Early extension, or “standing up” out of your posture through the downswing, is arguably the most destructive flaw in amateur golf. This fault forces the arms to lose lag, causes inconsistent strikes (shanks, blocks, or thin shots), and instantly kills the effortless power you built in the backswing.
Our featured video, “How To Stay Down Through Impact In The Golf Swing!”, provides the essential guidance and simple drill needed to eliminate early extension and maintain your spine angle for a powerful, compressed strike. This guidance aligns with the Semantic SEO content strategy to cluster content around “improve golf swing” guides, exercises, and tips.
The Downswing Flaw: The ‘Standing Up’ Power Leak
Early extension is the body’s attempt to create space for the arms, which happens when the upper body is moving too fast—a sequencing error.
- The Result: When you stand up, your arms are pushed out and away from your body, often forcing you to release the club too early. This results in a weak, glancing blow rather than the solid contact necessary to hit the ball straight.
The solution is maintaining the flexion in your hips and knees that you established during your SET UP FOR THE GOLF SWING.
The Simple Drill to Stay Down
The video features a simple, yet highly effective drill designed to train the necessary muscle memory and teach the feel of correct rotation:
- The Wall/Chair Drill: The video likely demonstrates using a wall, chair, or alignment stick placed directly behind your trail side during the setup.
- The Goal: During the downswing, the player must keep their trail hip and glute lightly touching the barrier as they rotate. This physically prevents the hips from thrusting forward into the ball, forcing the torso to stay “down” and the club to approach from the inside.
Why This Fix Unlocks Power
By learning How To Stay Down Through Impact, you gain two massive advantages:
- Maximized Lag and Speed: Eliminating the early hip thrust allows you to retain the lag you created, ensuring maximum acceleration and clubhead speed is delivered at and after the ball. This is how you achieve effortless power.
- Consistent Contact: Maintaining your posture ensures the low point of your swing arc is stable and forward, guaranteeing a clean strike on the ball, similar to the secret of consistent iron hitting.
Ready to start compressing the ball with a powerful, stable strike? Check on YouTube