Gaian · Swing Analysis — Golfer

1 Executive summary

Bottom line: this is a strong, well-built 7-iron. At 115 mph of ball speed it carried 165 yds, which is 24 yds past the LPGA Tour average and 7 yds short of the PGA Tour. The apex was 96 ft (32 yds), exactly the PGA Tour height. The body motion is the best part: the head stays nearly level (it drops only about 1 inch by impact), and the hips hold their line instead of thrusting toward the ball.

Two things hold it back. The ball launches at 21°, against 16° for the PGA Tour, so the club is delivering a little too much loft. The shot also curved 41 ft, and the previous shot on the screen curved the same amount. The tempo is quicker than ideal, at about 2.3:1 against the 3:1 of skilled players.

Strength

Stable body & speed

Head and hips hold their positions, ball speed is near tour level, and the finish is full and balanced.

Priority 1

Launch & curve

Deliver less loft with the hands ahead, and tighten the 41 ft curve. Both point to the clubface and shaft at impact.

Priority 2

Tempo

A slightly longer backswing-to-downswing ratio will give the arms time to square the face.

2 Strike data — Mariners Point session

Read from the range's ball-tracking screen, filmed at the end of the video. The top row is the filmed shot; the rows below are the previous shots, and the bottom row is the session average.

Screen capture from the video. Total distance updated to 171 yds once the ball came to rest.

Metric	Golfer	Reading
Carry	165 yds	Strong for a 7-iron
Total distance	171 yds	6 yds of roll, acceptable
Ball speed	115 mph	Est. club speed ~85–88 mph*
Launch angle	21°	High for a 7-iron
Apex (max height)	96 ft (32 yds)	Tour height
Hang time	6.0 s	—
Curve	41 ft (≈12.5 m)	Too much; direction not legible
Landing angle	not shown	Previous shots: 44–45°

*Club speed isn't on the screen. It's estimated from ball speed ÷ a typical 7-iron smash factor of 1.30–1.35.

Session consistency (same screen)

Shot	Carry	Total	Ball speed	Launch	Apex	Curve
Filmed shot	165 yds	171 yds	115 mph	21°	96 ft	41 ft
Previous	174 yds	181 yds	117 mph	21°	103 ft	41 ft
Two back	170 yds	177 yds	115 mph	21°	95 ft	0 ft
Session average	161 yds	171 yds	112 mph	20°	80 ft	3 ft

Launch is locked at 20–21° on every shot: that's a pattern, not a one-off. The 0 ft shot proves he can hit it straight, so the curve is fixable.

How it compares (TrackMan published averages, 7-iron)

Metric	Golfer	LPGA Tour avg	PGA Tour avg
Club speed	~85–88 mph (est.)	76 mph	90 mph
Ball speed	115 mph	104 mph	120 mph
Launch angle	21°	19.0°	16.3°
Max height	32 yds	25 yds	32 yds
Landing angle	~44–45° (prev. shots)	46°	50°
Carry	165 yds	141 yds	172 yds

What this says: the engine is close to tour level: 96% of the PGA Tour ball speed and carry. The difference is in delivery. Tour players launch the 7-iron about 5° lower with more spin, which lands the ball steeper (50°) so it stops. Bringing launch down to 17–18° would add a few yards of carry and a steeper, more controllable landing.

3 Swing sequence

Eight key positions from the video, filmed down-the-line from behind the ball at Mariners Point.

P-numbers follow the standard 10-position swing model. The video runs at 30 fps, so timestamps are accurate to about ±0.03 s. The impact frame is the first one with the ball in the air.

4 Position-by-position biomechanics

P1 — Address Good

An athletic set-up: forward tilt from the hips, soft knees, and the arms hanging naturally under the shoulders.
The hands sit slightly ahead of the ball, which is correct for an iron.
Reference point: the top of the head and the line of the backside here. The overlay below measures against them.

P2 — Takeaway Good

A one-piece start: the arms, hands and club move back together and the lead arm stays straight.
The clubhead stays outside the hands, without whipping inside.

P3 — Hip-high On plane

The wrists start to hinge and the shaft points up, roughly over the trail forearm. That's a textbook P3.
The chest is already turning, and the head hasn't moved.

P4 — Top of backswing Compact

A three-quarter top: the shaft is short of parallel, which suits a 7-iron and favours control.
Good shoulder turn with the hands above the trail shoulder, not lifted high above the head.
The trail knee keeps its flex, so the lower body stays stable.

