Swing AnalysisSwing AnalysisA frame-by-frame review of the pitching wedge swing from the October 28, 2026 session at Mariners, filmed down-the-line from behind the hands and slightly elevated, with the ball-flight readout from the range screen. It is the third pitching wedge report and the first with ball data. It closes with simple next steps.
Bottom line: a steady, repeatable wedge. 115 yards total, 113 carry, and 89.2 mph of ball speed, which is above the LPGA Tour pitching wedge average (86 mph). Carry beats the LPGA average (107 yds) by 6 yards; the PGA Tour carries 136. The flight is high: a 28° launch (tours: 24.0° and 24.2°), a 79 ft (26 yd) apex and a 47° landing, so the ball stops fast, with only 2 yards of roll. This is the first pitching wedge report with ball data, so these numbers are the new baseline to beat.
The swing itself is clean where it counts. The hips stayed on the tush line (0.1 in gap at impact), the hands returned to within 0.4 in of their address spot, and the tempo is 2.5:1, inside the good band. The one watch item is the head, about 4.0 in lower at impact, and most of that drop is already there at the takeaway (3.8 in). The hips also rise about 1.2 in through impact. This is report 3 of 10 for the pitching wedge.
Hips stay on the tush line (0.1 in), hands back at address within 0.4 in, ball speed 89.2 mph above the LPGA average.
The head is about 4 in lower than at address by the takeaway and stays there. Setting the posture first, then keeping the cap on its line, keeps the low point steady.
The hips rise about 1.2 in by impact. Keeping the knee flex through the ball keeps the club on the same path every time.
| Metric | André (PW #3) | LPGA Tour avg | PGA Tour avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball speed | 89.2 mph | 86 mph | 102 mph |
| Club speed (estimated) | ~64–65 mph | 70 mph | 83 mph |
| Carry | 113 yds | 107 yds | 136 yds |
| Flat carry | — | — | — |
| Total | 115 yds | — | — |
| Launch angle | 28° | 24.0° | 24.2° |
| Apex | 79 ft (26 yds) | 23 yds | 29 yds |
| Landing angle | 47° | 48° | 52° |
| Curve | 15 ft left | — | — |
| Hang time | 5.2 s | — | — |
| Proximity | 79 (unit not legible) | — | — |
The earlier two pitching wedge reports had no ball data, so there is nothing to compare with and no ★ to award yet. Glare hides most tile labels on the screen, so flat carry is left blank and the proximity unit is unclear. Club speed isn't on the screen: at a typical iron smash of ~1.38–1.40, 89.2 mph of ball speed means about 64–65 mph of club speed. This is a rough estimate, since a wedge usually has a lower smash, which would mean a higher club speed. The ball could not be tracked in the video: at 30 frames per second it is gone between two frames after impact. Filming in slow motion (120 or 240 fps) would let the start direction be measured.
What it means: Ball speed is 3 mph above the LPGA average and the carry is 6 yards longer. The 28° launch and 26-yd apex make a flight higher than the LPGA average, and the 47° landing is almost the same as the LPGA 48°, so the ball lands soft and stops fast. Spin isn't on the screen, so nothing can be said about it. The 15 ft left curve is small.
30 frames per second, so each time is accurate to about ±0.03 s. The backswing starts at frame 107 (4.37 s), the top is at 4.87 s and impact is at about 5.07 s.
| Group | Backswing | Downswing | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| André (PW #3, Oct 28 session) | ~0.50 s | ~0.20 s | ~2.5:1 |
| André (PW #2, Oct 11) | ~0.60 s | ~0.22 s | ~2.8:1 |
| André (PW #1, Sep 19) | ~0.63 s | ~0.28 s | ~2.2:1 |
| André (9-Iron #1, Oct 28) | ~0.60 s | ~0.40 s | ~1.5:1 |
| 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 ~2:1 and ~3.2:1.
What it means: The ratio of 2.5:1 sits at the edge of the good band. It is quicker overall than the earlier wedge swings: the downswing (0.20 s) is the fastest of the three and the backswing (0.50 s) the shortest. The 9-iron from the same session was 1.5:1, so the wedge rhythm is already better. A touch more time at the top would move it toward 3:1.
