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: 13 September 2010
It doesn't happen that often, but with the larger headed drivers it definitely can. To keep the overall weight of the driver within limits, the face of the large head is thinner and, in some... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 12 September 2010
Since we can'€™t see our back arm and wrist in the backswing we don'€™t always know if we'€™re really keeping the back wrist firm at the top. What often happens is we go a little too far back... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 11 September 2010
The Surge is on his way to Port St. Lucie, FL and the PGA Golf Learning Center for a PPGS school. I was reviewing some older videos of Don at a free clinic he gave at a charity event at Old... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 10 September 2010
Yesterday we talked about the back or right elbow in the backswing. Guess what, it'€™s the same idea for the forward upswing and finish. As Newton's Third Law states, 'For every action, there is an... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 9 September 2010
When you are trying to swing to vertical, I can understand your frustration when you're having problems. There is so much contradictory “advice” out there it is sometimes difficult to... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 8 September 2010
Sorry I'm late. Flew back from Boston today but had to get this out to you. Yes, we always want to win, but DJ did very well. But he was happy his good friend, Charley Hoffman, shot the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 7 September 2010
Well, it's happened again. The Surge and I started talking on the phone about a question that's come up on the blog and I've received in numerous email. It's one of those things that is so... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 6 September 2010
This is the forth clip of Matt Steffe of C-prime and the Surge during our shoot at the exclusive Secession Golf Club near Beaufort, South Carolina. This one is all about distance. Matt, 6′6″, a... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 5 September 2010
DJ has been working very hard on his weakest link: putting. He made a discovery during the week that he wanted to share with you. Again, Todd was kind enough to shoot the video. You might... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 4 September 2010
You used to be able to be able to pick out the correct flex of a shaft based on what it said on the shaft: stiff, senior, ladies, etc. That's just not the case anymore. Several visitors to... Read More