The Importance of Proper Video Alignment

[ProtoSports]

I have been taking a look at some of the member swings here on The Sand Trap and I have noticed the ridiculous number of people who are submitting swings with terrible video angles. Meaning, shaky videos, videos that aren't aimed up down the line, and at varying heights. As a touring professional golfer (meaning I play golf for a living), it is my experience that the video is only as good as the angle which it was shot on.

Point in case, depending on the height and the angle of the video, swings will look different every time... even if in reality you are making a consistent swing. Just like perfect practice makes perfect. A consistent, stable, and exact video perspective makes for great feedback! If you want to actually improve your swing, you need to create a consistent base to learn from.

The camera should be pointed directly down the line of the toes, at your hand height and aimed directly at the target. I would say depending on the camera, anywhere from 10 to 15 feet behind the golfer. For face on angles just make sure the camera is perpendicular to the line of your feet. Once this is set up you can finally get some proper feedback from your peers and teachers!

[ProtoSports]

Hey Guys,

I am a professional golfer, and throughout my entire golfing career I have used video to help breakdown my swing mechanics. And this is the same for many other amateurs and professionals playing the game. The use of video, has allowed me to improve my game way beyond what I could on my own. Simply because with frame by frame breakdown, I am able to see things not visible to the naked eye.

One of my most useful tools for videoing when I am practicing or playing alone is my iPhone. The picture quality is great, plus there are applications that allow you to breakdown your swing frame by frame, just as if I was taking a lesson from my swing coach. If you are like me, you have realized that the hard thing about doing it on your own, is the ability to properly set up your camera/phone.

As a solution to my problem, I created a clip that allows you to attach your iPhone to an alignment stick. The alignment sticks are some of the most used training aids in golf.  Here is a picture that shows how it works:

Now I know that not everyone uses video, but there are a lot of us that do. Some golfers would use video more frequently, if it were easier to video yourself. It gets old asking people to help and nobody carries around a tripod. Plus for the most part, video taken by the human hand is shaky, and creates a bad angle for viewing. I already know that there will be some big names on PGA and Nationwide Tour who will be using my product, as well as a few well known college teams.... guys are loving it!

P.S.The name of my company is ProtoSports, and I am a featured sponsor on The Sand Trap (just look on the right column of the page) . Just so you know that this is a legit product. Here is the link to my pre ordering site on Kickstarter. I would love to hear some feedback!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/667763688/the-protosports-holster-for-the-iphone

[newtogolf]

I guess the major difference between your holster and the iPing Putter cradle is yours rotates?   Any other differences?

[richman]

Right on. I would just add that a tripod would be essential for the stability.

[ProtoSports]

Well yes, the cross clip design is a definite difference in the two. However, the major difference between the ProtoSports Holster and the Ping cradle is that they are designed for 2 totally different purposes.

-The cradle is designed to fit on putter shafts and the holster is designed to fit on alignment rods.

-The cradle is designed for an improved putting aid and instant feedback on the putting green, and the holster is designed for lightweight and portable video using the iPhone and an alignment rod.

The great thing about the ProtoSports Holster is that it becomes a multipurpose and cost effective tool for golfers who want to use video to improve their swings. It will save you time and money. You can actually take quality videos of your swing, and send them to your instructors, or archive them for viewing later. There are many golfers who already use the alignment rods for swing aids, and this is a compliment to those products. So when you want to video, just slide the rod into the ground and use it as a mono pod support.

In addition to what I stated earlier:

-The diameter of the Ping cradle is for shafts, which are significantly larger than alignment rods, so you will run across the problem of sliding down or falling off.

-With the ProtoSports Holster, you dont have that problem at all.

-The Ping cradle slides onto the top of the phone and the ProtoSports Holster slides onto the bottom. With the cradle you may be at risk of your phone coming out of the case if used in the same way.

-Please keep in mind that the 2 products are not competitors. Sure they both are designed to hold iPhones, but they are used for 2 totally different purposes. I hope that this answers your question.

[Stretch]

Cool idea. I would buy one. Good luck with the Kickstarter funding.

[ProtoSports]

Thanks for your support Stretch, glad you like it.