Golf Glossary
Early Extension
In short
Early extension is a swing fault in which the hips move towards the ball in the downswing and the upper body stands up. The posture from address is lost. As a result the arms lack room and impact becomes unreliable. Typical results are blocks to the right, hooks to the left and thin strikes.
Early extension in golf: what is it?
At address you stand bent slightly forward. Your back is straight, your backside points back and your knees are slightly flexed. This posture is called the address position. It should be kept throughout the swing until just after impact.
In early extension this posture is lost in the downswing. The hips move towards the ball, the backside leaves its place and the upper body stands up. The distance between body and ball becomes smaller although it should stay the same.
Golfers recognise the fault from a typical feeling: the arms have no room, the club feels stuck and the ball is steered with the hands. On video from behind you see that the head is higher than at address and the backside moves off its starting line towards the ball. Coaches regard early extension as one of the most common swing faults among amateurs.
Causes: why does the body stand up?
There are physical and technical reasons for early extension.
- Limited mobility: players who cannot rotate the hips well push them forward. Tight hip flexors and weak glutes make it more likely.
- Too little hip turn in the backswing: without enough rotation there is no room in the downswing and the body moves out of the way.
- Standing too close to the ball: the arms then have little space and the hips make room by moving forward.
- The wish to lift the ball: players who want to help the ball up stand up.
- An over-the-top downswing: if the club comes from outside, the body tries to rescue the path with an evasive move.
The causes often reinforce each other. It therefore makes sense to check mobility and technique together. A coach can use simple tests to show whether the hips, back or shoulders are the limiting factor.
Effects on ball flight: what happens to the shot?
Because the arms have no room at impact, the body compensates in different ways.
- Block to the right: the hands stay behind the body and the face stays open. The ball starts right and often keeps curving right.
- Hook to the left: some players flip the hands shut at the last moment. The ball starts left and flies even further left.
- Thin strikes: when the upper body stands up, the club rises. The ball is struck in the middle or on top and runs along the ground.
- Fat strikes: if the body then drops again, the club hits the ground too early.
- Heel strikes: when the hips move towards the ball, the club moves further out as well. In extreme cases the result is a shank.
Distance suffers twice. Energy stays trapped in the body, and control of the clubface is missing. The fault shows most clearly with the driver and long irons.
Practical example: a 6-iron on a par 4
Imagine a player with 150 metres to the flag on a par 4. He takes a 6-iron, which he normally hits 150 metres. At address his posture is good. In the downswing he pushes his hips towards the ball, stands up, and the club head is already rising before it reaches the ball. The leading edge strikes the ball above its equator, and it flies low and travels only 60 metres.
With a correction the picture changes. The player practises keeping the backside in position in the downswing and turning the hips to the left rather than pushing them forward. The club gets room. He strikes the ball cleanly, it flies 150 metres and lands on the green. Instead of a difficult chip, a putt follows.
On video the coach sees the difference immediately: the head stays at the same height and the hips turn around their place instead of sliding forward. The numbers in the example are a calculation, not a measurement.
Drills against early extension
These drills are simple and can be done at home or on the range.
- Wall drill: stand in the address position so that your backside lightly touches a wall or the back of a chair. Swing in slow motion. In the backswing the right buttock stays on the wall, and in the downswing the contact moves to the left buttock (for right-handers).
- Stick across the hips: hold an alignment stick across the front of your hip bones and turn as in the swing. The stick should rotate but not move towards the ball.
- Hip turn instead of hip thrust: feel how in the downswing the left hip moves back and to the left while the right turns forward (for right-handers).
- Pump drill: move halfway into the downswing, stop and check your posture. Repeat three times, then hit the ball.
- Mobility: stretch the hip flexors and strengthen the glutes, for example with bridges. If you have discomfort, ask a doctor or physiotherapist.
Practise briefly and regularly. Ten minutes a day achieve more than one hour a month.
Early extension compared with sway, reverse pivot and chicken wing
Early extension often appears alongside other faults that feel similar.
- Early extension: the hips move towards the ball in the downswing and the upper body stands up.
- Sway: the body slides sideways away from the target in the backswing. The fault happens before the downswing.
- Reverse pivot: the weight is on the front side in the backswing and on the back side in the downswing, the opposite of the correct movement.
- Chicken wing: the lead arm folds after impact. It is often a consequence of early extension because the arm has no room.
This order helps with improvement: check the address posture first, then the backswing, then the downswing. Anyone who works on several things at once soon loses track. A coach picks the most important point and tackles it first.
Try it at Golf Lounge
Early extension is best seen on the video your coach films from behind and from the front. The PGA coaches at the Golf Lounge work in 60-minute individual lessons with V1 Pro video analysis and TrackMan data, and on request in short focus sessions too. That shows whether hips and upper body change in the downswing so you can practise against it. You book your sessions online.
Frequently asked questions
What is early extension in golf?
Early extension is a swing fault in which the hips move towards the ball in the downswing and the upper body stands up. The posture from address is lost and the arms lack room. The consequences are slices, hooks, thin or fat strikes and loss of distance.
How do you fix early extension?
Practise with the wall drill: your backside should stay in contact with the wall or the back of a chair throughout the swing, in the downswing mainly with the left buttock (for right-handers). Turn the hips instead of pushing them forward. Stretch the hip flexors and strengthen the glutes. A coach can show the cause on video.
How can I tell that I have early extension?
Typical signs are a feeling that the arms lack room, shots struck on the top edge of the ball and blocks to the right. On video you see that head and upper body are higher in the downswing than at address and that the backside moves away from its line.
Does early extension cause a slice?
It can favour a slice or block because the hands lack room at impact and the face stays open. Some players compensate by flipping the hands shut quickly and then hit a hook. The pattern depends on the player.
As of: October 2026