Golf-FAQ.com

what does early extension mean in golf

by Elenor Robel Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

Early extension in the simplest terms is any movement of the lower body toward the golf ball during the downswing. It causes your arms to get “stuck” behind your body and forces your torso to rise up as you come through the ball striking zone, resulting in a two-way miss.

Early Extension is defined as any forward movement (thrust) of the lower body towards the golf ball during the downswing. This swing characteristic causes the arms and club to get stuck behind your body during the downswing, and forces your torso to raise up and elevate through the hitting zone.

Full Answer

What is early extension in golf swing?

Jan 10, 2022 · Early extension is often called the “silent swing killer”. It creeps into your game and can destroy confidence. The “dreaded” shank on short pitches and approaches is often caused by moving towards the ball on the downswing. Trying to hit the ball hard with extra spin can force you onto your toes and shank the ball.

What is early extension?

Jun 30, 2020 · Early extension, in a nutshell, is when your pelvis moves towards the ball during your downswing, which you can see GOLF Top 100 Teacher Dave Phillips demonstrate below: The cause of early ...

What percentage of golfers suffer from early extension?

Early extension in the golf swing is one of the most common faults among amateur golfers. It can cause a great deal of inconsistency, loss of distance and loss of lag. However, the good news, once you identify the causes of the early extension in the golf swing there are some excellent drills to help you correct this swing fault.

What is early extension in the downswing?

Mar 14, 2018 · For those new to this problem, this is early extension. It’s also described as loss of spine angle, moving off the tush line, hip thrusting, standing up into impact, and some other things. Lots of people observe early extension in their golf swing. Many of them fight like hell to make it go away. Most fail, because they don’t understand the problem. EARLY EXTENSION IS …

image

What causes early extension golf swing?

Early extension, in a nutshell, is when your pelvis moves towards the ball during your downswing, which you can see GOLF Top 100 Teacher Dave Phillips demonstrate below: The cause of early extension is caused by a physical limitation. Your hips may be inflexible, for instance, or you may have weak core muscles.Jun 30, 2020

How do you avoid early extension in the golf swing?

A common drill used by our GOLF Top 100 Teachers to prevent early extension is to make swings with your rear end against a wall. Keep your rear against the wall as you swing and you'll feel what it's like to stay in your posture and not extend early.Mar 22, 2020

Do any pro golfers early extend?

Early Extension is one of the most common tendencies among amateur golfers, but is quite rare in the professional ranks.

Can early extension be fixed?

Part of a video titled FIXING MY EARLY EXTENSION GOLF SWING - YouTube
0:00
8:38
If you come down and you start going like this really sure but sometimes it could be something asMoreIf you come down and you start going like this really sure but sometimes it could be something as simple as just something wrong with your setup. So it makes it appear like you're early extending.

What does early extension cause?

Early Extension usually causes two typical miss hits, the block to the right and a hook to the left. And as most competitive players know, having two misses, one to the right and one to the left, can be disastrous in tournament play.

How do I stop early extension?

Part of a video titled Two Moves To Stop Early Extension And Stay In Your Posture - YouTube
6:58
9:54
If you really really exaggerate get this really really parallel and turn down as much as youMoreIf you really really exaggerate get this really really parallel and turn down as much as you possibly can so then you get into this position right here if you look at it from this angle.

Can early extension cause a shank?

Early extension can certainly cause shanks. When you early extend, you thrust your pelvis towards the ball, often dropping the club way under the swing plane. This severe in-to-out club path may cause the hosel to make contact with the ball first, rather than the club face, resulting in a shank.Feb 23, 2021

Does early extension cause back pain?

Early extension results on loss of your posture and typically leads to your low back not being in an optimal position at impact. This is a problem because at impact we need to absorb a significant amount of force.Dec 13, 2018

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 does it mean when your swing is extended?

When early extension is a physical issue, it usually means you have limited mobility in your ankles, knees, hips and/or spine.

Early Extension

Beginners may think this has something to do with the wrists on the downswing when we “uncock” the wrists too early and lose power! No!

How to Overcome Early Extension

As with many swing problems, it all starts at Address. I like to use an analogy from the great Johnny Miller, who said, “if you don’t aim the rifle at the target how can you expect to hit it?”

Some Swing Thoughts for Countering Early Extension

It is never a good idea to have too many swing thoughts in your head while attempting to play a shot. Most of the swing thoughts should be cleared when you address the ball. Don’t overcomplicate this process as it will leave you standing over the ball too long and negative thoughts will prevail. Use an Acronym and do a quick check at set up.

What is early extension in golf?

Early Extension is defined as any forward movement (thrust) of the lower body towards the golf ball during the downswing. This swing characteristic causes the arms and club to get stuck behind your body during the downswing, and forces your torso to raise up and elevate through the hitting zone.

Can you extend during a downswing?

In order to not early extend during the downswing several physical characteristics must be developed. First and foremost, research has shown that any limitation in performing a full deep squat or full hip bend can force a player to early extend during the downswing.

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.

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 early extension golf?

Early extension is like lag’s negative counterpart. Golfers know they shouldn’t early extend. So when they do it, they try to stop it by trying to maintain their spine angle. But like lag, early extension is a result of something else. It’s not something you can eliminate by focusing on it directly.

Why do people struggle with early extension in golf?

The reason why so many people struggle with early extension in golf is because they don’t understand the problem. They think the primary issue is the early extension itself. But early extension is not a swing fault! It’s actually a swing solution. Let me explain.

What to do if playback doesn't begin?

If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

Do early extenders hurt?

And the reason is actually pretty simple: early extension is a symptom, and not a swing flaw.

What is an early extension, and how does it affect your golf swing?

Early extension occurs when a golfer’s hips and spine thrust forward or straighten up too early in their downswing. Controlling the pelvis is critical for optimally transferring power from your lower body to your upper body.

What is the cause of early extension?

For most, the cause of early extension is an inability to control their pelvic tilt due to a lack of mobility in the lumbar spine (lower back), weak core/glute muscles, and/or poor coordination.

How do you fix early extension in the golf swing?

Strategies for correcting early extension will vary from person to person.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9