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Analysis of swing tempo, swing rhythm, and functional swing plane slope in golf with a wearable inertial measurement unit sensor

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Abstract

Swing tempo, rhythm and swing plane are shown to be important in maintaining the performance. However, nearly all studies utilized optical motion capture system for the planar behavior of golf swings and the movement of the club. The primary aim of this study was to develop inertial measurement unit sensor-based swing motion analysis algorithm, and validate against an optical motion camera system by comparing the estimated clubhead trajectories during the golf swing. Then, the tempo, rhythm and functional swing plane were investigated using a validated wearable inertial sensor. Fourteen male golfers performed repeated swings for three clubs (driver, 7-iron, and wedge) and at three distances (30 m, 50 m, and 70 m using the wedge). The swing tempo of all the participants was consistent across different clubs. The swing rhythm tends to decrease for club types with less carrying distance. The functional swing plane slope tends to decrease for club types with greater carrying distance. Our study demonstrated a potential application of a wearable inertial measurement unit system for analyzing golf performance parameters.

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Abbreviations

IMU :

Inertial measurement unit

3D:

Three-dimensional

FSP:

Functional swing plane

TB:

Top of the backswing

BI:

Ball impact

EFT:

End of the follow-through

BA:

Ball address

HDS:

Horizontal downswing

MDF:

Middle of follow-through

RMSE:

Root-mean-square-error

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIP) [No. 2017R1E1A1A03070418].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Korea

    Maro Cheon, Batbayar Khuyagbaatar & Yoon Hyuk Kim

  2. Department of Technical Mechanics, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Batbayar Khuyagbaatar

  3. Department of Golf Competition and Teaching, Korea Golf University, Gangwon-do, Korea

    Jeong-Hwan Yeom

Authors
  1. Maro Cheon
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  2. Batbayar Khuyagbaatar
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  3. Jeong-Hwan Yeom
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  4. Yoon Hyuk Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yoon Hyuk Kim.

Additional information

Recommended by Editor Sehyun Shin

Yoon Hyuk Kim received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 1992, 1994, and 2000, respectively. He is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Korea.

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Cheon, M., Khuyagbaatar, B., Yeom, JH. et al. Analysis of swing tempo, swing rhythm, and functional swing plane slope in golf with a wearable inertial measurement unit sensor. J Mech Sci Technol 34, 3095–3101 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-020-0640-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-020-0640-3

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