I Hired an AI Golf Coach

I’ve written a lot about AI. In some ways, I think AI is helpful. In others, I’m convinced it’s doing more harm than good.

Because I’m still fascinated, and admittedly hopeful about AI being of benefit to more than just college students looking to cheat on a test, I decided I’d do a little more exploring of ChatGPT, the most well-known AI chatbot.

While exploring ChatGPT, I found out you can interact with other GPTs, custom versions of ChatGPT that are trained on different data and created for specific purposes. While doing so, I stumbled upon an AI golf coach GPT.

You see where this is heading. Can an AI golf coach provide helpful instruction or is it just a gimmick?

Analyzing My Swing

At the current time, ChatGPT doesn’t have the ability to analyze videos. It can, however, look at photos. So I sent the Golf Pro AI Golf Coach a picture of my backswing position and asked it what I was doing well and, more importantly, what I was doing wrong.

What I’m doing well, according to an AI golf coach

Your backswing shows some positive elements and areas for improvement. Here’s what I observe:

• Upper Body Rotation: You have a good shoulder turn, which is essential for generating power.
• Club Position: The club appears to be in a good position at the top of your backswing, indicating that you’re setting yourself up well for the downswing.

What I’m doing poorly, according to an AI golf coach

• Weight Distribution: It seems that your weight is still more on your back foot rather than being more balanced or slightly shifted towards the lead foot. This can affect your transition and impact.
• Hip Rotation: Your hips appear to be relatively static. Ensuring that your hips turn along with your shoulders can help with a more fluid and powerful swing.
• Arm Position: Check if your lead arm is straight at the top of your backswing. A bent lead arm can lead to inconsistent strikes.

What a real golf coach has to say

Fair enough, “coach.” But, what does a real coach have to say? I showed the same picture to a local golf coach. Here’s what he had to say.

There’s not much I would change. It looks pretty good. (Wow! Really?)

But, there are a few things. Your left elbow is flared out a bit, it needs to be closer to your body. You don’t have a lot of wrist hinge. You’re overrating with your upper body, and a little bit with your lower body.

Room to improve

No matter how you slice it, both AI and I have some room to improve. As far as advice goes, though, I’m sticking with what the real coach has to say.

If ChatGPT can get to the point where it analyzes video, that’s another thing. Understandably, the possibilities are finite when only looking at a still image. Even still, I feel like the advice given to me by the real coach matches more closely with what I feel I need help with.

What are your thoughts? Will AI ever make a good golf coach?

Just for fun

While I was working with my AI coach, I decided to have some fun. Using the same photo, I asked it to compare me to a PGA Tour player.

Comparing your backswing position to a professional golfer, it seems you have a few similarities to golfers who emphasize a strong shoulder turn and a stable upper body. One player who comes to mind is Justin Thomas. He is known for his strong shoulder turn and solid position at the top of the backswing.

That’s JT on the left, for those wondering. I know it was a little hard to tell the difference.

In any case, I still think AI isn’t quite there yet. But I’d love to know your thoughts!