The phrase "a substantial head start" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing advantages or benefits gained before others in a competition or task.
Example: "By starting the project early, we gained a substantial head start over our competitors."
Alternatives: "a significant advantage" or "an early lead."
And he would need to do so despite Mr. Romney having accumulated what is almost certainly a substantial head start in early voting.
"We need a clean break from the past," said Mr. Shadegg, who entered the race five days after his two competitors, giving them a substantial head start.
Caveats aside, Mr. Obama has a substantial head start in organizing a general election get-out-the-vote operation, particularly in the number of field offices he has established.
Ms. McCaskill was one of 17 Senate Democrats to endorse Mr. Obama, compared with 13 for Mrs. Clinton, who had a substantial head start on her rival until Iowa.
Whatever worries his trainer, Graham Motion, had about Animal Kingdom's handling the surface known as Big Sandy were erased as the colt appeared to grow stronger with every stride, eventually blowing by a stablemate, Corredor Dela Isla, who had been given a substantial head start.
And because it's already widely used by software developers, Java has a built-in community of supporters, giving Sun a substantial head start over Qualcomm.
If this were to occur, beech would have a substantial head-start following canopy disturbance, and this late-successional species could potentially dominate a stand in perpetuity, through repeated disturbance cycles.
The hiring of Mr. Singhal, who left Google last year, is a coup for Uber, which has publicly stated its intention to fight Google's substantial head start in autonomous-vehicle research.
His "only in America" college experience merely allowed him to extend his substantial head start.
In fact, it's likely the speed of LG's OLED price erosion that's forcing its rivals to keep their own OLED plans on the back burner – especially as this price erosion is founded on LG's seemingly substantial head start over its rivals when it comes to mass-producing OLED panels.
Democrats have a significant head start.
