Set Up Your Camera for Better Golf Videos
Use the right frame rate and position the player correctly before recording. Swing Lab measures your body at five positions of the swing — the right settings and framing are what make that possible.
How our scoring worksChoose the right video quality
Open your phone’s camera settings and pick 1080p at 30 fps. That is all the analysis needs, and the files stay small enough to upload from the range.
- iPhone
- SettingsCameraRecord Video
- Android
- CameraSettingsVideo resolution
- 1080p @ 30fpsRecommended
Best balance between video quality and file size. Recommended for most Timely Golf recordings.
- 4K @ 30fpsOptional
Sharper image, but creates much larger files.
- 1080p @ 60fpsOptional
Sharper frames around impact, but double the file size.
For normal golf recordings → use 30 fps.
Turn on the camera grid
A 3×3 grid appears on your screen while you record.
- iPhone
- SettingsCameraGrid
- Android
- CameraSettingsGrid lines
The grid helps you keep the golfer straight, centered, and consistently positioned in every recording.
Pick an angle, step back, set it down.
The same spot every time is what makes one recording comparable with the next.
- Angle
- Face-on: the camera looks at the player’s chest, in line with the ball. It scores balance — shoulder tilt, weight shift, stance. Down-the-line: it sits behind the hands, looking at the target. It scores rotation — hips, shoulders, X-factor. Either works — pick one and keep it.
- Distance
- 3–4 metres back (10–13 ft). The whole body fits, with room above the head and below the feet, and the golfer is still big enough to measure.
- Height & stability
- Waist height, level with the ground. Lean the phone against a bag or use a small tripod — a hand-held phone drifts.
Position the player
Hold the phone sideways. Line the golfer up on the centre line, head to feet, with room to spare. If the golfer is too small in the frame, the swing cannot be measured.
- Player centered
- Leave a little space above the head
- Full body visible
- Club stays inside frame
- Keep horizon level
Four frames, one that works.
- Correct
Centered, full body and club visible.
- Too Far
Golfer too small to measure.
- Too Close
Club and feet get cut off.
- Off Center
Golfer drifts to one side.
Record one swing, then tell us the angle.
A swing takes about three seconds. Trim the clip to just that, and the analysis is faster and finds every position more reliably.
- One swing, about 5 seconds
- A second still at address, the swing, a second holding the finish. That is the whole clip. A range session or a long walk-up cannot be read.
- Trim before you upload
- Cut the clip down to the swing in your phone’s gallery: iPhone Photos › Edit › drag the ends; Android Gallery › Edit › Trim. Shorter clips scan in a fraction of the time.
- Only the golfer in frame
- A partner, caddie or passer-by behind you makes the body tracking jump between people. The clip is refused.
- Light and focus
- Sun behind the camera, not behind the player — a backlit silhouette has no joints to read. Tap the golfer on screen to focus before you press record.
- Normal speed
- No slo-mo mode. 1080p at 30 fps at normal speed is what the analysis is built for.
The clip
- Still at address1 s
- The swing≈ 3 s
- Hold the finish1 s
About 5 seconds, start to finish — trimmed, not the whole recording.
When you upload
Camera view
Pick the angle you filmed. Left on Auto-detect, the angle can come back as “not detected” and the swing is not scored against the tour reference.
Your camera is ready when…
- 1080p HD, 30 fps, normal speed
- Grid ON
- Phone sideways (landscape)
- Face-on or down-the-line
- 3–4 m back, waist height
- Centered, full body + club visible
- Phone level and stable
- One swing, trimmed to about 5 s
- Only the golfer in frame
- Angle chosen at upload
Once your camera looks like this, start recording your swing.