A few weeks ago, you may have read our article breaking down Michelle Wie’s new-look golf swing. There we employed SwingAI, the technology that drives “Play with the Pros,” a two-way, personalized instruction platform which Golf.com launched last month. The response to that article was overwhelmingly positive so, as the Instruction Editor here at GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine, we wanted to take the opportunity to formally introduce you to SwingAI technology, what it does, and how it could help your game
What is SwingAI?
SwingAI is a technology company that powers “Play With The Pros”, an instruction platform and app that connects golfers with world-class teachers for online lessons. Professional instructors use the Artificial Intelligence within SwingAI to both identify issues in golfers’ swings and generate a lesson plan to help them improve.
How does SwingAI work?
Lets say I’m using the Play With The Pros app: I’ll submit a swing through the app, which a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher will then review and grade. The instructor will grade 21 different elements of my swing, everything from stance and grip to body sequence and wrist hinge. From there, SwingAI will assign you an overall score — a “Swing Potential Index” — and connect you with videos, lessons, and other things that will help you improve.
What’s a Swing Potential Index [SPI]?
The same way the USGA’s Handicap Index tracks your score, the SPI tracks your swing. After a leading instructor breaks down all the various elements of your golf swing, an SPI quantifies how good your swing is now, along with how good it can be in the future.
Here, for example, is an SPI we put together for Michelle Wie before her recent swing change.
How can SwingAI improve my game?
Let’s say I shoot in the 90s, and my goal is to break 90. I submit my swing through Play With The Pros and my SPI comes back as 7.1.
SwingAI’s SPI does two things: It highlights and quantifies the good stuff in your golf swing, along with the stuff you need to work on. For the areas where I need to improve, SwingAI will assign drills and track my progress, all while I continue to take digital lessons with my instructor.
Effectively, SwingAI melds the latest technology with world-class instructors to offer a well-rounded, digital approach to game-improvement. Try it out for yourself, and hopefully it’ll help you shoot lower scores.
