50 Words Or Less
The Claw Tripod turns your smartphone into a swing camera for capturing your swing or just snapping videos with buddies on the course.
Introduction
Ease of Use & Setup
The Claw Tripod is a simple, effective tool to add to any golf bag. The Tripod itself consists of three bendable legs that easily allow the golfer to adjust the camera to a variety of angles, and easily position the camera anywhere. One outside of the box technique that I used, which I found extremely helpful, was using the legs to hang the camera from my bag. The range by my house has a very tight walkway behind the mats, so there isn’t a ton of room to set a tripod on the floor. I very easily hung the camera from my bag, set up the bag behind my stall, and it worked like a charm. Whether simply set on the ground, wrapped around a pole, or in a fence at the range if need be (just do that at your own risk) the setup was simple. The main point here is, the bendable legs are a great tool that give the product a ton of versatility.
The setup for the tripod is very simple. A screw-in attachment allows any smartphone to be held in place by the tripod, most effectively in a horizontal or landscape position. Simply pull up on the spring-loaded rubber tab, fit the phone into the holder, then release. Little rubber bumpers will protect your phone from any damage in the holster. The smartphone can be placed with the camera lens facing the golfer, or the most preferred method, in “selfie” mode, having the forward facing camera aimed at the golfer. This is most likely how the product was intended to be used as you can easily see what portion of your body is in the shot and set up the perfect frame for your swing videos.
The bluetooth remote is great and is also very easy to pair with your smartphone. Once paired, the remote lets you create more precise videos that require less editing.
Strengths
There are quite a few things that are making The Claw a mainstay in my bag, especially when at the range. The biggest plus for me is the compact size and bluetooth remote. The Claw comes in a handy drawstring bag and is small enough to throw in the side pocket of the golf bag. The pieces for the tripod come apart, if pocket size is an issue. This uses less space and reduces risk of breaking the holster while in your bag. It’s very lightweight as well, so there’s no issues with added weight when I walk.
The bluetooth remote is a great feature. Normally I had to spend time setting up the camera, pressing play, then deleting all of the awkward portions of me walking to and from the camera when I’m done. With the remote, I can check my alignment on the phone screen, press record, and swing away. While I don’t currently have any swing analysis apps on my phone, I could see The Claw pairing with one of those apps nicely, allowing you to use lines and shapes to analyze your swing.
Another huge plus is the ease of setup. I can set up The Claw in about five seconds. I easily insert my phone into the holster, pair the remote, and I’m off and running. There’s no complicated pieces to put together, my phone fits easily, yet very snug, in the holder, and I don’t have to worry about my phone jarring loose or falling out of the tripod. I’ve used other types of accessories that hold your phone in a similar fashion (ala a selfie stick), but none were as easy to use or put me as at ease with my phone, as The Claw.
Weaknesses
If you are looking to replicate the perfect Peter Kostis views you’re going to need better equipment and plenty of space. If you set The Claw up as a tripod on the ground you’ll get an upward view. Not a huge deal, but might not give an accurate display of certain aspects of the swing such as height of your hands and wrist hinge at the top or depth of backswing. Attaching The Claw to your bag is handy but you’ll have some perspective variations if trying to compare swings of different practice sessions.
The last drawback, albeit minor, is that with the bluetooth remote you still have to do something with it when swinging. Whether it’s tossing it in your pocket or on the ground, it still needs to go somewhere. The remote isn’t huge, so it doesn’t take up a ton of room in your pocket, but I still wanted to point this out. It’s still better than walking back and forth to your phone.
Value
At $30 with free shipping from Amazon, I would say The Claw Tripod offers a great product at a good value. Most training aids cost upwards of $30, and The Claw is a great way to get a visual on your swing. I have tried a few other tools/setups to try to get my swing of video, and none have been as successful as The Claw. It’s easy to setup, easy to use, and does exactly what it advertises to do. For the value, especially with the bluetooth remote, it’s an easy buy in my book.
Conclusion
Overall, The Claw tripod is a great tool to use at the range, on the course, or with your buddies, for recording your swing. The tool has helped me analyze my range sessions more easily, and it will definitely be making an appearance at my annual golf trip with the boys in September. If you’re looking for an inexpensive yet effective way to get your swing on video, look no further than The Claw Tripod. It has definitely found a permanent home in my bag for seasons to come.
Buy The Claw Tripod HERE
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To heck with this doo-dad! Give us a What’s in The Bag! I see some PXG’s, so there has to be some other cool stuff in there!!!
Head over to Tom’s page in the About section and you can see his whole bag setup.