To waggle or not to waggle, Brian Harman’s No. 1 dilemma?

The waggles have made Brian Harman as notorious in golf as his quality. A clear example of this was The Players Championship, where it wasn’t enough that Harman finished second, one stroke behind Scottie Scheffler. His routine for executing each shot still stole the spotlight.

It must be said that Harman’s waggles are indeed serious business. At certain points in the broadcast, a counter was activated that recorded 19 waggles before a shot. That’s enough to drive anyone crazy, no questions asked.

Have the Brian Harman waggles gone too far? pic.twitter.com/eudZ6QWwcg

— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) March 19, 2024

Worst of all, the problem extends beyond the players to the fans. Golf is a slow sport, and delays like this do nothing to make the live experience or television broadcasts more fan-friendly. Nobody wants to wait for Harman’s routine on every shot on every hole. That’s a given.

But the only one who is not to blame is Brian Harman himself. The rules of golf don’t forbid it, and the waggles went with him as he won a major championship and climbed into the top 10 in the world rankings. So no matter how much he is asked to give them up, the waggles will be there for the rest of his career.

Waggles, what should golf do about them?

Of course, I’m nowhere near the solution, but I’m torn between rule changes and a better concept for television broadcasts.

The rules of golf are designed to limit players’ times and routines as little as possible. Logically, waggles are not the only culprit for what many consider excessive delays. There are plenty of examples of players who do not waggle and take two minutes to make even the most insignificant putt.

Therefore, I would be in favor of somehow regulating the amount of time a player has to execute a shot. I am not talking about arbitrarily installing a counter on every course, but rather coming up with a well thought out number that even takes into account the specific time of each round. The tee shot on hole 1 of the first round is not the same as the 10-foot putt to win the tournament.

As for television broadcasts, their dynamics can greatly influence golf to become more dynamic. Players like Brian Harman, who make a lot of waggles or simply take a long time, should have a broadcast style designed for them. An image management that allows them to keep the fans’ attention until the shot is made, which is what they want to see.

In the end, if I had won the Open Championship doing waggles, I would even do them to put my fork in my mouth.