What Is Early Extension in the Golf Swing?

Early extension is a common swing fault where your hips move toward the golf ball during the swing instead of maintaining their original depth.

A simple way to identify it is to draw a vertical line against your rear end at setup. If, at any point during the backswing or downswing, you can see space—or “daylight”—between that line and your tailbone or glutes, you are early extending.

Why Early Extension Matters

Early extension can create ball-striking problems because your body moves closer to the golf ball during the swing. When that happens, you reduce the space between your body and the ball, which can make it harder to deliver the club consistently.

This can lead to issues such as:

• Inconsistent contact
• Thin or heavy strikes
• Loss of posture through the swing
• Difficulty creating room for the arms and club on the downswing

How to Check for Early Extension in the HandyGolf App

You can use the line drawing tool in the HandyGolf app to analyze whether your hips are maintaining depth throughout the swing.

Step 1: Get into your setup position

Start with a down-the-line view of your golf swing. This angle allows you to clearly see your hips, glutes, and posture throughout the motion.

Step 2: Select the line drawing tool

Open the drawing tools in the HandyGolf app and choose the straight line tool.

Step 3: Draw a line on your tailbone or rear end

Place the line directly against your rear end at setup. There should be no space between the line and your glutes when you begin.

Step 4: Play or scroll through the swing

Move through the swing frame by frame or play the video slowly. Watch the space between your rear end and the line.

Step 5: Look for daylight

If you see daylight between your glutes and the line during the backswing or downswing, that indicates early extension.

In the example from the video, the right glute initially stays close to the line, but during the backswing a small gap appears. As the downswing begins, that gap increases, showing that early extension is happening in both parts of the swing.

Key Checkpoint

At setup, your rear end should be touching the reference line. As you swing, your hips should ideally maintain their depth against or very close to that line. If your hips move forward and away from the line, you are moving closer to the ball, which can affect strike quality.

Summary

Early extension occurs when the hips move toward the golf ball during the swing. By using the HandyGolf app’s line drawing tool, you can easily check whether your glutes stay on the original setup line or move away from it. If you see daylight between your rear end and the line, early extension is present.