DELRAY BEACH, Florida – A contingent of top instructors is reminding golfers that at-home practice can keep their swings in mid-season form and actually improve their games over the winter. In fact, there’s no need to hit a ball or even hold a golf club – just have the PerfectMotion app on your smartphones for what the company says is “immediate feedback’’ on every swing.
PerfectMotion uses proprietary artificial intelligence to track a golfer’s body motion and instantly determine key swing issues – calling up professional video instruction that addresses the golfer’s specific issues to help eliminate them. Additionally, each swing’s diagnosis and body motion trace, the MotionMap can instantly be shared with a pro for real-time instruction and personalized coaching.
The growing cadre of top golf teachers who use PerfectMotion includes former PGA Tour winner Chip Beck, Golf Digest “Top 50 Instructor” Joe Hallett, Mike Sullivan, Sarah Stone and Golf Digest “Best Young Teacher” Jake Thurm.
“Using PerfectMotion is a really good way to practice in the off-season,’’ Beck said. “Putting is the place I like to start with my students. With PerfectMotion, I encourage my students to take just 10 strokes a day. As their coach, I can instantly see what’s happening when they putt. I can tell them when they are too extended, if they are changing their stroke arc, or if they don’t have the shaft on the forearm plane.’’
The putting metronome in the app, Beck said, is an effective for tempo and feeds directly into chipping timing.
“Around the hole, you’re trying to use the shortest stroke possible to get the ball going a particular distance. That all has to do with tempo and timing,’’ said Beck, who now coaches golfers everywhere via the app from his home in Florida.
Thurm, director of instruction at Fresh Meadow Learning Center and Ruffled Feathers Golf Club in Chicago, is a proponent of off-season practice and performance measurement.
“The time to implement change is in the off-season – using the elimination theory of motor change: If you can’t do it with a ball, then eliminate the ball,’’ he said. “If you can’t do it with a club, then eliminate the club. In other words, break the change down to its simplest form and then rebuild your swing to better than it’s ever been.’’
Thurm puts his students on a steady diet of no-ball swings to mitigate their excuses.
“I stress the importance of monitored and measurable repetition. Every day, within minutes, my students can take five practice swings with immediate, real-time feedback using PerfectMotion. The app improves your awareness, while its AI levels you up or down. As you learn from it, it continually learns how to better help you.’’
The PerfectMotion app is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for $5.99/month or $59.99 annually.