Defined: It is simply the circle you make with the club around your body as you swing. Technically speaking, it is the angle of your golf swing arc in relation to the ground. If you made a perfectly upright swing, the club would travel on an arc perpendicular to the ground. Shorter players tend to have flatter swing planes, while taller players tend to have more upright planes.
Standards: Professional golfers swing on what is called either elbow or shaft plane on the “side view” or down the target line view. (Image 4) The overall goal is to keep the head and shaft of the club on this plane for optimal ball flight. Some players deviate on the backswing, either inside or outside the plane, however all great golfers on the downswing are ON or just under plane. Most amateurs are over the plane (or over the top) on the downswing. (Image 3).
Understanding club plane is the single most important distinction a golfer can have in his/her golf swing. Because a golfer is unable to see their golf swing, let alone their own plane, it is very difficult to understand your own plane. Now with the GolfSense golfers can see and understand what they are doing with every golf swing, every club, both on the range and on the golf course. This is huge advantage, even more so than video because we specifically show you exact movement of both your club head plane and hand plane.
DRILLS TO HELP YOU IMPROVE
Plane Views: There are 2 views in GolfSense to help review your swing plane. The “Plane Comparison” graphic and number represents the percentage that the backswing and downswing are matching. The higher the percentage the better the plane comparison. The other view is the “Back View” in the main 3D screen as shown on prior page. Here you can also enlarge the image and move to see club path and compare the backswing, represented with yellow line, and the downswing, represented with the green line.
Over The Plane: When the green line (downswing) is to the right of the yellow line (backswing), then your swing is considered over the plane. The ball flight usually results in a pulled shot to the left and if the face is left open, a big slice. As I said earlier, most amateurs are over the plane and need to work on staying under or on plane. (Image 3)
Image 3
Water Bottle Drill: Grab a 12 ounce plastic water or soda bottle filled half way with water. Place the bottle 1 golf ball outside and 16-24 inches behind the ball. (Image below). Make a few practice swings and work on swinging inside the bottle being careful not to hit it. Now try the same thing with a golf ball. Note: You will most likely hit the bottle on the first few golf swings. This is to be expected, and a definite and even intentional shock to your system, however in time you will learn to miss the bottle and hit only the ball.This is truly a great drill for keeping the club under or on plane especially for the golfer that has a bad habit of coming over the top.
Image 4
Using GolfSense: During the water bottle drill, make sure you record both your practice swing(s) and swing(s) on the golf ball. Then review your swing plane on the GolfSense App on your phone. Your backswing and downswing percentage number should be higher and closer to matching. You can also compare one of these swings in the “Compare Mode” in the app and see the difference between the two swing planes. The final step is to then remove the water bottle and record swings without it. See if you are able to remain on plane. Remember that for most golfers this is not an easy change. Stay patient and in time you can make a big difference with your GolfSense and hard work!
Patrick Shea is the Product Manager for Zepp Labs. He is a PGA Professional and also the creator of the GOLO Golf Dice Game. He has an extensive background in golf instruction, golf technology and consumer products. He coached college golf at Santa Clara University and has taught thousands of golf lessons over the past 20 years.
Posted by Paddy O'Shea on April 10, 2013 10 Comments
Introducing Hand Path Yesterday we released another free app update for our iOS users* -- Version 2.9.3. This version allows you to see a new and incredibly helpful feature called "Hand Path". In fact, you'll be able to see this for every swing you've made with golfsense in the past and all swings in the future.
Why is hand path important? There are many reasons why we developed GolfSense to be on your glove versus on your club shaft. Perhaps one of the most imporant reasons is that we believe you have two fundamental connections in golf: Feet to ground, and hands to club. The entire industry focuses on the club and seems to ignore the very simple fact that your hands actually control the club and path. An arguement could even be made that hand path is more important than club path. If the hands don't stay on path or plane, then the clubhead and shaft are either not on plane or have to be manipulated in order to keep them on plane. For most amatuer golfers, the hands come over plane (see the first pic above) and 1 of 2 things can happen: Either the club gets steep and off path, or in an attempt to stay on plane the club is laid off, and the shaft plane gets flatter. This requires more timing and manipulation with each swing. Most of us, have no idea what our hands are doing during the swing because it's never been measured.
