Where should I put the camera to film my golf swing?

Use two separate clips. Down-the-line: behind you, on a line through your hands parallel to the target line, about 4 m back and low, between knee and hip height. Face-on: in front of you on the far side of the ball, square to your chest, about 3.5 m away at hip-to-chest height. Adjust the distance until the club stays in frame at the top and at the finish.

How do I know the camera is square?

Lay a club or alignment stick along your toe line. From down-the-line it should run straight away from the lens toward the target. From face-on it should run straight and level across the frame. If it slants, move or turn the phone before you swing.

What frame rate should I use?

At least 30 frames per second, and 60 fps if your phone offers it. On a golf full swing, Motion Lab treats anything under 60 fps as under-sampled, so the exact strike frame and tempo are estimated. If you record in slow motion, tell Motion Lab when you upload so it reads the timing in real time.

No, but the phone must stay still. A tripod is easiest; a golf bag, bench or fence works too. Do not hold the phone or follow the swing — panning and zooming add shake and blur that lower confidence.

Can I analyze a video I already have?

Yes, if it shows your whole swing from a usable angle in reasonable light. If the camera was well off-axis, re-filming from a true down-the-line or face-on position will give a more reliable read.

Learn · Filming guide

How to Film Your Swing for Analysis

By Daniel Tomonto, founderLast reviewed November 4, 20268 min read

Prop the phone steady, in landscape. Down-the-line: about 4 m behind you, on a line through your hands parallel to the target line, between knee and hip height. Face-on: about 3.5 m in front, square to your chest. Record at 60 fps if you can, with your whole body and the club in frame to the finish.

Jump to the checklist

Golf

Where to put the phone

Film each view as its own clip, with the phone still and in landscape. The distances below are where the phone sits in our approved setup illustrations. Treat them as a starting point and adjust until your head, your feet and the club stay in the picture from address to finish.

Down-the-line

Best for: Swing plane, the club’s position at the top, posture through impact, and early extension.

Weaker for: Weight shift toward the target and lateral sway are hard to judge from behind.

Setup illustration: a phone on a low tripod about four metres behind a golfer, on the line through the golfer's hands and parallel to the target line, aimed along that line so the whole swing stays in frame. — Setup illustration of where the phone goes. It is a reference figure, not a real recording.

Where: Behind you, on a line through your hands that runs parallel to your target line. Not behind the ball and not behind your heels.
Distance: About 4 m (13 ft) back to start. Move closer or farther until the club stays in frame at the top and at the finish.
Height: Low, between knee and hip height. Our setup illustration uses a low tripod, and for a driver filmed from behind the guided recorder expects a camera near the ground.
Aim: Point the lens along that line, straight at your hands, not angled toward the target or toward you.

Check it’s square: Lay a club or alignment stick on the ground along your toe line. In the camera view it should run straight away from the lens toward the target, not cut across the frame. If it slants, move the phone sideways until it points straight away.

Face-on

Best for: Weight shift, head and hip movement, ball position, shaft lean at impact, and the sequence of the downswing.

Weaker for: Swing plane and whether the club is across the line or laid off at the top.

Setup illustration: a phone on a tripod at about chest height, facing the golfer squarely from the far side of the ball, a few metres away, so the golfer's whole body and club stay in frame. — Setup illustration of where the phone goes. It is a reference figure, not a real recording.

Where: In front of you on the far side of the ball, square to your chest — the camera faces you as the ball does.
Distance: About 3.5 m (11–12 ft) to start, far enough that your head, feet and the club at the top and finish all fit.
Height: Around chest height in our setup illustration; anywhere from hip to chest works. Keep it the same every time.
Aim: Centre the frame on your sternum at address, not on the ball.

Check it’s square: With a club or stick on your toe line, it should run straight across the frame, level, from one side to the other. If one end looks closer to the lens than the other, the camera is not square — turn it until the line is level.

