Use cases
How to Turn a Regular Golf Swing Video Into Smooth Slow Motion
A friend filmed your swing at the range, or you propped your phone on your bag — in regular Video mode. Slowed down, it stutters, and the club jumps from one spot to the next. You can make that clip smooth after the fact. But first it's worth being clear about what you want from it, because the best tool for studying your positions isn't the best tool for a smooth replay.
THE SHORT ANSWER
- To analyze positions (top of the backswing, impact, shaft plane), use a swing-analysis app with frame-by-frame playback and drawing tools. It works with the real frames your camera recorded.
- For a smooth slow-motion replay to rewatch or share, AI frame interpolation can turn a 30fps or 60fps clip into smooth 2× or 4× slow motion.
- Best of all, film in Slo-mo (240fps on the back camera by default). Real frames beat generated ones.
- Be realistic about impact: the clubhead moves feet between frames, so generated frames there can smear. They're estimates — don't base precise swing analysis on them.
Analysis or a smooth replay? Pick the right tool
"Golf swing slow motion app" covers two different jobs, and they need different tools.
| What you want | Best tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Check positions and angles, compare swings | A swing-analysis app | You need real frames you can step through and draw on |
| Rewatch or share a smooth replay of a swing you already filmed | AI frame interpolation | Smooth playback is the point; small estimation errors matter less |
| Both, starting with your next session | Record in Slo-mo | Real frames that are also smooth when slowed down |
Dedicated analysis apps are built for the first job. For example, V1 Golf's App Store listing (October 2026) describes frame-by-frame playback, drawing tools to measure and highlight positions, and side-by-side or overlay comparison of two swings. If that's what you need, use an app like that — FrameFlo doesn't step frames or draw lines.
FrameFlo is for the second job: making a choppy swing clip play back as smooth slow motion.
Why regular swing videos look choppy in slow motion
A golf swing is fast, and a regular video captures only a few snapshots of it. Take a clubhead moving at 90 mph near impact — just an example figure; use your own number if you have launch monitor data. That's 132 feet per second. Here's how far it travels between one frame and the next:
| Recorded at | Clubhead travel between frames (90 mph example) |
|---|---|
| 30fps (standard video) | About 4.4 feet |
| 60fps | About 2.2 feet |
| 120fps (Slo-mo) | About 13 inches |
| 240fps (Slo-mo) | About 6.6 inches |
At 30fps the club can be in one spot in one frame and over four feet away in the next. Slow that down in an editor and you see the same jumps, just held longer: a 30fps clip at half speed shows only 15 frames per second. The guide to making a normal video slow motion has the full frame math.
The rest of the swing is much kinder. Your hips, shoulders and head move far less between frames than the clubhead does, and the club itself moves slower during the takeaway and early backswing. That matters later, because it's where interpolation works best.
How to film a golf swing for slow motion
If you can film again, these make the biggest difference — for analysis apps and interpolation alike.
- Use Slo-mo mode. By default it records 1080p at 240fps on the back camera. You can switch to 120fps in Settings > Camera > Record Slo-mo, and supported models offer 4K at 120fps (Apple). For a golf swing, 240fps captures the most real frames.
- Film in bright light. Daylight outdoors is ideal. In dim light — indoor nets, late evening — footage gets darker and noisier, and the club blurs within each frame. More frames can't fix blur inside a frame.
- Keep the phone still. Use a tripod or phone stand. FrameFlo doesn't stabilize video, and a moving camera makes swings harder to compare in any app.
- Use the two standard views. Down the line: behind you, looking toward the target. Face on: in front of you, square to your chest. Keep the same height and distance each session so swings are comparable.
- Fit the whole swing in the frame — the club at the top of the backswing and at the finish included — with a little margin.
- Keep clips short. Start recording just before the takeaway and stop after the finish.
Shot at 60fps instead of Slo-mo? If your iPhone runs iOS 18 or later, the Photos app can slow a 60fps video to half speed with no extra app, and it still shows 30 real frames per second. See why Photos only slows down some videos.
Turn a 30fps or 60fps swing into smooth slow motion
For a swing you can't refilm, frame interpolation generates the in-between frames the camera missed. In FrameFlo:
- Trim to the swingIn Photos, open the video, tap Edit, drag the ends of the frame viewer to just before the takeaway and just after the finish, and choose Save Video as New Clip. A short clip has fewer chances to go wrong, and the free version handles clips up to 10 seconds (for longer videos, it can process the first 10 seconds for free).
- Open it in FrameFloChoose the clip from your Photo Library or the Files app. The Video Info screen shows the frame rate in the Before column, so you'll know whether you're starting from 30 or 60fps.
- Set Duration to Slow Motion and Slow Down to 2×Start with 2×. It generates one new frame between each pair, which is the easiest case for the AI.