So why haven't people measured hand path? Truth is, the only reasonable method to measure hand path (prior to GolfSense) has been 2 dimensional video analysis. The idea of capturing a 3 dimensional view of your hands just wasn't possible.... until now! GolfSense will now show you a precise trace of your hand path for your backswing and downswing. No other product in the world can provide you with data around this critical aspect of your swing.
How to use it
Tap the Swing Plane / Swing Trace / Hand Trace button on the main swing screen to toggle to the "Hand Trace" feature. Note - this can be done before or after a swing.
Choose the "Back View" for a "Down the line" perspective.
Zoom in on the avatar using a pinch of zoom gesture with your fingers on screen.
Use the swing "scrubber" to move through your swing.
Note the relationship between your backswing hand path and downswing hand path.
Are your hands coming too far outside on your downswing (casting)?
How is your backswing trace?
How closely aligned are your two planes?
Use the Star feature to tag the swings that feel great. Then go through your history to evaluate your hand path for these.
Also in this release
Increased length of follow through trace.
Reduced CPU consumption to optimize performace.
Optimized wrist release data.
Optimized data of Plane Comparison in analysis pages.
Changed units to m/s for Japanese customers.
Fixed a bug where swings could not be detected after a sharing.
*Note - Android users will get this update within the next 7 days. We apologize for the delay! We're in final testing, but due to the increasingly large number of Android devices in our QA matrix it takes a little time to go through the process.
Posted by Paddy O'Shea on April 05, 2013 2 Comments
We spent the day down at PGA West Norman Course in La Quinta, California with Nicole Smith, an LPGA Rookie. She has been working with GolfSense with her swing for the past 4 months and talks about how she is taking her driving range game to the golf course.
Her 2 favorite features in the GolfSense App that she works on are:
1) "Side View", where she can compare her plane. Nicole has a tendency to get underneath the shaft plane, so she is trying to constantly get back on plane and almost feel like she is "over". She does this by first, staying down and level in the shot through impact and 2)working the grip "level left" or around the left thigh past impact.
2) "Club Position", where she can check the length of her backswing. Nicole has a tendency to get long with her back swing by 10 degrees and her best or optimal position is 288 degrees.
Nicole's desired ball flight is straight or a little cut always working against a draw or hook.
Let us know if you have feedback or any questions.
Posted by Sarah Lieneke on November 07, 2012 16 Comments
GolfSense, the leading mobile golf swing analyzer is now available to the millions of Android users around the world. The GolfSense app is driven by a powerful motion engine that delivers in-depth analysis of your golf swing presented in a clear, easy to use interface. Important information about each aspect of your swing, from your backswing to follow through and everything in between, GolfSense provides the most comprehensive feedback of any golf swing analyzer on the market today.
“We've been blown away by the demand for GolfSense around the world,” says Zepp Technology CEO Jason Fass. “We're excited to bring our motion engine and technology to the Android platform."
The free GolfSense app can be downloaded today from Google Play.
In addition to releasing the Android app today, GolfSense is now available in all 1600+ US Verizon stores. Stop by your local Verizon store to check it out start improving your golf game today!
About GolfSense:
GolfSense is the only glove-based, motion sensor device that works with a free mobile app to deliver comprehensive golf swing analysis data with 3D graphic technology. GolfSense is available online at GolfSense.me, GolfSmith.com and in stores at Golf Galaxy and all US Apple and Verizon retail stores.
For more info or to watch the demo, visit www.golfsense.me, friend us on Facebook or follow @golfsense3D
Posted by Sarah Lieneke on October 17, 2012 0 Comments
Front9 is a series of interviews taking a closer look at
golf writers, players and coaches. Today we are chatting with Rick Smith, who has coached numerous PGA Tour winners and who has recently partnered with GolfSense as our instructional partner. Rick's long resume also includes golf course designer, TV personality on the Golf Channel and ESPN and tour analyst for both ESPN and NBC.
