In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing: Chasing the Legend of Mike Austin, the Man Who Launched the World's Longest Drive and Taught Me to Hit Like a Pro
Ostensibly about retooling his golf swing, Reed's account develops in surprising ways that are incidental to the conventions of the golf instructional. Dreaming of walloping a 300-yard drive, Reed seeks out Mike Austin, a long-ball specialist who, in 1974, set a record for the longest shot in professional tournament competition. Reed concedes that Austin (who was in his early 90s when Reed met him in 2001) seemed to be a man of self-aggrandizing habits: every story about his life was over the top, his every swing tip the greatest discovery ever made. But enough about Austin did check out to convince Reed to relax and enjoy his swing guru's bombastic ways and drill-sergeant delivery. As he adjusts his swing according to the barked instructions delivered by Austin from his Barcalounger, Reed perceives a genuine friendship forming, deepened by Austin's survival of a health crisis. Culminating with Reed playing the course where Austin set his record, this intriguing mix of instructional, memoir, and biography could be the sleeper hit of the golf-publishing season.Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved