Mobile Device to Improve Your Golf Swing

You know the feeling: It’s hole one, and you’re chosen to tee off first. You step up, tee your ball and stretch out your arms. All eyes are on you. “Doesn’t matter,” you tell yourself, “I’m going to do great!” After a few practice swings, you line up — with one final, confident glance toward your target — and swing away.

CRACK. Your ball shoots off to the side and clips an oak tree — forty five degrees right (and about 150 yards short) of where you were aiming. Such is the life of the golfer.

Mobiplex, a Silicon Valley tech company, recently released a device with that very concern in mind. The device, called SwingTIP, is a light-weight, Bluetooth-enabled clip that attaches to your club. It analyzes your swing and provides real time feedback — sort of like a “mobile swing coach.”
“The clip is about as big as a USB stick and weighs under one ounce,” Vijay Nadkarni, founder and CEO of Mobiplex, tells Mashable. “It fits right underneath the grip of the club. You can’t even notice it’s there.”

Inside the clip, he says, is a wireless 3-D motion sensor that’s paired with an app — available for free download on both iOS or Android appliances. When you swing, the device analyzes 900 samples of data — including speed, swing tempo and the overall path of the clubhead — and produces a 3-D animation video for you to watch and critique afterwards. The device also comes with pre-produced instructional videos and swing tips.

In designing the device, Mobiplex teamed up with several golf veterans, including Masters Tournament Champion Craig Stadler, former PGA player Ray Leach and professional-grade golf swing expert David Butler.

“If you’re a golfer and want to get your swing analyzed, what you would typically do is go to a studio and have your swing videotaped from different cameras at a few different angles,” Nadkarni says. “The entire process can sometimes cost around $1,000.”

What SwingTIP offers, he says, is the same thing — only it’s available at any time for much less cash.
“It can be used in your backyard, on the course, or even in your basement,” he says. “People can get feedback about their swings wherever and whenever they want.”

Or, at the very least, avoid having a swing that looks like this. At the moment, SwingTIP is available for $129.99. You can watch the official instructional video here to learn more.
Is this something you’d use to improve your golf game? Tell us below.
Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, kulicki.