Golf is a game that looks simple on the surface but gets complicated fast. From “just hit the ball” to terms like shaft lean, sway, or rotation, it can quickly go from fun to frustrating. That’s where 3D tools can help. We’ve built a 3D visualization tool that gives coaches and players a better way to understand what’s really happening in a golf swing. We recently talked with Dr. Alison Curdt, PGA and LPGA Master Professional, about how she uses 3D in her lessons and why it works so well.
What makes Onform’s 3D visualization tool different is how simple and visual it is. Coaches can rotate and move the model freely to show movements from any angle. Want to show how a student’s rotation affects their club path? Just spin the model overhead. Want to explain hand path on exit? You can now view it in 3D and highlight it with a color-coded trail. That kind of clarity is hard to get from flat, 2D video alone.
Seeing the Swing from All Angles
Most coaches use two camera views when they record a swing. One is face-on and the other is down the line. That’s helpful, but it doesn’t show everything. With 3D, you can see the swing from any angle. You can spin it around, zoom in, and focus on how the body moves in space.
This helps players understand what their coach is talking about. Instead of saying, “You need more rotation,” a coach can show the movement. That makes the lesson easier to follow and remember.
Thanks to Onform’s multi-cam support, Dr. Alison Curdt runs lessons with two iPads outside, no Wi-Fi needed. She gets perfectly synced face-on and down-the-line footage plus a 3D model she can manipulate on the fly. This gives her three views of the same swing. Two 2D angles and one 3D model. She uses these together to explain concepts like depth, rotation, and hand exit paths in a way that clicks for each student. No need for fancy jargon. The visual does the heavy lifting.
3D for Every Type of Coach and Player
Dr. Alison Curdt says it’s important to adapt to the person in front of you. Some students love biomechanics and want to know every detail. Others just want to hit the ball straighter in their weekend foursome.
Onform’s 3D tools help with both. Dr. Alison uses Onform’s tools to look at rotation first. She checks pelvis and trunk rotation to understand how the body moves around the spine. She also tracks lateral movement with the sway and slide features. These are the basics she uses with most golfers. For elite juniors and pros, she’ll add in vertical force, flexion angles, and other advanced metrics once the data becomes available.
She teaches what the student is ready for, and 3D helps her see things she may have missed before.
Removing the Distractions
One unexpected benefit of 3D is how it helps players stop worrying about how they look. Some golfers don’t like seeing themselves on video. They’ll watch their swing and say things like, “I need to lose weight” or “I hate how I look.” That takes the focus off their swing.
With the 3D skeleton model, all of that goes away. Players see just the motion. It’s not about how they look. It’s about how they move. This helps students focus on the swing, not their appearance. And it makes the lesson more productive, right from the start.
Where’s the 3D Data?
We’ve been working on our 3D model for a while, and it’s already helping coaches all over the country. But some people have asked, “Where’s the data?” That’s a good question, and here’s our answer.
“You only get one shot to make a first impression.” – Dr Alison Curdt
We want to get it right. Other companies rush to show numbers, even if the data is off. We won’t do that. We’ve been testing our data carefully behind the scenes. We’ve worked with biomechanics experts across the country. We’ve tested against systems like GEARS, Vicon, and AMM. We know where we’re accurate to within a few degrees and where we’re still improving.
Until the data is rock solid, we’re holding off on releasing it. Some companies just throw out numbers and ask you to trust them. We want our data to be reliable, repeatable, and verifiable. We encourage you to go and test our data against any other gold standard system once it’s available, and let us know your feedback. Coaches deserve to work with tools that earn their trust, not ones that just expect you to take their word for it.
Try It Yourself
If you’re a coach, try the 3D tool with your own swing first. Get used to how it works. Then think about which of your students might enjoy it or learn better with it. Some may not need it yet. Others will have a lightbulb moment thanks to it.
Even for the most veteran coaches, 3D can reveal things you might have missed. A swing you’ve seen a hundred times might look completely different with a new view.
“Some swings I’ve seen for years—seeing them through 3D gave me new insights.” – Dr. Alison Curdt
Watch our full conversation with Dr. Alison Curdt below to hear more about how she uses Onform’s 3D visualization tools with her students.
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