Understanding Early Extension
If you're someone who battles with early extension during your golf swing, you'll know just how frustrating it can be. It wrecks your ball striking, saps your distance, and sends shots all over the place. Early extension is when, during your swing, your hips move towards the ball and you stand up out of posture. This can happen in both the backswing and downswing. Most golfers think of it as purely a downswing issue, but it often starts much earlier.
The result? Poor contact, inconsistent club path, and a club face that's hard to control. It's a problem I've faced myself in the past, so I know how damaging it can be.
What Really Causes Early Extension?
Many golfers (and coaches) focus on the hips and chest, but the real root cause is usually your feet. If you don't use your feet properly, especially the lead foot during your downswing, your hips are forced to move closer to the ball. That causes you to lose posture and makes solid, consistent strikes almost impossible.
The Simple Drill to Fix Early Extension
Let's get practical. Here’s an exercise I recommend:
- Get into your golf posture with hands out in front of you.
- Imagine you're about to jump backwards, dragging your feet along the ground.
- Feel your hips move back and your chest stay down.
This is the opposite of early extension where your hips move forward and your chest comes up. If you can get a feel for this movement, you’ll notice a real difference in how you maintain posture and control through the swing.
Using Your Feet Properly: The Key Moves
For the backswing, focus on pushing your right (trail) foot away from the target as you start the club away. This pressure helps your trail hip move back behind you, setting your body in the right position.
On the downswing, shift your pressure towards the target and then push hard into your left (lead) foot. As you do this, the lead hip gets out of the way and your hips turn, not thrust forward.
Even without a club, you can rehearse this pattern: push off your right foot, shift, then push off your left. You’ll find it much harder to early extend when you move in this sequence. It’s a simple but powerful feel.
Powerful Inspiration from the Pros
If you're not convinced this works, take a look at Matt Fitzpatrick. He used to have issues with the club dropping behind him and struggled with consistency. Now, he’s focused on pushing so hard into his lead foot that he almost jumps back out of the way during the downswing. That forceful use of the ground helps him maintain posture and generate speed.
You don’t have to leap like Matt right away, but even exaggerating the push into your lead foot can help. As you get used to it, your strikes will improve, you’ll gain speed and your shots will fly straighter.
Chest Down, Hips Back: The Classic Feel
Some golfers like to focus on the feel of keeping the hips back and chest down through impact. That’s a solid cue, but the real magic happens when you use your feet properly. The harder you push with your feet, the more your hips move back and your chest stays down naturally. Combine this with a good lateral shift and you’ll find it so much easier to deliver the club consistently.
Make It Part of Your Practice
Next time you’re on the range, rehearse these moves. Start with some easy swings, focus on pushing off your trail foot in the backswing, then shifting and pushing hard into your lead foot in the downswing. Don’t worry if it feels exaggerated at first. With practice, you’ll see faster swings, better strikes and much more consistency.
If you want more personalised help, I offer online lessons through Skillest. I can analyse your swing and coach you step by step, wherever you are in the world.
Watch the Full Lesson
Ready to dive deeper? Watch the full YouTube lesson here for all the details and demonstrations.
