Swing AnalysisSwing AnalysisA frame-by-frame review of the October 11 driver swing at Crystal Springs, measured with the full reference frame (grid, center lines, diagonals and depth rays), with a comparison against his earlier driver reports and the link to today's iron struggles.
Bottom line: his best driver tempo on record, with a slow, full backswing of about 0.63 s and a 0.27 s downswing (~2.3:1, up from ~2:1), plus an excellent finish and hands that return to their address spot.
The one thing to fix is the same thing his irons show: the head moves about 5 inches down and 5½ inches toward the ball by impact while the hips rise ~3 inches. The chest tips over the ball. With a driver off a tee that usually shows up as heel or high-face contact and a ball that starts right or curves. With the long irons off the grass (today's 4-iron), the same move produces the top-and-chunk pattern.
~2.3:1 rhythm, the best of his 3 driver reports, and a balanced, full finish.
Keep the head inside its address box: no closer to the ball, no lower. This one fix carries over to the whole bag.
Hold the knee flex into impact so the hips don't rise while the chest drops.
No launch monitor or range screen on this clip, and the ball leaves the frame right after impact, so there are no ball numbers for this report. For reference, his only driver readout (report #1, Oct 7, Mariners Point) was 213 yds carry / 241 total, 129 mph ball speed, 16° launch, 38 ft curve.
Next time, a photo of the range screen after the swing makes the comparison complete.
30 frames per second, so each time is accurate to about ±0.03 s. Takeaway at 12.13 s, top at 12.77 s, impact at 13.03 s.
| Group | Backswing | Downswing | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| André (Driver #3, Oct 11) | ~0.63 s | ~0.27 s | ~2.3:1 |
| André (Driver #2, Crystal Springs) | ~0.60 s | ~0.33 s | ~2:1 |
| André (Driver #1, Oct 7) | ~0.5 s | ~0.25–0.3 s | ~2:1 |
| André (6-iron #3, Oct 14, best iron) | ~0.60 s | ~0.23 s | ~2.6:1 |
| André (4-iron, today) | ~0.40 s | ~0.27 s | ~1.5:1 |
| PGA Tour (Tour Tempo, "24/8") | ~0.80 s | ~0.27 s | 3:1 |
Tour figure: John Novosel, Tour Tempo. One frame either way at the top moves the ratio between ~2.1:1 and ~2.6:1.
What it means: with the driver he gives himself time: same downswing speed as the 4-iron, but a backswing that's 50% longer. That's the rhythm to copy into the long irons.
Nine key positions, filmed down-the-line from slightly above and behind the hands. The target is into the picture.
At the top the hands leave the left edge of the frame, so the yellow hand trail is cut off there.
| Measure (vs address) | Top | Impact | Driver #1 (impact) | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head, down | ~3 in | ~5 in | ~5 in | Fix same as always |
| Head, toward the ball | ~5 in | ~5½ in | ~2 in | Fix larger than #1 |
| Hips, toward the ball | −4 in (away) | −1 in (away) | — | Good no thrust |
| Hips, height | ≈ same | ~3 in higher | — | Watch legs straighten |
| Hands at impact vs address | — | ~1 in | — | Good back to the same spot |
Depth note: the camera is slightly above, so part of the "down" reading can be the head moving toward the target along the depth rays. The "toward the ball" reading is the most reliable of the two.
| Report | Head down at impact | Head toward the ball | What it produces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver #3 · Oct 11 | ~5 in | ~5½ in | Tee forgives it: contact high or toward the heel |
| 6-Iron #3 · Oct 14 | ~6 in | ~2 in | High launch (20°) |
| 4-Iron · today | ~7 in | dives | Top, chunk, right and left |
The link: it's the same move in every club. The driver hides it because the ball sits on a tee and the swing is long and rhythmic. The 4-iron exposes it because the ball is on the grass and the backswing got rushed. Fix the head once and it fixes all three.
Confidence: high on tempo (frame-by-frame); moderate on head and hip distances (±1 inch, grid scaled from body and club); no ball data on this clip.
Same camera spot. Keep the cap under the white line and behind the green line until the ball is gone, for 10 balls.
Feel: "the chest turns, the head stays."
Feel the trail knee keep its bend into impact. Hit five drives at 80% holding that feeling.
The hips stay level, so the chest doesn't need to dive.
Use this driver rhythm with the 4- and 5-iron: "one-two" back, "three" down.
The 4-iron backswing today was ~0.40 s. The driver shows he can do 0.63 s.
Hold the finish for 3 seconds, as here.
A balanced finish is the best sign the sequence worked.
Next capture: (1) the camera at hip height, 3–4 steps back so the whole swing fits, (2) a range-screen photo after the swing, and (3) André's height, to lock the grid scale.