Seeing your golf swing on video for the first time is one of the most powerful things you can do to get better at the game. What you feel you're doing and what you're actually doing are often two very different things, and the camera doesn't lie. This guide will walk you through exactly how to film yourself, from the gear you need and the two essential camera angles to what you should look for once you have the footage. It's time to stop guessing and start seeing.
As a coach, the single biggest breakthrough I see players have is when they look at their swing on video. It’s a real lightbulb moment. The golf swing is a fast, complex motion, and trying to diagnose it based on feel alone is like trying to fix an engine bay with a blindfold on. Your brain often simplifies or misinterprets the sensations of the swing, which is why you can feel like you’re making a beautiful, smooth turn, only to find the ball slicing uncontrollably into the trees.
Here’s the honest truth: feedback is the fuel for improvement. And video is the most honest, unfiltered feedback you can get. It gives you a clear, objective baseline of your swing. It shows you the truth about your posture, your swing path, and your body rotation.
Recording your swing isn't about criticizing yourself or finding a million faults. It's about gaining clarity. Once you can see your real swing, you have a starting point. You can connect the feel of a bad shot to the reality of the bad move that caused it. More importantly, when you hit a great shot, you can refer back to the video and see what you did right, then work on repeating it. It’s your personal instruction manual, written by your own swing, and learning to read it is how you take real control of your game.
Let's get one thing straight: you don't need a high-end camera or a film crew to do this. The equipment in your pocket is more than powerful enough. Keeping it simple means you’ll actually do it, which is the most important part.
To get a complete picture of your golf swing, you need to capture it from two specific angles. Think of them as two different doctors giving a diagnosis, one might see something the other misses. Recording both will give you all the information you need.
For both angles, the key is to allow the entire swing - from the club at address to the top of the finish position - to stay inside the frame. Give yourself a bit of a buffer around you so we can track the head movement more effectively.
The DTL angle is filmed from directly behind you and is the classic view you see when analysts are breaking down a pro's swing plane on TV. It's incredibly valuable for checking everything related to the path and plane of the club.
What it shows you:
How to set it up:
The Face-On angle is filmed from directly in front of you, looking at your chest. This view is all about the rotational elements of your swing - what your body is doing to generate power and what your club is doing at the moment of impact.
What it shows you:
How to set it up:
Okay, you've got the footage. Now what? Looking at your swing for the first time can be overwhelming. The idea isn't to diagnose everything at once. Pick one thing to focus on. Here's a simple checklist to guide you, broken down by key positions in the swing.
A good swing starts from a good setup. A bad setup forces you to make weird compensations.
The goal of the backswing is to load up power through rotation, not swaying.
This is where the magic happens. A good downswing sequence unwinds from the ground up and is dominated by body rotation.
The finish position is a direct reflection of the swing that preceded it. A balanced finish almost always comes from a good, well-sequenced swing.
Start here. Don't overwhelm yourself. Pick one of these things, like your setup or your finish position, and work solely on that. Record yourself again and look for that specific change. This is how real, lasting improvement happens: one simple step at a time, guided by real feedback.
Filming your golf swing is a simple, direct path to understanding your patterns and unlocking your potential. By following these steps to get the right angles and knowing what to look for, you turn confusion into clarity and transform your practice from guesswork into a focused plan for getting better.
Once you've analyzed your video, you’ll naturally have questions, like "Okay, I see I'm coming over the top, but what drill should I do to fix it?" or "What does this position in my downswing mean?" That’s where we want to give you a hand. With Caddie AI, you can get those questions answered instantly, 24/7. You can even take a screenshot from your video, upload the photo and a prompt that describes your problem, and discover your potential opportunities and blind spots in your game with your very own 24/7 golf coach in your pocket.
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