Have you ever recorded your swing?

[Buschmaster]

Have you ever recorded your swing and did it really help you?

I'm thinking about just recording my swing a few times to see what I can improve on.

Another thing that would help would be recording, say, 5 with each club. I'll see what swings produced the best contact and compare them with the ones that didn't produce good contact.

But, if this wouldn't really help me out, I wouldn't try it because I wouldn't want to waste my time with it. ;)

[tm22721]

Yes but video and computer slo mo analysis tools are a hassle and they do not even record ball flight. You need your eyes for that.

If you know your usual swing flaws, ball flight is all the information you need.

And experiment, experiment, experiment.

[Buschmaster]

Thanks!

I suppose what I will do is record it at some point and just see my mechanics. If I see a glaring spot I'll try and correct it and otherwise just keep practicing to get consistency!

[Crafty]

I enjoy looking at my swing on video because it obviously helps you see your swing flaws. However, seeing those flaws doesn't help you feel those flaws and fix them. I video tape my swing about once every two week to keep things in check. Its a good place to start though.

[Buschmaster]

What do you do in addition to recording your swing that helps you improve your game?

[mybloodinvt]

I taped myself hitting balls when I first started getting serious about the game. I was able to see that I had a nice reverse pivot working and was able to practice that out of my swing. A pro did some taping of my swing about 8 years ago and by reviewing that tape I was able to see that I coming through the ball low and left. I have not had the time to fix that defect, but at least I am aware of it and if I ever have the time and inclination to fix it I can. I think taping is a great way to determine what, if anything, you really need to focus on fixing in your swing.

[Richie3Jack]

It should help you quite a bit. Mainly because if I had a dime for every time I tried to tell a player what they are doing and they didn't believe me, I'd have a big chunk of change. So at the very least, the video tape shows you that your swing isn't as good as you think it is.

Other than that, if you really want to improve take your swing to a golf pro that uses video tape when they do lessons. Those who don't use video are wasting your time.

I used to play mini-tours so I've video taped my swing a lot. But usually it was done during a lesson with my swing coach or just so I could check up to see if I'm still in the right positions.

I pretty much quit the game for 5 years and I'm just getting back into it (I have surgery I have to go thru). I hope after the surgery I can get back into playing a few times a week and I plan on purchasing a new video recorder so I can get my swing back on track.

Ball flight isn't that big of an issue because a good pro should be able to look at your swing, regardless of whether you hit it well or not and make the proper adjustments. And for high handicappers, usually making a good or bad shot is (and I don't mean to be offensive) due to luck.

Another good thing about video tape is that if you find a good golf teacher that is far away, you can just mail them the tape of the swing and they can analyze it for you. Or after a lesson you can just check up on your swing to see how you're progressing.

It's best to get a video recorder that has a "sports mode" shutter on it.







3JACK

[Buschmaster]

I'll probably just use my point and shoot camera and put it on a tripod. It's pretty good at taking video and I don't need anything too fancy.

I guess I want to use it to fix glaring weaknesses.

[tm22721]

Ball flight isn't that big of an issue because a good pro should be able to look at your swing, regardless of whether you hit it well or not and make the proper adjustments. And for high handicappers, usually making a good or bad shot is (and I don't mean to be offensive) due to luck.

You can't win a tournament by submitting a video of your swing. On the range and course I have seen many 'high handicappers' with beautiful swings. Unfortunately, I am one of them after three years of lessons, video and a thousand hours of practice.

Ball flight is the issue. Being able to hit the ball where you want it to go will get you to the green in regulation.

[Stuart]

Helps me a lot. If nothing else, it shows me how imperfect my swing is, and how lucky I am to be able to score like I do with it, so I don't get nearly as frustrated with my game.

