During the 2010 Chicago Golf Show held this February at the Rosemont Convention Center I found another iPhone app. What made this app interesting was that it was a Video Swing Analysis tool. Swing At’em is the work of Pol Montano PGA member and Head Professional at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Missouri.

Relying on the latest iPhone 3G S (video capable), the Swing At’em application is a small yet powerful tool to use for all golfers.

What makes this App Cool

I was amazed to see so much potential, in such a small form factor. Basically you get a way to view your swing, annotate it, and pass it on. Available in the iTunes Store for $15, this is a “way of the future”. The Swing At’em video swing analysis app is a tool with some moxie.

Video is taken using the built in camera of the iPhone 3G S. Running the app allows for the user to add lines (shaft angle, spine angle, even drawing a circle for the head) and play back the swing in slow motion.  Take a look at your swing and in minutes you can tell if your head is moving, or you are standing up. Drawing a shaft line and shoulder line allows you to see if the club is on plane. You can even go side by side and sync a swing to another. All this in a hand held unit! Yummy…

The Cool factor is that anyone with the iPhone 3G S can use this app. Imagine, for the price of a cart fee, you could have a wicked cool application that allows you to improve your swing. Heck you could record your group and see how they stack up!

I’ve taught using video for a few years, but the price of getting a top notch system will set you back a couple grand. Getting the dedicated unit up will take time, and you need to have a power source. The Swing At’em is self contained, and measures in at a whopping 4.8 ounces…(the weight of the iPhone). You can split the screen, mirror the swing, save it and send it to someone else to view.

I was able to speak with Pol at the show, and he was very outgoing and excited about the product. Watching the demo of the app I was able to see the potential from a teaching aspect.

You can now edit a video in the palm of your hand

Overall Thoughts

If you own a 3G S iPhone and want to know more about your game, then I feel that the Swing At’em app is a super-duper deal. Will it replace a dedicated video system? Not really, the dedicated video swing systems of the world are more powerful, and they have more functionality with regards to higher frame capture rates, multiple camera options and larger storage ability. But it all comes at a price and a learning curve. The strengths of the Swing At’em is that it’s all hand held, and basic (which is a good thing). There are not so many buttons that one needs to take a class at the local JuCo to feel adequate using the app.

The downside is that you need the 3G S to shoot video, you could import, but then why not use a digital camera with higher frame rates for cleaner video. The playback screen is 3.5 inches, which could be small for some people with less than perfect eyesight. But I feel that Pol Montano and the Swing At’em has a product that costs a fraction (about the cost for a few feet of video cable) and ultra portability by using your smartphone! Can you see me now?

I also feel that once the iPad goes live, this application could fit very nicely into your digital golfing toolbox. Maybe I can get the wife to let me buy the 3G S?