Go to any PGA Tour stop driving range, and you're sure to see caddies, golfers and instructors huddled around an iPhone breaking down the mechanics of a player's swing. I've even seen caddies on their bellies shooting a player's putting stroke for evaluation later on.
Many players are using the V1 App, which allows golfers and their instructors to draw lines and look at takeaways and downswings. It is a nice elixir, and you can't beat the ease of use or speed with which it can be done.
Is it probably better overall to hook golfers up to myriad cameras in a closed space and monitor them with high-tech wearable technology to evaluate their swings? Sure, but that's also cost-prohibitive and not realistic week in and week out on the PGA Tour.
So phones have taken the place of simulators.
"I love the V1 App for a lot of reasons," explained Camelback Golf Club director of instruction John Stahlschmidt. "Mainly, what we're doing in our golf swing is totally different than what we actually see. Feel is not real in golf."
Stalschmidt also noted the adaptability of the app and technology generally in this day and age where he can instruct golfers who live thousands of miles away with a few swipes of his finger on a video or still photo of a swing.
The use of smartphones in today's sports world is incredibly effective in making athletes better, and the usage of this app (and handheld devices generally) on the PGA Tour is just one more way golfers are getting an advantage.
