How to compare two golf swings at the range
By BELTAKE · Published
One 7-iron felt smooth. The next felt rushed. Start with those two swings in the GLOTA app. Compare where your wrist travelled, then check how long each phase took. You can change pace while tracing much the same path.
See the two-swing example
Two shots with the same 7-iron
In this worked example, the golfer played two full shots at the same flag. Both wrist traces followed a similar curve in the same replay view. The golfer wrote down how each shot felt before checking the times.
| Observation | Swing A | Swing B |
|---|---|---|
| Golfer’s note | Felt smooth | Felt rushed |
| Backswing | 0.78 s | 0.77 s |
| Downswing | 0.29 s | 0.23 s |
The backswings differed by just 0.01 s. Swing B spent 0.06 s less coming down. For the next pair, the golfer can try to repeat the feel of A and see whether the downswing time moves closer to 0.29 s.
Compare your phase times in the tempo calculatorTry it with six balls
Pick one club, one target and one shot type for all six. A punch shot and a full swing have different intentions even when you use the same iron.
Hit one pair and label it
Hit your usual shot twice. After each, jot down its order, how it felt and where you saw the ball start. Sync GLOTA and find the two swings in the day’s records. Keep your own observations beside the wristband readings.
Find one difference to test
Overlay the two wrist paths. Keep the viewing angle and scale the same and follow each line from the start to the point where the backswing turns into the downswing. Where do the lines first part? Then read both phase times. Pick one detail, such as the shorter downswing in the example above.
Try the same cue for two more pairs
Use one cue on the next four balls and keep noting the shots in order. Check the same section of each trace or the same phase time against your first pair. Count how many swings repeated the change and look back at where those balls started. Take the two records that best illustrate what you found to your next lesson.
When should I use a coach or a professional as my reference?
Use your coach’s times for a rhythm cue
Ask your coach to choose a reference for the club and shot you practised. Compare backswing with backswing and downswing with downswing, using the same start and end points for each phase. If your coach wants you to spend more time going back, check that phase on the next pair.
Use the professional wrist trace for a shape question
Choose a comparable swing and use the same replay angle. If your two paths separate near the top, look at that section of the professional trace. Ask your coach whether the difference matters for the shot you intended. The trace shows wrist movement. Your start-line notes tell you what the ball actually did.
See what a swing record looks like
Follow a 3D wrist replay and see the backswing and downswing readings you’ll use to compare your own pair.