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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: 3 March 2010
Comments: 1
We saw yesterday that one of my students, softly tossing his club toward his golf bag on the cart, busted his nose when the club bounced off the cart, sprang back and hit him.‚  Carrying on... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 2 March 2010
I promise you this is a true story and I tell it as it is important to all golfers'€™ safety on the golf course.‚  I got a call from one of my regular local student's who was calling to tell... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 1 March 2010
Yesterday I discussed my first lesson with Larry, his setup and swing and his physical issues of a stiff neck and shoulders, with quite a limited degree of rotation that hurt him and medical... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 28 February 2010
I met Larry for his first lesson with me.‚  He called me because his best golfing friend recommended me as I had helped him regain his swing and more after double knee transplants and a hip... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 27 February 2010
Comments: 1
I was on the lesson tee with Frank, an IC member from Chicago. A rotational swinger, he played to a 5 handicap until his back gave out and he just about gave up golf. I should mention that... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 26 February 2010
I have written many times and it has become my mantra or even battle cry that the hands are active players in the golf swing.‚  I believe that the grip must be relatively firm, not light,... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 25 February 2010
Keeping Stats is a personal matter in that you decide what data you want to know about every shot of every round.‚  Cyrus asks the simple question of what stats we need to keep or record as... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 24 February 2010
Comments: 1
We finally got a good day in over a week and I went to the golf club late yesterday afternoon to walk a quick nine.‚  I went into the shop to check in and the Head Pro, Cory, asked me for... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 23 February 2010
Doug, in his question and comments below threw me a curve.‚  As I was reading his words, especially referencing Joe'€™s question about losing distance, I thought I was being led to answer how one can... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 22 February 2010
DM was here in the US straight over from Australia on business. Being a student of the PPGS, he booked a day'€™s lesson with me. DM is a scratch player and he was hitting the ball fairly well but... Read More