Transition & DownswingIntermediateFixes: Early extension

Trail Heel Wedge Drill

Curated PGA Drill by Chris Ryan Golf

Focus Area

Downswing

Rep Guidance

3 sets of 10 slow rehearsal reps

Equipment

Golf club, alignment stick (optional)

Skill Level

Intermediate

Video walkthrough by Chris Ryan GolfWatch on YouTube ↗

Why This Drill Works (Kinetic Mechanics)

Forces the golfer to keep the trail foot grounded and create depth with the lead hip, rather than thrusting the trail hip forward which causes the heel to lift.

How to Perform the Drill

Follow these step-by-step instructions. Rehearse slowly to build proper motor patterns before adding full swing speed.

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Setup: Place a wedge under your trail heel at address.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Make a normal backswing.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Downswing: Focus on pulling the lead hip back to match the trail hip.

  4. 4

    Step 4

    Keep pressure on the wedge. If the trail heel lifts (early extension), the wedge will drop.

What Good Feels Like

Focus on smooth tempo and maintaining body connection through impact. Your body and club should move as a single synchronized unit.

Common Mistake to Avoid

Rushing transition before completing backswing or lunging upper body forward towards ball at impact. Keep movement controlled.

Swing Faults & Ball Flights Addressed

Early extensionHeel LiftLoss of Posture

Comprehensive Guides Featuring This Drill

How to Fix Early Extension in the Golf Swing

Fix early extension by keeping your trail-side glute and hips turning back and down instead of thrusting forward toward the ball. Build real backswing depth, then use wall or chair contact drills to feel your pelvis stay back through impact. This preserves spine angle so the club has room to release without you standing up.

Not sure this is your real fault?

Upload one swing video and our AI will identify whether early extension is actually what's costing you strokes, using physics-backed metrics and a practice plan matched to what it finds. Your first analysis is free.

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