Building a swing analysis tool would love honest feedback from golfers & coaches

[paragongolf]

Hi all,

I’m currently building a golf swing analysis app called Paragon, and I’m trying to sanity-check some assumptions before going any further.

The goal isn’t to replace coaches it’s to provide structured feedback from phone video that mirrors the kinds of things coaches look for (path tendencies, head movement, early extension, tempo, etc.), especially between lessons where maybe things slip from lesson to the next with visual guidance and feedback,

Before I go deeper, I’d really value honest input from people who actually play and/or coach and/or use pros.

A few questions:

1. Do you regularly film your swing? If so, how (tripod at the range, friend holding camera, simulator bay, etc.)?
2. When you review your swing video, what are you actually looking for? Specific positions? Ball flight correlation? Just "does that look right?"
3. Do you use any apps or tools to analyse it? What do you like or dislike about them?
4. If an app highlighted swing patterns that typically align with what a coach might point out (e.g. out-to-in path tendency, excessive head movement, early extension), would you find that useful or would you still only trust a coach’s eye?
5. Would you be willing to follow specific filming guidelines (camera position, height, framing) if it meant more accurate feedback?
6. What would make you not trust AI-based swing feedback?

I’m not selling anything here genuinely just trying to understand real-world behaviour and skepticism before building the wrong thing.

 

[Orikoru]

I have videoed my swing at the range, only do it once every several months to check progress I would say. We have a flexible clip & phone holder that we used to use to keep our little one occupied in the car - I use that attached to my golf bag.

I'll watch them back to check my swing hasn't gone back to the dark old ways - so I'm checking my backswing isn't too long, takeaway isn't picked up, not swinging over the top, etc. Don't use any analysis tools other than my own eyes.

If you're talking about AI feedback, I wouldn't mind reading it but I'd also take it with a pinch of salt as it would probably be more generic than what a human coach would offer. I'd probably cherry-pick advice that resonates and leave the bits that don't.

I'd obviously try and get the camera in the right place if it made the app work, yeah.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I've had plenty of coaching sessions where video is used and it is helpful. However, unless you are trained and know what you are seeing and how to change it there is no point and all it will do is ingrain the wrong things.
It isn't something I would entertain or spend any time or money on.

 

[ntommo]

Sometimes use one to check if I'm coming too inside on takeaway, swinging over top or if I'm swaying / bobbing on backswing. Don't think i would take any advice seriously as AI is only as good as how its programmed to look at things and there's a long way to go in my opinion. This may help with certain things but there's a lot of things a proper coach can see that computers cant. Just my humble opinion at the minute

 

[paragongolf]

Thanks for your responses. Very helpful, to clear the premise of the app it's not a swing coach. It's something that will allow you to add a bench mark swing i.e a good swing from a pro session, it will take body mechanic metrics and then when you upload other swings it compare that metrics. You will also be able to add prompts like "I want to be more upright at address" and it will feedback if you are hitting those changes. It's not a case of uploading a swing and i telling you that are coming from the inside too much etc, that is currently impossible to do without high speed cameras. I am aiming for trackable good swing habits based around body movement.

 

[abjectplop]

I use skillest semi regulary for lessons, so here's my thoughts:
1. Yes, using a tripod
2. Typically positions, and whether bad habits are creeping in, e.g too inside on take away, early extension
3. Yes, use the free video analysis tool in skillest itself between lessons. Like the frame by frame review and ability to draw lines. No cost to use this unlike V1 etc.
4. I think if it highlighted issues which were consistent with what the coach had pointed out that'd be useful
5. Skillest has specific filming guidelines and I think that's really important in terms of consistency and getting the best out of it
6. Like any AI, it's to be approached with a pinch of salt....concern would it would just spit out generic rubbish or wrong answers like some of the AI typically does

 

[TigerTime]

There's already loads of these apps kicking about. Swing Coach by AMG is the best one by far and will be hard to beat.

 

[paragongolf]

There's already loads of these apps kicking about. Swing Coach by AMG is the best one by far and will be hard to beat.

Good job I'm not looking for it to make me a millionaire then isn't it. Also variety is the spice of life