Golf notes from the capture step

Stand far enough back that the club never leaves the frame at the top or finish.
Keep the whole body and the ball in view through impact.
Use 60fps and a steady prop or tripod — driver speed blurs at 30fps.
For putting, the best angle is directly BEHIND the ball, low and down the target line — that unlocks face, path, and shaft-lean/loft reads. A face-on angle is great for tempo, stroke symmetry, eye line, and head stability (but can’t see loft). Keep the whole putter head and the ball in frame, include the first few feet of roll, and use an alignment stick or a visible target line when you can.

Print this

Pre-upload checklist

The same checks Motion Lab shows before a golf upload. Confirm each one before you film.

Full body in frame, head to feetHidden hips, knees, or feet drop the overlays that depend on them.
Camera steady (tripod or propped up)Handheld shake and zoom-follow blur the landmarks and skew the path.
Even light, uncluttered backgroundLow light and busy backgrounds cause missed and jittery joints.
Only the player in frameExtra people in frame can capture the wrong body.
Club visibleNeeded to estimate the swing path and contact point.
The whole motion, including contactCutting off the prep or contact removes the phases we read.
60fps slow-motion if your phone supports itFast contact blurs at 30fps; 60fps sharpens the contact window.
Phone about waist height when practicalAnywhere from hip to chest works — a very high or low camera just lowers confidence on posture and turn-angle reads.
Same spot for the retestMark where the phone stood and film the retest from the same place, height, distance and frame rate. Clips filmed differently are flagged as not directly comparable.

Phone settings

Frame rate, slow motion and light

60 fps if you have it

Below 30 fps, fast motion near contact blurs and the strike frame is an estimate. On a golf full swing, anything under 60 fps is treated as under-sampled, so the exact strike frame and tempo are estimated.

Slow motion: say so

Phones save slow motion as a normal video that plays slower than the swing. When you upload one, set it to the right slow-motion speed (for example 120 or 240 fps) so timing and tempo are read in real time. Otherwise a golf swing that looks too slow to be real has its tempo held back.

Even light, plain background

Face the light rather than filming into the sun. Low light and busy backgrounds make joints jitter or disappear, and only the player should be in the frame.

Landscape, 5 to 10 seconds

Turn the phone on its side. Start recording, step in, make the swing, hold the finish, then stop. A clip that ends before the follow-through is not used for a fix.

Honest limits

What one camera can’t show

A good clip makes the read more confident. It does not turn a phone into a launch monitor.

Club face angle, club path direction and angle of attack. On a full swing these need a launch monitor; video does not diagnose them.
Ball flight, spin and carry. A swing video does not measure them; that is launch-monitor territory too.
True depth. One 2D view estimates rotation and angles toward or away from the lens, which is why a second angle helps.
Putter face and loft. On a putt these are inferred from the stroke rather than measured, so treat them as tendencies.
Anything hidden. A joint that leaves the frame or is blocked by the club is withdrawn from the read rather than guessed.

More detail: what video can and can’t show, sport by sport · accuracy and limitations

Other sports

Filming tennis, pickleball, padel, baseball and softball

The checklist above applies to every sport. These are the sport-specific notes Motion Lab gives at the capture step.

Tennis

Best angle: Behind or side-on for groundstrokes; capture the bounce and contact.

Keep the full body and the racquet in frame the entire stroke.
Try to capture the ball bounce through contact so timing is readable.
Use 60fps if available and avoid shaky, zoomed-in follow footage.
For serves, film from behind or the side in landscape, standing far enough back that the toss and full extension stay in frame.
For volleys, move closer but keep both hands, the racquet, and the contact point visible.

Pickleball

Best angle: Diagonal or side angle that shows the paddle, feet, and the kitchen line.

Keep the full body, paddle, and (when relevant) the kitchen line in frame.
Film dinks, resets, and volleys from a diagonal or side angle, not head-on.
Record several reps in one clip so the analysis has more to read.
For dinks, a side angle best shows whether contact is out in front and the paddle face is stable.
For resets, capture the transition zone so the soft block and balance are visible.

Setup illustration: a phone on a tripod at about chest height on the far side of the net, facing the player at the kitchen line, so both feet and the paddle stay in frame. — Setup illustration of where the phone goes. It is a reference figure, not a real recording.

