Throw the Clubhead OUT for Crazy Clubhead Speed!

Mike Austin didn’t swing 150+ mph by complete accident. Yes he was a very strong man with a solid classic golf swing, but there was more – in the way he was doing it.

You see, One of Mike’s key phrases that he passed on to students was ‘Under, Up, and Out!’. These are feels and actions that govern the downswing and through the impact zone.

Under was Mike’s way of describing the secondary tilt of the spine as the weight shifted towards the front axis. The right side of the body would drop lower than the left into the ‘under’ position where it would orbit around the tall left side.

Up was his way of describing the direction of the thrown clubhead – if you had let go of the clubhead it would ascend in a tight helicopter spin.

Out, as detailed in the above video, or ‘out to an open circle’ was also a feel and action of the thrown clubhead from the top of the swing. Out refers to a tangential line turned into an arc by the rotating torso and hips.

As the right elbow and wrists straighten out, we are trying to throw the clubhead away from the swing circle center, or the sternal slot into space.

This is an application of maximum centrifugal force. The arms act as an equal centripetal force which keeps the clubhead orbiting in a ‘circular’ type motion. If the centrifugal was high enough, your arms would get ripped off and fly off into space with the spinning clubhead.

And you would simply allow this to happen rather than attempting to negate the outwards escape force with an extra inward pull of any kind. This would wreck the perfect orbit of the clubhead into the ball.

When the ‘out’ move is perfected, it not only maximizes your clubhead speed, but creates outstanding impact and launch conditions. Maximum smash factor, high launch, low spin and an upwards angle of attack are all side effects of this ‘out throw’.

You’re looking to execute this motion with incredibly supple hands and arms so that they don’t impede with the centrifugal you are trying to create. Tension will retard the out motion. Any pulling of the handle will diminish it as well.