- Tap Add to Queue, then compareWhen it's done, drag the split slider to compare the original with the result. Watch the downswing and impact closely — that's where problems show up first.
- Try 4× if you want it slower4× generates three frames between each pair. It usually holds up on the body and the slower parts of the swing; near impact it's more likely to smear.
- Save (Pro)Creating and previewing slow motion is free. Saving it requires Pro, a one-time purchase. Pro also unlocks Medium and High Inference Resolution, which can help with fine detail like the shaft, at the cost of more processing time and memory.
| Your clip | Slow Down | Output | Real : generated frames |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30fps | 2× | 30fps, 2× longer | 1 : 1 |
| 30fps | 4× | 30fps, 4× longer | 1 : 3 |
| 60fps | 2× | 60fps, 2× longer | 1 : 1 |
| 60fps | 4× | 60fps, 4× longer | 1 : 3 |
The output always keeps your clip's original frame rate; there's no Frame Rate picker in Slow Motion mode. A 60fps clip at 4× ends up with as many frames as a 240fps Slo-mo recording — but three out of every four are estimates. For a smooth replay, that's fine. For analysis, it isn't.
The original audio plays at normal speed from the start, so it won't match the slowed swing. Mute it, or add music in an editor if you're sharing.
Got a swing clip that stutters when you slow it down? See how it looks at 2× before you pay anything.
Get FrameFlo on the App StoreCreate and preview free · Saving slow motion requires Pro (one-time purchase) · iPhone with iOS 16 or later
Honest limits: the clubhead and the ball
A golf swing contains nearly everything frame interpolation finds hard: very fast motion, a thin shaft, and a ball that's there one moment and gone the next.
- Clubhead and shaft near impact. When the club moves feet between frames, the AI has to guess where it was in between. You may see smearing, a bent-looking shaft, a doubled clubhead, or the club fading for a frame. This is the hardest part of any swing clip.
- The ball at impact. Things that appear or disappear suddenly are a known weak spot, so the ball may ghost or blur as it leaves.
- The body holds up better. Hips, shoulders, head and arms through most of the swing usually interpolate cleanly, because they move much less between frames.
- Generated frames are estimates. Don't measure shaft angles or club positions on them, and don't judge your impact position from a frame the AI drew. For that, step through the original frames — ideally from a Slo-mo recording.
- Image quality doesn't improve. If the club is a blur in the original frames, it stays a blur. FrameFlo doesn't sharpen, upscale or stabilize video.
- Long range sessions. With Pro there's no length limit, but if you switch to another app, processing continues for only about 30 seconds (the most time iOS allows); stay away longer and the job starts over. For long videos, keep the app open — or better, trim to individual swings.
Baseball, tennis, dance and other sports
The same rules apply to other sports.
- Baseball and softball: the bat behaves like a golf club — the body interpolates well, and the bat near contact is the weak spot. Film in Slo-mo when you can.
- Tennis and pickleball: the racket head and the ball are fast, and strings and nets are exactly the thin lines interpolation struggles with. Footwork and body rotation come out much better.
- Dance: 2× slow motion makes moves easier to follow. Film wide so arms and legs stay in the frame, and start with 2×. Fast spins, hair and loose clothing may smear.
FAQ
What is the best slow motion app for golf swings?
It depends on the job. For analyzing positions, use a swing-analysis app with frame-by-frame playback and drawing tools. For turning an existing 30fps or 60fps swing video into a smooth slow-motion replay, use a frame interpolation app like FrameFlo. For new recordings, the iPhone's built-in Slo-mo mode is the best start.
Can I slow down a golf swing video on iPhone without an app?
Yes, if it was recorded in Slo-mo or at 60fps. Slo-mo videos already play slowed down, and on iOS 18 or later, Photos can slow down videos recorded above 30fps. A standard 30fps video can't be slowed down in Photos.
What frame rate should I record my golf swing at?
The highest Slo-mo setting your iPhone offers — 240fps on the back camera by default. At that rate, a 90 mph clubhead moves about 6.6 inches between frames instead of about 4.4 feet at 30fps.
Is AI slow motion accurate enough for golf swing analysis?
Not for precise analysis. Interpolated frames are the AI's estimate of what happened between two real frames, and near impact those estimates are the least reliable. Use them for a smooth replay, and use real frames to check positions.
Can I make a swing video someone sent me into slow motion?
Yes, if it's saved in your Photo Library or the Files app. FrameFlo's Video Info screen will show its frame rate, which tells you how much the AI has to fill in.
Written by punimaru, the developer of FrameFlo. App details are based on how the app is actually built. Since this is my own app, I've also noted where it isn't the right tool and what else you can use.