Rick Smith, PGA Instructor
What
is your earliest golfing memory?
Watching the Ryder Cup playing at Laurel Valley
outside of Pittsburgh, PA (where I was living) when Jack Nicklaus got beat in 2
singles head-to-head matches. I remember watching Trevino walking up the
fairway at hole 10 and hearing him ask a member to get him a beer and what the
score of the Steeler’s game was. Wow, how it has changed…
Do
you have a favorite course and why?
I like many courses and because they all have there
own unique DNA of design. I have designed 9 pretty special courses that are all
very different and I am now working as a partner to Phil Mickelson on design
all over the world. I love a course with great beauty, but love options that
enable all golfers to play holes to their ability and courses that create
unique interest and elements that are as old as the great Mackenzie or Raynor and
McDonald. My favorite old designers are those who looked at the land first
design and then built into the land. Now on many design sites you have to
create it. This drives costs up, which I think stifles the games growth. As
both a teacher and designer, I aim to make the game more enjoyable and more fun,
so I think both teaching and design needs those elements intertwined. I love
drivable 4's and holes that are unique, not standards which requires constant
mandatory carries. The ground is how golf originated and water and conditioning
have slowed the ball down, making courses tougher for the average player. That
doesn't grow the game, which bothers me because I am committed to growing the
game!
When
did you start teaching? What made you realize you had a gift for helping
people achieve their golfing goals?
I started in 5th grade when a fellow student
asked me why he always sliced.I answered
questions to all my friends in class with written notes. On a professional
level I was 19. I found that as a player, I could help one person – myself –
and then played well but felt more satisfaction helping others. Doing well
myself certainly had an element of rewards internally, but it has been just as
satisfying when Rocco won his first event, Lee Jansen winning his first of two
Opens and Phil’s first of three Majors. It’s not just working with the pros –
when a beginner gets it in the air the first time it is very gratifying and a
non-selfish feeling.
You
run a family of instructional facilities located throughout the United States.
What has been the biggest challenge towards becoming one of the top
instruction institutions? What has been the most rewarding?
I believe in continuity first and foremost. I want
to make sure a documented process is passed on from each facility to another. This
why I think less is more for hands on instruction. Working with my teachers is
important as well, but ultimately it's seeing the progress of our students that
has been the most gratifying.
One-on-one Coaching w/Rick Smith
You’ve
worked with some very big names in golf, but also with some lesser known, but
just as dedicated, recreational golfers. What would you consider your
biggest “win” as an instructor? What provides you with the most satisfaction?
The biggest wins relate to each individuals goals,
ie: first tour win, making the PGA tour - like when Gary Nicklaus made it when
he was in a playoff with other student Phil Mickelson or watching Lee Janzen
and Jack Nicklaus win US Opens and Senior Opens the same year. Phil's huge win
with Masters in 2004 and Rocco's first win and being leading money winner going
into the Masters also stand out.
You’re
also a bit of a TV star. When you hosted the premier of the “Big Break”
series on the Golf Channel in 2003, you broke their audience record. How
has working on this series informed your instruction style?
It was more about a different avenue to
communicate to golfers and that golf could be more fun - especially to watch. I
believe that helps the game to grow. People love to see pressure but also like
to see different ways to enjoy the game the “Big Break” was great for that.
Let’s
say I’m brand new to golf. I just bought my first set of clubs and I’m
heading to the driving range. What are the 3 things you’d tell me that I
need to know so I can actually hit the ball?
Focus on posture; mini swings with an
understanding of simulation of what the correct impact condition should be, (ie:
hands in front of club head weight turned left with right heel up and shoulders
square, face square to the arc not in a straight line) and images drills. This
will help a student to learn correct feeling, which allows success patterns!
Photo Credit: Golf Digest
If
you could play a round with anyone who would it be and who do you think would
win?
Actually my dream foursome would be with Hagen,
Bobby Jones and Allistair Mackenzie. It would be awesome! I have played with Jack,
Phil, etc, but going back in time! Now that would be fun.
