Published February 07, 2026

Improving your golf game starts with understanding exactly where you stand. A golf performance assessment is a structured process that combines precise data analysis and professional evaluation to reveal both your strengths and the areas that need attention. This detailed approach removes guesswork and provides a clear picture of your current capabilities.

The 5-step assessment method breaks down your game into manageable, actionable parts, making it easier to identify what adjustments will yield the most progress. Each step builds on the last, creating a foundation for a personalized training plan that targets your unique swing mechanics, physical condition, and shot patterns. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, starting with a thorough evaluation ensures your practice time is focused and effective, leading to measurable improvements on the course. 

Step 1: Golf Swing Video Analysis – Capturing the Mechanics

The assessment starts with a clear record of what the club and body actually do. High-speed cameras capture the golf swing from down-the-line, face-on, and often from behind the player. Paired with advanced simulators at My Golf Conditioning, this creates a synchronized view of club motion, ball flight, and body positions at each key phase.

Slow-motion playback removes guesswork. Instead of relying on feel, we work from measurable positions and movement patterns. The system tracks how the club travels through space, how the body segments sequence, and how these elements influence strike quality and direction.

Key swing metrics we analyze

• Club path: The direction the clubhead moves through impact relative to the target line. This shapes starting direction and curvature and often explains patterns like pushes, pulls, hooks, and slices.
• Swing plane: The angle and consistency of the club's arc. Video frames show if the club stays on a functional plane or drifts above or below it, which affects contact, face control, and low point.
• Impact position: The relationship of hands, shaft, and clubface to the ball at strike. We assess shaft lean, face angle, spine tilt, and weight distribution to see how they match the intended shot.
• Timing and sequencing: How the lower body, torso, arms, and club load and then release. High-speed footage reveals if segments fire out of order or stall, which often hides behind vague labels like "inconsistent."

Why video comes before physical screening

Swing video analysis creates a baseline golf performance assessment. Subtle faults - early extension, loss of posture, casting the club, or a shut face at the top - often pass unnoticed at full speed. Once those movement patterns are clear on screen, the next steps of a golf improvement plan have direction.

From there, later physical screenings and conditioning work do not chase symptoms. Instead, they address the specific mobility, stability, or strength limitations that show up as visible swing inefficiencies. The camera shows the pattern; the body work addresses why that pattern shows up in the first place. 

Step 2: Golf Biomechanics Assessment – Understanding Your Body’s Movement

Once the swing is clear on video, the next question is simple: is the body capable of doing what the swing model asks? The biomechanics assessment answers that. Instead of guessing at "flexibility" in general, we test how each major joint and segment moves under golf-specific demands.

The assessment starts with joint mobility and flexibility. Hips, thoracic spine, shoulders, and ankles each get checked for range of motion in the directions a golf swing needs. Limited hip rotation often matches patterns like early extension or a trail leg that straightens too soon. A stiff upper back frequently lines up with a flat shoulder plane or a club that lifts instead of turns. When the video shows a pattern, the table tests show whether the pattern comes from skill, habit, or a simple mobility roadblock.

Next comes posture and alignment in address. We look at how the spine stacks, how the pelvis tilts, and how the ribcage sits over the hips. Rounded upper back, a tucked pelvis, or an exaggerated arch each change how the body loads and rotates. These postural shapes often explain why some players struggle to maintain spine angle, tilt, or balance through impact.

Grip assessment ties the hands and forearms into the system. Grip strength, orientation, and pressure patterns affect clubface control and wrist angles. If the video shows a shut or open face, excessive casting, or stalled wrist hinge, the grip and forearm screen usually reveal a physical reason: lack of forearm mobility, poor wrist stability, or a grip that forces compensations elsewhere.

We also screen stability and muscle imbalances. Simple balance, single-leg stance, and core control tests show how well the body can accept and redirect force. Weakness or asymmetry here often caps swing speed and power long before "technique" does. A player who loses balance in basic tests rarely holds posture during a dynamic downswing. Limited glute strength or lateral hip stability shows up as sway, slide, or inconsistent low point on camera.

Each of these findings connects directly back to the 5-step golf performance assessment. If the video reveals a short backswing, casting, or a stalled pivot, we now know whether the cause is restricted range of motion, poor segment control, or a gap in strength. That link sets up the next phase: a targeted golf improvement plan in the strength and conditioning step, built to expand useful range, reinforce stable positions, and support the swing changes identified earlier. 

Step 3: Golf Strength and Conditioning Evaluation – Building Power and Stability

Once mobility and joint control are clear, the focus shifts to what the body can produce and sustain under golf load. Guided by Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) principles, the strength and conditioning evaluation measures how force, stability, and endurance support the swing model already built on video.

Testing starts with core strength and trunk stability. Plank variations, anti-rotation holds, and dead-bug patterns show how well the torso resists unwanted movement while the arms and club move quickly. A core that collapses under load bleeds swing speed and makes consistent low point control harder to repeat.