[Guest]

During golfing season, I tape my swing once a month - no hitting balls, just the swing. The first time I taped it, I was looking for an airline sick bag. The nice things about taping is; you can slowdown the replay and compare your swing with let say - K.J. Choi's swing (I like to choose someone with my build when comparing the swing). It does provide a yard stick because I know a lot of people are putting their expectations on the wishful thinking - always thinking that their swings are better that what they actually are. That's why they get frustrated when they fail to get to the next level after a series of practice sessions since they don't know how their actual swing looks like. Hence, taping let you deal with reality.

If you tape your swing, you go,"That's me swinging? Yamahama Fright Night!" As I get better every year and become a more 'feel' player, I don't tape the swing as much as I used too since I now know what I do right and wrong during the swing. All I need is a mirror and I should be ok since I can check my setup, grip, and backswing during the swing. You can't control impact but if you spend time fixing the setup, grip, alignment, and backswing -I believe a good impact will prevail.

[Richie3Jack]

You can't win a tournament by submitting a video of your swing. On the range and course I have seen many 'high handicappers' with beautiful swings. Unfortunately, I am one of them after three years of lessons, video and a thousand hours of practice.

Your idea of a beautiful swing is probably different from mine. There's some high handicappers that have nice motions, but they can't hit the ball to save their lives because they have horrible positions throughout their golf swing.

A good golf pro should be able to look at your swing, analyze it, and then be able to tell how the ball is flying off the club face. 3JACK

[JaY_B]

I would suggest that most high handicap golfers would not know what to look for when analysing their swing, they would simply work on making it aesthetically pleasing, which while does look good will not produce the best results.

[Richie3Jack]

I would suggest that most high handicap golfers would not know what to look for when analysing their swing, they would simply work on making it aesthetically pleasing, which while does look good will not produce the best results.

Bingo.

I've seen plenty of aesthetically looking motions of golf swings on this forum, but when you slow it down on tape you see plenty of bad spine angles at impact, improper hip rotation throughout the swing, not enough shoulder turn, improper weight shift, etc, etc. There's a reason why high handicappers are poor ball strikers. It's because their mechanics of their swings just are poor. 3JACK

[HeadCoverLeash]

Recording your swing shows your flaws, and we all have many. Find a swing video you like, break it down with slo motion and frame by frame. Work hard to mimic the swing and your swing will improve. Work with a mirror on your turn and head stablility. I do it as a morning exercise and it keeps me flexible. Your short game is more important, but you will feel better.

HCL

[Leek]

I hate recording my swing. It looks like crap to me. I have used this for checking things like plane though.

[tm22721]

The difference between low (< 8) handicappers and high (> 18) handicappers is 10 strokes = 12%.

So somebody who is only 12% inconsistent must have bad swing mechanics ?

Bad swing mechanics are not my problem according to three different instructors. It is being able to hit from bad lies on the fairways. The fairways where I play tend to penalize those who can't hit it far, ie there are severe slopes halfway down the fairways that flatten out as you get closer to the greens. I have been trying to adjust my swing to bad lies with mixed success. Strategies like altered alignment, punch shots, ball back in stance, choking down on the club for more control, and taking more or less club than usual do help but these are NOT normal swing mechanics.

That's why I do much better on flatter links type courses than I do on the typical mountain-side courses where I live.

Try taking a video of your swing from a severely sloping lie. It is not very practical.

[Stuart]

I have been recording my swing the last few times out, and honestly...its laughable. Throughout my life, I've been blessed with excellent hand-eye coordination, and that is the sole reason I score well sometimes. I honestly can't get over it sometimes. But it sure as heck helped me with my temper. I can't get mad at myself now when I make a bad shot, cause I know why that shot is happening. Until I sort out my swing, bad shots will undoubtedly sneak in a few times a round. That's just something I have to accept. Until I solve the issue at its root, I have to accept that getting back to a good impact position every time is nearly impossible with so many corrections to make before impact. I would urge anybody and everybody to take a look at their swings. What you feel you are doing and what you are doing are often very different.