What Causes Early Extension in Golf?

Struggling with the frustrating feeling of your hips thrusting toward the golf ball on your downswing? You’re not alone. This move, known in the golf world as early extension, is one of the most common swing faults among amateur golfers, and it's a major cause of inconsistent contact, weak shots, and frustrating slices. This article will break down exactly what early extension is, the real reasons it happens, and provide you with clear, actionable drills to start training your body to rotate correctly for more power and beautiful, solid golf shots.

What Exactly Is Early Extension?

In the simplest terms, early extension is when your hips and lower body move closer to the golf ball during the downswing. Think about your setup position. You create a specific posture with a certain amount of space between your body and the ball. A good golf swing maintains that posture and space by rotating the body open through the shot.

When you early extend, you lose that posture. Instead of rotating, you stand up. Your hips thrust forward, your spine angle changes, and that space you created at address disappears. This action forces your hands and arms to change their path just to make contact with the ball, leading to a host of problems:

• The "Block" or "Push": With your body in the way, your arms have nowhere to go, and you push the ball straight right (for a right-handed golfer).
• The "Flip" or "Hook": To save the shot from going right, you aggressively flip your hands over at the last second, leading to a snap hook.
• Thin or Fat Shots: Standing up changes the low point of your swing arc, making it very difficult to hit the ball cleanly. You’ll either hit the top of the ball (thin) or hit the ground behind it (fat).
• Loss of Power: Real power in golf comes from sequencing the rotation of your body correctly. When you stand up, you break that sequence right at the critical moment, leaking all the potential energy you built up in your backswing.

A great way to visualize this is the classic "tush line" idea. Imagine you set up with your backside just barely touching a wall. A tour pro will keep their hips rotating along that wall during the downswing. An amateur with early extension will thrust their hips away from the wall and toward the golf ball.

The True Causes of Early Extension

To fix this, you have to understand why your body is choosing to do it. It’s not just a bad habit, it's a reaction. Your body is trying to solve a problem, and early extension is its go-to solution. The causes usually fall into one of three categories: physical limitations, swing path issues, or misconceptions about generating power.

Category 1: Physical Limitations (The "Can't" Problem)

Sometimes, you stand up in your swing because your body physically cannot do what a proper rotation requires. If a joint or muscle group doesn't have the necessary mobility, your body will compensate with an easier, less efficient movement - in this case, early extension.

Limited Hip Rotation

This is the most common physical culprit. To rotate properly through a golf shot, your lead hip (your left hip for a right-handed player) needs to be able to internally rotate. If it can't, your body can’t clear a path for the arms. So, instead of rotating out of the way, it moves forward and up. Many people who work desk jobs have tight hip flexors and limited hip mobility, making this an extremely common issue.

A Quick Self-Test: Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Try to rotate your upper body to the left without letting your right hip lift off the chair. If you can’t turn very far without feeling stuck or having your whole lower body want to move, you might have limited hip mobility contributing to your early extension.

Tight Thoracic Spine (Mid-Back)

Similar to the hips, if your mid-back can't rotate well, your body will seek rotation somewhere else, or it will give up on rotation altogether and just stand up. A stiff thoracic spine forces your shoulders to stop turning too early in the downswing, again "trapping" the arms behind your body and forcing an extension to create space.

Category 2: Swing Path Issues (The “Survival" Problem)

In many cases, early extension is a reactive move - a survival instinct your body develops to save the golf shot from a different swing flaw. Your brain knows you’re about to have a train wreck at impact, so it stands you up to try and salvage things.

The Over-the-Top Swing

If you start your downswing with your shoulders and hands outside of your swing path, you are throwing your arms far away from your torso to stay in position. As the club head approaches from this steep outside angle, your brain senses a major collision with the earth. Your only hope is to leap away, extend yourself as far as necessary, and flip the handle in pursuit of a workable hit.