Finally,
and this is a big one, we need your honest opinion. With regards to sensor
placement for GolfSense, why do you prefer on the glove as opposed to on the club?
The information provided is so much deeper, not
just one thing like speed and shaft plane. It's ability to measure hand arc
plane, when and when not to have excessive speed, measuring hand rotation and
so many other things that can help a player understand what and how to apply
changes. I love that. Everyone has shaft device, speed of shaft is everywhere.
GolfSense has the top engineers I can work with to perfect and simplify the
keys to a player’s growth and allows me to monitor when a player is playing
well – to identify what is working for them.
Thanks Rick for taking the time to talking to us. We are thrilled to have you on board as an advisor and we look forward to keeping up with the continued success of your students.
You can learn more about Rick Smith on our website at www.golfsense.me/RickSmith.
Posted by Sarah Lieneke on October 17, 2012 20 Comments
GolfSense is Rick
Smith’s choice for 3D golf swing motion capture.
PGA Coach Rick Smith, consistently ranked as one of the top
golf instructors in the world by Golf Digest, uses GolfSense as his primary 3D
motion capture swing analyzer technology to use across his teaching academies,
learning centers and one-on-one coaching.
Coach Bio
Name: Rick Smith
Notable Students: Lee Janzen, Billy Andrade, Rocco Mediate, Gary Nicklaus, Bill Glasson, Ray Floyd, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Matt Kuchar, Vijay Singh, Jerry Kelly Paul Azinger and Greg Norman
Notable Achievements:
Named “Top 5 Golf Instructor in the World” by Golf Digest (2000 thru Present)
Appointed one of America’s “Top 100 Teachers” by Golf Magazine (1999 thru Present)
Host of the Golf Channel’s highest rated Production Series “The BIG Break” (I&II)
Host “RICK SMITH GOLF ACADEMY” Television series on the Golf Channel
Author: "How to FInd Your Perfect Golf Swing", 1998 Broadway Books
“GolfSense has the
ability to empower the average golfer to capture their swing in a meaningful
way, on their own, and receive instant feedback from the GolfSense App.I am also excited about the extensive data
that the GolfSense App can capture, some of which has never been captured
before, such as hand speed during the swing. GolfSense technology is a
game-changer for golf instruction.”-Rick Smith, October 2012
Ricks Tips: Using
Your GolfSense
Consistency: Use your GolfSense consistently for best results.GolfSense can be used at the driving range,
during a round of golf and while making practice swings in your own
backyard.With the option of turning the
Impact Detection setting on or off, you can practice your swing and get
feedback from your GolfSense just about anywhere.
Reviewing Data: Stopping to evaluate your data after each swing
will keep you at the range far longer than needed.Break your practice up into segments – work
on one particular aspect of your swing at a time – and record 5-10 swings
before going back to review.You’ll save
yourself time and be able to make adjustments for the next 5-10 swings.
Sync Your Data: Making lasting improvements to your golf swing
does not happen overnight.It is
important to track your progress over time for a sense of improvement.By using GolfSense’s Cloud Sync option, you
will be able to review your history on your various mobile devices, enabling a
larger view on your tablet.By sharing
your account details with your coach, you’ll also be able to sync your data to
their device, for their analysis.
Posted by Sarah Lieneke on October 12, 2012 13 Comments
We've started a new series called Front9, taking a closer look at golf writers, players and coaches. Our first installment is with John Retzer of GolfBlogger.com. Has GolfSense helped you work out the kinks in your swing? Let us know and you may be selected for an interview!
What is your earliest golfing memory? When did you start playing in earnest as an adult?
I actually started playing golf as an adult. In my first year teaching, it seemed like everyone in my building played, and I was tired of being left out. Fortunately, one of the counselors also was a teaching pro. He got me started off on the right foot. I started playing, and was immediately hooked.
Green Oaks Course via GolfBlogger.com
Do you have a favorite course and why?
My favorite course is a local muni: Green Oaks in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The course is old-school, with parallel fairways. It's well kept and open practically year 'round (a feat in Michigan). The people there are serious about golf and exceedingly friendly. The best part: I can walk for around a buck a hole.
