Strange Pre-Swing Waggles

[Zippo]

From what I've seen, lots of folk do some sort of preswing waggle. I wiggle the club around a few times before finally addressing the ball and beginning my backswing. A friend that I golf with addresses the ball and then freezes for 8 to 10 seconds before beginning his backswing. The waggle's not something I really thought too much about until I saw Matthew Wolff's preswing double dip and quick head turn before address and backswing. I see now that there's a couple others with a similar weird waggle but I can't fathom who might have taught them such a thing or where they might have picked up something like that. I get that it seems to work for him and I'm certainly not knocking his golfing ability but, oh my. Have you seen any other folk that do strange and different movements before final address and backswing?

[70sSanO]

I’d call it more of an exaggerated forward press.  Decades ago, a forward press was taught to help with starting the backswing and timing.

Sometimes it was just a press with the hands, sometimes just the right (trailing) knee, and sometimes both.  Usually there was no re-set stop before the actual backswing.

It can loosen (smooth) the backswing if someone is too tight when setting up and feels paralyzed by swing thoughts.  I used it 40 years ago, though not close to the extent Wolfe goes.  I might dig it out at the range and see what happens.  I would guess it will be more commonplace in the coming years.

John

Edited July 17, 2019 by 70sSanO

[mdl]

I've started doing a not as extreme waggle/press inspired by Wolff!  I realized a long time ago that I hit the ball MUCH better starting my hands where I want them at impact, rather than in some "neutral" position actively different from where I want them to go.  Maybe an artifact of my skills and history with sport, but I find it easy to dramatically increase the consistency with which I can control the club face angle at impact if I start that way.

After watching Wolff, I figured, why not ingrain body position too?  So far, it's not felt great to literally start the swing from where I want to be at impact with the body.  So I've compromised by addressing the ball, moving into a static impact position.  Then keeping the hands steady but moving the body back to more neutral, then starting the swing.  Only played two 9s since then, but I've scored under handicap both times...

[Zippo]

As I recall, back in the late 80's Bob Mann used to also teach a forward press of the club as a swing trigger. My friend forward presses the club so far that his 4 iron basically has zero loft, or possibly negative loft, and he also shifts his left hand grip to a stronger position while the club is pressed forward. What Mr. Wolff does, in my opinion, exceeds a "normal" forward press as it includes both knees and his head and there's a pause between the knee dip and head movement and the beginning of the backswing.

Again, it clearly works for him so kudos but I would like to learn how he came to have such a move. I've given it a try for fun but it's the quick head turn towards the target and back that throws me off. Actually, the whole thing throws me off. Of course, I'm no longer twenty years old, either.

As a side note, if I were to actually play a round with Mr. Wolff I would not be able to watch while he does that preswing thing. Long ago I joined a threesome and one of the fellows picked his club straight up over his head, then turned his body and began his downswing. It was sooo strange and unusual to me that I simply could not watch while he swung. I've since learned that others do that move - as does George Gankas - but it was just too weird for me to watch. Almost like I was afraid of "catching it".

[Buckeyebowman]

You're not alone. Sam Snead couldn't watch Ben Hogan swing either! 

[MarvChamp]

On 7/17/2019 at 6:25 PM, Zippo said:

it was just too weird for me to watch.

Yesterday at the range I had to move away from a guy who wiggled and waggled all around the ball, then short back, then wiggle waggle, etc. again for a full minute. Then hit the ball and look out there (short) for about 15 seconds. I was mesmerized! Best, -Marv