Early extension occurs when a golfer's pelvis shifts closer to the golf ball during the downswing transition. Instead of rotating the hips back and clearing space, the lower body thrusts forward, causing the spine to stand up.
This standing-up motion creates several critical issues:
- Crowding the Hands: The hands have no room to swing through, forcing the player to flick or cast the club (early release) to hit the ball.
- Inconsistent Contact: This leads to fat shots, thin shots, and heel strikes (shanks).
To correct early extension, you must focus on maintaining your hip depth:
- The Wall Butt-Drill: Stand one inch away from a wall in your golf posture. Make a backswing and ensure your trail glute makes contact with the wall. In transition, feel your lead glute slide back and touch the wall before impact.
- Rotate, Don't Push: Focus on clearing your lead hip back and away rather than pushing your trail hip forward toward the ball. This clears space for your hands to swing from the inside.