When did you start GolfBlogger.com? Why?
I started the site in March 2004 just to see what this blogging phenomenon was about, but quickly found that I loved it. While I now teach economics and political science, in a former life I was a professional writer -- mostly ghostwriting for others. Blogging gave me a writing outlet that I sorely missed. It's one thing to write for yourself. It's another entirely to write for an audience and is eminently more satisfying.
My initial thought for writing a blog was to write about economics and politics. I have degrees in those fields, and worked in politics (before teaching) for a number of years. But that niche already was crowded, so I chose my other passion: golf.
GolfBlogger is, to my knowledge, the second oldest golf blog, so when I started, there really were no models to follow. I did not want to turn it into a site that simply recycled news on the PGA Tour (and I'm glad I didn't, for there are far too many of those now). Instead, my models were Instapundit, Gizmodo and BoingBoing. Like Instapundit, I decided to offer short, pithy comments and links to news; as with Gizmodo, I planned to link to new products and review them; and following BoingBoing's lead, I would simply write about and link to things that interest me. Finally, as with any blog, I would offer observations on life -- in this case, my golfing life.
Since that first post, I have published some 8,500 articles, avoiding the fate of most blogs where the authors write a few pieces and then quickly lose interest. A post a day has always been my goal, and as you can see by the numbers, it's one I've easily met. I see no reason to stop now. I love golf as much -- if not more than before -- and reading and writing about it is my second favorite thing to playing it.
As a golf product reviewer, you must receive many requests from companies to review their products. How do you determine which ones make the cut?
I review pretty much everything that gets sent to me -- with one exception: I don't review things that I don't like. Life is too short to write about bad products. That said, I get a lot of weird stuff. Some of it is too weird for words.
You recently reviewed GolfSense on your website (Thank you!) In the article, you said "Incredibly, I think, the price of the GolfSense is just $129 (assuming you already own an iPod touch or iPhone). That’s got to be the bargain of the century for a device that can do so much for your game." Have you worked with more expensive tracking systems and how does GolfSense measure up in your opinion, dollar for dollar?
Golfsense certainly is a lot cheaper than having your own Trackman system, and I think it offers a lot of the same sort of data. It's also a better value than a single function golf radar system for finding your swing speed. It's also cheap compared to a lesson from a pro.
Since writing the review, have you continued to use GolfSense in your practice? If you had to choose only one aspect of your swing it has helped you pay more attention to and improve, what would that be?
The thing I've been working on most is shortening my backswing. I have no sense of how far back I take the club. But GolfSense lets me collect data on the course, in a natural setting. That's been helpful in shortening it up.
What information about your swing does GolfSense not deliver, that you would find useful?
I'd like to see a top down view of the swing that would help me know whether I was swinging inside out or outside in.
You're also a novelist. Your recent book, Things in the Basement, inspired by a series of lessons you delivered to your students back as a middle school US History teacher. It sounds….scary. How will you be decorating your front porch for Halloween this year? Perhaps with a deranged Mummy wielding a golf club?
Photo via RamblingBeachCat.com
I don't know that I'd call myself a novelist. I'm an essayist. Things In The Basement consists of a series of essays examining the history of Halloween, its traditions and its monsters. I also have published a golf instruction book: The Five Inch Course: Thinking Your Way To Better Golf. The title comes from Bobby Jones dictum that golf is played on a five inch course -- the space between your ears. The Five Inch Course is also a series of essays, focusing on how to improve your game by playing smarter golf. Both are available at Amazon.Com. The Five Inch Course is available as an ebook and in paperback. Things In The Basement is an ebook now, but will be in paperback in the coming months.
My Halloween decorations are pretty traditional: Jack O'Lanterns, creepy lights and so on. But I like the idea of a scary critter with a golf club.
Finally, and this is a big one, on the glove or on the club? Why?
I assume you mean a sensor? I like the sensor on the glove because I think one on a club would change the swing weight ever so slightly.
