Do pro's get their swing taped?

[kekoa]

I'm just curious. Do pros usually get their swings taped during a lesson? I heard that they don't and rather simply look at their ball flight for assurance of proper swing mechanics.

I just bought a camcorder, but i'm really scared to see my swing on tape.

[Avid Golfer]

I'm just curious. Do pros usually get their swings taped during a lesson? I heard that they don't and rather simply look at their ball flight for assurance of proper swing mechanics.

It depends on the pro as well as the instructor. Players like Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Nick Price, Greg Norman, Charles Howell, Trevor Immelman, Steve Striker, Annika Sorenstam like to see their swings on video and compare them to past greats and times when they were swinging well. There are others (like Kenny Perry and Stewart Cink) that don't like looking at videos of themselves. (Probably because they have very ugly swings.

). I recommend that you do tape your swing. I'm sure you'll find your own swing looks ugly in your view, but its worth it since it will confirm what what you are doing wrong. Without it your stuck trusting the eyes and knowledge of the person watching you, and depending on how well he/she/they are able to comunicate you may or may not understand what to change, and how to change it correctly. You have a number of different options for what do once you have your swing recorded, and you are ready for analysis. You could have us look at it here on the SandTrap. You could post it to a website like SwingAcademy. You could visit GolfDigestChallenge.com and send it to the Jim Mclean golf schools for free analysis, or another academy (for a fee). Finally you could do all of the above, and get multiple opinions. When recording your swing I recommend you find a stable base for the video camera (so it will not move while the swing is being filmed). I also recommend having the camera positioned at belt buckle high (both face on and down the line), and half way between the feet and the ball when recording the down the line view. Finally if your camera has a shutter speed option I recommend you set it to the fastest shutter speed possible.

[swingcoach]

I'm just curious. Do pros usually get their swings taped during a lesson? I heard that they don't and rather simply look at their ball flight for assurance of proper swing mechanics.

Tiger even tapes his putts! If you have a camcorder, you can take care of some basic swing flaws, but not everything. The BEST way to swing better is for someone who knows how to swing to tell you what muscles to move and when. i.e. lower body moves the upper body on the downswing and not vice versa.

The camera will only help.

[kfowler]

I would bet that most pros do to some extent.

I record mine all the time. I find it invaluable. Most of the time what I think I'm doing and what I'm actually doing are two different things.