Swing Shot 2.0 Giveaway

[scottyarcy]

Looking for some feedback on a new invention of mine, so the best 2 responses on why you would be a good candidate will win a free sample

The product is super simple, I call it the swing shot 2.0 (because I had a previous version)

the case holds your phone to any standard alignment stick, so you can video your swing

or if you just wanna take selfies 🙂

I made one for myself originally and use it almost every round I play and when Im on the range

heres my ebay listing:

swing shot 2.0 golf camera Selfie Stick Holder Alignment Rod Video Record Clip

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This case will hold your phone to any standard alignment stick at the perfect height for video recording your swing. Also perfect for many other purposes like selfies and group photos. I 3D print these specific to each phone so I...

 

[Pretzel]

I think I'd be a good candidate because I used to use a product very similar to this, actually.

It was called the "Stable Stick", or something like that, and consisted essentially of the shaft and head of an arrow with a clamp mounted at the top instead of fletching. I actually received it as a product to review for this website years ago, and made a small write up on it (though I don't know if that one survived the website transition). One of my biggest complaints about it, however, was how short it was since it gave a little bit of a weird angle for the video. Other than that the idea worked well since I could just slip it into my golf bag (even if it would sit really deep inside it) and take it with me to record my swing wherever I went. I was actually pretty sad that it broke during the flight to the last Newport Cup, because I used it fairly regularly since it made it easy to watch your swing whenever you went to the range.

Mounting a clamp instead on an alignment stick seems like a better method, since it's one less stick to carry around considering I always have alignment sticks in my bag anyways. I already have enough junk in my golf bag to make it weigh a ton (I always have an umbrella, for example), so adding a small clamp would be literally nothing to me in terms of additional carry weight while providing a lot of functionality.

One question I do have is whether you have a plan to work with devices that have a center mounted camera, like my Galaxy S8+. The iPhone camera is offset, but it looks like the current mount places the phone directly in line with the stick itself. I have experience using Solidworks and other 3D modeling software (as well as access to 3D printers) and could potentially assist you in designing an alternate mounting solution for phones like mine with a center mounted camera.

[scottyarcy]

good answer, ill send you one

i will create a new version for each phone, although the same case will often cover quite a few models. I havent made one yet for the S8+ but almost all the major phones I have covered.

Because of 3d printing, I can make a new version for each phone very inexpensively.

please send me your address

[klineka]

I think I would be a good candidate to test out a product like this for a couple reasons.

1. I currently use a tripod that has a little phone mount on the top. The tripod takes up a decent amount of space in my bag, I'm always worried about the tripod breaking because it was a cheap Amazon tripod, it takes a little bit of time to get set up properly, make sure all the legs are secured properly, the swivel and pitch are tightened, etc. 
2. I film myself almost every practice session and have a net in my backyard, so I would use the product quite a bit and be able to assess the durability of the clips and the overall design after a few months of consistent use.
3. I am very active here on TheSandTrap and would be happy to write up a review topic for this once I have used it and tested it out for a period of time.

I looked at the ebay listing for additional pictures, one thing I noticed is the current design forces the phone in the vertical orientation. Horizontal orientation from my experience is best for filming golf videos especially if you plan on uploading them to YouTube for posting on the forums here or to send to an instructor. 

Is it possible to design it so the clips are on the long sides of the rectangle so the phone could sit horizontally? Something like the picture below, where the red ovals are the new clips. It might work if you left the existing clips and just put two where the red ovals are, that way people could choose between vertical and horizontal orientation of their phone

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by klineka

[scottyarcy]

also a good answer, ill send you one as well

what phone model do you have? and i need your address as well

and i like that idea of clips to all it to be mounted sideways, ill add that feature into the design. this is why i like asking people for feedback when i have an idea

i always get ideas to improve that i didnt think of

im in vegas for a week, ill make it and send next week when i get home

[Chasing_Bogeys]

I'd be a great candidate for you as well. I've declared 2019 to be the year I learn how to actually swing a golf club. I've filmed multiple practice sessions in the last 3 weeks and my swing page has a compilation of those videos. The tripod I bought to film them is a failure and is getting sent back (phone mount connection to tripod doesn't lock in place and will flop over if not set "jusssssssst right.") so I'm looking for a new option. I've got alignment sticks that go with me everywhere and would love to test your phone mount. Any new videos will post in my swing page and I'm happy to write up a review as well.

Either way... best of luck with the project!

[Melly9]

Like a previous poster said. Would love the option for a horizontal phone mount for alignment stick. The one I have now only possible to do vertical and it’s all I could really find. 

[scottyarcy]

i appreciate the extra posts, but i do have 2 people at this time i need to send to

you can still get one on ebay if you like

[scottyarcy]

im going to add in clips so that the swing shot can be oriented horizontally as well

ill post photos when i have it

[Hacker James]

This reminds me of an ad I saw once for a 100% guaranteed device to kill cockroaches. The package contained two small blocks of wood with the following instructions:

1. Catch a cockroach

2. Place the cockroach on block nr 1.

3. Firmly strike block nr 1 with block nr 2.

Note:  I am not ridiculing your invention, its just that that devious thought came to mind. Good luck with your enterprise, I love its simplicity.

another idea for you would be to mount the clips in the middle of the frame and attach a ball mount  to the middle of a third "rail" between the clips. This would allow for 360 deg of rotation. Of course this has already been done as in certain car vent mounts.

oops.  scratch  that idea...It would probably cover up the camera lens on phones with center mounted lenses.

