How to Record Your Golf Swing Correctly

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For almost every golfer out there, swing is always a work in progress. Regardless of the level, there is usually something that needs improvement or a certain position you are trying to achieve. Even if we think we have a good sense of our swing, our perception is most likely very different from reality. As they say, "feeling is not real." For this reason, recording your swing on video is a crucial part of any golf practice. Such recordings are a standard part of golf lessons today. This article will discuss some of the basics of how to record your golf swing and get the most out of it.

Basics of Swing Shooting

You probably already have the essential tool to get a good swing video in your pocket; a smartphone. In recent years, most smartphones have a camera that is more than capable of taking useful swing videos and access to apps to aid the process. In addition to the phone itself, it helps to have a small tripod to keep the phone stable at the desired angle. There are numerous wave-specific devices available on Amazon

As with any video, you want to record your swing in a well-lit room and avoid pointing the camera at the sun or any other light source. Plus, you need to make sure you have enough space around you to fit your full swing in the frame. There are two critical angles to the golf swing that you want to make sure you can hit, down-the-line and face-on.

Along the line

Down-the-line video is shot directly behind you, with the camera probably six feet from your point of view. This angle is essential for understanding your swing plane, so if the camera is not aligned with the swing, you won't get any useful information from it.

Orientation is critical, so you'll want to make sure you're using an alignment stick as a reference point. It is also the recommended position to hold the camera horizontally in your hands.

This video can help to explain more with important images:

Face On

Face-on swing shots are taken with the camera parallel to you, in line with the ball. Again, you probably have the camera at least six feet away from you to fit everything in the frame. Face-on video will help you see hip swing, shaft tilt at impact, and several other important swing characteristics.

You want your camera at a right angle to the target line and in line with the center of your body .

If you record your swing yourself, it will take some trial and error to learn the correct positioning and angles for your camera and surroundings, so having someone else check the setup can help.

Plus, you want to make sure that your camera records at the highest possible resolution and FPS (frames per second). For my iPhone, for example, this is 60 fps. If you record at a lower quality, fluctuations may appear blurry and you will miss a lot of information.

Finally, while the camera on the back of your phone is probably better than the front camera or a tablet, you can certainly use both with the screen visible to you. That way, you can use them to check your position at the moment and act as a mirror to your swing.

Using Apps for Swing Analysis

A major benefit of using your smartphone to record your swing, rather than a traditional camera, is the ability to use apps to help you evaluate your swing. These apps can be used instead of the default camera app to record the swing or import the video afterward. For iPhone users, a recommended app is Hudl Technique . This app is used by athletes and coaches in a variety of sports, and the free version offers many swing analysis tools.

For Android users, V1 Golf provides the same kind of features and is used by a wide range of educational professionals.

Once you've loaded your swing recording into the app, you can use the drawing tools to provide your feedback while watching the video. For down-the-line swing shots, here are a few rules and shapes to consider:

Circle around the head – Although the cliché "keep your head down" is a myth moving too much during the swing can be harmful.
Line along the Spine – Rotation around the spine is essential for consistent contact, so this line can help diagnose early extension.
Align the Shaft and Beyond the Shoulders – A line from the bottom of the shaft and extending outside of your body helps visualize the swing plane and shows what you are doing with your swing to flat.
Circle the Ball – At full speed, it can be difficult to see where the clubhead returns to the ball on impact, so a circle around the ball can help to make it clear.

Along the Hudl technique line

Here are some lines to draw for face-on shots:

Vertical lines from the back foot and the front foot – These lines help you visualize the hip swing, as your hips should not go behind the trail foot line or be past the front foot line on impact.
Vertical Line Up From The Ball – By drawing a line straight up from the ball and through your body, you get a lot of information, first as a reference for the ball position. Plus, it gives a clear indication of whether your hands were in front of the clubhead on impact and whether your upper body was behind the ball.

There are several other ways to use lines and shapes on the screen, and ideally you can work with a teacher to get the best information about your swing.

Save Your Swings

While we may not like to look back on swings with poor technique and apparent flaws, the best way to measure your improvement is to save these swing videos and compare yourself to see how much progress you have made. While comparing your swing to the pros is of limited value (because everyone's swing is unique), having a library of your own swings, both good and bad, provides the best reference points. The above apps allow you to compare swings side by side within their paid versions, and this can certainly add a lot of value for analyzing your shots.

Ultimately, these videos will be essential for knowing what you are doing with your swing, not just what you think is happening. While a lot of golf is based on feeling, the information these recordings provide helps you develop this feeling in the right way. You can trust the tour pros to record their swings on a regular basis, so you definitely should too.

Do you have any tips or recommendations for swing videos? Start a conversation at the Practical Golf Forum to share.