As an expert golf swing instructor, I’ve helped countless players overcome the power-robbing and consistency-killing move known as early extension. This common fault, where your hips and pelvis move towards the golf ball during the downswing, leads to a loss of posture, stuck arms, and inconsistent shots like blocks and hooks.
The key to eliminating early extension is to train your body to maintain its posture and rotate correctly through the ball. Here are the five most effective drills I recommend to my students to achieve just that:
The Chair Drill
Similar to the wall drill, the chair drill provides excellent feedback on maintaining your posture and preventing your hips from moving forward.
How to do it:
Place a chair or a stool just behind you, so that when you get into your golf posture, your glutes are just touching the front edge of the seat.
Take slow and deliberate practice swings.
As you swing, the goal is to keep your glutes in contact with the chair throughout the backswing and, most importantly, through the downswing and into impact.
You should feel your weight shift and your hips rotate while staying back.
Why it works: This drill forces you to keep your pelvis back and prevents the forward lunge that characterizes early extension. It promotes a squatting and rotating motion in the downswing, which is a hallmark of a powerful and consistent golf swing.
The “Pump” Drill with a Headcover
This drill helps to sequence the downswing correctly, ensuring your arms and club have enough room to swing past your body without you having to stand up.
How to do it:
Place a headcover (or a rolled-up towel) on the ground just outside your trail foot.
Take your normal setup and then make a backswing.
On the way down, “pump” the club down to about waist high, feeling your hips rotate back and your right elbow get in front of your right hip.
After two or three “pumps” where you feel the proper sequencing, go ahead and swing through to a full finish.
Why it works: Early extension is often a result of an out-of-sequence downswing where the upper body and arms start the movement. The pump drill trains you to initiate the downswing with your lower body, allowing your arms to drop into the “slot” and preventing you from getting “stuck.”
The “Step-Back” Transition Drill
This drill is fantastic for learning how to create separation between your upper and lower body and for feeling the correct pressure shift in the downswing.
How to do it:
Take your normal setup.
As you swing the club to the top of your backswing, take a small step back with your lead foot so that it is next to your trail foot.
To initiate the downswing, step your lead foot back to its original position and feel the pressure shift into that lead foot as you start to rotate your hips open.
Swing through to a balanced finish.
Why it works: It’s impossible to step forward and thrust your hips toward the ball at the same time. This drill forces you to feel the proper sequence of the lower body leading the downswing, promoting rotation and preventing an early push from the trail side.
The Exaggerated Follow-Through Drill
Often, the fear of hitting the ground or an incorrect concept of the follow-through can cause early extension. This drill helps to reprogram your body’s motion through and after impact.
How to do it:
Take slow, half-speed swings.
As you swing through the impact zone, feel as though you are trying to get your belt buckle to point to the left of the target (for a right-handed golfer) at the finish.
Exaggerate keeping your head back and your spine tilted away from the target as you rotate through. Your right shoulder should feel like it is moving down and under, not out and around.
Why it works: This drill promotes a full and complete body rotation through the shot. By focusing on an exaggerated finish with deep rotation, you are encouraging your hips to clear out of the way, which is the opposite of the forward thrust seen in early extension. It helps to create a feeling of staying “in the shot” for longer.
By consistently practicing these drills, you will retrain your body’s movement patterns and make early extension a thing of your past. Remember to start slowly and without a ball, focusing on the quality of the movement. As you become more comfortable, you can gradually increase the speed and introduce a golf ball.