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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Fix Early Extension with Your Trail Leg Movement

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Understand how early extension affects your swing path
  • Feel the correct movement of your trail leg during the downswing
  • Recognize the importance of hip rotation for improved stability

In this drill, you'll learn how to correct your early extension pattern by focusing on the movement of your trail leg. This adjustment will help you achieve a more consistent swing and better ball contact.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.520
This video is trail leg back 45. So this video or this drill is to help you

2
00:00:05.520 --> 00:00:05.800
with

3
00:00:05.800 --> 00:00:10.080
your early extension pattern. Many golfers have a pattern where their lower

4
00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:14.920
body is moving in towards the golf ball and that can be a complement to a st

5
00:00:14.920 --> 00:00:15.240
eeper

6
00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:21.080
arm movement and more of a flip style release which the early extension pattern

7
00:00:21.080 --> 00:00:26.520
serves a purpose of helping you shallow it out and avoid hitting it fat. But it

8
00:00:26.520 --> 00:00:30.600
can linger when golfers start working on a little bit better release pattern

9
00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:30.760
and

10
00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:36.280
what can happen is that early extension by itself can cause the hand path to

11
00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:41.280
work too far out to the right and cause a little bit more of a roll style

12
00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:45.860
internal rotation style release pattern down at the bottom. So it can cause

13
00:00:45.860 --> 00:00:46.080
some

14
00:00:46.080 --> 00:00:52.210
unneeded inconsistency it's great for a lot of golfers to work on. So what we

15
00:00:52.210 --> 00:00:52.280
're

16
00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:55.280
gonna do in this drill is we're gonna focus specifically on the roll of the

17
00:00:55.280 --> 00:01:01.020
right hip because some people actually as they're shifting weight that's when

18
00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:04.200
the majority of the early extension happens and then they're able to post up

19
00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:08.640
around the left leg but they've kind of already started that pattern. So to use

20
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:14.360
the trail leg properly I have a few videos on kind of pushing the leg away

21
00:01:14.360 --> 00:01:19.000
from you or pushing the ground back in that direction. If you keep the foot

22
00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:24.160
planted then what ends up happening is the hip is going to move backward 45. In

23
00:01:24.160 --> 00:01:27.640
fact with golfers who have this pattern what I'll do is I'll go up to the top

24
00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:27.760
of

25
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:32.160
the swing and then I'll take the golf club and I'll place it right here on

26
00:01:32.160 --> 00:01:37.040
the point of their hip or just below the bony part of the pelvis and I'll push

27
00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:42.000
it back 45 and then have them rotate through. So it ends up looking like the

28
00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:46.480
weight shift is going weird like this but you can see that as I'm moving back

29
00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:50.280
this way I can still have a bit of a rotation. So if you don't have someone

30
00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:54.760
to push on your hip which likely you don't you can use a pool noodle and a

31
00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:59.720
couple alignment sticks or a chair this is similar to the ball or the butt

32
00:01:59.720 --> 00:02:05.560
fingerprint concept. So if I go up to the to set this up properly I want the

33
00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:10.640
foam or the pool noodle to be about a hands-width away. I don't want to be

34
00:02:10.640 --> 00:02:15.400
right up against it although this one is soft enough that I can push up against

35
00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:18.280
it but if it's a firm object I have to make sure that I have a little bit of

36
00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:22.120
space. Then what I'm going to do is I'm going to go up to the top of my swing

37
00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:29.640
and I'm going to push that right hip basically in a 30 or 45 degree angle

38
00:02:29.640 --> 00:02:33.000
back that way. So if I'm hitting it at these flags I'm pushing it back

39
00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:37.080
towards those other flags over there. That will help create the space for my

40
00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:41.640
arms to stay in front of my chest and require my upper body to continue

41
00:02:41.640 --> 00:02:45.080
rotating on the way through. What happens with a lot of golfers when they first

42
00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:49.160
do this as they just push the hips back and then stall the body and just kind

43
00:02:49.160 --> 00:02:49.240
of

44
00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:53.480
throw the hands. You have to make sure that when you do this and you push that

45
00:02:53.480 --> 00:03:02.280
hip back that your body continues its rotation. So you can do this with half

46
00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:08.040
shots and full swings up against and then go ahead and step away from it and

47
00:03:08.040 --> 00:03:08.200
try

48
00:03:08.200 --> 00:03:12.840
to duplicate the same feeling when you don't have the support there. So don't

49
00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:16.520
overdo the drill just for the sake of doing the drill. Use it to get a feeling

50
00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:20.520
and then try to apply that feeling with a golf ball.

51
00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:25.400
So I'm just off the pool noodle here. I'm going to do a little

52
00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:29.720
9 to 3 first. So I'm going to go up. I'm going to push back

53
00:03:29.720 --> 00:03:34.440
and then I'm going to rotate and do a good release. So I felt like I had a

54
00:03:34.440 --> 00:03:40.840
little extra space maybe then what I was doing during warm-ups.

