Ankle Mobility... Simplified
The more I work with athletes - and the more athletes approach me with mobility issues - the simpler the exercises I prescribe become.
There aren't any secrets to increasing mobility.
Move the joint.
Often.
Through as large of a range of motion as you can.
Do it all again.
Why should we care about our ankles?
Your feet interact with the ground - which is where we utilize external forces to to produce force and coordinated movement.
Right above the feet, are the ankles.
Being able to move the ankles through necessary ranges of flexion, extension, and eversion/inversion is critical to creating effective forces with the ground - leading to coordinated movement up the chain.
Let's Bust Some Myths Quick
I've seen many people on social media or prominent golf blogs write about how "fixing" your ankle mobility will:
Cure your early extension
Create more consistent ball strikes
Put less stress on your spine
[1.] The dreaded early extension
Your ankles aren't causing your early extension.
The golf swing is VERY complex.
If anybody ever tries to sum up a swing flaw into one singular physical characteristic - they're being very misleading at best (and a straight up liar at worst).