May 12, 2008 -- The Players Championship was easily one of the most exciting tournaments of the year, especially given the absence of Tiger Woods. A great field, an extremely difficult Pete Dye course design, and brutally windy playing conditions made for the ultimate test of golf. The lesson learned, without a doubt, is the importance of driving. Sergio Garcia's incredibly impressive driving performance, and until Sunday, his typically sketchy putting display, disproved one of golf's most popular adages, "drive for show and putt for dough."

Sergio Garcia redefined conventional golf wisdom on his way to his first win in three years. (WireImage.com)

Sergio led the field all four days in driving distance and accuracy. However, of the seventy-four players who made the cut, he ranked dead last in putting after three rounds. There's no question that Sergio made a number of key putts on Sunday, but what kept him in the tournament the entire week was his laser-like driving. There are three aspects of Sergio's driving that stand out; impeccable set-up, lag, and loop.

First, every golfer should emulate Sergio's set-up. To drive the ball long and straight you have to hit up on the ball. To do that Sergio tees the ball high, plays it forward in his stance (just inside the left heel), and tilts his body away from the target.

Second, the lag Sergio creates is like Indiana Jones cracking his bullwhip. Lag is simply a late release of the club that comes from perfect sequence of motion. Sergio, like all pros, starts the downswing with his hips shifting and turning towards the target. This hip move trigger's the shoulders then hands in a chain reaction that retains his energy and speed to the very last second. Creating a controlled explosion through the ball, rather than at it.

Finally, Sergio loops the club, which to some might seem like a flaw, but in my opinion, is actually an ingenious move. He swings the club from a vertical more upright position on the back swing, to a shallower more inside path on the down swing. This move, used by many of golf's elite such as, Lee Trevino, Fred Couples, Nick Price, and of course Jim Furyk, to name a few, would certainly help transcend the over-the-top slicing masses to a much higher level of driving distance and accuracy.

There's no question that putting is an extremely important part of the game. However, instead of "drive for show and putt for dough" I like to say "drive it in the trees and putt for triple." So take the lesson that Sergio Garcia offered us this week and become a better driver of the golf ball, it will definitely help lower your scores and increase your enjoyment of the game.

Trevor Gliwski is the Director of Instruction for The Rick Smith Golf Academy at Tiburon, Ritz Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, Fl. His teaching career began in 1994 and has been with Rick Smith since 2000. Gliwski was voted by Golf Digest in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 to "Best teachers in your State" for Florida and "Top 10 golf professionals" by Gulfshore Life Magazine in 2006. He has appeared on The Golf Channel Academy and The Travel Channel. His students range from PGA Tour Pros to the beginning golfer. Trevor can be reached at toll free 1-877-464-6531 or ricksmithgolfacademy@wcicommunities.com