Zepp Golf

MOST players want to improve. Whether you only play sporadically at your local municipal or you are hell-bent on winning the club championship, we all want to play better and shoot lower scores – but how can we do that?

Often we think new clubs will do the trick but shelling out on the latest equipment is futile if your swing isn’t there. A lesson with a decent coach is always money well spent, but unfortunately the money spent will often need to be considerable.

What about a product that records your swing, shows it back to you and then tells you how to fix it, all for the cost of a few lessons or a new putter? Introducing Zepp. 

What is Zepp?

Zepp is a training aid that captures performance data and displays it to the user on phone or iPad.

Features:

- Replay and review swings in 360 degrees from any angle
- Track clubhead speed
- Measure tempo
- Measure the angle of the club at the top of the backswing
- Measure hip rotation
- Evaluate the quality of each swing
- Compare and share data
- Store up to 2,000 swings

How does it work?

Each 3D sensor contains an ARM processor and multiple storage sensors that track your movements with precision throughout the swing. This data is then sent to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth. 

Review

Syncing Zepp with your device is so easy, I’m confident even the biggest technophobes will be able to pull it off. Once the app is downloaded, turn on Bluetooth and by gripping the club for three seconds, which allows the system to calibrate itself, you’re ready for action. 

The device is small – one square inch by less than half a square inch to be exact – and light, which means once attached to your glove it will not impede your swing and can be forgotten about.

Before you begin hitting, players need to input the club they are using and their desired targets. If you know that a full shoulder turn is out of the question, then there's no point rupturing back muscles to try and achieve the unattainable. 

Once you swing, data will be available instantly. To begin with you will see your swing in 3D, and you can rotate the stick man to view it from different angles.

Tap the graph icon and you will see your stats colour-coded in a traffic light system. If an area is not up to scratch then it will be shown in red, allowing players to quickly see where they are struggling. This data is then accumulated to give you an overall swing score, shown in the top corner of the screen.

This allows players to glance at the data and see their score and continue swinging, if the score is high enough, or view where they went wrong, if in the red-zone. 

Once a troublesome area has been highlighted, players can instantly watch a training video allowing the user to fix the problem. Players do not have to wait to get home to find a solution, they can correct their swing there and then on the range.

One potential issue is those who are not well versed on the intricacies of the golf swing may not understand what some of the numbers mean, such as hand plane, and could then amend their swing but not know what the problem was in the first place. However, a quick Google search or chat with the club pro will be enough to rectify this. 

Zepp is endorsed by Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele and players can compare their games to the professionals in both 3D format and in video. Film yourself from behind and you can then see yourself next to the pro - it's probably the closest your swing will ever get to theirs, so enjoy it. 

After a session on the range, players can sit at home and view their swings by going through their history. 

Zepp is not trying to replace the golf coach, but it does allow users to work on their swing alone. 

Verdict

What’s great about Zepp is its ease of use. From syncing the system to viewing your statistics, it’s simple and effective.

The traffic light system allows players to quickly see which areas of their game need work and the data is all easy to digest, although some of the numbers may not mean a huge amount to the casual golfer. 

Undoubtedly, training with the product will improve your swing by correcting problem areas and improving components that area already sufficient. 

Comparing your swing to the professionals in video format is interesting, and the training videos are a unique selling point, allowing players to instantly work on their swing with help from a certified coach.

If you want to improve your swing quickly on a budget, Zepp could be the answer. 

Price: £129.99 available at Apple stores, Curry’s/ PC World, Argos, John Lewis and American Golf.