Trying to make a swing change often feels like chasing a ghost - you think you’re doing something different, but the ball flight tells another story. Using slow-motion video of your swing is the best way to stop the guesswork and see exactly what’s happening. This guide will show you precisely how to use your phone's camera to diagnose your swing, implement the right changes, and finally make them stick.
A golf swing happens in the blink of an eye, lasting roughly one second from takeaway to impact. At that speed, it’s physically impossible for you to process the intricate movements of your hips, shoulders, arms, and club. This is the root of golf's most frustrating dilemma: the gap between feel and real.
You might feel like you’re rotating your hips through impact, but a slow-motion replay might show they’ve stalled completely. You might feel like you kept the club on a great path, but the video reveals a classic over-the-top move. Without an objective look, you’re just guessing. Slow motion removes the bias of feel and gives you cold, hard facts. It shows you:
By slowing things down, you move from frustrating guesswork to a clear, fact-based plan for improvement.
You don’t need any fancy equipment to get started. Your smartphone’s camera is powerful enough to provide the insight you need. The most important elements are stability and consistent angles.
All you really need is your phone and a simple tripod. A tripod is non-negotiable, holding your phone or propping it against your golf bag will result in shaky, inconsistent videos that are nearly impossible to analyze accurately.
To get a complete picture of your swing, you must film from two specific angles. A flaw that’s obvious from one view can be completely invisible from the other.
1. Down-the-Line (DTL):
2. Face-On (FO):
For both setups, place an alignment stick on the ground pointing at your target. This gives you a clear visual reference line when you review your footage, making it much easier to spot swing path deviations.
Now that you have your 'before' footage, it’s time to play detective. The goal isn’t to look exactly like a Tour pro - it’s to spot the major deviations from sound fundamentals that are costing you consistency and power.
Film at least five full-speed swings from both the DTL and FO angles. A 7-iron is a perfect club to start with. Don’t try to make your prettiest swing, just swing like you normally would on the course. This is your honest baseline.
When you sit down to review, don't just watch the whole swing over and over. Use the scrubber on your video player to pause the swing at critical checkpoints. Here’s what to look for at each stage:
From the DTL view, the first few feet of the backswing should be a “one-piece” movement of the chest, arms, and club. A common mistake is sucking the clubhead too far inside the hands early. Ideally, when the club is parallel to the ground, it should also be parallel to your target line (or very slightly inside it).
From the Face-On view, check your body movement. Are you swaying away from the target or rotating around your-spine? You want to see rotation, not a big lateral shift. From the DTL view, notice where the clubhead is in relation to your hands, a good position is to have the club head hiding your hands, or slightly outside of them.
Pause at the very top. From the DTL view, a good checkpoint for most golfers is to have the shaft pointing parallel to the target line. If it’s pointing way to the right of the target (laid off) or way left (across the line), it often requires a major compensation on the way down. From the FO view, you want to see that you've maintained your body's tilt from address and your weight has loaded into your trail leg.
This is where most swing flaws reveal themselves. As you start the downswing from the top:
Freeze the frame at the moment of contact.
Diagnosing a problem is only half the battle. Now you have to fix it, which requires overwriting years of muscle memory. This is where the true power of "feel vs. real" comes into play.
Pick the single most significant fault from your diagnosis and commit to fixing only that. If you come over the top, make that your mission. Trying to fix three things at once will short-circuit your brain.
Your old, flawed swing feels "normal." A technically correct swing will feel completely alien. Therefore, to get from flawed to correct, the CURE must feel like a wild exaggeration.
This cycle is how you turn a new feeling into a new habit:
This deliberate process of feeling, filming, and confirming is the fastest and most effective way to change your golf swing for good.
Breaking down your golf swing with slow-motion analysis is like finally getting the owner's manual for your game. It helps you stop endlessly searching for tips and allows you to build a reliable movement by seeing what's really happening and training the correct feelings.
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