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Is it possible to analyze your swing and make corrections with an app? The short answer is YES! However, there are so many options on Google Play or Apple Store that are simply clickbait.
This article will help you avoid the dreaded “clickbait apps” and successfully navigate the traditional and non-traditional options that are currently available.
Whether you are an Apple or Android user, these apps may help identify your swing flaws and put you on the path for success. Features such as side-by-side comparisons of your swing to touring professionals, gathering swing speed data, and using AI are just a few technologies accessible with only a few taps on your screen.
Don’t have time to read our full article. Here’s a quick summary of the Best Golf Swing Analysis Apps:
🏆 Top 5 Best Golf Swing Analyzer Apps
- Overall Best Golf Swing Analyzer: V1 Golf App
- Best New Tech Golf App: Golf Fix-AI Swing Analyzer
- Best Cheap Golf App (Free App): Swing Profile App
- Best Beginner Golf Swing App: 18 Birdies App
- Best Low Handicap Golf App: FS Mevo Golf App
What is a Golf Swing Analyzer App?
Golf is a great sport but, in most cases, it tends to be an expensive sport. It doesn’t take long for the cost of green fees, range balls, and equipment to add up quickly. Throw in a few lessons and now we’re talking about spending some real money. Fortunately, golfers nowadays have greater access to low-cost instructional-based resources that can save hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Golf swing analysis apps are a tool that permits golfers of all levels to record and critique their golf swing form while using innovative interfaces to draw lines and point out imperfections.
What to Look for in a Golf Swing Analyzer App
One key factor that separates a better quality golf swing analyzer app from the rest is the ability to accurately track your progress. Some of these apps are basic, while others are exceptionally thorough when it comes to progress tracking.
Testing
Once a student commits to using a particular app, it’s vital to be able to monitor and review success. After doing first-hand testing and research on 15 different golf swing apps, I have composed a comprehensive list of my top picks.
To further educate our readers, I will break down some fundamentals to help you understand how to use these apps to make long-term changes.
Best Camera Angles to Use with Your Golf App
Most golf swing analyzer apps will instruct you to either shoot video from face-to-face or down-the-line perspectives. Certain fundamentals of swing concepts can be easier to view depending on the angle you select to use.
For example, if you are trying to evaluate your swing path then a down-the-line perspective would be best for observation. If you have used your regular camera to capture a swing, you may have experienced blurred images as you playback your video. Simply adjusting the shutter speed of your camera settings and use of the slow-motion option will increase the quality of your video clarity. Fortunately, these apps all have that feature in common.
When analyzing the golf swing form, camera angles and steadiness are paramount to your quality of feedback. Asking a friend or person on the range to take a video may seem like a great idea, but it may need to yield valid results. Even when I have taught golf lessons over the years, I have relied on a lightweight tripod to assist with capturing consistent shots.
Before you record here are some recommended camera tips:
- Select your screen-facing camera and place your phone/tablet towards you to evaluate and record your motions like you’re practicing in front of a mirror.
- Make sure that the clubhead is completely visible in the shot throughout your golf swing.
- Try to avoid the sunlight from being in the shot to prevent shadows.
Posture for Irons: Spine Tilt in Golf Swing
Your posture directly affects your range of motion. If your spine angle is not properly set, then you may experience inconsistencies as well as the possibility of injury.
Let’s discuss the term, spine tilt, and how it can alter your angle of attack. When your spine tilt is vertical to the horizon, you will be most prone to have a steep angle of attack which is great for your wedges and scoring irons. As the golf club shaft gets longer, forward ball placement and spine tilt away from the target will increase your ability to shallow out your angle of attack.
Below, I will demonstrate the direct correlations between golf ball placement and spine tilt:
Centeredness
On average, many amateur golfers experience ball-striking woes. Whether you struggle with hitting the ball fat or thin, the main issue results from the centeredness of your body position at impact. The terms sway and slide are typically used to identify the lateral motion of the body during the swing.
Sway/slide tends to occur when a player is making a conscious effort to transfer their weight back and forward. Unfortunately, if the sway/slide exceeds a player’s limitations then the hands and wrists are playing an impossible game of timing throughout the swing. This brings me to one of the most valuable applications that swing monitoring software can provide.
Having the ability to draw lines on your videos can pinpoint the exact moment sway/slide occurs. Golf swing analyzer apps like V1 Golf have this function as well as offering a split screen option. This allows a tour professional the ability to examine a side-by-side comparison.
