Swing AnalysisSwing AnalysisA frame-by-frame review of today's driver swing, filmed roughly face-on from the front with the backswing going to screen left and the target to screen right. There is no range-screen shot with this clip, so the report reads the swing itself: body movement, rotation and tempo. It closes with simple next steps.
Bottom line: a very stable head and a big turn, with two things to tidy up. The head stayed tall: it dropped only ~0.5 in by impact, against ~5 in in driver report #1. That is the best head-height control in his driver logbook. The shoulders turned about 85° against about 40° for the hips, an X-factor of about 45° (±10–15°). With no ball data on this clip, there is no distance, no ball flight and no comparison with Tour averages.
The two things to tidy up: the hips drifted ~5 in sideways by impact (most of it already by the top), and the hands were ~6.5 in away from their address spot at impact. The tempo ratio is ~6.2:1: a long 1.34 s backswing and a quick 0.22 s downswing. The ratio is well above the Tour 3:1, and nearly all of that comes from the slow, long backswing.
Head only ~0.5 in lower at impact and ~0.4 in at the top. The dip of ~5 in from report #1 is gone.
The hips moved about 4 in by the top and about 5 in by impact. The goal is to turn, not drift, so the hands can return to their address spot.
The backswing took 1.34 s, more than double his earlier driver backswings (0.50–0.60 s). The downswing is quick and fine; a shorter backswing brings the ratio toward 3:1.
41.8 frames per second, so each frame is about 0.024 s. The backswing starts at frame 73 (t 1.75 s), the top is at frame 129 (t 3.08 s) and impact is at frame 138 (t 3.30 s).
| Group | Backswing | Downswing | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| André (driver #3, today) | ~1.34 s | ~0.22 s | ~6.2:1 |
| André (driver #1, Oct 7) | ~0.50 s | ~0.25–0.30 s | ~2:1 |
| André (driver #2, Oct 10) | ~0.60 s | ~0.33 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 on the downswing moves today's ratio between about 5.6:1 and 7:1.
What it means: The downswing (0.22 s) is quick, quicker than both earlier driver swings. The ratio is high because the backswing is long and slow (1.34 s). The scorecard counts it as Good, but it is far from the 3:1 Tour pattern. The most likely cause is a slow start or a long wind-up before the hands reverse. Aiming for a backswing near 0.7–0.8 s would bring it close to 3:1.
Nine key positions, filmed roughly face-on. The backswing goes to screen left and the target is to screen right.
Photos are numbered in the order they happen in the swing. The frames follow the standard swing positions.
| Measure (vs address) | Top | Impact | Earlier (#1 Oct 7 · #2 Oct 10, at impact) | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head height, down | ~0.4 in | ~0.5 in | ~5 in · — | Good best in his driver logbook |
| Head, toward the ball line | ~1.1 in | ~2.2 in | ~2 in toward ball · ~5–7 in toward target | Watch small drift |
| Hips, toward the ball | ~4.2 in | ~5.2 in | — · ~3 in | Fix most of it by the top |
| Waist height (hips up) | ~−0.5 in | ~−0.8 in | — · — | Good hips settle, no rising |
| Hands vs address | ~16.7 in | ~6.5 in | — · — | Fix not back at the address spot |
| Tempo (backswing / downswing) | 1.34 s | 0.22 s | ~2:1 · ~2:1 | Good ~6.2:1, well above Tour 3:1 |
| Shoulder turn | ~85° | ~20° open | — · — | Info full turn (±10–15°) |
| Hip turn | ~40° | ~35° open | — · — | Info hips lead the shoulders (±10–15°) |
| X-factor (shoulders minus hips) | ~45° | — | — · — | Info healthy coil |
Depth note: this is a roughly face-on view, so the "toward the ball" numbers for head and hips are sideways movement in the picture. They are mixed with depth, and one camera angle cannot split the two. A down-the-line clip of the next swing will settle it (see next capture).
| Driver report | View | Head height (impact) | Head sideways (impact) | Hips | Tempo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 · Oct 7 | Down-the-line | ~5 in down | ~2 in toward ball | — | ~2:1 |
| #2 · Oct 10 | Face-on, elevated | — | ~5–7 in toward target | ~3 in | ~2:1 |
| #3 · Oct 28 (today) | Face-on | ~0.5 in down | ~2.2 in toward ball | ~5.2 in | ~6.2:1 |
The link: the old dip (~5 in) has shrunk to ~0.5 in, and the head's sideways drift is down from ~5–7 in (report #2) to ~2.2 in. The remaining move has shifted into the hips: ~3 in in report #2 and ~5 in now. The quiet head is a real win; the next gain is a calmer lower body.
Confidence: high on tempo and key-frame timing (measured frame by frame, ±0.024 s); moderate on head and hip distances (grid scaled from body size, ±1 inch); low on rotation angles (visual estimate, ±10–15°) and on the sideways vs depth split (needs a second angle).
Same camera spot. Stand with the trail-side hip lightly against a wall or a bag, make 10 slow backswings with a driver, and feel the hip turn without pushing the wall.
Feel: "turn in a barrel." The goal is hips closer to their address spot at the top, so the hands can come back home.
Count "back-2-3, down" so the backswing takes about 0.7–0.8 s, then swing down at the same quick pace as today.
Keeps the 0.22 s downswing and moves the ratio from ~6:1 toward the Tour 3:1.
On the next clip, check the hands at impact against the address spot on the grid. Aim for under 1 in.
A quieter lower body makes this much easier.
Whatever he did today to keep the head at address height: keep it. Cap on the white line until the ball is gone.
~0.5 in of dip is the best head control in the driver logbook.
Next capture: (1) the same face-on clip, (2) a down-the-line clip with two alignment sticks on the ground, (3) the range-screen shot right after each ball, (4) 3–5 balls for an average, and (5) André's height, to lock the grid scale. Also say the location in the video, since this one was not recorded.