 

Edited January 18, 2019 by Hacker James

[cutchemist42]

Love the idea.....I got a tripod  thing that has 3 little arms to manipulate into my bag. I can instantly see why your product would work much easier as my tripod thing can be hard to setup the same everytime.

[Carl3]

I bought something similar to this for taking video with my iPhone:

The legs bend and can be mounter to your back or a chair. The remote control is nice too. Easily syncs to your phone.

[scottyarcy]

5 hours ago, cutchemist42 said:

Love the idea.....I got a tripod  thing that has 3 little arms to manipulate into my bag. I can instantly see why your product would work much easier as my tripod thing can be hard to setup the same everytime.

yes, and most golfers i know already carry those alignment sticks, so it just attaches onto something you already carry. and it weighs like 2 ounces

so if you carry your bag, you wont even notice the weight difference

[scottyarcy]

On 1/18/2019 at 5:22 AM, Hacker James said:

This reminds me of an ad I saw once for a 100% guaranteed device to kill cockroaches. The package contained two small blocks of wood with the following instructions:

1. Catch a cockroach

2. Place the cockroach on block nr 1.

3. Firmly strike block nr 1 with block nr 2.

Note:  I am not ridiculing your invention, its just that that devious thought came to mind. Good luck with your enterprise, I love its simplicity.

another idea for you would be to mount the clips in the middle of the frame and attach a ball mount  to the middle of a third "rail" between the clips. This would allow for 360 deg of rotation. Of course this has already been done as in certain car vent mounts.

oops.  scratch  that idea...It would probably cover up the camera lens on phones with center mounted lenses.

 

yes it would be better if it could rotate without taking off, but my goal with this was to keep it simple and as a result keep the price point down

once you add more parts, the complexity and assembly time increase exponentially, and so the price has to go way up

On 1/15/2019 at 6:50 PM, Pretzel said:

I think I'd be a good candidate because I used to use a product very similar to this, actually.

It was called the "Stable Stick", or something like that, and consisted essentially of the shaft and head of an arrow with a clamp mounted at the top instead of fletching. I actually received it as a product to review for this website years ago, and made a small write up on it (though I don't know if that one survived the website transition). One of my biggest complaints about it, however, was how short it was since it gave a little bit of a weird angle for the video. Other than that the idea worked well since I could just slip it into my golf bag (even if it would sit really deep inside it) and take it with me to record my swing wherever I went. I was actually pretty sad that it broke during the flight to the last Newport Cup, because I used it fairly regularly since it made it easy to watch your swing whenever you went to the range.

Mounting a clamp instead on an alignment stick seems like a better method, since it's one less stick to carry around considering I always have alignment sticks in my bag anyways. I already have enough junk in my golf bag to make it weigh a ton (I always have an umbrella, for example), so adding a small clamp would be literally nothing to me in terms of additional carry weight while providing a lot of functionality.

One question I do have is whether you have a plan to work with devices that have a center mounted camera, like my Galaxy S8+. The iPhone camera is offset, but it looks like the current mount places the phone directly in line with the stick itself. I have experience using Solidworks and other 3D modeling software (as well as access to 3D printers) and could potentially assist you in designing an alternate mounting solution for phones like mine with a center mounted camera.

Pretzel had some good advice on it being able to be mounted sideways. See images for new model.. Going to start up the printer tonight and get it made

[Pretzel]

The modification there looks good to me, should work with most phones of a similar form factor regardless of camera placement.

[klineka]

@scottyarcy was kind enough to send me a unit to test out. Finally got a break in the weather and had a chance to test it out. 

Alignment Sticks - $2 driveway markers from Lowe's/Home Depot

Phone - Samsung Galaxy S7

Design - The design is solid. Having the ability to mount the phone both horizontally and vertically is a nice feature. As expected, the camera was unobstructed in both the horizontal and vertical positions.

Build Quality - The build quality felt excellent, the plastic is firm, not flimsy, and the plastic clips look and feel like they will be able to withstand clipping/unclipping from the alignment stick numerous times without fear of breaking.

Ease of Setup/Use -  Very simple to set up and use. The Swing Shot attached onto the alignment stick with a very satisfying "snap" or "click" and the unit didn't slide or move at all on the alignment stick during my testing.

Phone Fitment - After I took my case off, my S7 slid into the Swing Shot just fine, not too loose and not too tight. I believe @scottyarcy has the ability to custom make the unit for a variety of different phone sizes.

Overall I recommend this unit and if you are looking for a cheap way to record your swing, definitely give this a shot.

 

[scottyarcy]

Thanks @klineka for the review

yes, I can customize this to any phone

actually at this point, I have the designs for probably 95% of the smart phone market but it i dont, i can easily make the one you need