July 12, 2008 -- At risk of sounding like a broken record, I want to say "congratulations" to Kenny Perry for another win this week on the PGA Tour. He is playing the best he's ever played, which is saying something for a guy who's been on Tour for so long and is 47 years old. But this win makes three wins in five starts (and a loss in a playoff at the AT&T Classic the week before this streak) so this win is no fluke. Too bad he won't be at Royal Birkdale next week; the way he's playing, he'd probably be a favorite to win this week's Open Championship.

Kenny Perry is showing off many moves during his recent streak of incredible play. (Photo: Getty Images)

Perry had to outlast a talented field, including a three-man playoff, to get this win. There were so many moments that I found pivotal as I watched the tournament, it was hard for me to pick one particular shot that I thought was critical to his victory. But there was a sequence of shots that I saw this weekend that I knew would be a great series of shots for all golfers, professional and amateur, to get a great lesson from watching.

On Saturday, the threesome of Kenny Perry, Will MacKenzie, and Charlie Wi were playing the 14th hole, a relatively short par 4 with a right to left sloping fairway and a bunker protecting an elevated green. All three players hit solid drives catching the slope and coming to rest 45- 50 yards from the green. How many times in a typical round do you find yourself at this awkward distance? For many amateur golfers, it's actually a good bit.

Kenny Perry was first to play from a perfect lie in the fairway with the pin in clear sight, his sand wedge was struck crisply, he rotated his torso through the shot producing a low, spinning shot that bounced twice and grab the green like Velcro, coming to rest 10 feet from the pin. Will MacKenzie was next to play from the same distance, only from the first cut of rough off the fairway. Will's sand wedge came out higher from this lie and carried further than Kenny's ball, hitting with less spin and rolling to within 6 feet. Finally Charlie Wi look at his ball in the primary rough with a bunker in front of him and selected his lob wedge. He slid his wedge under the ball which produced a very high, soft shot that landed on the green and snuggled up inside 3 feet of the pin.

This lesson highlighted three very different approaches to a shot from the same distance. As I teach our golf schools at various locations in Florida, I see the tendency for most students to only use one variation of this scenario I just described, no matter what the situation actually calls for. The result is missed scoring opportunities. During the "playing lesson" portion of our school I will put the students in different situations on the golf course and ask them to hit these 3 different shots. The results are usually the same with the student feeling more comfortable with one technique and much less confident with the others. My advice has always been to "play with your strengths and practice your weaknesses".

We will then go back to the lesson tee to learn the proper technique for these intimidating shots. I suggest the student practice these new techniques until they feel capable and confident, slowly adding to their repertoire of scoring shots. To master all these different shots requires imagination, good visualization skills, and confidence in your technique.

All three shots hit by these great players were effective and all were quite different. Anyone of them could work for you as well. Remember that in golf, there are often multiple ways to hit the shot correctly -- you'll be better off knowing as many of them as you can. Good luck.

Ed Campbell's passion for teaching has led him to teach in many parts of the world including Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Campbell now resides in Melbourne FL. and teaches for Advantage Golf Schools in many Florida locations and for World Golf School Adventures in Durango CO. in the summer months. He was elected "Coach of the Year" in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference CVAC in 1996-1997. Campbell can be reached at procampbell@yahoo.com.