Golf Swing Path Analysis
The phrase, over-the-top golf swing, can send chills down the spine of a golfer who routinely struggles with hitting a slice. Although many people know or have heard of the term, a great deal of the golfing community cannot naturally obtain the coveted in-to-out path.
As mentioned earlier in the Best Camera Angles portion of this article, your path can be evaluated from a down-the-line perspective. A down-swing path that is over-the-top (also known as outside-to-in) with a closed clubface will produce a pull hook while the same path with a slightly open clubface will produce the slice.
One of the easiest ways to describe a path is to visualize that the clubhead swings in an arc around your body kind of how the rings travel the path around the planet Jupiter.
Without getting too technical, visualize Jupiter from a down-the-line perspective so the line of the rings resembles roughly a 40-degree angle. At the low point of the rings that’s closest to the ground, place a golf ball. Now, think about viewing this from directly above while looking down at the planet with the golf ball still there. You will notice that the ring path is in-to-out prior to impact and then out-to-in after impact. This is what the tour professionals do an exceptional job which permits dominant control over ball flight.
Clubface Positions
There are several occasions where a golfer has established a repeatable path but is inconsistent with direction. Your clubface position at the top of your back-swing directly affects your direction at impact.
For example, if you pause your swing at the top of your backswing and see the bottom line of your club is parallel to your straight arm, then the clubface is square to target.
If you notice that the bottom line of the golf club is pointing the toe of the club towards the ground then the clubface is deemed to be open. Lastly, if the club’s leading edge is parallel to the horizon of the ground, then the clubface is closed-to-target.
Now that we have established a baseline understanding of some swing fundamentals, it’s time to see the best golf swing analyzer apps on the market.
Best Golf Swing Analyzer Apps
V1 Golf App
Best Swing App
The V1 Golf app is our top choice for the best golf swing analyzer app. It is also one of the most trusted on the market.
Although the free version is riddled with ads the fee to go premium is worth its weight in gold. This app Right now, the month subscription to V1 + is $9.99 monthly or $59.99 yearly. This platform allows split-screen comparisons, drills, and how-to videos for any level of golfer.
V1 Premium even allows you to search for virtual coaches so you can submit your swing for their review. It’s easy to track your progress and evaluate your swing mechanics while working with a real swing coach.
As a certified PGA swing coach, I have used this app since 2008. The V1 Pro app is specifically designed for teaching professionals. In the past, I have worked with students all over the United States due to the seamless functionality of this software.
For example, if a registered student were to submit a video to my academy, I could review their video and draw lines, show comparisons to either their previous swings or tour swings and deliver them a custom video lesson with voiceover. Personally, my students have greatly appreciated this service over the years.
PROS
- Ability to compare your swing to elite tour players
- Opportunity to submit your swings to a real-life coach/academy
- Voiceover video submissions
- Slow motion video settings
- Swing detection
CONS
- Free version has a limited tour swing library
- Constant ads
- Cost for premium access
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Best of the Newer Golf Apps
Golf Fix-AI Swing Analyzer
New Technology
If you enjoy working and learning about new technologies, then this app could be exactly what you’re looking for. You can either upload a slow-motion video or use the capture button to record your swing.
Once you submit your video the software analyzes your swing, pinpoints the error, and recommends tutorial videos with a practice routine regimen. The AI captures up to your 5 most common mistakes and records how often they occur. To us experienced golfers this type of learning might seem too high-tech, but even old dogs need to learn new tricks sometimes.
At first, I was very skeptical of this technology, but I must admit that I’m impressed with its ability to identify even the most subtle imperfection. Most of us traditional players like an in-person lesson on the driving range but this golf swing analyzer app exceeded my expectations as an instructor. From its ability to capture the golf swing form and provide instant feedback, it’s a no-brainer to at least give it a try.
PROS
- Instant feedback
- Swing detection
- Recognizes proper swing plane
- Provides video tips with detailed practice plans
CONS
- No access to a real-life coach with this swing analysis app
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Best Cheap Golf App
Swing Profile Golf App (iPhone Only)
Best Free Golf App
The Swing Profile app is pretty basic but offers a lot as a free app. It enables golfers to effortlessly record their swings, compare them with industry experts, and analyze their technique to pinpoint areas of concern.