55
00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:46.040
You may feel like it's a completely different amount of space and

56
00:03:46.040 --> 00:03:49.640
like the weight distribution more in towards your heels and less in towards

57
00:03:49.640 --> 00:03:53.080
your toe. You may feel closer to the ground. There's lots of different feels

58
00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:57.000
that you may develop from this. Now I'm going to try to do it in one fluid

59
00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:02.360
motion. Not bad, lost it a little bit. Felt that I was

60
00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:07.880
on the stick instead of foam roller. It's using what kind of little sensations

61
00:04:07.880 --> 00:04:12.680
can disrupt your pattern. And now we'll try it in more of a

62
00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:17.000
full swing style action.

63
00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:23.960
So pushing into that hip didn't quite get the release to come around but

64
00:04:23.960 --> 00:04:27.160
had my start line just club face got left and a bit open.

65
00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:32.200
So now that I've got the feeling of that hip going backward I'm going to try

66
00:04:32.200 --> 00:04:38.760
and duplicate that feeling without the pool noodle. So we'll do a 9 to 3

67
00:04:38.760 --> 00:04:41.480
style first.

68
00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:45.720
So feeling like that hip went back and then turned and

69
00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:49.960
executed good release with it. And then we'll try it in more of a full swing

70
00:04:49.960 --> 00:04:55.240
pattern really emphasizing that transition of the right hip.

71
00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:10.360
Now what some of you may find is that if you shift too much into that back hip

72
00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:13.960
like if your hip goes way far back in your backswing

73
00:05:13.960 --> 00:05:17.560
then you can't go back anymore in the downswing. So you want to make sure that

74
00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:21.240
when you make your pivot you're more towards the center of your foot so

75
00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:25.400
that you have the room to let this hip work a little bit more

76
00:05:25.400 --> 00:05:29.480
back that way as you're shifting into that left midfoot.

77
00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:33.320
So if you struggle with more of your trail leg early extension

78
00:05:33.320 --> 00:05:36.200
in the early extension happening really early in the downswing

79
00:05:36.200 --> 00:05:40.520
this is the drill for you to correct that lower body weight shift

80
00:05:40.520 --> 00:05:46.920
right leg push dysfunctional pattern.

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Related topics
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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Fix Early Extension with Your Trail Leg Movement

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Understand how early extension affects your swing path
  • Feel the correct movement of your trail leg during the downswing
  • Recognize the importance of hip rotation for improved stability

In this drill, you'll learn how to correct your early extension pattern by focusing on the movement of your trail leg. This adjustment will help you achieve a more consistent swing and better ball contact.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.520
This video is trail leg back 45. So this video or this drill is to help you

2
00:00:05.520 --> 00:00:05.800
with

3
00:00:05.800 --> 00:00:10.080
your early extension pattern. Many golfers have a pattern where their lower

4
00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:14.920
body is moving in towards the golf ball and that can be a complement to a st

5
00:00:14.920 --> 00:00:15.240
eeper

6
00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:21.080
arm movement and more of a flip style release which the early extension pattern

7
00:00:21.080 --> 00:00:26.520
serves a purpose of helping you shallow it out and avoid hitting it fat. But it

8
00:00:26.520 --> 00:00:30.600
can linger when golfers start working on a little bit better release pattern

9
00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:30.760
and

10
00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:36.280
what can happen is that early extension by itself can cause the hand path to

11
00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:41.280
work too far out to the right and cause a little bit more of a roll style

12
00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:45.860
internal rotation style release pattern down at the bottom. So it can cause

13
00:00:45.860 --> 00:00:46.080
some

14
00:00:46.080 --> 00:00:52.210
unneeded inconsistency it's great for a lot of golfers to work on. So what we

15
00:00:52.210 --> 00:00:52.280
're

16
00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:55.280
gonna do in this drill is we're gonna focus specifically on the roll of the

17
00:00:55.280 --> 00:01:01.020
right hip because some people actually as they're shifting weight that's when

18
00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:04.200
the majority of the early extension happens and then they're able to post up

19
00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:08.640
around the left leg but they've kind of already started that pattern. So to use

20
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:14.360
the trail leg properly I have a few videos on kind of pushing the leg away

21
00:01:14.360 --> 00:01:19.000
from you or pushing the ground back in that direction. If you keep the foot

22
00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:24.160
planted then what ends up happening is the hip is going to move backward 45. In

23
00:01:24.160 --> 00:01:27.640
fact with golfers who have this pattern what I'll do is I'll go up to the top

24
00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:27.760
of

25
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:32.160
the swing and then I'll take the golf club and I'll place it right here on

