June 2, 2008 -- The Memorial golf tournament is one of my favorite golf tournaments of the year. Aside from the great golf that it offers every year which I will talk about in a minute, Mr. Nicklaus has found a way to help maintain the highest level of competition in the game today, along with remembering its storied past. He is a golf/sports icon and a role model for all who love the tradition and integrity that the game offers. Let's talk about the tournament, the field and of course the winner, Kenny Perry.

Kenny Perry's short game magic was key to his winning his third Memorial Tournament. (Getty Images)

A brief review of the tournament statistics and their averages show this: Driving distance-280 yards, Driving Accuracy-74%, Greens In Regulation- 59%, Scrambling- 50%, Putts Per Round- 28 and Scoring- 73 (Kenny Perry 70). Most of these numbers are impressive to the average player, but the statistic that really stands out for me is the scrambling statistic. Only half of the world's best players get up and down after missing the green in regulation! The next question that we should ask is what is the other half doing? They are getting on the green and two putting. This brings me to one of the cardinal rules in teaching golf that our PGA Professional staff work on at the Colleton River Plantation Club. One short game shot per hole! I know this may be stating the obvious, but if every amateur could hit one short game shot per hole onto the green and two putt, they should be very happy. After all, they would be doing exactly what half of the best players in the world are doing!

Now this doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to get up and down, and I would never turn that down on the golf course. But there are times on the course when you can realistically get on the green and one putt, and there are times when you can't. The old adage comes to mind, "You have to choose your battles" and when the golf course is not being user friendly, such as when the ball sits down with a tight pin placement, cut your losses, get the ball on the green, two putt and move on. The whole goal here is to avoid two short game shots on one hole and then two or three putting. In my opinion, this is one of the main areas in golf that professionals understand and execute better than amateurs. The good news here is that these shots are not physically demanding. This tells me that discipline, not physical ability, is what's needed.

I'm sure that Kenny Perry, who won the 2008 Memorial for his third time and who has a 58% scrambling statistic, is a great example of a person who knows his strengths and weaknesses and how to play with what the golf course gives him. Next time you're out playing, remember the cardinal rule of getting on the green with only one short game shot and then two putting (or one putting), and see if this helps lower your score. Good luck with this new course management perspective!

David LaPour is the PGA Director of Instruction at the Colleton River Plantation Club in Bluffton, SC. LaPour was a top instructor with the Dave Pelz Short Game School at the Boca Rotan Hotel Resort and from 1996-2003 then spent a number of years in Minnesota where he became recognized as one of the top golf instructors in the nation. He has made numerous appearances in other golf media including ESPN and The Golf Channel. You can learn more about David at davidlapourgolf.com.