Welcome to Play Smarta regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you play smarter and better golf.
Early extension it’s a golf killer.
We’ve covered this topic on this page, but for good reason. When you drive your hips toward the ball too early in the downswing, you eliminate the space needed to effectively turn the ball. When this happens, your ball-striking always suffers.
Understanding the proper technique to eliminate premature aging is extremely important. However, for some golfers, understanding the issue is only half the battle. Because of the physical limitations in their bodies, they simply I can’t execute the technique that eliminates early elongation.
“Everyone talks about mobility and strength, but I think one thing that is often overlooked is stability,” says Top 100 GOLF Instructor Tony Ruggiero. “If you’re not stable enough on that (front) leg, you’re going to want to stand up.”
If you are someone who suffers from premature aging, watch the video below. In it, Tony shares three different exercises you can do to strengthen your body so you can move in a way that doesn’t result in premature aging.
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3 exercises to fix early prolapse
What I love about the exercises Tony showed me is that they involve the motions of a golf swing. They don’t just target the necessary muscle groups; they also force your body to move the same way they do during the golf swing.
1. Punch training
The first drill is what I call the punch drill. To set up, get into your golf stance and then move your trail foot away from the ball. Next, grab an exercise band that is strapped behind you and pull it across your chest with your trailing arm. From there, reach around your body and punch towards the target as you turn your body.
“This is pure spin,” says Ruggiero. “That’s your ribcage rolling through your left leg. When you do that and isolate your weight over your left leg, it helps build stability.”
2. Rowing exercise
The next exercise is the rowing exercise. For this exercise, get into your golf stance. This time, grasp both ends of the exercise band in each hand with the center of the band attached to the ground in front of you. From there, do a back rowing motion with your trail hand and then, as you switch to your lead side, do a back rowing motion with your lead hand.
“There you have to feel this resistance that has to be pushed a little bit off the ground,” says Ruggiero.
3. Hanging exercise
For the final exercise, get into your golf stance once again with your trail leg dropped back. This time, hold the shaft of the club over your shoulders. From there, rotate fully toward the target, landing on your lead foot.
“A lot of people when they do this the first time, they’ll feel like their foot is struggling to hold the ground,” says Ruggiero.
