Trying to improve your game is problematic. When you have the golf problem, all you can do is think about the game.
As a golf addict for 20 years, the feeling is familiar. I’m one to test my pace at every opportunity. In the living room. On the subway platform. In the grass. Heck, sometimes me too daydream for my fluctuating thoughts. What can I say, it’s a disease.
Since last summer, I have been militant about improving my movement. I’ve always known how to score, but now it’s my mission to build a consistent, technically sound movement. This involves practicing two to three days a week and learning everything I can about how my swing works.
I am lucky to have many the best golf instructional minds at my disposal, but sometimes my swing diagnosis comes from other sources. For example, the Sportsbox AI app has become my go-to for quick movement diagnoses.
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How Sportsbox AI is helping to fix my swing
Sportsbox AI is an app that uses kinetic motion analysis software to convert videos of your movement (taken on your smartphone) into 3D models to provide real-time corrective feedback. The app is backed by some of the brightest learning minds in the game and was recently acquired by a group led by Bryson DeChambeau. Two-time major champion himself he even uses the app to work on his game, if that tells you anything about her gentleness.
Over the past few months, I’ve been using Sportsbox AI to analyze my swing after every practice session—and it exposed some glaring flaws in my swing.
Excessive hip rotation
One of the cool things about the Sportsbox AI is that it offers a generally acceptable range for almost any motion on the go. Such a movement is called “Pelvic Rotation”, which measures how much your hips rotate during the swing.
Early on using the Sportsbox, I noticed that my pelvic turn numbers were always in the red when I reached the top of my backswing. Upon further inspection, it turned out that my hips were returning very, very early in the swing.
Now, a big twist at the hip might sound like a good thing, but it’s easy to overdo it. When you turn your trailing hip too early in the backswing, it reaches the end of its range of motion. And if this happens before you finish turning your upper body at the top of the swing, you need to lift your arms to complete the backswing.
This is a problem many recreational golfers have – and it was killing my swing. The Sportsbox AI notes the problem in my swing whenever it happens, letting me know when I need to watch how much I turn my hips during the backswing.
When I first started using the Sportsbox, my hip flexion number was down to -51 degrees (negative is off target). But now, when I’m swinging my best, I’m closer to -39 degrees, keeping my pelvis numbers in the green.
Early extension
I’ve always had a few early extension on my move, and Sportsbox caught it right away. One of the features of the app is its “Swing Flaws” feature that tells you if it catches a common flaw in your swing.
One way to monitor early extension is the Chest Bend number. When you bend at your hips and your chest gets closer to the ground, it helps keep your pelvis back and out of the way, reducing early stretch and allowing room for your arms to swing freely.
With my old swing, my chest flex number at the top of the swing was about -6 degrees, which is right at the end of the range for the top of the swing. After seeing this, I made sure to bend more at the hips to start the squat, and my chest flex number is now about +2 degrees.
This number is great for me to keep an eye on throughout the swing as it tells me if I’m extending early on the downswing. In my experience so far, as long as I keep my chest flex numbers in the green, I don’t extend them earlier nearly as much.
If you’re someone who wants a high-level analysis of your swing, the Sportsxbox AI is a great option. The amount of data it throws at you can be intimidating at first, but once you start interacting with what all the numbers mean, you’ll understand your swing like never before.
