No one really does it any more; not on the pro circuit anyway. The almost involuntary tic-like motion of waggling the golf club before hitting a shot is one of those golf swing habits inevitably consigned to history. Ben Hogan, the last person according to Tiger Woods to ?own? his golf swing, did it, as did legends like Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer. In fact, Hogan goes on to elaborate on the waggle in his classic Five Lessons?The Modern Fundamentals of Golf (1957): The bridge between the address and the actual start of the backswing is the waggle. As a golfer looks over his objective and figures out what kind of shot he?s going to play, his instinct takes over: He waggles the club back and forth? It?s an extremely important part of shotmaking? a sort of miniature practice swing, a kind of ?dry run? for the shot coming up.
The waggle got its day back in the spotlight for the first time in the modern era earlier this month when Jason Dufner, the by now famously impassive PGA Tour golfer, turned in a very Hoganesque performance to win the year?s final major?the PGA Championship at Oak Hills.
Dufner, who celebrated with a hug and a headline-creating derri?re dap for his wife Amanda, is a bit of an anachronism in more ways than one?the waggle is most apparent, as is his now fashionably dour demeanour?he gave nothing more than a desultory wave to the crowd after shooting a major record-equalling 7-under 63 on the second day, breaking into a wan smile only after holing his championship-winning putt two days later. Dufner also appears to lack the muscle-bound physical aggression and killer instinct which has become the norm after the advent of Woods. ?For me, golf is a little bit more boring, I think. It?s pretty matter of fact. I hit it in the fairway or I didn?t; I hit the green or I didn?t. Usually, I?m struggling with the putter, so there?s not too much to get excited about with that,? he said in his post-round interview. It was apparent that Dufner won in spite of his putting?a rare statistic in pro golf. And he did it by nailing his approach shots so close that he could whack them in blindfolded.
But by his own admission, Dufner?s most memorable takeaway from the PGA Championship was that he got to appear on the popular American Howard Stern Show on Sirius/XM Radio. Show host Stern was in his element, rattling off politically incorrect tongue-in-cheek questions, including one on the celebratory pat that Dufner gave his wife and a jibe at Wood?s infamous off-course troubles:
Stern: ?There are golf groupies though, right??
Dufner: ?Oh yeah.?
Stern: ?Like you come off the course, and there?s so many chicks.?
Dufner: ?Yeah, it?s like every other sport. But I stay away from that. I?m married.?
Stern: ?Yeah I was just going to say he?s married. And they were making comments about the hug you gave your wife.?
Dufner: ?Yeah, I grabbed her butt.?
Stern: ?See, you can?t win. If you?re into your wife and you grab her ass, you get in trouble.?
Dufner: ?Yup.?
Stern: ?And if you?re not into your wife, and you cheat on her, you get in trouble.?
Dufner?s popularity has soared after the radio interview, his flat-line humour adding to the craze known as ?Dufnering?, which began in April when someone took a photo of him slumped against a wall, eyes glazed over, during a charity event at an elementary school.
The PGA Championship was also notable for some other performances, none more so than that of Adam Scott who became the first golfer since Padraig Harrington in 2008 to finish in the top five of three majors in the same season. His golf swing has never looked better, and he is arguably the best player in the world right now. And there?s no escaping a certain Tiger Eldrick Woods who, for all his heroics at Firestone at the week preceding the tournament, finished T-40 to match his worst performance in a major where he?s made the cut. It?s going to be a long wait for Woods till next year?s Augusta Masters where he?ll once again don the mantle of the challenger once expected to beat Jack Nicklaus? Major wins record with ease. And what about the lightning-speed golf swing of Henrik Stenson? Two-thirds and two runner-ups, including one of each at the season?s final two majors, and the Scandinavian is right back in the reckoning heading into the season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs. But the last fortnight was well and truly ?Dufnered?. A man, who was once considered odd, suddenly has an every-man reputation?as someone who?s comfortable in his own skin. He certainly looked unflappable at the PGA Championship?the kind of guy you don?t want to be playing matchplay against (or, for that matter, sitting on a poker table with). He erased the memory of the meltdown at the 2011 PGA Championship?when he squandered a five stroke lead with four holes left to play, to lose to Keegan Bradley?with a flawless display of percentage golf. Those who missed the live action can watch the reruns online. As I did. The tournament was screened exclusively on India?s only dedicated golf channel that my cable provider can?t telecast. After an increasingly frustrating evening and phoning scores of ardent golfers, I realised that no one I know gets this channel. Still trying to figure that one out.
A golfer, Meraj Shah also writes about the game
