Today's Front Nine in the Beacon News talks about how amateur players often incorrectly look at the total yardage on the scorecard to determine which set of tees to play.

The yardages you should look at are on the par 3's and the par 4's - not the toal yardage. The difficulty of those holes can change drastically for the average player depending on the tee box chosen - and oftentimes player's ego prevents them from choosing the right set of tees to play.

Says Phillips Park and Fox Valley Golf Club head pro Jeff Schmidt: "It comes down to enjoyment of the game when you're out there playing with your buddies and having a good game, I want to play it where I've got a chance to compete with my buddies and not at a point where I'm just going to get killed. I don't want a skin because I got a bogey -- I want to make skins because of birdies."

"What guys don't understand is you can really do a lot with a golf course without having to add yardage. It's not so much growing the grass longer or things like that, but it's where you position the pins or tee placements. All these little factors add up to a few yards here or there to help you dictate your score."

This led into a talk about Driving Distance on the PGA Tour, and how many times amateur players see the big boys cranking the big stick for miles on end and then somehow, begin to overestimate their own prowess with the driver.

Schmidt says that many times players think they're driving the ball 26-270 yards, but when they get fit they're actually only hitting it 220-230.
"A lot of these amateurs do not realize (on the PGA Tour) they dry everything out," Schmidt said. "They make the conditions suitable for the long hitters. They're not all concrete fairways and I'm not doubting the guys and how strong they are, but they're not getting 5, 10 yards roll -- they're getting 15, 20 yards of roll because everything is mowed so tight. Unless it's a wet golf course, when it lands it just takes off and runs."

And, a final note on course yardage by famed architect and Dubsdread renovator Rees Jones: "What we're really doing in adding length is giving the tour officials a better opportunity to be flexible in set up. It used to be they would mark the tees as a 7,000 yard golf course and they would play the same tee every day. Now when the weather changes, they have much more flexibility because we've built them from 7,4(00) to 7,1(00), we can make some holes shorter on certain days, longer on certain days. I think it's a better test for the best golfers in the world. That's why we added length. We don't expect them to play the total yardage."

Read on for Jeff's full tip on breaking chipping down into 1/3-2/3...

The Beacon News ran a column today on Aurora Christian's Matt Morse, who is one of the best position players in not only the city of Aurora, but in the entire state.

One nugget in the column deserved a bit more detail however - Morse's decision to give up football next fall.

Morse was a key component to the Eagles' success the last three years and was on the verge of setting, or at least challenging, some of the IHSA's all-time receiving records.

In fact, Eagles coach Don Beebe told me a few months ago that he had to tell several Division I programs to not even bother recruiting Morse because he was going to focus on football. That's how good is he was on the field.

From Morse: "When it came down to it I started thinking when I started getting interest from football and baseball schools. I just kind of sat back and realized that baseball has always been my passion and that's what I love doing and there is nothing I'd rather do than go down south and play baseball for four years."

"I love football, I loved playing here. I'm not playing this next season. It was a tough decision for me. It was real hard. I had to do what I had to do to help myself out."

"A lot of people think a lot of different things as far as 'Oh, he doesn't want to get hurt' or 'Jordan Roberts is graduating.' Everyone thinks there are a bunch of reasons but to be dead honest with you it's just because my passion is baseball and that's what I'd rather do. It's hard for me to tell the coaches."

"I went and told coach Beebe in January because I didn't want to wait and wait until August that I'm not going to be playing football and put him in a tough situation. He understood the situation that I'm in. It's not easy for me to do this to the team and the guys, but I told him that so I'll just be playing baseball in the fall."

And this from a great reader up in Batavia ...
* Batavia has equaled a school record with 26 wins - the team that went to the elite eight a few years ago also won 26.

* Jordan Coffey and Tim Drish have combined for 13 home runs in the last 9 games - which is pretty amazing.

* Coffey has been named the MVP of the Western Sun Conference this year, which is amazing considering he couldn't lift his arm over his head in January - and couldn't pitch until just recently.
- That makes four All-Conference selections in a row for Coffey- the first time anyone has accomplished that at Batavia in baseball.

Congrats to Coffey and the entire Bulldogs team as they head into today's regional play against West Aurora. .

This from SI.com once again illustrates how the Chicago Bears and Lovie Smith ruined one of the greatest gifts in NFL history

"Think of Hester in his first two years in the NFL: 173 touches, 12 touchdowns. He was the most dangerous weapon in the NFL over the 2006 and 2007 seasons."

The Bears decided that this asset was expendable, and decided to make him into a mediocre receiver. And shame on Hester (and his agents), too. They concluded that the Bears were right - he would never get a big payday without converting to a true wide receiver.

That is untrue. Let's say Devin would have scored another 6 TDs last year doing what he did best in 2006-2007 - that would have given him 17 TDs in three seasons as a kick returner. He would've cemented his status as the G.O.A.T. at returning kicks.