Setup illustration: a phone on a tripod at about waist height, three metres to the player's side and level with them at the kitchen line, so the player's full body and paddle stay in frame. — Setup illustration of where the phone goes. It is a reference figure, not a real recording.

Padel

Best angle: An angle that keeps the player, the contact point, and any wall rebound visible.

Keep the player, wall interaction, and contact point in view.
For overheads (bandeja / víbora / smash), stay in landscape and step back so the full body and the racquet stay in frame at full reach.
Avoid clips where the glass or wall hides the body at contact.
For wall/glass shots, capture both the rebound off the wall and your contact.
For the bandeja, film side-on so the controlled overhead and shoulder position read clearly.
For the víbora, side-on shows the side-spin overhead path best.

Baseball

Best angle: Side-on for hitting; open side / behind for throwing and pitching.

Keep the full body and the bat or throwing arm in frame through release/contact.
Film side-on for the swing; capture the stride and contact zone.
Use 60fps — bat and arm speed blur at 30fps.

Slow-pitch softball

Best angle: Side-on for hitting; open side for throwing.

Keep the full body and bat in frame through the high-arc contact.
Film side-on so the stride and contact point are visible.
Use 60fps if available, and a steady prop or tripod.

Fast-pitch softball

Best angle: Side-on for hitting; open side for the windmill pitch.

Keep the full body and bat (or full windmill arm circle) in frame.
Film side-on so the stride and contact/release read clearly.
Use 60fps — fast-pitch speed blurs at 30fps.
Stand back further than for a normal swing and leave open space on the first-base side — you are filming a run as well as a swing, and contact should land near the middle of the frame rather than the edge you are moving toward.

For cricket batting, film side-on from square leg or front-on from behind the bowler’s arm, with the full bat in frame. Full recording FAQ

For coaches and programs

Send your players here before they film

If you ask players to send swing video, link them to this page or print the checklist for your team. It works with whichever app or messaging tool you use; nothing on it needs an account. If you film differently, for example a different height you prefer, tell your players to keep that choice the same for every clip so before-and-after comparisons stay fair.

Spotted something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will correct it and update the review date.

Your swing, decoded — coaching in your pocket. SwingVantage reads your swing and gives you the one fix that matters most, with data-backed guidance you can use today. Its findings are estimates that get sharper with every swing you add. For injury concerns or advanced technique, pair it with a coach — you'll show up to those sessions already ahead.

Filmed it?

Analyze the clip

Motion Lab runs on your device, free, and shows the one fix to work on first. You can see the fix without an account.

Analyze a swing video Film with guided setup How to read your report

Frequently asked questions

Where should I put the camera to film my golf swing?: Use two separate clips. Down-the-line: behind you, on a line through your hands parallel to the target line, about 4 m back and low, between knee and hip height. Face-on: in front of you on the far side of the ball, square to your chest, about 3.5 m away at hip-to-chest height. Adjust the distance until the club stays in frame at the top and at the finish.
Which camera angle is better, down-the-line or face-on?: They show different things. Down-the-line is best for swing plane, the club at the top and posture through impact. Face-on is best for weight shift, head and hip movement, ball position and shaft lean. If you can only film one, film the view that shows the fault you are working on, and film the retest from the same spot.
How do I know the camera is square?: Lay a club or alignment stick along your toe line. From down-the-line it should run straight away from the lens toward the target. From face-on it should run straight and level across the frame. If it slants, move or turn the phone before you swing.
What frame rate should I use?: At least 30 frames per second, and 60 fps if your phone offers it. On a golf full swing, Motion Lab treats anything under 60 fps as under-sampled, so the exact strike frame and tempo are estimated. If you record in slow motion, tell Motion Lab when you upload so it reads the timing in real time.
Do I need a tripod?: No, but the phone must stay still. A tripod is easiest; a golf bag, bench or fence works too. Do not hold the phone or follow the swing — panning and zooming add shake and blur that lower confidence.
Can I analyze a video I already have?: Yes, if it shows your whole swing from a usable angle in reasonable light. If the camera was well off-axis, re-filming from a true down-the-line or face-on position will give a more reliable read.