Thanks John for taking the time to chat with us. We hope the winter treats you well in Michigan this year!
Posted by Sarah Lieneke on September 30, 2012 5 Comments
Welcome to GolfSense 2.8.3: The app update that’s going to
knock the socks right off your golf clubs.We’ve been working closely with a group of product testers that include
PGA coaches and players to gain valuable feedback for how to help you improve your
GolfSense experience, and of course, your game! The result is GolfSense 2.8.3,
packed with over a dozen analysis and settings features.And we think you’re going to love it.
What’s new? Take a tour and see!
360 Degree Swing Plane/Path View
Zoom in and rotate around your 3D swing image with the swipe of a finger.
Swing Tempo
Improve your backswing to downswing ratio by seeing exactly how the two phases compare. Helpful tips show you where to speed it up or slow it down.
Club Head Speed & Impact Timing
Are you decelerating at impact? Are you striking the ball too early? Work on your timing to perfect your swing. When it comes to calculating club head speed, GolfSense is within 3 mph of doppler radar systems such as TrackMan and laser systems such as GolfAchiever.
Hand Speed and Impact Timing
See the relationship between your hands and club head speed to achieve consistent and steady timing.
Swing Plane Comparison
Visually compare the distance between your backswing and downswing planes with precision and ease. Is your distance Poor, Ok or Good? GolfSense will tell you.
Backswing Position
Ensure you are getting full rotation in your backswing. GolfSense calculates your maximum backswing position. Track your backswing position progress through your swing history saved to your account.
Hip Rotation
Because there's much more to your swing than just your club movement, we developed an innovative way to capture hip rotation and lateral translation using the sensors in your mobile device. Simply put your iPhone or iPod Touch (or your iPad if you have really big pockets) in your pocket with the application running and swing.
Wrist Rotation
Accurately measures wrist speed and provides feedback so you can work on improving. Track your wrist rotation speed progress through your swing history saved to your account.
Estimated Distance and Notes
GolfSense will estimate the distance and trajectory of your ball. At the same time, you can specify the exact ball path and distance, as well as record notes about your swing.
Impact Detection
Set the GolfSense App to capture every swing during a full round of golf, or just the swings where you make contact with the ball. Simply check your settings to turn this feature on or off.
Data Trends
GolfSense records and stores an unlimited amount of swings. Quickly and easily identify trends through your historical data.
Posted by Sarah Lieneke on September 20, 2012 0 Comments
“Time to take the gloves off and get down to business.Wait, not that glove – leave the golf glove
on. “
We came out swinging (literally) at this year’s TechCrunch
Disrupt show in San Francisco.As the
only golf product represented in a sea of emerging technology, we stole the
spotlight with our fun and interactive booth.
Golf has a long history of being proper, distinguished and
by many people’s accounts – boring.Admittedly,
when you can’t hit the ball more than 20 yards down the fairway at a time or
your slice is so severe that you go through a case of balls each round because
you keep losing them, you’re going to give up, admit defeat and call golf bad
names. But with technology just a few
inches from your fingertips you can learn once again to enjoy the game of golf.Turning golf, or your golf swing, into a
visual and interactive activity fulfills our primal need to challenge ourselves
and see results: “Look, I did this and then I did it better here. (Pat on
back.)”
As was the case at the tech show, if we could get a bunch of
computer loving tech geeks at Disrupt to get excited about golf, is there
anything we can’t do?
Posted by Sarah Lieneke on September 05, 2012 4 Comments
As published on The Hacker's Paradise on August 10, 2012.
If you’ve ever had a club fitting before, you’ll probably remember
all the cool technology used to see how good (or bad) your swing was. If
you’re like me, you probably wished you could take some of that real
time swing evaluation technology home or even to the range with you.
Well now you can do just that, courtesy of the GolfSense device. Golf
instructors are now using portable devices such as iPads and iPhones to
teach their students and the GolfSense device utilizes this portable
technology to bring swing evaluation to the golfer instead of the golfer
going to the swing evaluation. Did it work in this latest round of THP
testing? Check it out.
