by Kim Jeong-kyoo
Korea Times Golf Columnist
Waggling the club before starting the swing serves as an important ingredient in the pre-shot routine. It is a shortened actual swing and a kind of a bridge between the address and the actual swing. It is a critical part of shot-making.
Different in its mere appearance, it is not for just relaxing yourself. A good waggle encourages a smooth, effortless swing, presenting a better chance of success.
A proper waggle requires you to adjust yourself as you wiggle the club so you can hit the ball squarely toward the target.
During the waggle you need to rehearse the swing you are going to use to hit a particular shot toward a particular target from a particular lie.
Importantly, you need to waggle so your hands pass a rhythm onto your legs and feet.
As you imagine the shot, your instinct immediately takes over. Planning to hit a soft shot will allow you to waggle somewhat softly and slowly, and intending to hit a big drive will encourage you to waggle somewhat briskly with more speed.
That is, just allow your instinct to control your waggle and all other good things will happen automatically.
In the waggle, your left hand is the dominant or controlling hand and your right hand just moves along with the left. Your right hand does nothing. It should not do anything during the takeaway in the actual swing.
During the waggle the upper parts of your arms should remain pressed tightly and snugly against the sides of your chests, which encourages synchronized movements between your upper body and lower body, allowing your arms and legs to move in tandem.
Another way to waggle is to use both arms and hands and move the triangle created by your shoulders and arms at the address as if you were tossing a small bag to a spot on the left a bit away from you. That is particularly good for golfers with an upright posture.
All you have to do after the waggle to start your backswing is gently kick your right knee toward the target and initiate the backswing the way you've just waggled.
It does not matter whether you use only your left hand or both hands during the waggle provided that the face of the clubhead returns to the ball square and on the correct path. Try both ways and choose the one that suits you best.
Also important is to waggle the club the way you want to swing it back.
Incidentally, crucial to a sound golf swing is to make a slight lateral movement of your hips and navel to the right going back and to the left coming down so they pull the club back and forth. In a good golf swing any lateral movement of the club, such as at takeaway and impact, is mainly created by turning your body, not by swinging your hands and arms.
It's also good to imagine during the waggle that you keep your chin back behind the ball at impact or push hard off the inside of your right instep through the ball to promote a powerful impact.
Similarly, as you waggle the club, picture an ideal divot or the tee remaining all the same in the ground undisturbed. A shallow divot resembling a 10,000-won bill in size and shape is ideal for most iron shots. Moe Norman, the world-famous Canadian golfer is known to have once hit 131 drives in a row from the same tee without adjusting it. He was quoted as saying, “I hit balls, not tees.”
Last but not least, avoid waggling too many times. Do it just once or twice, feeling the weight of the clubhead in your hands. Waggling too many times or taking many practice swings not only vexes accompanying players, but also delays your play, which robs the players behind of their precious time.