We get asked all the time how to record your golf swing using video. To help answer this common question, we’ll share some best practices for recording your swing utilizing a golf swing analysis app. For the most comprehensive view of your performance, we’ll focus on two key angles: “down the line” and “face on.”
Down the line
The “down the line” view is parallel to the target line. This view is a popular choice due to its ease of capture on the range because the camera isn’t taking up a bay on the range. This angle helps you see the plane of your backswing and how your club face is pointing at the top of your swing.
Face on
The “face on” angle is directly across from you, perpendicular to the target line. This view highlights setup angles, grip, body position, and weight shift. Using higher frames per second (FPS), you may even be able to see the club face angle at the point of impact.
Instructions For The Perfect Setup
We recommend you capture your swings from both angles to give you a full view of your golf swing. Onform’s auto-detect recording mode supports multiple angles and will make it easy to capture both angles seamlessly. Here are step-by-step instructions for setting up your phone or tablet for each angle.
Down the line
- Place an alignment stick or another club on the ground to help you become more aligned with your chosen target.
- Place your iPhone or iPad 12-15 feet behind you in line with the alignment stick. If you are not using an alignment stick or ground club, position the device directly in line with the toes of your feet (see yellow line in adjacent picture).
- Use a tripod or an accessory to attach to your golf bag, like SelfieGolf or GorillaPod. We recommend an iRange stick as it’s strong enough to hold an iPad!
- Orient your device in portrait mode to capture your entire swing.
- Finally, position your device at the same height as your wrist during setup (see the red bullseye in the adjacent picture) for optimal analysis.
- Swing! Let Onform’s AI-powered auto-detect recording mode do the work of automatically capturing every swing you take, and recording your results, such as shot distance and accuracy.
Face On
- Align yourself with an object on the ground (an alignment stick or club).
- Place your iPhone or iPad 10-15 feet perpendicular to the alignment stick or the middle of your chest.
- Position your device at belt height or wrist height for seamless switching between angles.
- Orient your device in portrait mode for a comprehensive view of your swing.
- Swing away! Analyze with Onform’s AI-powered practice partner to do the work of automatically capturing every swing.
By following these best practices and utilizing a golf swing analysis app like Onform, you’ll gain valuable insights to refine your technique. Check out the YouTube video by MeAndMyGolf below for detailed instructions on how to set up your device when recording your golf swing.
When will you have the auto-detect function on Android phones???
Android does not have the onboard-required hardware that Apple provides on their devices. We are looking at ways to incorporate this for Android. If you have additional questions, send us an email at support@onform.com
Is there a way to trim videos for android users? My swing coach recommended I trim videos, but I can’t do it in your app. I use a Galaxy S21.
Hi Josh, you’re not able to trim videos on android devices at this time. We’re constantly working on adding more features for android, so we’ll make a note to add this to our future roadmap.
How to get 3D?
Just record in Auto-Detect mode and you will see the 3D avatar pop up! If you get stuck, email us at support@onform.com
Is there a way of getting both iPad and I phone sync up to video the one swing. Down the line and face on ??
Hi Stephen, yes, you can use the auxiliary cam setting on one device and it will sync to the other. They both need to be logged in to the same account to work. Here’s a YouTube video we did breaking down how to set it up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nUK0rJ8BN4&t=756s. Or you can send us an email at support@onform.com to help you out!
Can you upload into 3d a video at 120fps that was not captured in the Onform platform BUT not in auto detect? Thx!
Yes, you’re now able to upload videos at 120fps even if they were not recorded in Onform or auto-detect! If you have any issues, email us at support@onform.com and we’ll help troubleshoot!