From the Company
3D Motion Capture GolfSense is the world’s first portable three
dimensional sensor system designed to deliver real-time feedback and
analysis of your golf swing. The patented high velocity motion engine
uses data from 4 discrete MEMS sensors inside the device to accurately
calculate club speed, club position, swing tempo, and swing path. The
revolutionary and free mobile app allows you to analyze each segment of
your swing from any angle. The application can be set to automatically
capture and save every swing in rapid succession or just the ones you
select with a simple press of the yellow button. Turn on “impact
detection” and GolfSense will ignore your practice swings and only log
those that pertain to actual ball contact.
Did You Know?
When it comes to calculating club head speed, GolfSense is within 3
mph of Doppler radar systems such as TrackMan and laser systems such as
GolfAchiever.
Key Features
3D view of swing plane
4 precision sensors transmit data to the GolfSense App
Provides accurate measurements over 1,000x/second of swing phases, club head speed, tempo, etc.
‘Phone in Pocket’ feature measures hip rotation and lateral translation during your swing
Attaches to your glove and not your club
Weighs .6 ounces
Works with iPod, iPhone, iPad
Connects via Bluetooth
Initial Thoughts
When I first received the GolfSense device for review I was
immediately intrigued by it. I was impressed with the size and weight of
it right out of the box. Weighing less than an ounce and not being much
bigger than a dinner cracker I could tell this was going to be an easy
device to test. Nothing bulky or cumbersome to worry about that’s for
sure and add extreme portability to the equation and you have a
potential hit on your hands. Literally!
Testing/Usage
After charging up the device and downloading the free Golfsense app
from iTunes I set it up to begin my testing. That didn’t take long at
all and all I had left to do was calibrate the device so I could start
swinging. After slipping the GolfSense through the back flap of my glove
I double clicked the button, waited 3 seconds, and bingo I was
calibrated. I did notice a few times that I had to repeat this process
as the Bluetooth sync would fail every now and then but this was more of
an annoyance than an issue.
Before you start swinging a club, you get to individually pick what
club you’re going to be using. This is real handy to further customize
your training and see which clubs you swing well and which ones you
don’t. This could help you focus on certain clubs and not waste your
time working on ones that you already swing well. Effective time
management! Your choices are driver, 3w, 5w, hybrid, 3-PW, AW, SW so
there’s just about every possible club for you to work on.
Once you start swinging the GolfSense your swing is captured
immediately on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad for your review. Not only do
you get a ‘head on’ view of your swing, you also get a side view, down
swing view, back swing view, and a swing plane view so you’re able to
look at and dissect your swing from all sorts of angles. Just like an
instructor. Not only can your swing and swing path be analyzed but your
swing speed can be measured as well. This thing can do just about
everything for you except make the swing for you.
Two of the coolest features I found with the GolfSense were the
‘phone in pocket’ feature and the ‘impact detection’ feature. The ‘phone
in pocket’ feature measures hip rotation and lateral translation of
weight through your swing. These are two areas of my game that need
improvement and since I’m a visual learner, the GolfSense helps me see
my progress by showing me the data immediately in real time. The second
feature that I find incredibly useful is the ‘impact detection’ feature.
When this feature is activated, GolfSense doesn’t record your practice
swings and only tracks a swing when you hit a ball. This is done by
taking advantage of the sensors in the device that picks up on the small
but instant amount of resistance from hitting the ball. No need to
determine which swings were practice ones and need to be removed from
the equation when determining final results. GolfSense will do that for
you.
Overall
Available in white or black, GolfSense retails for $129.99. If you’re
looking for a cool way to track your progress from a lesson or to see
why you keep slicing the ball off the planet, GolfSense offers you the
chance to instantly see what you are doing with the golf club in a way
that is easily understandable and fun. The ability to integrate with an
iPod, iPhone, or iPad adds to the versatility of this device as well as
the fun factor. For the cost of a little more than a lesson, the
GolfSense certainly delivers lesson-like material in the palm of your
hand. Or at least on the back of it.
GolfSense, the leading mobile golf swing analyzer is now available to the mil...
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