Swing AnalysisSwing AnalysisA frame-by-frame review of the driver swing from the October 28 session. It was filmed from the golfer's front-left at long distance, an oblique view that is not down-the-line, with no range screen in the clip. It is the fourth driver report, built on the reference frame (grid, center lines, diagonals, cap line and shoulder/knee lines). It closes with simple next steps.
Bottom line: a very quiet head and a very long backswing. By impact the head is only ~0.5 in lower than at the start frame, which ties his best head-drop in the logbook (report #3). The head also stays steady from the top to the release. There is no range screen in this clip, so there is no total or carry to report, and this driver report has no ball data.
The two things to work on are both in the body. The hips are ~5 in off their starting spot by impact, and ~4 in of that had already happened by the top. The tempo is ~6.2:1 (1.34 s back, 0.22 s down) against the Tour 3:1, with the club appearing to hang in a loop near the top. Heads-up: these numbers match logbook report #3 from the same date almost exactly, so this may be the same clip analyzed again (see section 10). This is driver report 4 of 10.]
About 0.5 in lower at impact (good band is under 2 in), and it barely changes from the top to the release. This ties his best driver result.
Hips are ~5 in off the starting spot by impact, and most of that happens before the downswing starts. The belt buckle should stay near the center line.
1.34 s back and 0.22 s down is ~6.2:1. A smoother, shorter backswing with no hang at the top moves it toward the Tour 3:1.
41.82 frames per second, so each frame is ~0.024 s. Backswing starts at frame 73 (~1.75 s), the top is at frame 129 (3.08 s), and impact is at frame 138 (3.30 s).
| Group | Backswing | Downswing | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| André (driver #4, Oct 28) | ~1.34 s | ~0.22 s | ~6.2:1 |
| André (driver #3, Oct 28) | ~1.34 s | ~0.22 s | ~6.2:1 |
| André (driver #2, Oct 10) | ~0.60 s | ~0.33 s | ~2:1 |
| André (driver #1, Oct 7) | ~0.50 s | ~0.25–0.30 s | ~2:1 |
| André (3-wood, Oct 24) | ~0.50 s | ~0.30 s | ~1.7:1 |
| PGA Tour (Tour Tempo, "24/8") | ~0.80 s | ~0.27 s | 3:1 |
Tour figure: John Novosel, Tour Tempo. One frame either way moves the downswing between ~0.20 and ~0.24 s, so the ratio sits between ~5.6:1 and ~6.7:1. The top is the least certain frame, because the club appears to stall in a loop over frames 101–123.
What it means: The backswing (1.34 s) is about 0.5 s longer than the Tour's 0.80 s, and part of it is the slow loop near the top. The downswing (0.22 s) is quicker than the Tour's 0.27 s. His earlier driver reports sat near 2:1, so the long, slow backswing is the new piece.
Nine key positions, filmed from the golfer's front-left at long distance, not down-the-line. The target side is to the right of the picture, and the club goes back toward the left.
Photos are numbered in the order they happen in the swing. The frames follow the standard swing positions.
| Measure (vs address) | Top | Impact | Report #3, Oct 28 (top / impact) | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head, down | ~0.4 in | ~0.5 in | — / ~0.5 in | Good level head, ties his best |
| Head, sideways (scorecard: toward ball) | ~1.1 in | ~2.2 in | — / — | Watch most of it comes in the downswing |
| Hips, sideways (scorecard: toward ball) | ~4.2 in | ~5.2 in | — / ~5 in | Fix ~4 in already at the top |
| Hips, height | ~0.5 in lower | ~0.8 in lower | — / — | Good no early standing up |
| Hands vs address spot | ~16.7 in | ~6.5 in | — / ~6.5 in | Fix partly from a start frame already moving |
| Shoulder turn | ~85° | ~20° open | ~85° / — | Info full turn, ±10–15° |
| Hip turn | ~45° | ~35° open | ~40° / — | Info hips lead the shoulders at impact |
| X-factor (shoulders − hips) | ~40° | — | ~45° / — | Info decent separation |
| Tempo (back / down) | 1.34 s | 0.22 s | 1.34 s / 0.22 s | Watch ~6.2:1 vs Tour 3:1 |
Depth note: the camera is oblique and far away, and no sticks or mat were visible, so no depth rays could be drawn. The "toward the ball" numbers read mostly as sideways motion on this angle, but part of them may be depth. A true face-on clip at chest height, or a down-the-line clip with sticks, would settle it (see section 10).
| Driver report | View | Head at impact | Hips | Tempo | Ball result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 · Oct 7 | Down-the-line | ~5 in down, ~2 in toward ball | — | ~2:1 | 241 total · 213 carry · 129 mph |
| #2 · Oct 10 | Face-on, elevated | ~5–7 in toward target | ~3 in | ~2:1 | No ball data |
| #3 · Oct 28 | Face-on | ~0.5 in down | ~5 in sideways | ~6.2:1 | No ball data |
| #4 · Oct 28 | Oblique, front-left | ~0.5 in down, ~2.2 in sideways | ~5.2 in sideways | ~6.2:1 | No ball data |
The link: across the four driver reports the head problem has changed. In report #1 the head sank ~5 in, and in the last two it stays at ~0.5 in. The body now moves sideways more, with hips from ~3 in (#2) to ~5 in (#3 and #4), while tempo went from ~2:1 to ~6.2:1. Elsewhere in the bag, his closest tempo to the Tour 3:1 is the 6-iron at ~2.6:1 (Oct 14), and the 3-wood was ~1.7:1 (Oct 24). The views differ between reports, so these comparisons are rough.
Confidence: high on tempo timing (frame counts, ±0.024 s per frame, with the top the least certain frame); moderate on head and hip distances (grid scaled from body size, ±1 inch, and a start frame already in motion); low on rotation angles (±10–15°, blurry golfer at a distance) and on the depth vs sideways split (one oblique camera).
Place a headcover or alignment stick just outside each hip. Make 10 smooth swings without touching either one. Cue: "turn, don't slide."
Keeps the belt buckle near the center line from the start of the backswing to the top.
Count "back-2-3, down" with the club swinging back on the first three counts and down on the fourth. Do 10 swings, then film 3.
Shortens the 1.34 s backswing toward the Tour 3:1 without slowing the downswing.
Set up, hold still for 2 seconds, then swing. Let the club turn around at the top without a hang.
Gives a true address frame for measuring, and a smoother top.
Whatever he did with the head: keep it. The cap stays on its address line through impact.
A ~0.5 in drop ties his best, and it is a big improvement over report #1.
Next capture: (1) a face-on clip at chest height, square to the feet line, plus a down-the-line clip with two sticks on the ground for depth rays, (2) 2 seconds of stillness at address so the start frame is a true address, (3) a photo of the range screen after each swing, with the ball in view, (4) 3–5 balls for an average, and (5) André's height, to lock the grid scale.