30 years ago today, Mike Austin set the world record for a drive in PGA competition - 515 yards.
On September 25, 1974 at the U.S. National Seniors Open Championship, at the Winterwood Course in Las Vegas, PGA professional golfer Mike Austin drove the par 4, 450-yard fifth hole within a yard of the green and it rolled 65 yards past the flagstick. At the time Mike was 64 and used a steel-shafted, persimmon-headed club.
Philip Reed's newest book, In Search of The Greatest Golf Swing, chronicles the event and the story of the legend himself. (A fun read.)
The now 94 year old Austin resides in Studio City, California. He still gives lessons in his front yard or at the Studio City Golf and Tennis Club. Phil Reed, who plays to a 10-handicap, resides in Long Beach, California.
Is Mike Austin a relative of yours? Or better yet, are you Mike Austin? You have a total of 2 posts, almost 3 weeks apart, and they're both about Mr. Austin's long drive. I hope he's as proud of his drive as you are!
there's a great photo sequence of Austin's drive in the issue of "Travel and Leisure Golf" July/Aug 2004 p. 112....man, this guys is flexible...and powerful...
Is Mike Austin a relative of yours? Or better yet, are you Mike Austin? You have a total of 2 posts, almost 3 weeks apart, and they're both about Mr. Austin's long drive. I hope he's as proud of his drive as you are!
What a cynic you are, leaguegolf! Rainmaker 15 isn't Mike Austin, he's Phil Reed trying to sell a few copies of his book!
This morning heard a hilarious interview with 94 year old Mike Austin conducted by two local morning FM radio crazies. What a foul mouthed, hard of hearing, crotchety old man! The radio guys are casual golfers and were confounded by his record 515 yard drive. When they asked if he ever played with Hogan or Snead he replied, "Beat'em everytime I played 'em. Any of them that played me got their ***beat!"
Some of his other claims were that he invented IRON BYRON and Titleist stole it from him. His former room mate was Errol Flynn and he had so many women after him that he let Flynn take his "leftovers." Elizabeth Taylor once asked him to take her home...his home. He dated Shirley Temple and once lifted Jane Russell over his head with one arm. He said he was once known as the "Golfing Bandit" because he won so much money gambling playing golf. He also claims to have won $100,000.00 on one hole.
All of this may very well be true. His record drive was recorded in a PGA Tour event in 1974 when he was 64 years old! What made this so funny was every sentence was profanity laced and beeped what seemed like every other word. The station didn't leave much to the imagination with the censorship! Austin got so mad that these radio guys had never heard of him that he severely scolded them, yelling that he'd been on the cover of every
&%$#F@*% magazine there ever was!
When he was asked why he didn't win any Majors, when he claimed to routinely drive the ball over 400 yards, his wife (on an extension) said, "Well.....he didn't putt so good." Now that I can believe!
I'm sure old Mike Austin was, and still is, a colorful character and I'm not in any way discounting his acknowledged achievements. I'm saying that listening to his "colorful" stories and the way he told them made me redefine my impression of a grouchy old man. What a hoot he was.
Last edited by leaguegolf : October 8th, 2004 at 05:57 PM.
Getting old has that effect on a person, leaguegolf. All the people who saw our best accomplishments are dead and can no longer attest to the truth of them and are no longer around to give us the respect that we earned, and now we're too feeble to reproduce those deeds. That creates a lot of frustration, which manifests itself in anger and profanity. The only "sweet old people" are those who never did anything outstanding or those who are so famous that everyone will remember their accomplishments forever.
September 25th, 2004, 02:03 PM
Austin got so mad that these radio guys had never heard of him that he severely scolded them, yelling that he'd been on the cover of every
magazine there ever was! 
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