The customized coaching feature delivers specific recommendations based on each user’s unique swing. This allows golfers of all skill levels to confidently use this app. If you have used a golf swing analyzer app before then you know that hitting record and stop can get in the way of learning.
The Swing Profile app features a hands-free video option that recognizes when you start and finish your swing. Once the golf swing is captured, you can review still shots or even do a side-by-side comparison of a previous swing. This golf swing app can capture 240 frames per second which allows less blur when reviewing recorded swings. If you are working with an instructor and need to share progress, the Team Chat option is a fantastic way to communicate and transfer large files.
I like to use the Swing Profile app when working with a visual learner because it provides a sequence of images that show the body position throughout the swing. Since the swing happens in such a short period of time, it’s difficult for some students to understand/feel what they are doing wrong.
For example, if a student is trying to increase their club head speed and they are releasing the club prior to impact, they might not know where or how early it is happening in the downswing. Once they review the sequence of their downswing they can visually acknowledge where the problem starts.
PROS
- Hands-free video option
- Personalized golf swing recommendations
- Free app
- Golf swing app recommended for all skill levels
CONS
- The premium access cost is high
- Appears to use older golf technology
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Best Golf Swing Analysis App for Beginner Golfers
18 Birdies Golf App
Best for Beginners
New golfers have many things to learn when starting out. Unfortunately, the game of golf is expensive and not necessarily easy to learn. With over 100K+ reviews, 18 Birdies Premium offers more than just a swing analyzer app.
This app helps you track your scores, utilize interactive GPS course maps, 3D green reader, AI swing instruction, and course strategy. You start by setting your goals and the app customizes a game plan to unlock your potential. Although the cost for this app is more expensive than most, you receive way more tools to manage your game. The cost for a weekly subscription is $7.99, monthly $19.99, and annually is $99.99.
After using this app, I would recommend it for a social (tech savvy) golfer that enjoys the avid golfing community. I could also see this being a great app once I retire because the social aspect might attract fellow like-minded golfers who need a playing partner.
PROS
- GPS course catalog
- AI swing coach
- 3D green reader
- Challenge friends or join leagues
CONS
- Full access is $99 yearly
- AI coaching only
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Best Golf Swing Analysis App for Lower Handicaps
FS Mevo Golf App
Lower Handicap
Flight Scope launch monitors have been a long-trusted performance golf swing analysis tool for many Tour players. Skilled golfers who have dialed in their swing mechanics and are seeking a greater understanding of their scientific statistics may find the FlightScope Mevo a highly accurate device.
Reviews online might not be all 4 or 5 stars but when the device is connected the data collected is vital for any low handicap golfer trying to shave that 1 or 2 extra strokes. It’s also a handy tool for club head speed measurement.
The Mevo Skills Challenge helps you put purpose in your practice. For example, you can compare your stats against the latest Tour averages on all data parameters that are captured.
One of the best features of the Mevo is its ability to be used in or outdoors. The FlightScope Mevo takes up as much room as a range finder, so it easily fits in your bag. Please note that the Flight Scope Mevo is a separate purchase typically over $300.
⛳️ Related: Best Golf Launch Monitors for the Money
PROS
- Measures golf swing speed
- Video & data tracking
- Highly accurate golf swing analysis app
CONS
- Must purchase the Mevo launch monitor
- High cost
- Known for having connectivity issues
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Final Thoughts on the Best Golf Swing Analyzer Apps
As the game of golf continues to evolve, technologies will continue to grow and push along a whole new generation of growth. Taking advantage of the best golf swing analzyer apps might just be what you need to level up.
Thinking back in the times of Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan, instruction has improved from the testament of human innovations. Imagine what players in the past could have achieved with the power we hold in our pockets and hands.
It shouldn’t be this hard to find a simple app that takes a golf swing video from your phone and allows you to go through the swing in slow motion to see what you are actually doing rather than to move forward thinking you are swinging like the pro’s or even worse asking your 25 handicapper mate what he thinks and sees! Without having to pay half your pension for it. We are SENIORS not bank presidents. Where are the golf equipment manufacturers when you need them, you go buy a set of expensive golf clubs and get a fitting, they take your money and leave the rest up to you. They should be giving away these apps for a song or at least for free for a few years!
Hi Bryan,
Thanks for your comment. Did you try the Swing Profile App? It’s free and straightforward to use once you get the hang of it. I attach my phone to an extendable cell phone tripod to adjust the height for varied shots. You can also mount your phone in other ways if you don’t want to use a tripod.