June 15, 2009 -- "Never belittle a ball in the middle" a random quote from one of our caddies here at Classic Club, but a fitting topic for A Lesson Learned this week -- what you can learn from action on the PGA Tour.

With all the talk about golf ball technology, lengthening of golf courses, driver COR (coefficient of restitution) and MOI (moment of inertia), it seems every golfer is trying to figure out how to hit it further. While distance is very important, hitting it straight is as under-rated as mid-major college basketball in the country.

Hitting from the fairway has contributed greatly to Brian Gay's two run-away wins on the PGA Tour this year. (Photo: Getty Images)

Brian Gay won for the second time on Tour this year with a win this week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC of Southwind (His other win was at The Verizon Heritage and both wins were very decisive victories I might add). It's no fluke. Consider; through this past week's event, Gay has hit 505 out of 698 fairways (72.35%) for the third-best driving accuracy percentage on Tour this year and well above the Tour average of 61%. For the week, during blustery conditions, he was tied for 9th in Driving Accuracy with 71.4%. So why all the statistics?

When you look at the conditions the players will face at the US Open this week, you will see that the fairways are more narrow, the rough is longer and even though Bethpage Black is quite long, because of the last U.S. Open here in 2002, they have brought the fairway cut back towards the tees (remember Nick Price hitting his tee shot into the walk-path on the 10th hole because he couldn't reach the fairway).

Driving Accuracy is going to be at a premium at Bethpage Black. At The Memorial two weeks ago, Tiger hit 14 fairways (100%) on Sunday, and his last 19 fairways for the tournament that is most set up like a major of any other Tour event.

But how does the average golfer incorporate this into their game. It might be on a more simple scale, but the majority of amateurs' penalty strokes are taken from errant tee shots. So in order to eliminate those extra strokes being added to score, try some of the following:

• Don't always feel like you have to hit Driver. Tiger won the 2006 Open Championship at Hoylake while hitting ONE driver tee shot all week. Keep the ball in play, while taking trouble out of play by hitting a 3-wood, hybrid or even an iron off the tee.

• Choke down on the club on a pressure tee shot and swing a little easier. Shortening the length of the club arc and swinging smoothly will increase the likeliness of hitting the "sweet spot" and reduce side spin on the golf ball.

• Focus. It is easy to loose concentration and get distracted by obstacles. Quit worrying about the three-putt on the last hole, where the beverage cart is, or fumbling around with the yardage book. Ascertain all the necessary information and then try to hit the most specific target you can find in the center of the fairway (sprinkler head, cart sign or a certain mow stripe).

If you can find a way to increase you driving accuracy, you will find your scores going down, and the general feeling that "you have a chance" on every hole. Oh, by the way, if you are playing fantasy golf this week, take the top 10 in driving accuracy...and Tiger.

Brady J. Wilson is the PGA Head Golf Professional at Classic Club in Palm Desert, CA. Classic Club was the host site for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic from 2006-2008 and is managed by Troon Golf. Brady has been in the golf business for 10 years and has had the privilege of working with many players of all levels, inlcuding some very accomplished amateur and LPGA players. Brady joined Classic Club in the fall of 2007. Previously he worked for Troon Golf as the Head Golf Professional at Escena Golf Club in Palm Springs. Brady is married to his wife Christy and together they have two children, Brooke and Robert. Brady is originally from Durango, CO and enjoys following his favorite Colorado sports teams in his free time.