Down the line

The phone sits behind you on the line from the ball to the target, at about hand height, 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 m) back. Full setup: how to film your golf swing.

It shows: the swing plane and the club's path into the ball; posture and whether you keep it through impact; where the club points at the top; your alignment to the target; and the ball's start direction and curve, which is where a shot tracer works best.

Lines that suit it: a shaft start line at address, a foot line along your toes, and a vertical line at the back of your hips.

Face-on

The phone sits in front of you, square to your chest, at about hand height and the same 10 to 15 feet away, with the whole swing in the picture and the phone level.

It shows: ball position in your stance; weight shift and sway; head movement; how much the shaft leans at impact; and the width of the swing.

Lines that suit it: a head ring at address to see how much your head moves, and a vertical line at the lead hip.

Which one should you film?

Working on	Film
Slice, hook, pushes and pulls	Down the line
Swing plane and path	Down the line
Posture and early extension	Down the line
Fat and thin strikes, ball position	Face-on
Weight shift and sway	Face-on
Head movement	Face-on

If you are not sure, start down the line: it shows the most about where the ball goes. Film both on different buckets if you can, and keep each setup the same every session so one swing compares fairly with the last.

Impact Reel finds each swing by the sound of the strike, so it cuts clips from either angle. Its recording tips inside the app are written for down the line.