine is named.
I would ask anyone who says Byron Nelson wasn’t the greatest swinger ever, why did they name the machine after him? Tom Watson had said once that Byron hit at least two flag-sticks every round he played.
If you look at this video compilation of Mike Dunaway’s swings back when he was the dominant driver on the planet (John Daly said MD was longer than him, Greg Norman called him the best driver of the ball that ever lived, etc.), you’ll see what I was talking about in my posting on the knees being “shock absorbers.”
I want to also mention Mike’s website Dunaway Long, for those who weren’t aware that he has returned to golf after a lengthy absence.
It has always been a mystery to me why Mike Dunaway wasn’t a household name in golf from the ’90s going forward.
Swing techniques have improved over the years, but you still won’t see a better swing action than Dunaway’s from years ago.
Mike Dunaway was honored last week at the opening of the 2013 Remax World Long Drive Championship.
Mike of course is the most famous of Mike Austin’s students, but many don’t know how instrumental Dunaway was to the sport of long driving. Many don’t know that the Callaway Big Bertha technology was developed in the 80’s with Dunaway as the company’s tester. His feedback led directly to the Big Bertha.
He was also the inspiration for Art Sellinger, founder of Long Drivers of America.
