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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: 9 October 2013
Comments: 29
I've had people tell me the sacred burial ground sounds kind of scary. Well, that's the idea! You should be frightened any time you even think about letting your club swing into it. If you don't know... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 6 October 2013
Comments: 22
I'm sure most of you have been enjoying the Presidents Cup this weekend. There have been some amazing shots during team play, but today is all about singles competition. If the Ryder Cup last year... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 5 October 2013
Comments: 20
If you want to increase your distance, your muscles need to be actively engaged. Your grip must be firm and your swing speed should be accelerating through impact. One big misconception I always hear... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 4 October 2013
Comments: 27
Type in the words "golf instruction" in any online search and you'll see a ton of swing methods claiming they've got the swing that will transform your game. Many of them even say they've got body... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 2 October 2013
Comments: 22
Because being a vertical swinger means you're in the minority, you've probably been offered a lot of advice about how to improve your golf game. Have other golfers told you that your backswing needs... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 29 September 2013
Comments: 6
Most golf courses aren't exactly flat. That means you're probably going to see your fair share of uneven lies, especially if you're missing the fairway. But, even a lot of fairways are built on hills... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 28 September 2013
Comments: 20
Everyone would like to be able to work the ball. Purposely hitting a draw or fade can help you on certain holes as well, but you should only try working the ball if you can already hit the ball... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 27 September 2013
Comments: 29
Today, I'm going to issue a challenge to anyone who plays golf with pain. It's just not necessary and it probably inhibits you from playing as much golf as you'd like to. If any Surgites have friends... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 26 September 2013
Comments: 13
Butt weighted grips are starting to become fairly popular, in part because Jack Nicklaus has been featured on commercials endorsing them. Ron Kriete is interested in getting a set and asked me to... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 24 September 2013
Comments: 9
Ever since I started the blog category "In Your Own Words," more and more Surgites have shared their own success stories with me. I get a lot of joy from reading these messages and the whole idea is... Read More