The Sports Beacon

well, Mike Small did it again. The U of I head men's golf coach has been the best player in the Illinois PGA section for awhile now, but his performance kind of "dipped" - if you can call it that - the last few years.

Some speculated it had to do with an equipment change.

Well, that should be put to bed as Small captured his 2nd PGA Professional National Championship and earned a berth into this year's PGA Championship up at Hazeltine in Minnesota.

Then this morning, U of I alumnus D.A. Points fired an impressive 6-under 64 in the first round of Tiger's tournament at Congressional.

Points, a Pekin native, is a great guy and 2009 is his first full season on the PGA Tour since 2006. He may have figured something out as he has carded five top 25's already and nearly $1 million.

And of course, you've got Illinois alumnus Steve Stricker still doing big things......

It's been a great summer so far for the blue and orange

Tinley Park-based Bettinardi, long known for its fine putters - has ventured into golf fashion by making belt buckles.

Owner Robert Bettinardi kind of fell into that business, and in the last six months the pieces have become his hottest seller.

"I decided to start making them for the country clubs - the Medinah's, the Butler's, the Rich Harvest Farm's," Bettinardi said. "So that was very unique because now I'm customizing all the belt buckles. There are probably 20 million golfers in the United States, say 15 million of them are men, but there are 50 million men in American and there are probably 50 million of that wear belts. So you're talking about a bigger demographic, a bigger base."

The buckles are custom made on the Bettinardi C&C Milling machines in their Tinley building, and can be hand painted to match any color scheme.

"Everybody wants silver, but silver is very expensive," he said. "Stainless steel is beautiful because it doesn't rust. You can do all kinds of stuff (to it)."

The buckles (& leather belt) retail at $175 each, but if you're into fashion and having something no one else in the world will own - it's worth picking one up.

"Our motif is 'you want something that's really nice? You want something that's going to really last a long time? You want something that's guaranteed to last a lifetime?' Go get yourself a Bettinardi - whether it's a belt buckle, a putter, a headcover - whatever it is," Bettinardi said. "Bettinardi is really high quality stuff. That's what we're all about. That's what I'm proud of. "

Winfield native & Wheaton Warrenville South alumnus Kevin Streelman is the first player to endorse the buckles. A second year PGA Tour pro, Streelman has about 15 buckles that he wears.

"It's been fun yo be able to have my own input on a couple buckles and they've done some custom things for me," he said. "I've gotten asked by a lot of people 'where'd you get this?'"

Streelman has taken advantage of Bettinardi's ability to customize the buckles, wearing different buckles for different tour stops.

"They did a killer whale like Shamu for San Diego, they did a really cool desert scene for the FBR in Phoenix," Streelman said. "They did 'Bettinardi' in like the Hollywood-sign (design) for Riviera. (My wife) Courtney and I will brainstorm and say 'hey, why don't you try this for this week?' He's been really responsive and able to do a lot of the custom stuff."

if only for an abbreviated time...
see, it's summer - and the Daily Dose has to take all its vacation time during these months betwixt baseball and foo-ball and golf....

so, we'll try to do it big and live it large for the time being...

anyway,
a reader e-mailed in to tell us that Batavia's Jordan Coffey and Aurora Christian's Matt Morse shared a unique honor - the only players in the area to receive all-state nods in both baseball and football.

Interestingly though, the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association has since taken down its "all-state" team and says an "all-area" team will be honored July 20.
But this newspaper story on the 1A/2A team lists Morse....

So, this is all unofficial of course, but this reader is fairly up to snuff on his stuff...

Along with Coffey, other area all-state nominees in 3A/4A were
Tim Drish of Batavia, Brady Renner of West Aurora and Sam Carius of Waubonsie Valley.
Congrats to them if its true - but I find it hard to believe that Marmion's Matt Milroy was not an all-state selection, even in 4A...but we'll see in mid-July I guess..

