Any golf player would say that mastering the perfect swing is a matter of practice and patient training. Professional players have been using video recordings for a long time to analyze their swing in detail and improve it. With the system Swing & See, developed by imaging solutions company R&D Vision (Saint Maur, France), amateurs now can use this technology, too. This analysis tool relies on Pike F-032B cameras from Allied Vision Technologies (AVT, Stadtroda, Germany) to capture and precisely document each phase of the swing movement.

Professional Imaging Tool

Any golf player could have himself filmed by a friend with a camcorder in order to analyze mistakes. Although this method may provide some help, it offers only very limited analysis capabilities: the image quality depends on the quality of the camera used and the skills of the person operating it. Besides, the recordings cannot be viewed properly on site without an appropriate display.

The Swing & See is an innovative tutorial tool that offers recreational golfers the possibility to improve their swing using advanced vision technologies.

The system consists of an interactive terminal equipped with a color touch-screen display. The terminal houses the control unit and image processing, as well as two AVT Pike digital cameras. The whole set is permanently installed on the golf practice tee and is weatherproof for outdoors installation. The user interface is easy and intuitive.

The swing of the player is captured by the two cameras simultaneously at 200 images per second. The cameras are positioned with a 90-degree angle to each other in order to record the action simultaneously from the front and side. Because of the high frame rate and a shutter time of less than 500 microseconds, the cameras provide sharp images of the movement. The start of recording is automatically and simultaneously triggered by image processing software able to identify the position of the ball. Thus, the whole swing process is precisely captured from both view angles.

Immediate Results

As soon as a shot has been recorded, the player can watch his swing on the terminal’s display. Source: Allied Vision Technologies

As soon as a shot has been recorded, the player can watch his swing on the terminal’s display. A didactic tool allows slow motion control of image replay. Graphic markings can be added on the picture to help assess the swing motion, and a comparison mode offers the possibility to compare the player’s own performance with that of a professional instructor or the player’s earlier motion, stored in the memory of the system.

After the training, the golfer can save the data—video file, assessment of the swing, speed of the ball—on a digital device, such as a USB key or a memory card. That way, performance can be archived on a home PC, allowing golfers to follow up on their progress or further analyze the video recording at home with companion software available for download on the Web site of the service provider.

The Camera Makes the Difference

“For that project, a high frame rate and a short shutter time were key to ensuring precise, high-quality recordings crucial for the ongoing analysis,” says Arnaud Susset, chief executive officer of R&D Vision.

Allied Vision Technologies
+49 36428/677-0
www.alliedvisiontec.com