LETTER FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
LET ’ S TALK TECH
Salutations once again Eaglebrooke . The heat of summer is over , and we are full swing no pun intended into the “ good ” golf season . This month we are going to take a look at some of the tools in the golf instruction and coaching toolbox . Let ’ s face it there is no shortage of golf gizmo ’ s and gadget ’ s , but sometimes knowing what is a gimmick and what is a game changer can be tough as many things are marketed as the next golf “ thing ” that we all need . Some things are in fact very useful , and some well , just are not .
The first tool in the golf instructors tool box would usually be a video capture system , whether by your smartphone , or a camera . Being able to look at the golf swing in slow motion and look at many small moves that make up a movement pattern can be very helpful when working on your swing , and as the saying goes , “ the camera never lies .” There are many video playback apps available , and some have a small monthly fee . Some of the big app names would be V1 , JC Video , Swing Profile just to name a few .
The next tool we will look at is a launch monitor . Launch monitors are made by many different brands and have price points from $ 500 to $ 30,000 . Launch monitors simply measure golf ball launch data . For most golfers all we are looking for feedback , and a launch monitor provides just that . But having an expensive Trackman will do little to nothing to improve that person ’ s overall golf game . But us as coaches and teachers will look at the launch data , and based on that will make a plan to start making changes , and most importantly have metrics to back up the how ’ s and why ’ s as we get the golf swing to where it needs to be . The big names in launch monitors are Trackman , FlightScope , Foresight , and Garmin .
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