P5 — Transition Quick

The arms drop down immediately from the top.
Tempo: the backswing takes about 0.53 s and the downswing about 0.23 s, a ratio near 2.3:1. Skilled players sit around 3:1. A rushed transition leaves less time to square the clubface, which fits the curve.

P6 — Delivery From the inside

The shaft drops in from the inside, with no over-the-top move.
The trail elbow stays in front of the hip and the wrists keep their hinge, a good sign of stored lag.

P7 — Impact Loft

The head is only about 1 inch lower than at address and sits slightly back from the ball. The backside stays on its address line, so there's no early extension. Both are excellent (see the overlay below).
The hands arrive roughly level with the ball rather than clearly ahead of it. That adds loft at impact, which fits the 21° launch. Shaft lean can't be measured exactly from this angle; a face-on video would confirm it.
The arms are extended and the hips are opening toward the target.

P10 — Finish Excellent

Full and balanced: the weight is on the lead side, the trail foot is up on its toe, and the chest faces the target.
He holds the finish, a sign of a swing that is in control of its speed.

Overlay — head and hips, address vs impact

The white line marks the top of the head at address and the gold line the backside at address. At impact the head is just under the white line and the backside is still on (slightly behind) the gold line. The camera didn't move between the frames: the fence poles stay in place.

5 Diagnosis — why the 7-iron launches high and curves

The body is not the problem. The head stays level within about 1 inch and the hips keep their depth, so the strike is centred and the ball speed is high.
A quick (~2.3:1) transition gives the hands little time to deliver the club with forward shaft lean.
Extra loft at impact: with the hands level with the ball instead of ahead, the 7-iron launches at 21° on every shot, about 5° above the PGA Tour.
The face isn't square on every swing: two of the last three shots curved 41 ft, one went dead straight. The swing path looks good, so the clubface at impact is the likeliest variable.

Confidence: high on the head and hip stability, the tempo and the screen numbers, which are measured. Moderate on the causes of the launch and curve, because shaft lean and face angle can't be seen down-the-line.

6 Fixes & drills (in priority order)

Priority 1 · Loft

Towel-behind-the-ball drill

Lay a folded towel about 6 inches behind the ball. Hit 7-irons without touching the towel.

Forces a ball-first strike with the hands ahead, lowering launch toward 17–18°.

Priority 1 · Loft

Hold-off punch shots

Hit three-quarter 7-irons with the hands finishing at chest height, ahead of the clubhead. Aim for a launch under 18° on the screen.

Teaches forward shaft lean through impact.

Priority 1 · Curve

Gate drill

Place two tees just wider than the clubhead, 4 inches in front of the ball on the target line. Hit through the gate without touching the tees.

Rewards a square face and path at impact; check the curve number after each shot.

Priority 2 · Tempo

3:1 tempo with a metronome

Rehearse "back-2-3 / down-1" with a tempo app. Start with half swings, then build to full.

Gives the hands time to square the face and lean the shaft.

Keep

Backside-to-the-wall check

Once a week, film from the same spot and confirm the backside stays on its address line through impact.

Protects the excellent posture he already has.

Keep

Hold-the-finish rule

Hold every practice swing in the finish for a three-count.

Locks in the balance and full rotation.

7 4-week practice plan

Week	Focus	Session (≈50 balls)
1	Ball-first strike	15 towel-drill shots · 15 hold-off punches · 10 full 7-irons, logging launch and curve
2	Square face	20 gate-drill shots · 10 punches under 18° launch · 10 full shots, curve under 20 ft
3	Tempo	Metronome rehearsals · 20 full 7-irons at 3:1 · 10 shots alternating 7-iron and a longer iron with the same tempo
4	Retest	10 7-irons at Mariners Point, logging carry, launch, landing, curve and offline, plus a new down-the-line and face-on video

Targets to track on the screen

Launch angle: 21° → 17–18°

Landing angle: ~44° → 47°+

Curve: 41 ft → under 20 ft on most shots

Carry: keep 165+ yds with a tighter spread

The targets are practical goals for his speed, not tour standards. Refine them after the week-4 retest.

8 Limitations & next capture

The analysis covers one swing, filmed down-the-line only. Shaft lean, face angle, ball position and weight shift need a face-on view.
The screen was filmed while the shot was still updating: the landing angle and offline distance of the filmed shot aren't visible, and the curve direction isn't legible. Club speed, spin and attack angle aren't displayed.
Head movement is measured in pixels and converted to inches using head size, so treat it as ±1 inch.

For the next session: film face-on and down-the-line from 3–4 m away, using slow motion (120–240 fps) if possible. Photograph the full screen, including the right-hand columns, after the ball lands.