Of course, I saw exactly what I figured I would see when I decided to take a look at Mike Austin’s swing down the line with regard to tight or not pivot top position.
Of course… because as with everything that you study intently, the things you need are right there to be seen – you just have to see them.
If you are an old holdover WAXer from the days of Mike Austin swing modeling, you will be shocked perhaps to learn that M.A. was neither correct nor incorrect about his “reverse” or pronating right hand action on the back swing.
This is incredible – I’ve written a couple of posts before about Mickey Wright, first about her great Classic Golf Swing action and then a little more breaking down her setup and mechanics, but the legendary golfer really gives the Modern Golf Swing a firm condemnation in a long-awaited interview with Golf Digest (thanks to Peter A for passing it on).
I’m wondering how many of the greatest golfers ever have to to knock down the Modern Golf Swing, but they won’t be around forever – so it’s a good thing to get them on the record.
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.
Updated with this comment from me in response to a comment from David:
“PS – I’m not saying today’s instructors are all deliberately selling snake oil. But when you get to a certain level, you should know this is a bogus swing method.
So I can break modern golf instructors down into two camps: They are either A) Guys who don’t know enough about a proper golf swing to teach the swing at all or B) Guys who know better but want to complicate it so they’re never out of work.
I don’t think much of either group, but at least one of them is honest… in a way…”
I had said that I couldn’t think of a passage off-hand to reference John Christensen’s new book “Perfect Swing, Imperfect Lies” about the life of Mike Austin. I have thought of the perfect passage, and not because it relates to Mike Austin, but as it relates to the state of modern golf instruction.
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.
Originally Posted on the Smash Golf Blog June 15, 2010
Thanks to Jarre for linking to this definitive video clip of a very young Mike Dunaway (look at that persimmon driver, this could have been filmed twenty years ago or more). It solves for me the mystery once and for all – there is no such thing as a mechanically-correct “modern swing” (planted heel action). Continue reading