The Hall of Fame would be a formality. He had the cool nickname (Windy City Flyer) - he would've gotten paid. The best players always do. Sure, he probably would have had to leave Chicago, but he would've gotten the paycheck.

Now, he's just a 55-catch receiver - just like John Carlson, Davone Bess, Greg Olsen, Bobby Wade and Donnie Avery.
Who?
Exactly

Anyone see Mr. T rock the Red-White-and-Blue tonight at Wrigley Field?
Good first pitch, great 7th inning stretch...

I believe the quote he gave on the way out to the mound was: "Take a look at what I'm wearing, people. You think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys?"

Jake Peavy decided not to come to play for the White Sox.

As The Franchise would say ", I'm not surprised."

This was to be expected. From what I've gathered, Jake is a little too interested in Jake's numbers to make a move to the American League, and chances are he'd want to stay out of the NL East as well.

It's not about the paper - he's locked up good til 2013 for above-market coin - but it's not all about the winning as he says. I think he's looking for that perfect combination of excellent playoff chance + crappy divisional opponents + crappy overall league ... which leads us, really, to two teams - the Cubs and the Brewers.

Now, we know he loves the Cubbies - who wouldn't? But I really don't see that happening, not with the Ricketts family about to finish out their $900 million purchase.
Brewers? They have the talent San Diego would want, but do they have the cash to pay not only Peavy the next four years, but Prince Fielder?

In the end, I think Jake will finish out this year in San Diego...and we'll do this dance all over again in the winter

The IPGA Match Play Championship finals are today at Kemper Lakes Golf Club - definitely work swinging by if you're in the area. There is nothing like match play, especially when played by the best around.

But the big news of the week was the "official" kickstart to the Western Golf Association's season here in the Chicago area with its "introduction" of Conway Farms as the host of the 2009 tournament on Aug. 3-8 in Lake Forest.

Read on to see a list of notable past champions, runners-up and stroke play medalists...

We have a ton of events in Illinois this year following the Match Play ...
June 4-7: LPGA Tour's State Farm Classic in Springfield
July 9-12: PGA Tour's John Deere Classic in Silvis
July 10-11; 18-19: Aurora City Championship at Fox Valley Golf Club & Phillips Park
July 27-29: Illinois Open at Hawthorn Woods
August 3-8: Western Amateur in Lake Forest
August 21-23: LPGA Tour's Solheim Cup in Sugar Grove
Aug.31-Sept. 2: IPGA Championship in Grayslake
Sept. 10-13: PGA Tour's BMW Championship in Lemont
Sept. 12-17: USGA's U.S. Senior Amateur in Chicago

Sugar Grove resident and Mistwood Golf Club Director of Golf Dan Phillips offered up some great tips of the week, including this one for getting over water hazards...
You may not realize this but, when there is water or out of bounds on a hole, the last thing that most players look at before making their swing is the water or out of bounds. The brain will only do what you program it to do. If you look at water and not the intended target, then the intended target becomes water. Always make sure that your last look is where you want the golf ball to go, your target.
But he also offered up these outstanding tips - with some humor too
How to win today's bet.
* In golf most bets are won or lost before you even tee up your first shot. Negotiation is the key to success. Do not let your ego get in the way. Make a true evaluation of how you have been playing against your opponents recent rounds. During your round never give up a shot or a hole, keep playing until the ball is holed.

Remember these tips and your pockets will become full again, unless you and I are in a match. Then forget what you read and I get ten aside with automatic one down presses.

* Three keys to green side sand bunker play.
1. Use the bounce not the leading edge of your sand wedge to strike the sand and have the sand push the ball onto the green.
2. Strike the sand approximately two inches behind the ball.
3. Always finish your swing.

Next, as you are swinging the club with one hand, use the other to throw the sand and your golf ball onto the green. Quickly put both hands on the club and hold your finish. If you are playing for money and someone catches you never, I repeat never, mention my name.

Speaking of Mistwood - which is a quick jaunt for us west suburbanites -
Here's another cool thing about Mistwood - they do a Cubs-Sox crosstown match play for the two sides to duke it out on the golf course.
And, besides that, it benefits a great cause.
This from Dan Bradley: The Crosstown Classic is Mistwood's most popular event. It is a unique golf tournament that allows Cubs fans to compete against Sox fans on the golf course in a two-person scramble format, with two Sox fans against two Cubs fans in each group. Contestants are encouraged to wear their fan gear for the event, and to participate in the numerous pre-game festivities which in the past have included contests such as a long drive with a corked bat and a disco record toss. Participants will "line-up" for the national anthem and fireworks, and the billy goat will once again be present to curse the Cubs contestants.

A charity raffle as well as a live and silent auction will be held during dinner, and all money raised will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House near Advocate Hope Children's Hospital. We are currently in the process of securing donations for auction.

Read on for a great video of the event...

As for when the event is: We hold the tournament one time every year. It originally was scheduled during one of the times the Cubs and Sox played each other, but those dates don't work out every year. This year it is on Friday, May 29th so it will not be during the actual games.

the miiiightyy BlaaackHawks....

oh wait...

