In 1992, a cover story in Golf Magazine changed the way the world looked at the golf swing.
That article, authored by renowned golf coach Jim McLean, introduced the “X Factor” — a concept that maximizes power by increasing the differential between shoulder turn and hip turn during the backswing.
Decades later, McLean remains at the forefront of golf instruction, but the tools he uses have undergone a massive transformation.
From the days of VHS tapes playing on low-definition televisions to modern video analysis platforms like Onform where filming and analysis occur seamlessly on an iPad, the X Factor has evolved from a revolutionary theory into a measurable science.
“It’s so much easier now thanks to platforms like Onform. You just push out the recording, do the markup and voiceovers, and the students have what they need. I’ve always embraced video analysis as part of my instruction, but it used to be so time-consuming and required a lot of equipment to make it happen.” –Jim McLean
What Is the X Factor and Why Was It so Revolutionary?
Before McLean popularized the X Factor, golf instruction was largely obsessed with the extremities.
“Almost all the teaching back then was hands and arms for speed generation,” McLean recalls.
Influenced by legends like Ben Hogan, McLean began to look deeper into the “engine” of the swing: the body.
The X Factor is defined as the differential between the rotation of the shoulders and the rotation of the hips at the top of the backswing.
By creating a wider gap — turning the shoulders significantly more than the hips — a golfer creates a “stretch” that stores potential energy, much like a rubber band being pulled tight.
This “X Factor Stretch” — the moment the lower body begins the downswing while the club is still moving back — is where the world’s longest hitters find their explosive power.
“There’s nobody that swings the club the same way,” McLean explains. “There’s tremendous variations in the body shapes and what they look like, visually, except when you started to look at what the body was doing. Then we started to see more common denominators.”
From Betamax to Mobile Apps: A History of Video Analysis
McLean was an early adopter of video technology, purchasing a Sony Betamax as soon as it hit the market in late 1970s. In those early days, capturing the X Factor was a labor-intensive process involving tripods, heavy equipment, and literal “video assistants.”
“I started videotaping every lesson,” McLean said. “But back then, you had to go home at night and dissect the tapes. It was time-consuming.”
Despite the technological hurdles, the video didn’t lie. It allowed McLean to move away from the opinions that dominated golf instruction and move toward data-backed research.
“In 1991, another pro and I used a gyroscope-based machine to measure the shoulders and hips of players at the Doral tour event,” McLean said. “There was zero technology at the time, so for players to see a printout of what their body was doing was pretty cool. It exploded from there.”
The Onform Era: Strengthening the Concept Through Coaching Software
Today, the manual labor of the 1980s has been replaced by the seamless automation of Onform, a software solution for golf coaches with tools like 3D visualization, slow-motion playback, side-by-side comparisons, and voiceover feedback to build more effective and personalized training sessions for students — whether it be in-person or remotely.
For McLean and his team of coaches at the Jim McLean Golf School, the No. 1 golf school in Florida, the ability to instantly visualize the X Factor on a smartphone or tablet has made complex biomechanics accessible to the everyday golfer.
“Now, it’s just moved the ball so far forward,” McLean says of the transition to digital platforms. “Getting into 3D and being able to measure these X Factor ideas is a huge step forward in helping teachers and students understand what is happening in their swing.”
The power of Onform lies in its ability to provide insights without the “paralysis by analysis” that often comes with complex tech. McLean emphasizes that while the science is deep, the feedback must be simple.
By utilizing Onform’s Multi-Cam MAX capabilities and 3D data and visualization, McLean’s coaches can now prove the X Factor in every lesson, ensuring that the “engine” of the swing is running at peak efficiency for golfers of all levels.
“The visual representation is still the best thing for teaching,” McLean said. “I can do it indoors and outdoors. I’m able to show students, give them homework, and follow up easily. It provides enough information for the student not to get overwhelmed, but enough for the instructor to perfect the mechanics.”