Daily Video Blog

Authored by: Brady
Posted on: 21 March 2026

Don Trahan's analysis of his own swing with different clubs reveals golf's most misunderstood concept: it's your arms that swing on plane, not the club.

Most golfers focus on getting the club on plane, but Don's demonstration shows this is wrong. At address, your arms start below the plane—especially the trail arm (right arm for righties, left arm for lefties). This is correct and necessary.

During takeaway, Don rotates the clubhead first, moving the toe toward "the catcher's mitt" and "up the tree." This rotation naturally lifts his lead arm onto the plane, where it stays throughout the backswing. At the top, his lead hand and forearm align perfectly on the plane while the clubhead passes through it.

The downswing shows his lead arm maintaining plane contact until just before impact. After impact, physics takes over—the trail arm moves onto the plane while the lead arm comes off it, demonstrating equal and opposite reaction.

Don's vertical swing style... Read More

Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 3 July 2011
Comments: 84
Every time I see a student who doesn'€™t follow through to the T-Finish I always ask, '€œWhy?'€ The usual answers I get are, '€œMy back'€™s sore'€ or '€œI'€™m afraidI'€™ll hurt my back.'€ What?... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 2 July 2011
Comments: 42
Whenever I hear someone say they'€™re trying to swing with a nice, easy tempo so they'€™ll make solid contact with the ball, I get worried. When it comes to your swing, nice and easy don'€™t belong... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 1 July 2011
Comments: 81
I like the 3-P grip. Your hand will be perpendicular to the ground, the torso and the target. Often, I see golfers with a grip the looks just right, nice and square, with the thumbs pointing up the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 29 June 2011
Comments: 104
Look, at most, the golf swing lasts about 3 seconds from beginning to end. We'€™ve broken that three seconds apart into the pieces of the Surge Swing, and I've tried to describe each swing component... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 28 June 2011
A great deal has been written and said about young Rory McIlroy'€™s performance in the U.S. Open and deservedly so. What an extraordinary weekend. I think we all felt it. The records set, the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 27 June 2011
Comments: 109
We got a question on the blog about how to stop pulling the ball. The writer said he was doing fine with the short irons but when it came to woods, especially the driver, he hit too many shots to... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 24 June 2011
Comments: 150
Here'€™s a guy who beats the field by 11 strokes. No, it'€™s not Rory McIlroy. His name is Don Addington. He broke his age by 13 shots! Don Addington is 80-years old. He won the John Kline Super... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 22 June 2011
Comments: 356
A little while ago I did a tip on "The Bump" and how important it is to make good solid contact with the ball at impact. Well, as it happens, that inspired our Director of Club Fitting, Lynn... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 21 June 2011
We got a really interesting question from Cajun. '€œIf you tee up the ball for the irons, should you change the position of the ball in the stance?'€ It'€™s a great question and it deserves a... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 19 June 2011
I'€™m going to stay on the "power and distance" subject because we'€™ve been getting some great responses on the blog from people who had suggestions about the swing that could help me and, of... Read More