Swing AnalysisSwing AnalysisA frame-by-frame review of André's 6-iron swing at Crystal Springs, filmed from behind. It covers set-up, tempo, head motion, impact and finish, compares it with his first 6-iron report, and closes with simple next steps.
Bottom line: a solid, repeatable 6-iron motion with one clear improvement. The hips held their depth through impact: no early extension, which the 7-iron still showed. The finish was full and balanced again, and the tempo measured ~2:1 (0.53 s back, 0.27 s down), identical to his first 6-iron.
The pattern still to fix is the same as in every club so far: the head sinks about 5 inches by impact (3 of them already by the top). There was no range screen, so ball flight is estimated: ~145–150 yds total on flat ground (~155 yds seen on the downhill range), with launch still high at ~22–23°.
Seat on its address line at impact, plus a full, balanced finish.
Keep the cap at its address height to the top and through impact.
Stretch the backswing toward the 2.8:1 of his best wedge.
No range screen on this clip, so these numbers are estimates (±10 yds), not measurements.
| Metric | André (est.) | LPGA Tour avg | PGA Tour avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club speed | ~75–78 mph | 78 mph | 92 mph |
| Ball speed | ~102–106 mph | 109 mph | 127 mph |
| Launch angle | ~22–23° | 17.1° | ~14° |
| Carry (flat) | ~138–143 yds | 152 yds | 183 yds |
| Total (flat) | ~145–150 yds | — | — |
| Seen on the range | ~155 yds | — | — |
Method: André's height (1.80 m) sets the scale, about 0.24 cm per pixel. The clubhead covers ~74 cm in the frame before impact, ~50 mph in the picture plane. That's a floor, since from behind most of the motion runs into the picture. The range is filled in from his own data: tempo, head dip and posture match his 6-iron #1 (75–77 mph) and 7-iron (76–78 mph). Benchmarks: TrackMan PGA Tour and LPGA Tour averages (6-iron).
What it means: the Crystal Springs range runs downhill, worth about 25 yds here. The ~155 yds André saw is therefore ~130 yds on flat ground, about 15 yds under the estimate, which points to a slightly thin or high-launched strike. Either way his speed is LPGA-level, but the distance isn't yet. The cause is the same as in his other irons: the head dip adds loft (~22° vs 17°). Fixing it is worth roughly 10–15 yds.
30 frames per second, so each time is accurate to about ±0.03 s. Takeaway starts at 46.40 s, the top is at 46.94 s, and impact is at 47.20 s.
| Group | Backswing | Downswing | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| André (6-iron #2, today) | ~0.53 s | ~0.27 s | ~2:1 |
| André (6-iron #1, Oct 6) | ~0.45–0.6 s | ~0.23–0.3 s | ~2:1 |
| André (PW #2, Oct 11) | ~0.60 s | ~0.22 s | ~2.8:1 |
| PGA Tour (Tour Tempo, "24/8") | ~0.80 s | ~0.27 s | 3:1 |
Tour figure: John Novosel, Tour Tempo. One frame either way moves the ratio between ~1.8:1 and ~2.2:1.
What it means: the downswing (0.27 s) is already tour-speed. The gap to 3:1 is all in the backswing, which is about a quarter-second quicker than tour players'. Same story as the 7-iron.
Nine key positions, filmed from behind on the trail side. The ball and target line run into the picture, to the right of André.
Photos are numbered in the order they happen in the swing; the names follow the standard swing positions.
The white line is the top of the cap at address, and the gold line is the back of the cap at address. The camera didn't move. Distances are estimated from his body size in the frame (shin length), so treat them as ±1 inch.
| Metric | #1 · Oct 6 · Mariners | #2 · Oct 18 · Crystal Springs | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total / carry | 149 / 140 yds | ~145–150 / ~138–143 yds (est.) | Similar |
| Ball speed · launch | 103 mph · 23° | ~102–106 mph · ~22–23° (est.) | Similar |
| Tempo | ~2:1 | ~2:1 (0.53 / 0.27 s) | Same |
| Head at impact | sinks (launch 23°) | ~5 in lower, ~2 in closer | Still there |
| Hips at impact | — | hold depth | Better |
| Finish | Excellent | Excellent | Keep |
Still open: the Oct 14 7-iron carried 4 yards farther than the Oct 6 6-iron (gap only 2 yds total). A 6-iron with range-screen data is still needed to settle the gap. That's the top item for the next 6-iron session.
Confidence: high on tempo (measured); moderate on head distances; low-to-moderate on ball flight (estimated) (estimated from body size); hip depth reliable from this angle.
Same camera spot. Mark the top of the cap at address on the screen and hit 10 balls trying to keep it on that line until the ball is gone, starting with the backswing.
Feel: "chest stays over the ball, knees keep their flex."
Count "back-2-3, down-1", the same count as the 2.8:1 wedge swing.
Slows the backswing without touching the downswing speed.
Once the club is grounded, go within 10–15 s. Today's address lasted about 28 s.
Less time over the ball means less tension in the hands.
Same seat depth through impact and the same held finish on every swing.
It's the clearest improvement in this report.
Next session: a 6-iron with the range screen in shot (5 balls for an average) to settle the 6/7 gap, plus one face-on clip at chest height.