26
00:01:32.160 --> 00:01:37.040
the point of their hip or just below the bony part of the pelvis and I'll push

27
00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:42.000
it back 45 and then have them rotate through. So it ends up looking like the

28
00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:46.480
weight shift is going weird like this but you can see that as I'm moving back

29
00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:50.280
this way I can still have a bit of a rotation. So if you don't have someone

30
00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:54.760
to push on your hip which likely you don't you can use a pool noodle and a

31
00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:59.720
couple alignment sticks or a chair this is similar to the ball or the butt

32
00:01:59.720 --> 00:02:05.560
fingerprint concept. So if I go up to the to set this up properly I want the

33
00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:10.640
foam or the pool noodle to be about a hands-width away. I don't want to be

34
00:02:10.640 --> 00:02:15.400
right up against it although this one is soft enough that I can push up against

35
00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:18.280
it but if it's a firm object I have to make sure that I have a little bit of

36
00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:22.120
space. Then what I'm going to do is I'm going to go up to the top of my swing

37
00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:29.640
and I'm going to push that right hip basically in a 30 or 45 degree angle

38
00:02:29.640 --> 00:02:33.000
back that way. So if I'm hitting it at these flags I'm pushing it back

39
00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:37.080
towards those other flags over there. That will help create the space for my

40
00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:41.640
arms to stay in front of my chest and require my upper body to continue

41
00:02:41.640 --> 00:02:45.080
rotating on the way through. What happens with a lot of golfers when they first

42
00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:49.160
do this as they just push the hips back and then stall the body and just kind

43
00:02:49.160 --> 00:02:49.240
of

44
00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:53.480
throw the hands. You have to make sure that when you do this and you push that

45
00:02:53.480 --> 00:03:02.280
hip back that your body continues its rotation. So you can do this with half

46
00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:08.040
shots and full swings up against and then go ahead and step away from it and

47
00:03:08.040 --> 00:03:08.200
try

48
00:03:08.200 --> 00:03:12.840
to duplicate the same feeling when you don't have the support there. So don't

49
00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:16.520
overdo the drill just for the sake of doing the drill. Use it to get a feeling

50
00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:20.520
and then try to apply that feeling with a golf ball.

51
00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:25.400
So I'm just off the pool noodle here. I'm going to do a little

52
00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:29.720
9 to 3 first. So I'm going to go up. I'm going to push back

53
00:03:29.720 --> 00:03:34.440
and then I'm going to rotate and do a good release. So I felt like I had a

54
00:03:34.440 --> 00:03:40.840
little extra space maybe then what I was doing during warm-ups.

55
00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:46.040
You may feel like it's a completely different amount of space and

56
00:03:46.040 --> 00:03:49.640
like the weight distribution more in towards your heels and less in towards

57
00:03:49.640 --> 00:03:53.080
your toe. You may feel closer to the ground. There's lots of different feels

58
00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:57.000
that you may develop from this. Now I'm going to try to do it in one fluid

59
00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:02.360
motion. Not bad, lost it a little bit. Felt that I was

60
00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:07.880
on the stick instead of foam roller. It's using what kind of little sensations

61
00:04:07.880 --> 00:04:12.680
can disrupt your pattern. And now we'll try it in more of a

62
00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:17.000
full swing style action.

63
00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:23.960
So pushing into that hip didn't quite get the release to come around but

64
00:04:23.960 --> 00:04:27.160
had my start line just club face got left and a bit open.

65
00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:32.200
So now that I've got the feeling of that hip going backward I'm going to try

66
00:04:32.200 --> 00:04:38.760
and duplicate that feeling without the pool noodle. So we'll do a 9 to 3

67
00:04:38.760 --> 00:04:41.480
style first.

68
00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:45.720
So feeling like that hip went back and then turned and

69
00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:49.960
executed good release with it. And then we'll try it in more of a full swing

70
00:04:49.960 --> 00:04:55.240
pattern really emphasizing that transition of the right hip.

71
00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:10.360
Now what some of you may find is that if you shift too much into that back hip

72
00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:13.960
like if your hip goes way far back in your backswing

73
00:05:13.960 --> 00:05:17.560
then you can't go back anymore in the downswing. So you want to make sure that

74
00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:21.240
when you make your pivot you're more towards the center of your foot so

75
00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:25.400
that you have the room to let this hip work a little bit more

76
00:05:25.400 --> 00:05:29.480
back that way as you're shifting into that left midfoot.

77
00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:33.320
So if you struggle with more of your trail leg early extension

78
00:05:33.320 --> 00:05:36.200
in the early extension happening really early in the downswing

79
00:05:36.200 --> 00:05:40.520
this is the drill for you to correct that lower body weight shift

80
00:05:40.520 --> 00:05:46.920
right leg push dysfunctional pattern.

Have questions about this video?

Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.

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Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
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