The 8 Phases of a Golf Swing — What Your Coach Sees

Every golf swing happens in under 2 seconds. But inside that 2 seconds, your body passes through 8 distinct phases — each with specific body positions that determine where the ball goes.

Professional coaches train for years to spot these phases. With camera-based body tracking, you can see them yourself.

P1 — Address

This is your setup. Knees slightly bent (like sitting on a bar stool), spine tilted forward from the hips (not the waist), arms hanging naturally. The data you want to watch: spine angle (25-35° forward tilt) and knee flex (150-160°).

P2 — Takeaway

The first move. Club, arms, and chest move as one piece — the "triangle." If your hands move independently from your chest, the triangle breaks. What to watch: does your chest rotation start before your hands move?

P3 — Backswing

Arms rising, weight shifting to your trail foot. Your shoulder turn should be building toward 60-80°. Your trail knee should maintain its flex — if it straightens, you're losing your base.

P4 — Top

The moment of truth. This is where the most data lives. Shoulder turn: 85-90° (back facing the target). Hip turn: 40-45°. The difference — your X-Factor — should be 40-50° for maximum power. And critically: your spine angle should be the same as at address. If it went from 30° to 5°, you "stood up" — the most common amateur error.

P5 — Downswing

The lower body leads. Your lead heel plants first, hips start rotating before your arms drop. The feel: "skip a stone, don't chop wood." Your trail elbow drops toward your pocket.

P6 — Pre-Impact

Halfway down. Hips are already open 20-30°, but your shoulders are still closed. This separation is where lag lives — and lag is power.

P7 — Impact

Hands ahead of the ball. Belt buckle pointing at the target. Spine angle maintained from address. This is a fraction of a second — too fast to feel, but camera data captures it.

P8 — Finish

Chest facing the target. Trail foot up on its toes. Balanced enough to hold the pose. If you can't hold your finish, something went wrong earlier.

What body tracking reveals

A coach watches your swing for 2 seconds and makes a judgment call. Camera-based tracking gives you the actual numbers — shoulder turn in degrees, hip rotation, spine angle frame by frame. It's not a replacement for a coach. It's a second pair of eyes that never blinks.