Greetings Golfers,
The great Ben Hogan said: “ The bridge between address and the start of the swing is the waggle. Don’t groove your waggle. It takes INSTINCT to plan and play a golf shot, and your preparations for each shot must be instinctive.”
That’s coming from the guy who is often thought of as golf’s first “machine like” player.
Though Hogan worked unbelievably hard on developing his golf swing … and was very scientific in the process … he played golf with instinct and intuition.
According to PSYCHOLOGY TODAY: “Until about a hundred years ago science wasn’t even aware of the role of our unconscious, but studies now show that only 20% of the brain’s gray matter is dedicated to conscious thoughts, while 80% is dedicated to non conscious thoughts.”
We need both reason and instinct to make the best possible decisions.
Of course it’s good to have information to play your shot such as yardage and wind and turf firmness … but you also have to figure in that “gut feeling”. You’re not just a robot winding-up to hit shots to exact yardages.
So, Hogan talks about the “waggle”. How many of you waggle? How many of your golf partners waggle? The waggle has become a lost art.
Many years ago in college while watching the Phoenix Open with a girlfriend … she thought that Tom Watson was just getting rid of some nervous energy when he waggled. I tried to explain that he was actually trying to feel the shot with his waggle.
When I went to the Ryder Cup a few years ago, I couldn’t believe how rigid and stiff the players looked before they hit their shots. Straight back posture with no body movement and no waggling of the club. Very machine like.
What if baseball batters stood like statues in the batters box? Or if tennis players stood like statues before they served?
A few minutes ago I read that Dustin Johnson needs surgery on his left knee. Hmmmm. Maybe like Tiger Woods? How many knee surgeries did Tiger have?
The goal of playing golf like a robot is misguided. Start to play using your gut instinct. And, work on your waggle. I’d even recommend using your body as part of your waggle and to initiate your golf swing like Sam Snead used to do.
Snead played great golf into his 80s. And basically played everyday of his life – surgery free!
Hogan knew what he was talking about.
Cheers,
Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com
Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
www.deerrungolf.com
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