Early Extension
Also known as: standing up, losing the angles
Early extension is thrusting the hips toward the ball during the downswing, which causes the golfer to stand up out of posture and forces compensations at impact.
It is one of the most common faults in amateur golf and is often invisible to the golfer. As the hips push toward the ball, the upper body is crowded, the arms get trapped, and the player either flips the hands (to square the face) or blocks the shot right. Early extension usually stems from inadequate hip mobility, a faulty pressure shift, or over-rotating the hips before the lead side clears. Keeping the hips rotating rather than translating is the fix.
Example
A player who hits frequent blocks or flip draws is often extending early — the hips are pushing at the ball instead of rotating past it.
Related terms
- Hip ClearanceHip clearance is the rotation of the lead hip out of the way through impact, creating room for the arms and club to swing freely past the body.
- Pressure ShiftPressure shift is the movement of the center of pressure under the feet — measured by force plates — from trail to lead during the swing. Elite players shift pressure earlier and more decisively than amateurs.
- FlipA flip is when the hands flick or scoop under the ball at impact rather than the shaft leaning forward — it adds loft, kills compression, and is a defensive reaction to poor sequencing.
- BlockingBlocking is when the arms and club fail to fully release through impact — the face is held open and the ball flies straight right (for a right-hander) with no draw curve.
- Low PointLow point is where the clubhead reaches the bottom of its arc through impact. Controlling it — keeping it at or just ahead of the ball with irons — is the basis of pure contact.
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