The golf swing is complicated. So it's no surprise that video is one of the staples of golf instruction. Any video platform can help an instructor visually communicate often subtle swing changes with their students.
But take it from me, don't just use your camera's recorder to look at your swing. Not when you can get so many golf-specific recording, analysis, and learning tools in an integrated app and platform that costs just $59.99 per year.
The product I'm referring to is V1 Golf Plus, by V1 Sports. The Michigan-based company established itself as a pioneer in sports video analysis tools long before Zoom and other companies made video conferences to the masses. Their V1 Golf app and V1 Pro platform (a special suite of tools for coaches) allow golfers to save their swing videos in the cloud while providing coaches the ability to teach remotely.
Talk about being well positioned for the pandemic. Combine golf's increasing popularity and the simultaneous reduction in travel and social interaction, and V1 (much like Zoom) bridged the gap so golfers could keep improving, and their instructors could continue to earn a living.
But rather than rest on their laurels, the company springboarded off the platform's growing popularity -- and an investment from Michael Jordan's Black Cat Ventures fund -- to make the app and website even better.
The suite of teaching tools that V1 offers goes much deeper than the app you download in the App Store or Google Play. Let's break down the key reasons that V1 is an indispensable tool for anyone that wants to lower their handicap.
ANALYZE VIDEOS
Long before the pandemic provided a spark to the recent golf boom, V1 was in the cloud and well positioned for remote learning. You can use the same tools as top coaches to analyze and compare your swing with
With V1, you can record your videos directly to the app, using figure guides to perfectly capture "face on" or "down the line" angles. Then, take advantage of markup tools that will make you feel like a TV commentator. But what do you do with that information? The real power behind V1 is when you don't just take the "do it yourself" road. That's because once you start using the app, you have the potential to tap into V1's network of thousands of teaching professionals.
These instructors have been using the V1 Pro suite of software to provide their students with a combination of live video capture, swing analysis, graphic overlay, and lesson creation, turning V1 Pro into an indispensable golf instruction aid. Once you record videos and select a coach, you can receive a swing analysis back -- with custom content attached -- from top coaches such as Mike Bender, Dana Dahlquist, Jake Thurm, or Tom Saguto.
GAIN ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE DRILL VIDEOS & PLAYER MODELS
Padraig Harrington Swing Analysis Well worth the price of V1 Plus is its vast library of drills and model professionals to help guide you through your practice sessions and see how you compare with pros at all positions of your swing from multiple angles. V1 provides a vast array of premium learning content directly from its thousands of partners and ambassadors worldwide.
You'll have access to a myriad of drills and models at the top of the main screen. The bite-sized videos, all in under five minutes, are narrated by a wide range of top instructors. These drill videos are filmed exclusively for V1 Sports – and can’t be found anywhere else – by leading coaches and instructors across the world like Nancy Quarcelino, Tina Tombs, Claude Brousseau, and Devan Bonebrake.
DOWNLOAD the V1 GOLF app today and improve your swing,
click here>
I utilized a few of these quick lessons before my last round. Coach Claude Brousseau's lesson, 'Bye Bye Slice', gives a quick tutorial on a drill and swing to keep the clubhead coming inside and low to the ball to stop the over-the-top action that's plagued so many golfers, including myself of late. While it wasn't a magic fix, the simplified and short duration of the lesson made the thought easy to retain.
While the V1 Golf Plus lesson library might be comparable to the wide arrange of knowledge on YouTube, V1 Golf presents a few key advantages. First, most YouTube videos are longer than the short videos in their library, with the coach spending the first few minutes explaining why the lesson they're going to teach is essential to discuss. Then, they might explain the drill before an ad read, then dive into the lesson itself. The process of finding an instructor you like can be exhausting. V1 Golf Plus skips the sales pitch so its instructors can dive directly into the drill.
DOWNLOAD the V1 GOLF app today and improve your swing,
click here>
-- AmateurGolf.com writer Kent Paisley contributed to this review