Nine key positions, filmed down-the-line from behind the hands, slightly elevated. The target is along the line of the mat edges.
Photos are numbered in the order they happen in the swing. The frames follow the standard swing positions.
| Measure (vs address) | Top | Impact | PW #2 (top / impact) | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head, down | ~3.5 in | ~4.0 in | — / ~4–5 in | Watch about 3.8 in is already there at the takeaway |
| Head, toward the ball line | ~2.0 in | ~1.6 in | — / — | Good under 2 in |
| Hips, toward the ball | −0.4 in (away) | 0.0 in | — / — | Good stays back |
| Rear of hips vs tush line | — | 0.1 in | — / — | Good stays on the line |
| Hips, rise | ~0.2 in | ~1.2 in | — / — | Watch a small lift |
| Hands vs address | ~21.7 in | ~0.4 in | — / — | Good back to the same spot |
| Shoulder turn (about, ±10–15°) | ~85° | ~15° open | — / — | Info full turn, slightly open at impact |
| Hip turn (about, ±10–15°) | ~40° | ~35° open | — / — | Info hips clearly open at impact |
| X-factor (shoulder minus hip) | ~45° | — | — / — | Info good coil |
| Tempo (back / down) | ~0.50 s | ~0.20 s | ~2.8:1 | Good 2.5:1 |
Depth note: from behind, the head's ~2 in shift toward the ball line is partly sideways and partly along the depth rays (toward the target), and one camera can't split the two. With only one stick on the mat there is no second-stick vanishing point, so the depth rays come from the mat edges. A face-on clip of the next swing will settle it. The logbook has no top or impact numbers for earlier wedge reports, so only the head drop is compared.
| Club (best report) | Total | Carry | Ball speed | Launch | Curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-Iron · Oct 14 | 147 yds | 144 yds | 104 mph | 22° | 0 ft |
| 9-Iron · Oct 28 | 117 yds | 116 yds | 92.2 mph | 27° | 6 ft left |
| Pitching Wedge · Oct 28 session | 115 yds | 113 yds | 89.2 mph | 28° | 15 ft left |
Heads-up: the pitching wedge carried only 3 yards less than the 9-iron (113 vs 116) and totalled 2 yards less (115 vs 117), with about 3 mph less ball speed. Both were hit in the same session. Neighbouring clubs normally show a clear gap, so these two overlap. One swing of each is a small sample, so a few more balls will show whether the overlap is real. The 8-iron, sand wedge and lob wedge have no reports yet, so the short-game gaps are still open.
Confidence: high on ball flight (range screen, though some labels are hidden by glare) and on tempo (measured frame by frame, ±0.03 s); moderate on head and hip distances (grid scaled from the 4 x 4 ft mat, ±1 inch); moderate-low on rotation angles (visual estimate, about ±10–15°); low on the toward-ball vs toward-target split (needs a second angle); club speed is estimated.
Same camera spot. Settle into the posture first, then keep the top of the cap on the white line until the ball is gone, for 10 balls.
Feel: "chest over the ball, knees keep their flex." This tackles the ~4 in head drop at the takeaway.
Hit 5 balls with the feeling that the back pockets stay on the red tush line and the belt buckle turns, without standing up.
A hips rise of 1.2 in becomes under 1 in when the knees keep their flex.
Hit 5 pitching wedges and 5 9-irons in the same session and read the carry for each.
One swing of each showed only a 3-yard carry gap. A longer sample shows whether the gap is real.
Count "back-2-3, down" and keep the same quick, smooth downswing and the hands returning to the address spot.
Hands within 0.4 in and a good tempo are the base to build on.
Next capture: Next capture, to sharpen the reference frame: (1) the same down-the-line spot, with two alignment sticks and a feet line on the mat so the depth rays are exact, (2) a face-on clip at chest height, (3) slow motion (120 or 240 fps) so the ball start direction can be measured, (4) 3–5 balls for an average, and (5) André's height, to lock the grid scale.