Daily Video Blog

Is Your Takeaway Ruining Your Swing Before It Starts?
Is Your Takeaway Ruining Your Swing Before It Starts?
Authored by: Brady
Posted on: 5 May 2026

You've probably been told your whole golfing life that you need to keep moving before you swing. Waggle, forward press, rock the knee — whatever it takes, just don't stand still. Surge heard that too. He just never agreed with it.

His thing was this: if you're pressing forward to start a swing that needs to go backward, how do you make that feel exactly the same every time? With every club, every lie, every round? After a while, you start to realize — you can't. That little forward move changes just enough, just often enough, to mess with your timing without you ever knowing why.

What Surge taught instead was to come to a full stop before starting the swing. Feet planted, waggle done, one last look at the target — then still. From there, a simple three-count: squeeze the grip equal in both hands, press the knees out slightly, and go. The toe of the club moves first, the arms follow, and the club finds its way back up the plane. Nothing fancy, just quiet and controlled... Read More

Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 31 July 2012
Comments: 31
Every once in a while, I get a question from one of my students that shows great powers of observation and today's question from Paul D'Andrea of Chicago is the latest to cross my desk. "A few... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 30 July 2012
Comments: 49
I know we have covered this subject many times before, but I think it is important to go over it every once in a while, particularly when you consider that everyone is watching me on video. Here... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 28 July 2012
Comments: 21
Hugh McGrory sent me a note through our Customer Service link regarding a method he used to correct a nagging slice. "I'm 75 years old, took up golf when I was 69, and have found your PPGS... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 25 July 2012
Comments: 47
Mike Chuah recently sent in a question about the shaft-putter head connection and whether his center-faced design would prevent him from keeping the putter shaft to the left of the hole for a right... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 24 July 2012
Comments: 45
A couple of days ago I did a tip on grip pressure, stating that we want an equally firm grip from both hands. But what does one do if one of their hands has been injured so that they have lost grip... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 24 July 2012
Comments: 18
Doc Griffin is back today for the 7th installment of his series on Shaft Myths. In this video, he talk about the obsession most golfers have with shaft flex as they erroneously believe that it has a... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 21 July 2012
Comments: 45
I recently gave a lesson to someone I had not taught before and, as we got acquainted, I asked him what he was having problems with. He described two basic issues: he was hitting most of his shots... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 20 July 2012
Comments: 28
Today we are going to talk about a key part of the setup that plays a major role in whether you hit a good golf shot or not. That's your Grip Pressure. I recently got this email from William... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 19 July 2012
Comments: 39
A week or two ago, David Bories wrote into Customer Service looking for an explanation on why he was hitting the ground behind the ball when swing his longer clubs, but not when he used his... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 17 July 2012
Comments: 27
As I mentioned last week in one of my posts, I've been doing a lot of teaching at our one-day Performance Schools this spring and summer and I've noticed some some trends in setup and swing problems... Read More