Gaian · Swing Analysis — André Rennes

1 Executive summary

Bottom line: this is an efficient 4-iron for the speed. At 110 mph of ball speed it carried 167 yds, within 3 yds of the LPGA Tour average (170 yds), with an estimated club speed a few mph lower. It finished just 51 ft from the target. The finish, balance and rotation remain clear strengths.

The problem is the flight shape. The ball launched at 20°, against 11° for the PGA Tour, and landed at a shallow 37° instead of the ~48° that stops a long iron. It then rolled 16 yds past its carry, which on a course means approach shots that run through greens. It also curved 39 ft. The swing shows the same two patterns as his driver: the head drops about 4–5 inches by impact, and the transition is quick (~2:1). The top of the backswing is also high and upright, as in his 6-iron.

Strength

Efficiency & finish

A near-LPGA carry for his speed, 51 ft from the target, and a full, balanced finish he holds.

Priority 1

Lower, steeper flight

Less loft at impact means a lower launch and a steeper landing, so the ball stops instead of running 16 yds.

Priority 2

Head height & tempo

The same dip and ~2:1 transition as his driver. Fixing them once helps the whole bag.

2 Strike data — Mariners Point session

Read from the range's ball-tracking screen, filmed at the end of the video. This is one recorded shot, so treat it as a snapshot, not an average.

Screen capture from the video. Final values after the ball came to rest.

Metric	André	Reading
Carry	167 yds	Efficient for the speed
Total distance	183 yds	16 yds of roll, too much for an iron
Ball speed	110 mph	Est. club speed ~79–81 mph*
Launch angle	20°	Too high for a 4-iron
Apex (max height)	77 ft (26 yds)	Fine
Landing angle	37°	Shallow, so it won't hold a green
Hang time	5.3 s	—
Curve	39 ft (≈12 m)	Direction not legible on screen
Proximity to target	51 ft	Good result

*Club speed isn't shown on the screen. It's estimated from ball speed ÷ a typical long-iron smash factor of 1.36–1.40.

How it compares (TrackMan published averages, 4-iron)

Metric	André	LPGA Tour avg	PGA Tour avg
Club speed	~79–81 mph (est.)	83 mph	96 mph
Ball speed	110 mph	116 mph	137 mph
Launch angle	20°	—	11.0°
Max height	26 yds	—	28 yds
Landing angle	37°	—	48°
Carry	167 yds	170 yds	203 yds
Total distance	183 yds	188 yds	219 yds

PGA launch, height and landing figures come from the classic TrackMan PGA Tour table. LPGA launch, height and landing for the 4-iron weren't available in the sources used.

Why the LPGA row matters: at nearly the same speed, André's carry is just 3 yds shorter, so the engine is fine. The difference is the shape. Tour players launch the 4-iron about 9° lower and land it about 11° steeper, which is why their long irons stop. André's 20° launch with a 37° landing says the ball leaves high, then flattens out and runs.

3 Swing sequence

Eight key positions from the video, filmed down-the-line from behind the ball at Mariners Point.

P-numbers follow the standard 10-position swing model. The video runs at 30 fps, so timestamps are accurate to about ±0.03 s. The impact frame shows the clubhead at the ball. At the top the hands leave the frame on the left.

4 Position-by-position biomechanics

P1 — Address Good

An athletic posture: he tilts forward from the hips, the knees are flexed, and the arms hang under the shoulders.
Alignment sticks on the mat for the target line and ball position are a good habit, so keep them.
Reference point: note the eye and cap height here. The diagnosis measures against it.

P2 — Takeaway Mostly good

The arms and club start back together, and the lead arm stays straight.
The head already begins to lower as he bends further over the ball, the same move as with his driver.

P3 — Hip-high Club inside

With the hands at hip height, the clubhead has swung behind the hands, toward the trail foot. The club works inside early, before the wrists set.
An ideal P3 has the shaft set up, roughly over the trail forearm, with the chest turning away from the target.

P4 — Top of backswing High & upright

The lead arm finishes high and steep, above head height, the same "high hands" top his 6-iron report flagged.
The shoulder turn is good, but the height comes partly from lifting the arms rather than turning the chest.
The head sits about 3 inches lower than at address.

P5 — Transition Quick

The arms start down promptly from the high top.
Tempo: the backswing takes about 0.50 s and the downswing about 0.27 s, a ratio near 1.9:1. Skilled players sit around 3:1. His driver (~2:1) and 6-iron (~2:1) match, so this is a habit across the bag.

P6 — Delivery On plane

The shaft drops in on a good plane, from the inside, with no over-the-top move.
The head is still sinking toward the ball.

