Using a Live View Golf camera provides a powerful aha moment, finally connecting what you feel you’re doing in your swing with what is actually happening. It can be one of the most effective tools for real, lasting improvement, but only if you know how to use it correctly. This guide will walk you through setting up your device, understanding its core features, and using a few simple drills to start making real, visible progress in your golf swing.
What is Live View Golf and Why Is It So Effective?
At its core, Live View Golf gives you immediate, real-time video feedback of your swing. Golfers constantly struggle with the gap between “feel” and “real.” You might feel like you’re taking the club back on a perfect path, but in reality, it might be whipped way inside. You might feel like your head is still, but it could be dipping down and moving several inches off the ball.
Without accurate feedback, you are just grooving bad habits. Live View closes this feedback loop instantly. Instead of hitting a shot, walking over to a camera stand, watching a replay, and trying to remember the feeling, you can see every movement as you make it, whether it's a full swing or a slow-motion practice rehearsal. This immediate connection between sight and feel drastically speeds up your ability to learn new motor patterns and make changes that stick.
Getting Started: Your Initial Setup Guide
A correct setup is fundamental to getting useful feedback from your Live View camera. Here’s how to get up and running in a few minutes.
Step 1: Charge up and Connect
Before you head to the range, make sure your Live View device is fully charged. Then, follow these simple connection steps at the course or range:
- Download the “Live View Golf” app from your phone or tablet’s app store.
- Power on your Live View camera. A light will indicate it’s on and broadcasting its Wi-Fi signal.
- On your phone or tablet, go to your Wi-Fi settings. Find and connect to the Live View network (it will usually be named something like "LVG_xxxx").
- Once connected, open the Live View Golf app. Your live video feed should appear on the screen automatically.
Step 2: Mount Your Camera
The Live View camera is designed to be mounted on a standard alignment rod or a similar type of pole. Stick the alignment rod firmly into the ground to ensure the camera is stable. A shaky camera will give you a distorted view and make it difficult to draw accurate lines. Make sure it's secure before you start swinging.
Step 3: Find the Right Camera Position
Where you place the camera determines what part of your swing you can analyze. The two primary positions are Down-the-Line (DTL) and Face-On (FO).
Down-the-Line (DTL) View
This is the most common view for analyzing your swing plane and club path.
- Placement: Place the alignment rod directly behind you. Position it so it’s on a line that runs through your toes and is aimed parallel to your target line, rather than directly at the target.
- Height: The ideal camera height is between your hands and your hips at your address position. Too high or too low, and the perspective of your swing plane will be warped.
Face-On (FO) View
This view is perfect for checking your posture, balance, weight shift, and impact position.
- Placement: Place the alignment rod so the camera is directly in front of you, facing your chest squarely.
- Height: Set the camera height around your sternum or abdomen. This gives you a clear picture of your turning motion, head position, and how your lower body is moving during the swing.
Making the Most of the App: Your Core Tools
Once you’re set up, it’s time to use the features within the app. These simple tools transform the experience from just watching yourself into a productive training session.
- The Live Mirror: The most basic but important feature of the app is the live video itself. Before you even hit a ball, use the screen as a mirror to check your setup. Are your shoulders aligned? Is your posture correct? Make slow, deliberate practice swings and watch your motion in real-time.
- The Drawing Tools: This is where the magic happens. The line-drawing tool allows you to create visual references for your swing. Before your swing, you can draw a line on the screen to mark your spine angle, the shaft plane at address, or create a box around your head. This gives you instant, objective feedback on whether you’re maintaining your posture or keeping your swing on plane.
- Slow-Motion Playback: Hit the red record button, make a swing, and the app will instantly replay your swing in slow motion. This is incredibly useful for seeing positions that happen too quickly for the naked eye - like your clubface position at the top or your shaft angle in the downswing.
- Saving and Comparing: Had a great practice swing that felt perfect? Save it. Did you flush one right down the middle? Save that too. Over time, you can build a library of your best swings. The app also has a split-screen mode where you can load one of your “model” swings on one side and watch your live video on the other, allowing you to compare your current motion to your best motion in real-time.
Simple and Effective Drills for Your First Session
It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the things you could work on. The best approach is to start with one or two simple concepts. Here are a couple of excellent drills for your first few sessions with Live View.
Drill 1: Nail Your Swing Plane (Down-the-Line)
This drill helps you understand and correct your club's path during the swing.
- Set up your Live View camera in the Down-the-Line (DTL) position.
- Get into your address position. Using the drawing tool, draw one line that runs up through the shaft of your golf club and right through your midsection.
- Draw a second, slightly steeper line that goes through the base of your neck or your shoulders. This creates a "channel" for your swing.
- Now, make slow practice backswings. Your goal is to keep the clubhead, shaft, and hands working back inside this channel. A common fault is taking the club too far inside (under the lower line) or lifting it too steeply (outside the upper line).
- As you swing down, your goal is to have the club drop back into this channel to deliver the club to the ball from a good "inside" path.
Drill 2: Stop Swaying and Stay Centered (Face-On)
This is a fantastic drill for players who struggle with a lateral sway, which kills power and consistency.
- Set up your camera in the Face-On (FO) position.
- Take your stance. Using the drawing tool, draw a box around your head.
- Next, draw a vertical line on the outside of your trail leg (right leg for right-handers) and another vertical line on the outside of your lead leg.
- Make some practice swings. In the backswing, your goal is to rotate your hips so your trail hip stays inside that vertical line. If you see your hip slide sideways and touch or pass that line, you are swaying. Your head should also remain within its box.
- On the downswing, your focus is to shift your weight and rotate your body so that you finish with most of your weight on your lead leg, but without your lead hip sliding past the lead-side vertical line.
Integrating Live View Into Your Practice
Live View is a coaching tool, not a crutch. The ultimate goal is to use the visual feedback to build a better swing feel that you can trust on the course. Here’s how to do that:
- Focus on One Thing at a Time: Don’t try to fix your plane, posture, and weight shift all in one session. Pick one drill and stick to it. Work on it for 10-15 minutes using the camera.
- Alternate Your Practice: After working with the Live View for a bit, step away and hit a few balls focusing only on the feel you just developed. Don't look at the screen. Then, step back and check in with the Live View again. Are you still doing it correctly? This cycle of 'check, feel, perform' is what translates range practice to on-course play.
- It's Not About a "Perfect" Look: Remember, the objective isn't to create a flawless-looking swing for a video. It's to use the video evidence to diagnose a major fault and internalize the feeling of a more efficient movement.
Final Thoughts
The Live View Golf camera is a potent tool because it gives you instant, undeniable feedback on your swing. It takes away the guesswork and closes the gap between what you think you're doing and what is really happening. By starting with a proper setup and dedicating focused time to simple, specific drills, you can begin to make meaningful changes that lead to better contact, more consistency, and more fun on the golf course.
As you begin to see your swing on video, you might find yourself asking new questions like, "Which of these flaws should I fix first?" or "How exactly do I stop coming over the top?" To help answer those questions and create a smart practice plan, I’ve found that a tool like Caddie AI acts as a perfect on-demand coach. You can ask what to do about a specific fault you're seeing on Live View and get immediate, clear advice and drills, removing any uncertainty about what you should be working on next.