Can you teach an ordinary golfer like me to drive the ball 300 yards? With this question Philip Reed's search for the greatest golf swing begins, and so does his unanticipated journey through the triumphs, rumors, boasts, and heartaches in the life of ninety-one-year-old golf legend, Mike Austin. As a middle-ages journalist striving to learn the simple task of driving a golf ball for distance, Reed discovers the complex soul of the man who has driven it farther and better than anyone else - and did it in his own inimitable way. More than a revealing tale of golfing secrets, this is a story about a great man in the twilight of life handing down a legacy of extraordinary stories, hard-earned lessons, and tough love. In the end, one man's search for the great golf swing leads him to a treasured friendship and the secrets of living life to the fullest.Customer Review: Terrific Value
Philip Reed's "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" reveals his elevating but daunting experience as a student, friend, and biographer of the amazing Mike Austin. Mr. Reed's humbling yet successful quest to learn the keys to super-human drives endured the gauntlet of Mike Austin's piercing, super-energized, indomitable personality. At the age of 64, over 33 years ago during competition, Mr. Austin achieved the still-standing Guinness Book of World Records standard of 515 yards for longest recorded drive. Curiously, until now, Mike Austin was largely ignored in conventional golf history though knowledgeable insiders believe he was a half-century or more ahead in power-golf technique. Philip Reed's documentary has filled a significant gap in our golfing lore. For the dedicated golfer who seeks an honest inside-the-ropes story, "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" is a terrific value.
Customer Review: A fascinating read for any golfer -- and a touching story, too
Ostensibly this book is half biography of little-known long driver Mike Austin and half technical discussion of Austin's revolutionary swing, many aspects of which run counter to conventional PGA wisdom. But as the artfully written narrative progresses, a third element emerges as well -- the touching story of the friendship that develops between Austin and author Reed during the writing of the book. No avid golfer could read this book and fail to feel inspired to work on his or her game (I finished it yesterday and headed straight for the driving range today); some might even want to try out Austin's unorthodox mechanics. Yet there is a human-interest story here as well, the story of a larger-than-life golfing god who smacked a 515-yard drive at age 64 but somehow couldn't putt to save his life; lived it up with Hollywood celebrities and was respected by the best golfers in the world; studied the human anatomy and wore a skeleton suit while giving golf lessons to demonstrate proper body movement; and forged an unlikely friendship with a journalist decades his junior who weathered Austin's steely gruffness until it gave way to genuine respect and affection. Highly recommended -- not just for golfers, but also for anyone interested in a well-crafted feel-good story about a fascinating man and his iconoclastic genius.
