There are many ways the average golfer can improve their technique but most are not easily accessible or affordable. Private lessons are increasingly expensive and hi-tech virtual simulators are not often open to recreational players.
The Smart Golf company is ready to change this problem of accessibility to golf technology with their innovative invention, the Smart Golf club. The Smart Golf club, which had a successful campaign on KickStarter raising over $20,000, is close to a typical fairway wood driver in length and weight. But it’s what is inside the head of the Smart Golf club that makes it unique.
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Features include a central processing unit with the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and mobile devices, a multi- axis gyroscope, which helps in measuring rotation and acceleration, multiple sensors with LED lights, and a lithium battery that can be charged with a USB charger.
The Smart Golf club is able to analyze one’s trajectory, determine the speed and distance of the ball, and most importantly analyze the user’s swing. It will also provide recommendations or corrections by the use of an avatar through the club’s app.
Trajectory of the ball is analyzed by three factors:
- Face – The angel between the club and the target line.
- Club Path- Location of the club over impact zone.
- Attack – Detects if hit was a down-blow, level-blow, or upper-blow.
Analysis of Swing recognizes the user’s swing patterns and stance via the features encapsulated in the head of the club. The user is then able to compare their stance and swing to Smart Golf’s optimal swing recommendation. With the analysis, golfers are able to benchmark their progress and performance. They can see the rhythm and tempo of their backswing and downswing.
Speed and Distance is determined by the swing analysis feature and trajectory measurements. The speed is collected by the grip of the club and head swing of the club. The average golfer hits between 30 – 40 m/s. The distance is determined by the angle at which the golfer hits the ball, which is shown as a graph on the app.
While Smart Golf is still developing into a go-to tool amongst a crowded golf tech marketplace it is off to a great start with its successful Kickstarter campaign. It certainly holds promise to become a hi-tech club in the bag of any golfer as it could end up providing much more practical access to swing analysis technology for golfers of any age and skill level.