In my 15+ years of playing golf there have been many iterations of my swing. Many hours have been spent trying to figure out what went wrong, how flat was my swing, outside-in, inside-out, and the ever popular “how in the world did I just do that?” Up until recently the technology to really analyze a swing was unavailable to the average golfer. That has all changed with the introduction of a revolutionary product called the SwingTip.
The SwingTip is comprised of two major components. A small lightweight device that is attached to the club (just below the grip) via an easy-to-use clamp and a smartphone/tablet (Android or iOS) to receive the information transmitted. The device is easily paired by Bluetooth and upon application launch you are ready to swing away.
Once the app is paired and ready to go you simply hit a golf shot like normal. Soon after the swing is finished the data is quickly transmitted and processed to your Android or iOS device. With several angles (Target, Frontal, and Top) the SwingTip gives you a graphical interpretation of your exact swing path with two distinct paths for backswing and downswing up until contact. The information doesn’t stop there. The SwingTip also provides metrics of your club head speed, swing path, face angle, impact zone, and tempo.
Time to get to the 3 questions.
How does it look?
The device itself is very small, black, and hardly noticeable when attached to the club. This is a really positive approach to the design as there really isn’t a distraction while using it.
The app itself is also very well designed. The menus are very clear and lay out every option you need to get all information desired in the process. The swing path lines are very clear and easily deciphered by the contrast of colors between the back and down swings.
To the right of the swing path replay is the swing speed indicator and below you will find four icons describing the swing path, face angle, impact zone, and tempo. These are all, to me, the most important aspects of the swing. Seeing this instant feedback in clear and concise graphical icons really made the product feel quick and easy allowing me to make adjustments and move on to the next swing.
How does it feel?
Since the SwingTip is mostly about the information being processed and displayed, it’s a little difficult to describe “feel”. However, it’s safe to say that the device itself feels like a very quality product. The SwingTips lightweight form factor doesn’t take away from its durability at all and the clamp used to attach it is very easy to use.
Having a hard toggle switch to turn the device on and off would have been preferred. It’s a bit frustrating to work with a single button that has multiple states between on, off, and pairing mode. This wasn’t a huge inconvenience; I just felt that a toggle switch could have taken some of the guesswork out of the equation.
I was also a bit turned off by the animated golfer swinging along with my results. The main idea behind the SwingTip is to get an accurate interpretation of your swing. The animation was not true to my personal swing so it felt distracting and unnecessary..
How does it perform?
The SwingTip performed quite well. It allowed me to really dig into my swing path and face angle to really fine tune my approach to the ball. I am a little skeptical on the accuracy of the club head speed information. It is a little difficult to understand how the SwingTip can decipher the true club head speed without important metrics such as club and shaft weights. With the device being clamped to the top end below the grip, it creates a few more questions about accuracy in measuring the true speed at the end of the club.
So what did I think?
I really enjoyed the SwingTip. There are some questions I have in the areas of data capture and presentation of the swing but overall this is a great product for anyone that constantly desires to improve their swing. Along with the immediate data presented through the smart-device app, you can also upload all your swing data to their website for graphical analysis and comparison. This is a huge feature that alone is worth the price ($129.00).
You can find more information about the SwingTip at www.swingtip.com.
As Always,
I’m Bruce McFarlane
“Stay Grassy”
Follow Bruce on twitter @ImRonBurgondy
