Inconsistent Strike: How to Stop Standing Up in the Golf Swing

Are you standing up in your golf swing? Standing up – known in the golf world as early extension – is a very common problem among amateur golfers. 

There are a variety of causes including poor posture, lack of flexibility, and more. While you can learn to play with it, as I’ll outline below, it’s not the best move to make if you want to build a consistent golf swing.

If you’re tired of standing up and extending early, it can lead to a ton of inconsistencies, especially with irons or wedges. Keep reading to learn the causes, why it’s a problem, and common fixes below.

Standing Up in Golf Swing 

Before getting what causes early extension, let’s define it. 

When you extend early, you essentially stand up in your golf swing before impact. This changes your posture and is common among amateur golfers who try to “lift” the ball into the air. 

When you extend early, it changes the club’s path mid-swing and marks it easy to hit fat and thin shots. However, it’s not just about staying in your posture, as there are multiple causes to this swing issue. 

Key Takeaways

• Standing up in the golf swing is a common mistake among golfers who try to lift the ball into the air. 
• Some of the causes include poor posture, lack of flexibility, weak muscles in the core or glutes, and not making the correct weight shift.
• To fix this issue, golfers need to evaluate posture, improve stretching to strengthen muscles, and improve weight transfer.

Causes of Standing Up in Downswing 

When trying to fix an error in the golf swing, it’s always important to work backward. So, the issue is that you’re standing up in the downswing, but the question is, why? 

In general, it’s one of these main reasons. 

Poor Posture 

The first cause of early extension is something you can correct is your posture at starting position. If you don’t have the right posture at setup position, it’s easy to lack body rotation and stand up in the downswing. 

Good posture starts with a slight bend in the hips and keeping your back straight. Knees should be slightly flexed, weight between your feet, and arms hanging naturally. 

This will allow you to have an athletic posture and build a repeatable golf swing. Plus, you’ll be a lot more likely to avoid golf injuries, too. 

Learn more proper golf posture here.

Improper Weight Shift 

The second reason you might stand up is from moving your weight too much to your trail foot during the backswing. If you sway on the way back instead of rotate, your weight will be on the trail leg as you swing the club. The only way to make contact will be to stand up and extend early.

You need to make sure to get your weight to your lead leg before you start your downswing. When you do, it will help you move through the ball and make solid contact,

Avoid swaying and focus on rotating. 

Weak Core or Glute Muscles 

Another common cause of standing up early is weak core or glute muscles. 

If these muscles aren’t strong and developed, it’s easy to thrust toward the ball and change your posture. But to hit consistent shots, you must maintain your posture throughout the swing. 

Lack of Flexibility or Mobility 

The final thing to evaluate is your flexibility and mobility. If you have tight hamstrings, hips, or lack shoulder mobility, it’s easy to lift on the downswing. 

How to Stay in Posture in Golf Swing

Now that you know the four main reasons you might extend early, you need to assess the cause. You can work with a golf instructor or record your swing… then analyze your swing to see if it’s one or several issues above.

Once you pinpoint the issue, then you need to make a plan to fix it. Here are some strategies below and then I’ll cover some drills that will help too. 

First, evaluate your posture so you are setting yourself up for success before you take the club back. This is easy to see on a down the line swing video. Evaluate your posture by using an iRange Sports stick to easily record your swing. 

Next, study your weight transfer with a face on video. Make sure you start at 50/50 with your weight evenly distributed between the ball and heel of your feet. 

Shift your weight on the backswing and press into your lead foot to start the downswing. Then open your hips so you can clear and create a forward shaft lean.

Finally, address your body to make sure you have the capabilities to avoid early extension. Because a lot of times you might do the right drills, but your body is holding you back from maintaining posture.

Start by stretching more often to address tight muscles. Learn more about the best golf stretches now to improve flexibility. 

Then, make sure to target your glutes and core in the gym like squats, deadlifts, leg press, and other compound lower body movements. Check out our guide to golf workouts to strengthen your muscles. 

Drills to Fix Standing Up in Golf Swing 

Once your body and setup is correct, let’s get into the drills that can help. 

Change Your Setup

Todd Kolb has a great YouTube video addressing standing up and some easy fixes. While these aren’t drills, he does provide easy ways to change your setup so you can maintain spine angle.

His three fixes are:

• Flare your feet: Having your feet slightly externally flared allows you to rotate properly on the backswing. Avoid keeping your feet square or pigeon toe, as it’ll limit hip and shoulder rotation.

• Hip hinge: When looking at your swing from a down the line angle, make sure you have hip hinge. This is when the back part of your belt is higher than the front part. Make it a goal to maintain this hip hinge as you swing. 

• Tilt your head: The final thing to change at setup is your head tilted back. When you raise your lead ear, it makes it easier to rotate properly. This is a classic move made by Jack Nicklaus. 

Golf Cart Drill 

Start by placing a golf ball under the toes of your trail foot while standing close to a golf cart (or wall if doing this drill indoors). Get into your stance, cross your arms in front of your chest, and rotate without a golf club. 

Focus on rotating your body without losing your spine angle. You can also rest your head on the golf cart or wall as well. Keep your head glued to the cart or wall so you don’t lift early. 

The golf ball under your toes will also help you keep weight on your heels and rotate through the swing. 

8-Iron Drill

The next drill is from Eric Cogorno, who is a top instructor on YouTube and has a simple fix. 

Start by grabbing an 8-iron and grip down to the grip of the club. This will leave the club resting above the ball. If the club is above the ball, it will force you to stay down and bent over during the downswing. 

Focus on getting the left arm parallel on the backswing at 50% speed. No need for a full backswing or 100% effort yet. If this is an old habit, you really want to exaggerate the feeling of staying down and connected. 

However, make sure you avoid the mistake Eric mentioned in the video. Do not feel like your chest is simply dropping to the ground. Instead, think shoulder down, which helps get your chest toward the target. 

This early extension drill should help you stay down and not raise up in the downswing.  

My Experience

As mentioned above, I’ve struggled with this issue for a long time. While it’s gotten better, it’s still part of my swing but am actively working on correcting it for more consistency. 

However, I want to stress that even though I’ve extended early for a while, I’ve still become a plus handicap. I do not say that to brag at all, I just want to emphasize that there is more to golf than just building a perfect golf swing. 

Learning to score, improving your mental attitude, short game, and putting have been key to getting the most out of my swing. Breaking bad habits in golf takes a while, so be patient, work with a good instructor, and just remember every golfer has some flaws. 

Final Thoughts 

Hopefully, you have a better understanding of why you might stand up in the golf swing and fixes. 

Keep working on this issue so you can make better contact, improve distance, and lower your handicap. If you’ve been doing this move for a while, stay persistent, as bad habits might be hard to break. 

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