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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: 23 March 2010
I'm down here in Florida this week pulling double teaching duty. Starting in Orlando, today (Monday) and tomorrow, I'm working with DJ for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. On Tuesday... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 22 March 2010
Last week I wrote a couple of articles about determining good posture based on your arms hanging straight down from your torso. I mentioned the best way to determine that was to just glance... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 21 March 2010
I read a question and comment on the blog the other day by someone who was asking about what happened top balata golf balls. He said they used to be so much softer and you could spin them a... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 20 March 2010
Yesterday I discussed that the best way to get into proper posture and be the correct distance from the ball was that when you step into the ball and get into your routine and bend from the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 19 March 2010
During a recent lesson I was asked by a student, with a combination statement and question,‚  that he had read or been told you can never stand too close to the ball. And he asked, in fact,... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 18 March 2010
Today, we'll talk about swinging the body versus swinging the arms. As we know, with the rotational swing today, you get your power by swinging your body faster as compared to the Peak Performance... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 17 March 2010
Yesterday's article about weight shift, sit or sink over and onto your back leg, brought out a lot of good comments and questions. One extremely good one was from Bill Kerney. Bill asked... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 16 March 2010
Today I'm going to discuss weight shirt or weight transfer in the backswing. In a blog the other day, John OB asked this of me. “Hi, Don. Regarding loading or weight transfer. First, at what... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 15 March 2010
Comments: 1
I see a lot of questions and comments in the blogs about turning the shoulders too much in the backswing and getting deep behind the toe line and over swinging.‚  I also see many comments... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 14 March 2010
When I teach golf schools, during which we teach the long game and all aspects of the short game, I always get a reawakening to the reality of the similarities that exist for both.‚  The... Read More