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Fix Early Extension: 5 Training Aids, $15-$275
I early-extended for 15 years before I even knew what it was called. My swing looked like I was trying to jump backward out of a phone booth. Hips thrust toward the ball, spine straightening up, hands flipping to save it. The result was a two-way miss where I genuinely did not know if the ball was going 40 yards left or a weak push-fade right. I blamed my grip. I blamed my tempo. I bought three different drivers.
It was none of those things. It was early extension, and it is almost certainly what is messing up your iron play too.
You cannot fix what you cannot feel. Early extension is invisible to the golfer doing it. You do not see yourself stand up. You just see the fat shot or the pull-hook that started at your buddy and ended up on the next fairway. These five training aids create a feedback loop that makes early extension impossible to ignore, and then impossible to keep doing.
The top pick: the DownUnder Board 2.0 at $99.50. The budget pick: alignment sticks at $15.
What to Look For
Immediate feedback. If the aid tells you five minutes later that you early-extended, it is useless. You need feedback in real time.
Forces the fix, not just the diagnosis. A training aid that only tells you that you messed up helps nobody. The best aids force you into the correct movement pattern through repetition.
Works solo. Most of us practice alone. The aid needs to work without a coach present.
What does not matter: brand names, PGA Tour endorsements, or how many pros use it. Scheffler uses the TRS Slider. You are not Scheffler. Buy what works at your price point.
The 5 Best Training Aids to Fix Early Extension
1. DownUnder Board 2.0: Best Overall ($99.50)
This is a flat plastic board you squeeze between your thighs during the swing. If you early-extend, your thighs separate and the board drops. You cannot hide from the feedback.
The board forces your lower body to stay stable through impact. When your thighs stay connected, your hips cannot thrust toward the ball. Your spine stays in posture. The board adjusts from 14 to 18 inches so you can use it with wedges through driver. Bradley Hughes designed it based on ground-force principles from his Tour career, and it addresses the root cause rather than a symptom.
What does not work: you look ridiculous squeezing a board between your thighs on the range. At $99.50 it is a piece of plastic with a foam pad, but the design is patented and cheap knockoffs do not fit correctly.
The drill: Squeeze the board between your thighs. Hit 20 half-swing wedges. If it stays put for all 20, widen it half an inch and do 20 more. Work up to full swings over two weeks. Ten minutes, three times a week.
Buy this if early extension is your primary swing flaw. Skip if you are on a tight budget and can be disciplined with alignment stick drills instead.
2. Tour Striker Smart Ball: Best for Arm-Body Connection ($39)
The Smart Ball is an inflatable ball that goes between your forearms. When you early-extend, your arms disconnect and the ball drops instantly.
At $39, this is the best value on the list. You can deflate it for easier drills or inflate it for the real test. Start deflated under one arm for half-swings to build the feel. Move to inflated between both forearms for full swings once you can keep it in place.
What does not work: the included lanyard and pump are cheap. Hitting full drivers with it between your arms is awkward. Stick to wedges through 7-iron.
The drill: Deflated under your lead arm for 10 pitch shots. Inflate halfway, place between forearms, hit 15 three-quarter 7-irons. If the ball drops before impact, you stood up. Four times a week for two weeks.
Buy this if you want the cheapest tool that gives mid-swing feedback. Skip if your early extension is primarily a lower-body issue. The Smart Ball fixes the arms. Pair it with the DownUnder Board to cover everything.
3. WhyGolf Pressure Plate: Best for Weight Transfer ($65β$110)
The Pressure Plate is a rocker board that shows you exactly where your weight is at address and throughout the swing. Early extension almost always starts with weight drifting to the toes on the downswing. When you get on your toes, your hips thrust forward to compensate.
The plate makes toe-side weight impossible to ignore. Stand on it, feel where your weight is, and adjust. It is a practice station you can use at home for setup work and slow-motion swing practice.
What does not work: you cannot hit full shots on it. It is for setup work and slow-motion drills only. The brand-site price of $110 is steep. It runs $65 to $85 on Amazon, which is the right price for what it delivers.
The drill: Stand on the plate in your address posture. Close your eyes. Feel where your weight is. Shift it to centered. Do this for two minutes before every range session, then move to slow-motion backswings feeling the pressure stay centered. Five minutes a day.
Buy this if you cannot feel where your weight is at setup. Skip if you already have good weight awareness and need an in-swing tool instead.
4. Divot Board: Best for Low-Point Feedback ($99.99)
The Divot Board is a textured pad that shows you exactly where your club contacts the ground. Early extension causes fat shots because standing up moves your low point behind the ball. The board makes that visible instantly. A mark behind the ball means you stood up. Under the ball means you compressed it.
You cannot argue with the mark. Unlike the DownUnder Board which fixes the cause, the Divot Board diagnoses the symptom and lets you self-correct through repetition. Pair it with any other aid on this list for a complete system.
What does not work: $99.99 for a plastic pad is steep and replacement surfaces run $30 to $50. You need a mat or grass underneath it.
The drill: Place the board on a mat with a ball on top. Hit 10 seven-irons. After each shot, look at the mark before reloading. If it is behind the ball, shift more weight forward. Ten minutes, three times a week for three weeks.
Buy this if you hit fat shots and want undeniable visual proof of your low point. Skip if you know you early-extend and just need a tool that forces the fix.
5. Alignment Sticks: Best Budget Diagnostic Tool ($15β$25)
The butt-against-wall drill is the cheapest diagnostic tool in golf. Set up with your rear lightly touching a wall or an alignment stick stuck vertically behind you. Take slow practice swings. If your hips lose contact on the downswing, you early-extended. If they stay connected, you rotated through properly.
Do 20 reps a day for a week and you will develop a feel for staying in posture that transfers to real swings. At $15 for a two-pack, alignment sticks cost less than a sleeve of Pro V1s.
What does not work: you need something to lean against. A wall at the range works. A bag stand does not. This drill requires setup, and you look like you are doing physical therapy on the range. But it works.
The drill: Stand with your rear against a wall or stick one alignment rod vertically behind you. Make 20 slow backswings and downswings. If you lose contact, restart. After one week, take the stick away and try to replicate the feeling.
Buy this if you want the cheapest possible fix and are willing to do the reps. Skip if you need in-swing feedback. Alignment sticks diagnose. They do not force anything during a real swing.
How to Fix Early Extension: A Three-Week Plan
Week one: Alignment sticks butt-against-wall drill every day, 5 minutes. Divot Board three times, 10 minutes each. Just learn where your low point is. Do not try to fix anything yet.
Week two: Add the Smart Ball. Four sessions, 10 minutes each. Half deflated under one arm, half between both forearms. Your Divot Board marks should start creeping forward.
Week three: Add the DownUnder Board. Three sessions, 10 minutes each. Start with half-swings, work up to full 7-irons. By the end of week three, your Divot Board marks should be consistently under or ahead of the ball.
If you only buy one thing: the DownUnder Board 2.0 at $99.50. If you have $40: the Tour Striker Smart Ball. If you have $15: alignment sticks. I used all three together and went from a two-way miss to a predictable push-fade in six weeks. Your early extension is not permanent. You just need something that tells you when you are doing it.
Where to Buy
- DownUnder Board 2.0 $99.50 at Amazon
- Tour Striker Smart Ball $39 at Amazon
- WhyGolf Pressure Plate $65β$110 at Amazon
- Divot Board $99.99 at Amazon
- Callaway Alignment Sticks $15β$25 at Amazon
Prices updated July 2026. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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