Next comes rotational power. Simple medicine ball throws, rotary cable work, or jump patterns reveal how efficiently the lower body, pelvis, and ribcage sequence to generate speed. Here the muscle strength impact on golf becomes obvious: more useful rotational power, applied in the right order, usually means more clubhead speed without extra strain.

Balance and single-leg stability are tested in both static and dynamic positions. Single-leg stance, hinge patterns, and step-downs show how well each leg supports load in a golf posture. Poor balance often matches sway, slide, or a late loss of posture, while solid control supports better face control and centered contact.

To round things out, muscular endurance is checked in key regions: glutes, hamstrings, trunk, and shoulder girdle. Repetition-based strength holds, tempo squats, and controlled push or pull sets indicate whether the body can maintain mechanics across a full practice session or round, not just for a few swings.

All of these data points feed directly into golf fitness and stability training. Instead of a generic gym routine, the golf performance assessment drives a targeted program: exercises that load the same planes and sequences seen on video, at the speeds and positions your swing demands. Weak links identified in earlier steps become priority training blocks, while existing strengths receive just enough work to stay reliable. The result is a strength and conditioning plan that builds power, control, and resilience right where your swing needs them most. 

Step 4: Golf Performance Data Analysis – Interpreting the Numbers for Insight

Once swing video, biomechanics, and strength testing are complete, the next move is to stack the numbers side by side. Data analysis turns a pile of observations into a clear map of what limits progress and what already works under load.

The first layer is shot pattern data. Ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, curvature, and dispersion form a picture of how the ball behaves over many swings, not just on one good strike. Tight starting lines but wide curvature usually point toward face-to-path issues. Consistent curve but scattered start lines suggest path control problems instead.

Alongside ball data sits swing speed and contact quality. Clubhead speed, smash factor, and low-point location show how efficiently strength and mobility express themselves into the ball. A player with strong rotational power but modest club speed often leaks energy through sequencing faults or early release. Someone with solid mechanics but low speed may need focused golf strength and conditioning to raise their physical ceiling.

Then the biomechanics and strength scores are laid against these patterns. Limited hip rotation that shows on the table, plus early extension on video, plus low strike on the face, all point to the same "pink elephant" rather than three separate issues. The numbers remove debate about whether the problem is skill, capacity, or both.

This is where a golf swing mechanics breakdown connects directly to a realistic golf improvement plan. Data-driven decisions keep changes specific: adjust grip or setup for face control, target hip rotation and trunk stability for better speed transfer, or prioritize endurance if mechanics fade late in a session. Technology supplies accurate metrics; informed coaching turns those metrics into priorities, timelines, and goals that can be measured against future testing, not just against hope. 

Step 5: Crafting Your Personalized Golf Training Plan

Once the data is organized, the final step is to translate it into a clear training plan you can actually execute. The 5-step golf performance assessment becomes a filter: only changes that move ball flight, contact, and control in the right direction make the cut.

The first layer is technical. Swing video, ball data, and the golf swing mechanics breakdown define one or two primary motion priorities, not a dozen swing thoughts. These feed into a schedule of focused lessons, each with specific drills, constraints, and feedback checkpoints built around your patterns, not a generic model.

Next comes golf fitness and stability training. Biomechanics screens and strength testing dictate how much time goes to mobility, strength, or power. Limited rotation or unstable lower body control drive targeted block work; stable segments with good range get briefer maintenance. Exercises mirror the angles, tempos, and sequencing demands already seen on camera and in the simulator.

The third layer is practice design. Shot pattern tendencies, dispersion maps, and endurance scores guide how many balls you hit, which shots you rehearse, and how often you shift from block practice to random, on-course style work. Practice volume and intensity match your current physical capacity so mechanics stay intact across a full bucket or round.

All of this folds into one written plan with phases, checkpoints, and retest dates. Strengths stay in the mix so they do not erode under new work; weaknesses receive concentrated attention in manageable blocks. The result is targeted coaching that respects your time, directs effort toward the true bottlenecks, and ties improvement to measurable reassessment rather than guesswork, setting up the conclusion: consistent progress comes from assessment-driven training, not from chasing the swing tip of the week.

The 5-step golf performance assessment delivers a structured, data-driven path to meaningful improvement by precisely identifying the unique factors shaping your swing and physical capabilities. This approach replaces guesswork with clear metrics, linking swing video, body mechanics, strength testing, and ball flight data to a focused, manageable plan. By targeting the specific limitations and strengths uncovered through this process, golfers can build power, control, and consistency that translate directly to lower scores and more enjoyment on the course.

My Golf Conditioning in East Greenwich combines advanced technology with knowledgeable instruction and golf-specific fitness expertise to create personalized assessments and training plans that fit your goals and schedule. Whether you want to fix persistent swing flaws or boost your physical readiness, this method ensures every step is purposeful and measurable. Take the next step toward a better game by learning more about the assessment process and how it can help you improve effectively and sustainably.