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: 20 February 2011
Bob says he likes the Surge Swing because it'€™s easy on his back. But he has a real problem chunking his driver and fairway woods into the ground. Gouging out pieces of the fairway could start to... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 19 February 2011
One of a golfer's greatest enemies has nothing to do with your clubs or balls, not even your swing. It'€™s that space between your ears and what you'€™re telling it. I call it good '€œself talk'€... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 18 February 2011
We had a question about the left or front side opening too soon on the downswing and stopping the '€œover the top'€ swing. There'€™s one important word that covers both problems. Quiet. Opening the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 17 February 2011
While swing tempo is a big deal for a variety of reasons, it can cause you big problems if you'€™ve got it wrong. I recently had a student who slowed down his swing when he got to impact because he... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 17 February 2011
The Big Bang Theory No, I'€™m not talking about astrophysics. I'€™m talking about when your clubhead meets the ball. That is: at impact. I know I talked about this recently, but a student of mine... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 16 February 2011
Comments: 3
Michael says he'€™s having problems keeping his backswing short. Understandably, since in so many of today's swings players are encourage to go to parallel and/or make the big turn, it'€™s hard to... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 15 February 2011
A couple days ago I talked about accelerating through the ball at impact. For one group of golfers this tip is critical. Acceleration through impact isn'€™t a problem for low handicap and scratch... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 14 February 2011
KK has the Surge Swing down pretty well, but recently he'€™d been getting a little flat in the backswing and was hitting some blocks and pulls. I'€™ve been teaching KK since he was seven. To my... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 13 February 2011
Robert is one of my local students. He'€™s a member of the Inner Circle, has all the videos, and knows the manual by heart. He also has a nice swing. We were out the other day in 40 degree weather... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 12 February 2011
Lynn Griffin, Director of Club Fitting, has some pretty strong opinions about the new adjustable drivers. He says that to get any noticeable difference in ball flight path and trajectory you would... Read More