Investigating Potential Causes and Effects of Early Extension with the 2023 Pan Am Games Champion

One of the most compelling benefits of an assessment is that it helps highlight potential causes and effects of swing characteristics.  We not only have clues of why (upstream) they might have the characteristic, but insight into the compensations that it might introduce (downstream).

This was representative of our recent visit with 2023 Pan Am Games Champion, Sofia Garcia.  Sofia was introduced to us by her coach and close friend of TPI, Julieta Granada.  We know Julieta from working with her during her playing days on the LPGA and LET.  She retired from professional golf in December of 2023 and began coaching and mentoring young players, including fellow-Paraguayan, Sofia Garcia.

Sofia came to us with some questions about her ball striking, short game and to evaluate a recent injury in the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) of her wrist. 

To answer her questions about what she might be able to do to improve these areas, we first needed to answer the most important question: Why were they issues in the first place?

Why does her wrist hurt?

Lower back injuries are the most common in golf, but wrist and neck injuries might be the most concerning as they can be responsible for elite golfers leaving the game.  Whenever a golfer complains of wrist pain, we immediately want to determine if the golf swing could be a contributing factor.  Is something in the swing causing excessive stress on her body?

One look at Sofia’s swing and we’d conclude that, yes, her swing could absolutely be injury-inducing.  Not only does she lag the club as much as any golfer we’ve seen, her path is positive (hands go in to out).  In addition to getting rid of her angle, she has to flip her hands to square the club.  In other words, her wrists are doing more work at more extreme ranges of motion than the average golfer, in the same amount of time.  In our experience, the parts of a golfer's body that are doing the most work are the most susceptible to breakdown. 

Why is her path so positive?

There are innumerable reasons why a golfer might have a hand path like Sofia’s, but one of the most common is a swing characteristic called Early Extension.  Early Extension refers to excessive movement of the lower body towards the target line.  Sofia “early extends” by almost 3” which means it’s difficult for her hands to move down the target line in a more neutral path.  As Dr. Rose said in the video, she “invades the cigar box.” 

As Dave Phillips like to say, she loses SPACE:

Why is she Early Extending?

While Sofia didn’t have any physical limitations in her movement screen that would increase her likelihood of Early Extension, her power generation preference could be a contributing factor.  

In short, Sofia doesn’t like to use her lower body.  Nearly every assessment we performed reinforced this, from power screen to force plates and 3D.   

Because of this, she isn’t creating the ground reaction forces necessary to avoid Early Extension.

In the golf swing, centrifugal force created by the club will actually pull a golfer towards the target line.  Think about swinging a heavy sledgehammer like a golf club.  You would have to fight from falling over.  To a lesser degree, this is what is happening in the golf swing.  

If a golfer doesn’t push aggressively with the lower body it can be easier for them to move towards the line, even if they aren’t aware they are doing it.  This seems to be the case for Sofia. 

Why doesn’t she like to use her lower body?

This could be any number of things.  Mechanics, power capabilities or even technical understanding of the swing can all play a role in shaping these tendencies. 

However, past injury is also one of the most powerful motivators of movement patterns.  Sofia tore her left ACL in college and although she has made a full recovery, it's possible that her brain is simply not letting her push as hard with that leg.  This is one of the reasons why gathering injury history is such an important component of the athlete onboarding process.

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In our Level 1 online course, we analogize our physical screening process to a detective trying to solve a crime.  We're looking for clues to describe might be responsible for a golfer's mechanical inefficiency.  By identifying potential contributing factors, we can offer more-informed advice for their technique, treatment or training. 

After all, golfers don't just come to you wanting to know what they are doing, they also want to know why.

If you are a coach, fitness or medical professional interested in learning more about how to help golfers determine if their body is affecting their swing, check out our newly updated Level 1 online course.

View TPI Level 1 Online Course

If you're a golfer interested in a physical assessment, you can connect with a TPI Certified expert via our Find an Expert page.