We all need to get away. Especially to play some great golf. This week's Front Nine brought you Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa in Galena, Ill. and Wildnerness Resort & Water Park in Wisconin Dells, Wisc. Eagle Ridge is a must play for Illinois golfers who are used to parkland or links style golf - which is what you should be used to, to be honest. Galena offers some drastically different topography than most of the state, and the four great courses at Eagle Ridge take full advantage. Says Eagle Ridge Director of Golf Erin Strieck: "Especially on The General for sure, but the North and the South aren't flat either. Our signature hole on the North is a par 3, about 165 (yards) which shoots out over Lake Galena. It's not as severe as No. 14 (on The General) but it's a good 75-foot drop tee to green. On The General No. 14 is pretty amazing, and then you have to play back up on 17. You can get some really good elevation on (all three courses). It's also a place where you can bring your spouse and children, as the East Course is perfect for short hitters and juniors. The other three 18-hole layouts are playable as well, but they're definitely a bit more challenging. "We do have the ability to accommodate for all skill levels of golf," Strieck said. Also, it's the only place in the state of Illinois where golfers can get away and play multiple courses at a competitive rate for either a twosome, a family, or a group event. Strieck continued: "Every avid golfer would love to up to (Kohler, Wisc.) and play Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run, but sometimes that doesn't fall into what the budget is. We're really lucky to have all the different amenities because not everybody golfs. We have horseback riding, boating, and things like that. "And I don't know how many other states have 63-hole golf resorts, except maybe Wisconsin. In the state of Illinois, no. In the state of Iowa, no." Which brings us to the Wildnerness Resort in the Dells. No, it's not a 63-hole facility, but the 27 it does have are pretty amazing. First, if you played the course years ago like I did, the original 18-hole layout has been cut to 9 called The Woods. It's meant for all players, but it's main draw are families. The famed island green is still there, although some of the other holes have been changed a little. Director of golf Chris Goodwick says rounds can be played quickly and the tips will give adults a challenge. The jewel of the course is the new Wild Rock 18-hole layout, which opened last summer to rave reviews from golf publications around the country. speaking of topography... says Goodwick: "The Dells has been blessed - the river, the canyons, the rock walls, sandstone cliffs." The course was built for resort golfers, and is generous with its wide fairways and up to 6 sets of tee boxes on a hole, but the green complexes and bunkering have been strategically placed to challenge the above average player. "All of our shots are off elevated tees and you can see right where you need to go," Goodwick said. "We have wide fairways, wider than almost anywhere. It really caters to resort golfers, but it's a dramatic look. It's more eye-appealing than most golf courses." On the resort side, the Wildnerness offers a handful of water parks for the family to enjoy. These are definitey two places for you to consider when planning either a family stay-and-play golf vacation, or a group outing with buddies.

so no Daily Doses for like, a week!

so, you have some time to rectify this little situation - why when you Google "Fire and Passion" - "in Jane Eyre" comes up as the most searched query...

huh?

Aaron Rowand?

enjoy the week peoples!

Today The Front Nine talked about playing some games within the game of golf, especially for the average player.

Yes, you can play match play, or alternate shot, or better ball or even four ball when you pair up. And, aside from alt. shot, you play your own ball anyway. It just adds some fun to the round. In the spirit of the upcoming Solheim Cup, bring some games within your game.

But there are some things to know.
On the serious side, there are some different rules for match play. Be sure to check them out here.

On the fun side, PGA and Wilson Golf professional Billy Nestel gives you a couple of other match play games:

Scotch Game
This is a great 2 Person Best Ball Game to play if your looking for something different this US Open weekend.

2 on 2 teams within your foursome
Play your own ball throughout the hole
Establish a point value if you wish
Points are awarded per hole
Point values -
1pt - "The Prox" (Closest to the hole in regulation)
2pt - "Low Ball" (Lowest score in the foursome)
2pt - "Low Total" (Lowest team total of the two)
1pt - "Birdie" (Awarded to the team if one of the two make birdie)

If all six points are won by one team, then the points are doubled, equaling 12pts.
Otherwise known as a "Blitz or Umbrella"
This is a great game to keep everyone involved on every hole, while getting a taste of both, stroke and match play!

Nestel was also kind enough to give you some strategic tips for playing match play...

Match Play Strategies

As a PGA Member, I have commonly been asked if I prepare differently for match play events versus stroke play events. The answer is, yes!

Since stroke play events are usually multiple days and match play is one round the mind set and preparation must be different.

I will always break a match play event into 3, six hole matches when preparing. Just like a team in baseball, football, or basketball, in match play there are always in game adjustments that need to be made.

Holes 1 - 6
I will prepare for these first six as if it were a stoke play event. I want to play my game against the course and remain focused on how I want to play each shot on each hole. I will normally play all six holes in my mind on the range before I tee off. This gives me a sense of relaxation that I have already played this hole or hit this shot.

Holes 7 - 12
As I enter the seventh hole I want to know exactly where the match stands and at that point will have a general idea of how my opponent is playing. My first "In Game" adjustments are then put into play. If we are all square, I continue to play my own game. If I am 2 down or more I will begin to play much more aggressive. I may hit driver off the tee where I normally would or aim at flags that I wouldn't usually go at. If I am up 2, I do the opposite. Play for middle of fairway and center of greens!

Holes 13 - 18
If the match goes this far you should have a pretty good idea of where this match is headed. At this point you may need to make another "In Game" adjustment. I always try to keep in mind that there is no, let's make a couple pars and get to the clubhouse and we make some birdies tomorrow. In match play there is no tomorrow!

So, I watched the Cubs-Sox game today. Sox win, 4-1. John Danks was fantastic, the Cubs were not.

The Lt. didn't see the game - some people have to work all day - so he turned on Baseball Tonight at 9 p.m.

At 9:52 they showed John Danks striking out a batter and flashed a quick box score on the screen saying "The White Sox win 4-1."

But, I will say I was so happy to see the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, had to hear that captivating phone in from Dusty Baker, then replay after replay of the game ESPN just televised in Toronto and Philadelphia...brutal.

The Lt. just gets up, puts the remote next to me and says "That's bull!@#$."