Driving · Drill
Keep Your Hips Back to Stop Early Extension
Part of our driving programs for hook, push or pull. Build a program with it
Early extension means your hips move toward the ball on the way down. Your arms lose their room. Your posture changes and the strike suffers. The goal is to keep your hips back as you turn. Your trail hip should rotate behind you, not thrust forward. A chair or wall behind you makes great feedback. Set up with your rear end just touching it. Keep touching it as you swing through. Then try it without the wall.
The drill
- Set up with your rear lightly touching a wall.
- Make slow swings and keep contact.
- Feel your lead hip slide back along the wall.
- Keep your belt buckle from moving toward the ball.
- Check your posture on video.
Why it works
In early extension your hips move toward the ball and your pelvis rises, so the space your arms need to swing through disappears. Your hands then get pushed closer to your body, or you stand up and pull the club away from the line. Keeping your hips back lets them rotate while your spine angle stays the same, so your arms have room to swing and the club can return to the ball from the inside on a steady path.
Common mistakes
- You press your rear end hard into the wall and push yourself forward when you come off it.Keep only a light touch on the wall and let your hips turn around it instead of pushing against it.
- You lose contact with the wall during the downswing because your hips slide toward the ball.Slow the swing down until you can feel your rear end stay on the wall from the top of the swing through impact.
- You hold your hips still and do not let them rotate.Let your lead hip turn back and around along the wall while your belt buckle turns to face the target, not the ball.
How you'll know it's working
- Your rear end stays in light contact with the wall or chair through impact.
- On video, your head height and spine angle at impact match your setup.
- You make solid contact on the middle of the face, and you hit fewer shanks and thin shots.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Make half swings at slow speed with the wall touching and no ball, and stop at waist height to check that contact is still there.
Harder: Take the wall away, hit balls at full speed, and film your swing from face-on and down the line to check your hips stay back.
Common questions
What causes early extension in the golf swing?
It usually comes from your hips moving toward the ball instead of turning, often because the lower body does not rotate well or the arms are trying to find space. Practicing with a wall behind you shows you when your hips move forward.
Can early extension cause shanks?
Yes. When your hips move toward the ball, your hands and the club get pushed closer to it, so the ball can strike the hosel. Keeping your hips back gives your arms room and moves the strike back to the face.
