gear review
OVER THE TOP
Shayne Dowling tested the DEWIZ Ai GOLF SWING ANALYSER training aid and was shocked at the results!
Hooking and slicing. Actually, probably more so slicing… these are the most common problems amateur golfers mention when you talk about their golf shape.
Coming over the top is probably the number one culprit and most-seen golf swing fault that can result in both those nasty shot shapes. Pros around the world work on this daily with their students, there are products and drills that are dedicated to eradicating this unwanted evil, so when I was told about the DeWiz Ai Analyser and the potential to groove my swing and keep it on plane I jumped at it.
First off, let me say this isn’t a quick fix. This isn’t a cheap fix. But this is definitely a fix! I’ll try to summarise it: the DeWiz is a piece of high-tech, high-quality equipment you wear on your wrist, like a watch, that tracks and analyses your swing. It does this pretty much anywhere, with or without a club, and gives you real data that allows you to see and track results and work with the data to improve your swing – anywhere!
The armband (I don’t want to call it a watch because it doesn’t tell the time or have any functions other than golf and your swing!) fits snuggly. This is important because once you have all your parameters set, the clever little machine will gently “shock” you should you stray outside the settings! Yes, it’s true! Don’t worry, you can set the strength of the tickle – think the old square 9V battery you put on your tongue as a kid. It is called Learning Stimuli and is highly effective.
I must admit to trepidation on my backswing initially, worried that I would be outside my parameters and receive a buzz, and quickly tried to ensure the voice from my phone said, “On plane”! A whole new kind of risk and reward, but highly effective as a training aid.
You soon adjust to the band in which you need to swing, you start to “feel” the correct plane and I knew when I was outside the band, buzz aside. Oh, and you can choose not to have the buzz and just the voice notifications.
The AI rendering is fantastic and it’s amazing how it collects so much information from the arm tech. Seeing the avatar mimic your shot and visually outline your swing – on your phone and done at home – is quite surreal.
You are left with a whole lot of stats that will open an entire new world to the mechanics of your swing. There are also excellent videos and even a DeWiz learning centre where you get your questions answered, get tips and drills and engage with other users.
dewizgolf learning center
Should you have a coach who uses the technology, your stats can be accessed remotely and of course, your programmes and drills set according to your objectives. Another excellent feature is that it compliments your normal ball tracking devices (such as Flightscope, Trackman, Mevo and GCQuad devices) by giving you live feedback and hand path.
You set up your DeWiz app initially and this entails selecting the clubs you have in your bag. You then “profile” each club and have data for everyone should you wish to. The data will of course be different for the longer-shafted clubs as opposed to the wedges. Each data item is explained on the app, and besides on your phone, you can go to the website and with your login go to your swing history and compare it to professionals using DeWiz – Vijay Singh, Henrick Stenson, Bryson Dechambeau, Annika Sӧrenstam. You have real targets to aim for and you can work on them every day in your own time and space. Brilliant!
I have been concentrating on my transition but the DeWiz also offers tempo, length of backswing and your wedge game as specific areas to concentrate on. These segments can be selected within the Practice and Learn option.
There are four main modes available on the app, and before we look at them specifically, it should be said that because of working on things like your tempo, transition and backswing, most of your other issues are improved as a result – think distance, shot shape (as mentioned), hand speed, etc. Because you have so much data available, you can focus on individual segments to practise and improve on them. You can also bring your other training aids – like the SwingPlate into your sessions that will complement your DeWiz training. So, it is also a versatile training aid.
dewizgolf Transition page
There is another feature I have yet to try but it certainly offers an exciting option, which is that you can use the DeWiz for on-course tracking. While playing and wearing the DeWiz your data will be saved for you to look at after the round. The rules of golf don’t allow you to use any data during the round, so you can only access it after you close the round. Once you have played a shot you enter info on which club, what hole and the result of the shot – so left, right, down the middle, etc. Imagine having your stats for every club and then being able to track improvement as you practise and refine your game. Again… brilliant!
There is so much to unpack when it comes to the DeWiz and anyone who has one of these little golfing wizards will agree that it is a training aid on steroids.
shayne dowling/supplied