Brian Harman stormed into contention at the Open Championship on Friday, shooting a 65 to catapult himself into round three's penultimate group.
Despite dazzling from tee to green at Royal Portrush, much of the attention around Brian Harman is once again focused on his famous club waggle.
Whether you love or hate this aspect of his pre-shot routine, there is a good reason why he does it.
In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach and PGA Master Professional Anders Mankert explains why Brian Harman waggles the golf club and how a consistent routine could help you to play better golf...
Why Does Brian Harman Waggle His Club?
The purpose of a club waggle is to stop tension from creeping into your swing.
This can sometimes happen when you are nervous on the golf course, or when you stop moving over the ball, but tension in the hands and forearms can cause the golf swing to become quick and jerky.
It's hard to say if Brian Harman experiences nerves when in contention at a Major, like he is this week at the Open Championship, but this professional routine helps to manage tension and keep a player focused on the task at hand.
Look at Monty, as another great example. He used to bend his elbows and lift the club up and down repeatedly - until he then put the club head behind the ball and hit the shot.
Justin Rose tugs at his shirt and pulls it into his armpit, so they all have their own routines that help them to keep moving and prevent tension creeping in.
How Can A Consistent Routine Help Amateur Golfers?
Many golf fans noticed when Brian Harman won the 2023 Open Championship that he goes through a simple, repeatable routine before hitting every shot. This includes his famous club waggle, but elite players across the professional tours all have their own process.
I once saw Tony Finau diligently going through his pre-shot routine at the Open, without knowing his position on the leaderboard, and I assumed he must be in contention to win the tournament.
He was actually around five-over, but he still went about his pre-shot routine as normal irrespective of his position. That's a very professional way to play golf, and something that many amateurs would benefit from replicating in their own game.
My advice to amateur golfers would be to find a repeatable routine that works for them, and stick to it on the golf course regardless of how they are scoring on that particular day.
You could stand over the ball on the green, have a couple of looks along the line and then pull the trigger - much like Matt Fitzpatrick.
Alternatively, you could follow the example of Justin Rose.
The Masters runner-up and former US Open Champion stands on the tee box, uses his club outstretched to line up with a spot three or four feet in front of his golf ball, then he aims over that spot as part of his alignment process.
This would help amateurs tremendously with how to aim in golf, but also provides familiarity and comfort as a regular part of your pre-shot routine.
What Pre-Shot Routine Does Baz Use On The Golf Course?
After spending some time working with Anders last year, I started to adopt a consistent pre-shot routine in my own game.
For me, this consists of:
- Stand behind the golf ball looking at my target
- Make one practice swing to get the feel for the movements I want to achieve
- Line up a spot on the ground with my target line, around three or four feet in front of my golf ball, then setup to aim straight over that spot
- Take one final look at the target from my setup position
- Settle in and hit the shot
This familiar routine has helped me to focus when I am having a good round, clear my mind when I am playing poorly and ultimately assist me to shoot lower scores.
While some may question the impact on slow play, I believe that swiftly going about my repeatable process actually helps me to play quicker with less avoidable delays searching for golf balls and hitting penalty shots.
