CamCaddy

I want to take a couple of minutes to tell everyone about a new product I recently received called CamCaddy. It's a device that allows you to attach a phone (iPhone, Droid, etc) with video capabilities to it to record your golf swing. Here's a little history on the product, and why I'm spending some time telling you about it. (I'm not being paid to do this and won't receive any commissions on the sales of any of these.)

The timing of these hitting the market is ironic for me on a personal level because I've played golf more in the past 12 months than any other period of my life and have never seen a video of my golf swing. I know how it feels and I sometimes have an idea about what I've done right or wrong on any given swing, but not always. The assistant pro I take lessons from recently bought an iPad for the purpose of video taping and using that in lessons, and I had considered taking another lesson just to see my swing. (If you are reading this, sorry Shawn....this might have cost you a lesson!)

I was contacted by one of the CamCaddy creators, Michael Maness, about the product last week. For frequent readers of this blog, that name might ring a bell. Maness Monday Qualified for The Greenbrier Classic, and plays frequently on the Egolf Professional Tour. He has also looped for Bill Haas on the PGA TOUR. I had recently met Michael on the driving range at our club and was surprised to find that he and his wife are readers of this blog!

There are plenty of products that I use that never make this space. The two that have are BuzzDraft and now CamCaddy. With the exception of the Google Ads that I have little control over, the litmus for me to promote a product or service are as follows.

• I have to personally use and like the product. Much like I play BuzzDraft each week, I have a CamCaddy and I think it's cool and helpful. It fills a void for me, and I liked it conceptually before I even put my hands on it.
• I have to believe that the product or service is relevant to the readers. BuzzDraft makes sense because many of you either gamble on golf or play fantasy games. BuzzDraft combines the two. CamCaddy is relevant because many of you play golf, and if you're like me, you don't have a way to video your swing without some measure of hassle. Now you do.

If you want to know more about CamCaddy, go to www.camcaddypro.com and/or follow them on Twitter @Camcaddypro . You'll notice on the site that they already have an impressive list of touring pros touting the product. They were also visible all week at the Wyndham Championship.

One final note, I'm pulling for this product to succeed because it fits the spirit in which this blog was created. When I started this site in November of 2011, it was intended to highlight some of the lesser known sides of golf including mini tours and things outside the mainstream. Demand eventually dictated that the focus be on fantasy sports and betting, but I have a personal interest in the less publicized side of golf. Maness is a mini-tour grinder with an idea and a product, and I hope it takes off for him. The idea and the product are both solid; now it just needs some exposure. If you choose to try it, shoot me an email (thegolfaficionado@gmail.com) or tweet @RyanGolfBlogger and let me know how you like it.