Filming your golf swing with an iPhone is one of the most powerful tools for getting better at golf, period. It cuts through the fog of what you think you’re doing and shows you the reality of your swing. This guide will walk you through exactly how to do it correctly, from setting up the camera to knowing what to look for once you have the footage.
There is often a massive gap between what we “feel” in the golf swing and what is “real.” You might feel like you’re taking the club back straight, but in reality, it’s whipping way inside. You might feel like your head is perfectly still, but the video shows it dipping and swaying. Your brain can trick you, but the camera never lies.
Consistently recording your practice swings brings three huge benefits:
You don't need a fancy camera rig or an expensive production setup. In fact, you probably have almost everything you need already.
Any modern iPhone with a slo-mo video feature will work perfectly. The high frame rate is fantastic for breaking down fast movements and seeing exactly what’s happening at key positions, like impact.
This is the one "must-have" accessory. Do not lean your phone against your golf bag. It’s unstable, it will fall over, and you’ll almost never get the correct angle. A shaky, poorly angled video is almost as useless as no video at all.
You have a few great, inexpensive options:
Whatever you choose, the goal is a stable platform that allows you to position the phone at the right height and angle, every single time.
For useful swing analysis, you need two specific camera angles: Down-the-Line (DTL) and Face-On (FO). Professional coaches use these two views because together, they reveal nearly everything about the mechanics of a golf swing.
This is the classic view from behind the golfer, looking directly toward the target. It's the best angle for analyzing your swing plane, path, and club face orientation during the swing.
A good DTL video shows whether the club is traveling “around the body in a circled action,” as a good swing should. It’s perfect for seeing if you’re coming “over the top” or if the club is getting stuck too far behind you.
This angle is filmed from the front, as if you were looking at your reflection in a mirror. It’s ideal for checking your setup, posture, ball position, weight shift, and head movement.
The Face-On view is where you can clearly see if you are shifting your weight correctly or simply swaying back and forth - a common issue that robs golfers of power and consistency.
Once your phone is positioned correctly, a few quick taps in the Camera app will ensure you get the best possible footage.
This is your best friend for swing analysis. The golf swing happens in less than two seconds, far too fast for the unaided eye to see detail. Slow motion breaks it down frame by frame.
After you record, you can use the editing sliders in your Photos app to select just the portion of the video you want to keep in slow motion.
Grid lines are a huge help for proper alignment. They create vertical and horizontal lines on your screen that help you ensure the camera is level and aimed correctly at your target or body position.
To prevent the camera from annoyingly refocusing or changing brightness mid-swing, you can lock it.
So you have perfect DTL and Face-On videos. What now? You don't need to be a PGA professional to spot some basic flaws. Here are a few simple things beginner and intermediate golfers can look for.
The Takeaway: When you start your backswing, does the clubhead move straight back or whip immediately to the inside? A good takeaway keeps the clubhead outside or tracking along the hands for the first couple of feet.
Swing Plane at the Top: Pause the video at the very top of your backswing. Is the club pointing roughly toward your target? Or is it “laid off” (pointing left of the target) or “across the line” (pointing right of the target)? Aiming for a parallel-to-the-target look is a solid checkpoint.
Coming "Over the Top": This is the bane of many amateurs. As you start the downswing, watch your hands and the club. Do they immediately move out and away from your body, over your original swing path? A better move is one where the club “drops” slightly to the inside before rotating toward the ball.
Setup & Posture: Before you even swing, freeze the frame. Is your ball position correct for the club you're hitting (middle for short irons, more ahear for longer clubs)? Are you leaning over with your chest out, like an athlete ready to move? Or are you standing too upright?
Sway vs. Turn: In the backswing, your right hip (for a righty) should rotate back and away from the ball, not slide laterally away from the target. Think about turning your body inside a barrel or cylinder - not bumping into the sides.
Head Movement: A little bit of head movement is natural, but a major dip down or a large lateral shift indicates instability. Your head should stay relatively centered as your body rotates around it.
Filming your golf swing with an iPhone is one of the most effective and accessible ways to understand your own game. By setting up the right angles, using the right camera settings, and knowing a few key things to look for, you get an honest look at your mechanics, paving the way for real, targeted improvement.
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