Swing Zone - product review with GOLFLINKS Editor, Steve Brine

Posted on 06/11/08. Source: Golf Links (By Steve Brine)

GOLFLINKS Editor, Steve Brine, was one of the first to try the brand new Swing Zone.

He plays off a handicap of 17 - at Liphook Golf Club in Hampshire - and hit his balls at the Leaderboard Driving Range in Reading, Berkshire.

Steve says; I have to admit I was sceptical, surely if I need analysis of my golf swing and I want to improve my game I need to get some clubs in my hand and meet up with my club pro on the range for some one on one tuition.

The Swing Zone concept recognises that you cannot replace the tradition lesson, but you can enhance it by enabling Professionals to offer an improved service and allow the pupil to be able to have a reminder of the lesson and reference to his/her swing library whenever they want to access it.

Whilst there are a number of golf websites that offer the facility to upload videos of your golf swing for public comment (!), as well as a few individual golf professionals offering video coaching analysis, Swing Zone is the only website that offers a complete online video coaching service with a totally personalised range of lessons, from an international network of golf pros supported by a comprehensive video library of tips and drills.

I had a few technical issues at first so it is important to make sure you have your windows updates in good shape and you are not using an Acorn Electron computer(!) before you start.

I hit the balls at the range in Reading - near the offices of GOLFLINKS itself - and got a mate to video my swing on his mobile phone.  When we got home, we downloaded the clips as mpeg files in exactly the same way as you download pictures taken on your phone. If your phone is email enabled I supppose you could transfer the files to your PC by emailing them to yourself as mpeg attachments.

Anyway, once I had the files in place I had to register with the Swing Zone website which you can do here and follow the simple step-by-step guide to upload the clips.  You can upload more than one clip as I did to ensure the pro on duty can examine your swing from many sides. You then receive an email from the Swing Zone team confirming you have successsfully uploaded and telling you to await the words of wisdom from one of their PGS pro's.

Two days later I received an email advising me that "Your instructor has uploaded a video of your golf swing" and pointing me to a direct link so I can view his verdict.

It was this part which impressed me most; the analysis is in real time and the instructor draws pointers onto the screen (it's as if your mouse has a mind of its own) to flag up parts of your golf swing that he thinks you can improve on.

I watched it back half-a-dozen times and made a few notes to put into practice the next time I hit the course at Liphook.  All I can say to you is I had a net 73 in the monthly medal and that included back-to-back double boggies on 17 and 18 (always painful).  We will never know whether Swing Zone made that happen but my regular playing partner who went down 3&2 has probably heard enough about it for now - even though he has since emailed me and asked for the link himself!

Try it for yourself; I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Steve Brine

You can view Steve's lesson and see PGA Pro Marc Warwick's comments in real-time here.