Golf tip: Waggles from Ben Hogan to Michelle Wie (Video)

Ben Hogan and Jason Day both waggle from a set-up that anticipates their backswing. Michelle Wie waggles at the top of her downswing, again underscoring my claim that there is no one “correct” golf waggle. (Some waggle techniques, however, may be more effective than others, if we judge effectiveness by outcome.)

Does Wie’s downswing waggle serve the same purpose as the set-up waggle we see in Hogan’s swing and Day’s? Certainly, there’s a degree of mental preparation involved, although it does feel to me like this kind of mid-swing waggle could also disrupt the energy flow that is so integral to Hogan’s waggle.

Yet it’s hard to argue with results. Wie generates plenty of power and while she’s been struggling with accuracy off the tee, her play from the fairway and around the green has again become competitive as she plays her way out of what appears to have been a 2-year slump.

One might argue that Wie’s waggle at the top of her backswing slows her down and lets the club do the work. The Wie waggle variation may be more suitable for women (who have less natural upper body strength) than men. On the other hand, that mid-swing waggle could be a part of Wie’s on-course woes. If it, like her tabletop putting stance, disappears, we’ll know that the mid-swing waggle probably isn’t a technique to emulate.