Getting the Club "Stuck" Behind You

When amateur golfers hear tips like “drop the club into the slot,” they frequently push their arms too far down behind their bodies to start the move down. Not only does this position cause the golfer to fall back behind their ball at impact, but it also causes the position the golfers use trying to prevent, which they sometimes term "over the top." When your arms get tangled behind your body’s turning point, it leaves them without space to come back down. So again, what can the body do? Jump forward to create space, in effect rescuing the golf swing from a disastrous hit well off target.

Category 3: Concept Issues (The "Power" Problem)

Many players sincerely think that they can make a golf ball fly higher and hit it really hard by hurling their shoulders into it. Often, this movement results in standing straighter up in posture in their attempt for added punch - not surprisingly, given it probably feels very powerful indeed.

The reality, though, is that authentic golf power is generated the other way around, using your lower body to lead. Your power comes through creating separation, winding your upper body away from your lower body, and at the very last second undoing that entire winding action at lightning speed. Early extension alters that entire sequence long before the ball comes into play.

Actionable Drills to Fix Early Extension

Recognizing the cause is step one. Step two is retraining your body's motor patterns with drills that provide clear feedback. Pick one that feels intuitive to you and do slow, deliberate rehearsals before taking it to the range.

Drill 1: The Chair or Wall Drill

This is the gold standard for feeling proper rotation and getting rid of early extension. It provides undeniable feedback.

• Setup: Get into your 5-iron stance just a single inch away from a wall behind you. From the same posture with your 5-iron, just let your backside stay in constant contact with the wall.
• Execution: In very slow motion, make a few practice swings without actually hitting any balls. Focus solely on keeping your rear just scraping past the wall for the entire move. On the finish, as your whole form turns to follow through with a practice swing, your left side (for a right-handed golfer) will feel pressed into the wall, while your right side moves up and around to complete the swing.
• Why It Works: You can't cheat this drill. If your backside comes off the wall or chair, you are extending early. It physically forces you to learn what rotating feels like and how your left hip needs to work back and around, not forward separated from your body.

Drill 2: The Step-Through Swing

This drill is exceptional for encouraging the correct weight shift and rotation sequence. Your body simply cannot rise if one foot steps forward.

• Setup: Take your regular golf stance with a mid-sized iron on a good, wide grass strip next to where you aim.
• Execution: Swing at the ball using basic golfing motions. As the club head contacts the ball, immediately step forward with the trailing foot. Picture it similar to a baseball swing, stepping forward as if you hit a home run. The whole body rotates toward the target as this must happen.
• Why It Works: This move prevents your body from stalling during the downswing, instead creating a flowing motion through the golf shot. In order for the trailing foot and leg to step through, there can be no hip stalling. This helps create momentum toward the target, encouraging a more effective shot.

Drill 3: The Alignment Stick "Tush Line"

You might use this one when hitting balls, too. The stick gives a strong mental visual of that line, providing reminders.

• Setup: Stick an alignment rod into the ground so it lays just behind you. Take your stance with a favorite iron, ensuring your backside is aligned with the rod. Feel the stick against your rear as you prepare to swing.
• Execution: Swing without allowing your body to push back and hit the stick. Focus on retaining contact between your backside and the rod as your left side sweeps across, turning with your hips at an angle. This basic tool provides feedback on maintaining proper posture.
• Why It Works: The alignment stick creates immediate feedback. It lets you feel where your pelvic location is during the swing, helping with muscle memory to ensure a proper stance and follow-through.

Final Thoughts

Early extension is a common issue that affects many golfers. Understanding that it often stems from physical limitations, swing path issues, or misconceptions about power can help you address and fix it. By using targeted drills and incorporating consistent practice, you can build new muscle memory and improve your swing. Recognizing the value of dedicated practice and guidance positions you for success on the golf course.

Working to overcome early extension on your own can be challenging. Knowing what's really happening in a fast-moving swing versus what you feel is happening are often two different things. That's where we designed Caddie AI to be your personal coach. By filming your swing and asking it to analyze your hip movement, you can get a clear visual of whether you’re extending early. From there, you can ask for drills matched to your specific flaws, giving you an expert game plan to work on, anytime you want, right from your phone.