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: 7 June 2011
Comments: 95
It always hurts me to see a golfer walk up to the tee with driver in hand, plant his feet a mile wide and attempt to muscle his way to the ball. He'€™ll slide and I can almost hear his back crunch... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 6 June 2011
Yesterday I talked about how overactive shoulders can cause you to come over the top, creating a cut. As is often the case, our Director of Club Fitting Operations, Lynn "Doc" Griffin, had... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 5 June 2011
Comments: 128
There'€™s been some really exciting discussion about avoiding going '€œover the top'€ in the forward upswing (downswing, impact and followthrough). I always visualize that motion as skipping a... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 3 June 2011
Comments: 200
  Because of all the interest I'€™m going to continue one last time with the position of the arms at address. We got a good suggestion from the blog about just walking up to the ball and, with the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 2 June 2011
Comments: 117
There'€™s been a good deal of discussion on the blog about positioning the arms in addition to over-reaching. One comment reminded me of the old golf days when I was new at teaching. It had to do... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 1 June 2011
Comments: 42
Boy, when I did a video on reaching for the ball and all the problems that caused we got slammed with great response and good questions. This is kind of a reminder and how to keep that from... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 31 May 2011
Comments: 60
Got a question about a problem of transferring a good practice swing to the real thing. Leo feels he'€™s making good a practice swing but doesn'€™t apply it to the one that counts. That can be a... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 30 May 2011
Comments: 114
On this Memorial Day, I would like to take time to thank our nation's military men and women, past and present, for their strong sense of commitment and and their unflinching willingness to... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 29 May 2011
Comments: 104
Do toes come into play in the Surge Swing? Leigh had back surgery and part of the result was nerve damage to his toes. He says he can'€™t get the correct balance in the Surge Swing. He needs help... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 28 May 2011
Comments: 86
Ouch. Ball marks high on the clubface will tell you instantly you'€™ve got a problem. You are obviously not hitting the ball in the sweet spot and, most likely, you'€™re hitting pop ups all over the... Read More