Do these 2 at-home exercises to fix your golf swing’s early extension
- Overhead deep squat With your arms extended over your head approximately shoulder width apart, have your feet...
- The Pelvic Tilt Test
Full Answer
How do I get rid of an early extension in my golf swing?
What causes early extension golf swing?
Can early extension be fixed?
Does early extension cause thin shots?
Why does early extension happen?
Can early extension cause a shank?
Can you play golf with early extension?
But early extension is something that you can fix by working on your posture, lower body flexibility, and the drills above. Just remember, you shouldn't move toward the ball during the downswing. Just keep thinking, rotate first, extend second.
What happens if you stand too close to the golf ball?
What is early extension?
Early extension is one of the most common faults in golf. In this guide we’re going to deep dive into early extension, looking into the causes, the problems it causes, and the best drills and fixes you can use to cure it. Let’s get started. Contents [ hide]
Why do we extend early?
In a nutshell: we early extend because we have to in order to hit the ball. There’s a flaw in our backswing, transition, or downswing which means that if we didn’t stand up and raise the handle we wouldn’t hit the ball. Or if we did hit the ball, we’d hit it a lot worse.
Is a squat the intent?
Or at least it may look like we squat on video, but the squat shouldn’t be the intent. Or if it is the intent, it should be a particular kind of squat (more of a sit into the left side). And then there are other instructors such as George Gankas who are all about the squat.
Why do golfers have early extension?
When early extension is the result of a physical issue, it usually means you have limited mobility in your ankles, knees, hips and/or spine. It’s one of the reasons it’s so common for recreational golfers, because they spend more time sitting behind a desk. Early extension is a problem that plagues 70 percent of all golfers.
What causes early extension in golf?
The most common iteration of early extension occurs between the top of the backswing and impact, when a poor weight shift or sequence forces your torso to rise up . As your upper body pulls away from the ball, your hips and legs thrust toward it.
What percentage of golfers don't have early extension?
Seventy percent of all golfers suffer from early extension, but 99 percent of Tour players don’t. That should tell you something about how damaging this swing error really is. Described in simple terms, early extension is any movement of your lower body toward the ball, relative to its starting position at address, during the swing.
How to get an extender in golf?
From there, squat down as far as you can. If you can’t break parallel or get your thighs past your knees without rounding your back or leaning forward , you are likely an early extender. A common drill used by our GOLF Top 100 ...
What is early extension?
Described in simple terms, early extension is any movement of your lower body toward the ball, relative to its starting position at address, during the swing. The most common iteration of early extension occurs between the top of the backswing and impact, when a poor weight shift or sequence forces your torso to rise up.
How to identify early extension in golf swing?
How to identify early extension in your golf swing. Let’s start off by defining the issue. It’s about your spine angle, the relation of your spine to your hips, and getting that angle correct. On top of that, even when you do get it absolutely right, it can be tough to maintain that angle. Even once you have mastered the basic technique, it doesn’t ...
What does early extension mean in golf?
Early extension is a technical fault in your swing, but you do need to have the physical power there to correct this particular technical fault. Try this test to see if you need toning up. If you have good core strength, you should be able to rotate your upper body while keeping your lower body still. Like this:
Can you slip back in golf?
Unfortunately, the tendency to early extend in golf is a problem which can slip back unless you keep practicing. If you find you are mis-hitting the golf ball when you are playing, especially if the hosel is connecting with the ball rather than the club’s face, then go back to basics.
What happens if you extend your swing early?
Here is what I mean, if you are early extending with your golf swing, then parts of your body will not feel right, not just your hips. Your head will come forward, and your arms will be cramped down by your sides. You may focus on the posture of your head or your arms at this point, but this will be wrong.
Is early extension a technical fault?
We also need to talk about your physical strength and flexibility. Early extension is a technical fault in your swing, but you do need to have the physical power there to correct this particular technical fault. Try this test to see if you need toning up. If you have good core strength, you should be able to rotate your upper body ...
Do you need to be superman to play golf?
To play good golf, let’s be clear: you do not need to be superman or a woman. You need some strength and flexibility, to be sure. But, as I am sure you notice out on the golf course, people who you do not expect to have a lot of brute strength, older people, or petite slight women, for example, can be excellent golfers.
What happens if you don't rotate your swing?
If you do not rotate correctly, shifting your weight as we have described, then you are in danger of injuring your lower back. The ideal is that you use your weight to power your swing, rotating in line with your weight, so your weight and your rotation are working together, not fighting each other.
How to get a 90 degree turn?
Go ahead and try to make a 90 degree turn with the shoulders and at least 45 degrees with the hips. Make sure you turn and don’t slide back. It is ok to extend or straighten your trail leg to allow the hips to turn. This will put you in an ideal backswing position.
What is the second issue in golf?
The second main issue is when you don’t complete the turn in the backswing. This leaves you in a bad position where you will more than likely start to come out over the shot and order to stay to the inside and have a fighting chance to hit the ball you will early extend to keep the club more to the inside.
What is early extension golf?
It’s the silent swing killer you didn’t know you have. Early extension is any movement of your hips toward the ball in your downswing. Seventy percent of all golfers suffer from early extension, but 99% of Tour players don’t according to the Titleist Performance Institute. That should tell you something about just how big ...
What percentage of golfers suffer from early extension?
Seventy percent of all golfers suffer from early extension, but 99% of Tour players don’t according to the Titleist Performance Institute. That should tell you something about just how big of a swing killer this bad habit can be. Early extension in the simplest terms is any movement of the lower body toward the golf ball during the downswing.
What does it mean when you have early extension?
When early extension is a physical issue, it usually means you have limited mobility in your ankles, knees, hips and/or spine. Diagnosing early extension is easy — a simple squat test is all it takes. To perform this squat test, stand with your feet pointing straight forward, about hip-width apart and with your thumbs on your shoulders ...
How to do a squat test?
To perform this squat test, stand with your feet pointing straight forward, about hip-width apart and with your thumbs on your shoulders and hands behind your head. From there, squat down as far as you can. A Titleist Performance Institute coach demonstrates the early extension squat test. Titleist Performance Institute.
What Is Early Extension in Golf?
Why Do We Early Extend?
- In a nutshell: we early extend because we have to in order to hit the ball. There’s a flaw in our backswing, transition, or downswing which means that if we didn’t stand up and raise the handle we wouldn’t hit the ball. Or if we did hit the ball, we’d hit it a lot worse. According to Monte Scheinblum, 3 of the most common swing flaws which cause early extension are: 1. Arms are st…
Should We Try to Fix Our Early Extension?
- Sorry, but the answer is kind of: Yes and no. Because the thing is, extension isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’ve already explained that we early extend because we have to in order to hit the ball. And guess what: That extension also creates speed, and speed in golf is good right? Extending through the hitting zone can add some serious zing to your strikes. In fact, it’s what most of the …
Wrapping This Up
- Early extension is probably something that you’re never going to completely eliminate. At least on camera. And without it, you might even play worse golf with your current swing. But less thrusting towards the ball, and hips that are more open at impact is definitely something you should strive for. The 5 drills above are highly recommended, and should help you get there. Here’s a side-by-s…
Recommended Reading
- Early Extension (Goat Humping) [Monte Scheinblum]
- Early Extension Discussion [GolfWRX]
- Early Extension [Adam Young Golf]