P7 — Impact Key issue

The head arrives about 4–5 inches lower and about 1.5 inches closer to the ball than at address (see the overlay below). The chin is tucked toward the chest.
With the body sinking, the hands have to keep the club from going into the ground. That tends to add loft at impact, which fits the 20° launch. Shaft lean can't be measured from this angle. A face-on video would confirm it.
On the plus side, the arms are extended and the hips are clearing.

P10 — Finish Excellent

Tall and balanced: the chest faces the target, the trail foot is up on its toe, and the weight is on the lead side.
He holds it, as he did with his driver and his 6-iron. That's a constant across his swings, so keep it.

Overlay — head height, address vs impact

The white line marks the top of the cap at address and the gold line marks eye level at address. By impact the cap brim sits on the old eye line. The camera didn't move between the frames: the fence poles stay in place.

5 Diagnosis — why the 4-iron flies high and runs

A high, arm-lifted top and a quick (~1.9:1) transition: the club comes down from a steep position with little time to sequence.
The head drops about 4–5 inches toward the ball between address and impact. The hands react to protect the strike.
Extra loft at impact: the hands release the club early to avoid the ground. The result is a 20° launch, about 9° above the PGA Tour average.
A shallow 37° landing and 16 yds of roll: the ball doesn't descend steeply, so it won't stop on a green.
The same pattern runs through the bag: the 6-iron launched at 23°, the driver at 16° and the 4-iron at 20°. All three show a quick ~2:1 tempo. The driver and the 4-iron both show the head dip (the 6-iron wasn't measured for it).

Confidence: high on the head movement, the tempo and the launch and landing numbers, which are measured. It's moderate on the link between head movement and dynamic loft, because shaft lean at impact can't be seen down-the-line.

6 Fixes & drills (in priority order)

Priority 1 · Loft

Towel-behind-the-ball drill

Lay a folded towel about 6 inches behind the ball. Hit 4-irons without touching the towel.

Forces a ball-first strike with the hands ahead, which lowers launch and steepens the landing.

Priority 1 · Loft

Hold-off punch shots

Hit three-quarter 4-irons with the hands finishing at chest height, ahead of the clubhead. Aim for a launch under 16° on the screen.

Teaches forward shaft lean through impact, the opposite of a scoop.

Priority 1 · Head height

Phone line check

Film down-the-line from the same spot. Put tape on the phone screen at the top of the cap at address, hit 5 balls, and check that the cap stays at or near the tape through impact.

The same drill as the driver plan: one fix for both clubs.

Priority 2 · Backswing

Turn-to-the-top drill

Cross the arms over the chest and make backswing turns until the lead shoulder is under the chin, then add the club with the same feel and a lower hand position at the top.

Replaces arm lift with chest turn (also from the 6-iron plan).

Priority 2 · Tempo

3:1 tempo with a metronome

Rehearse "back-2-3 / down-1" with a tempo app. Start with half swings, then build to full.

Slows the transition he shows with the driver, 6-iron and 4-iron.

Keep

Hold-the-finish rule

Hold every practice swing in the finish for a three-count.

Protects the balance and full rotation he already has.

7 4-week practice plan

Week	Focus	Session (≈50 balls)
1	Ball-first strike	15 towel-drill shots · 15 hold-off punches · 10 full 4-irons, logging launch and landing angle · phone line check on 5 swings
2	Head height + turn	Turn-to-the-top rehearsals · 20 shots at 80% with the phone line check · 10 punches under 16° launch
3	Tempo	Metronome rehearsals · 20 full 4-irons at 3:1 · 10 driver swings with the same tempo, since the fix carries over
4	Retest	10 4-irons at Mariners Point, logging launch, landing, roll, curve and proximity, plus a new down-the-line video to compare against this report

Targets to track on the screen

Launch angle: 20° → 13–16°

Landing angle: 37° → 43°+

Roll after carry: 16 yds → under 8 yds

Curve: 39 ft → under 20 ft, while keeping a 165+ yd carry

The targets are practical goals for his speed, not tour standards. Refine them after the week-4 retest.

8 Limitations & next capture

The analysis covers one swing, filmed down-the-line only. Shaft lean at impact, ball position and weight shift need a face-on view.
The hands leave the frame at the top, so the exact top position is partly hidden.
The screen shows one shot. The curve direction isn't legible, and club speed, spin and attack angle aren't displayed.
Head movement is measured in pixels and converted to inches using his head size, so treat it as ±1 inch.

For the next session: film face-on and down-the-line from 3–4 m away, using slow motion (120–240 fps) if possible. Photograph the screen after 5–10 shots.