How to record your golf swing with your phone

Start with a repeatable setup

Pick a safe spot where your phone and mount won’t obstruct anyone’s hitting area or sit within reach of your club. Set the frame, then step into your normal address position. Leave a little time before and after each swing so your clip includes both your setup and finish.

Keep a short note with each session: which club you used, where you placed the camera, and what you wanted to observe. “Seven iron, face-on, checking setup” is more useful a week later than an unnamed video in your camera roll. Compare recordings made under similar conditions instead of treating every difference as a change in your technique.

The face-on camera angle

A face-on recording looks toward you from the side of the hitting area, perpendicular to your intended target line. Set the camera lens around the height of your hands at address, with room around your body and the full arc of the club. Keep the phone outside the swing area.

This is one of the two common views recommended in Team Titleist’s guide to filming a swing. Check the position of the lens itself, rather than assuming the middle of your phone is the camera.

The down-the-line camera angle

A down-the-line recording looks from behind you toward the target. Keep the lens at hand height, on a line through your hands parallel to the intended target line. Changing that position changes the perspective, so check it each time you set up.

If you’re working with a coach, ask where they want the camera and follow that placement consistently. A familiar view makes it easier to discuss the same moment in a swing without first having to explain where the video was taken.

Lighting, framing, and settings

Take one test recording before filming a session. Watch the beginning, top of the backswing, impact area, and finish. Can you see your full body? Does the club leave the edge of the frame? Is the image clear enough to revisit the moment you care about? Adjust the camera before collecting more clips.

A steady mount and enough room for the full swing are also part of Titleist’s recording recommendations. Try a brighter location if your test clip is hard to see. Rather than guessing at the perfect camera setting, review what your own phone produces in that lighting.

Keep an original copy of a clip you want to review. If you plan to upload it to an analysis tool, check that tool’s current format and size requirements before exporting or trimming. Playback options and upload support vary; a setting that looks useful in your camera app may need a different export for another service.

Common filming mistakes to check first

• Starting before you check the frame. Record a test and review it while you can still adjust the setup.
• Moving the camera between comparison clips. Mark or note where the mount stood so your next recording has a similar view.
• Keeping every clip without context. Label a small set of useful swings with the club, angle, and practice focus.
• Trying to answer too many questions. Choose one thing to observe, then decide whether another angle would help.

Review with a specific question

After practice, start with a question such as “Did I use the same address position?” or “Can I see my whole finish?” Write down what you can observe and what you’re unsure about. That gives you a focused starting point for a conversation with a coach, rather than a list of swing changes to try at once.

A video is a perspective, not a complete measurement of your swing. Avoid turning a visual impression into an exact claim about club speed, ball flight, or three-dimensional movement. Glide is being developed to estimate body movement from video; it doesn’t yet have an established accuracy score. You can read more about the current limits in our accuracy section.