I was out at Conway Farms today in Lake Forest for the promotion of the 107th Western Amateur Championship.
The tournament's long awaited return to Chicago has been well documented, but now it's a reality. Conway Farms has long been a supporter of amateur golf, and it is the first stop in a rotation of great private venues in and around Chicago.
Locally, Rich Harvest will host the event in 2015

I'll hit on this great event a bit more on Thursday in The Front Nine golf page and The Back Nine blog...

The Western Golf Association runs the Western Amateur, Western Junior and the PGA Tour's BMW Championship (formerly Western Open).

Rees Jones was on hand Tuesday for the official unveiling of the work he did on Cog Hill's famed Dubsdread course, the long time home of the PGA Tour's Western Open (currently BMW Championship)

Now that the work is done, the course has been immediately thrust into contention for the 2017 U.S. Open - nice job by the man known as the "Open Doctor."

"I think they're very aware of the quality of this golf course," Jones said. "I think it's very similar to Torrey Pines, which we did before we had the (2008) Open. We got them to come out and see it. I'm not saying we'd ever abandon the BMW - they're going to go to Crooked Stick in three years because Medinah is going to have the Ryder Cup - but I think that Chicago should have a major championship every 15 or so years."

Important links: Be sure to check out Village Greens Golf Course in Woodridge. It's easy to get to, it's a great layout and they're doing a wonderful promotion throughout May. Not only can you play 18 with a cart for a reduced rate, you get either a hat or golf balls with every green fee that you purchase.

Another fun event going on that you should check out is the Crosstown Golf Classic 2-man match play event at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville.
They set up the range like a baseball diamond and they have Cubs fans play against Sox fans. It should be a good event on a great course.

Read on for more golf brief updates and Stonebridge Country Club assistant pro Benjamin Nachtwey's unabridged golf tip...

check out the Beacon News Sports Site tomorrow for more information...

Glenbard South, Geneva and Batavia will be left without a conference while Yorkville, Kaneland, Rochelle, Sycamore and DeKalb will join seven other schools in a two division, 12-team league beginning in 2010-11.

The media were given an opportunity to get out and test the newly renovated 4th course - "Dubsdread" - at Cog Hill in Lemont today.

Rees Jones, the man who made the changes, and PGA Tour pro Camilo Villegas - defending BMW Champ. champion - were on hand as well. Good stuff.

I'll leave a breakdown of the changes for those who know what they're talking about - or those convinced they know what they're talking about - but I can tell you that the greens and their complexes are much more challenging.

Yet, the course was very, very fair for the average player - which was something that was very important to owner Frank Jemsek.

Kudos all around.

It's only appropriate that the Daily Dose marks its return from hiatus on this day.
amazingly, today marks the third anniversary of The Fire and The Passion aka Aaron Rowand breaking his face against the wall....a visage you Daily Dosers know well and obviously, love with a passion and a little fire.

Tommy Lasorda really said Manny Ramirez is the most popular Dodger since the team moved from Brooklyn?

That's what I heard, and immediately thought, "What a shame that senility has hit the former Dahhdger skipper (as Vin Scully would say) so hard."

Tommy was there when Fernando Valenzuela took Southern California by storm and became a national sensation. And what about (once upon a time) Mr. Squeaky Clean Steve Garvery, who helped the team win a World Series as I recall?

What's Manny done except help the team beat the Cubs in one lousy playoff series. Hell, that wouldn't even make the resume of any self-respecting major leaguer over the past, I don't know, 100 years or so, would it?

Sad days for LA LA Land.

So with the 50-game suspension of LA's Manny Ramirez, I guess "Mannywood" now becomes "Anywood."

Baseball fans have to be asking, who wouldn't? when it comes to the use of performance enhancers. Maybe Jose Canseco is right, maybe the number of users is 100 percent. But I still doubt it.

Manny being Manny was very big news. Yes, even Wow news. But did it really shake you to your core? Guess it's the cynic in me. Always thought wild and wacky Manny could be entertaining, but Thursday's news isn't any more surprising than any 90s headline that featured the word "Rodman."

For a long time, the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas were thought to be squeaky clean and beyond reproach by most baseball fans. Listening to talk radio the last 24 hours, it's clear that may no longer be the case.

Can you come up with a list of five players that would really ... REALLY ... shock you if you were to learn they had been found guilty of violating MLB's policy like Manny?

Overheard as I walked the dog past John Madden's house last night ...
"Brett Favre! Brett Favre! Brett Favre!"
Oops, better make that ...
"BRETT FAVRE! BRETT FAVRE! BRETT FAVRE!"

As ESPN.com's John Clayton reports, it's springtime, so Favre is once again mulling a return to the NFL, with the Vikings, and planning a meeting with Aurora's own, Vikes' coach Brad Childress.

Be still my heart. NOT!

He may never leave the league. And that's fine, if someone will have him, more power to him. But, please, Brett, just quit retiring.

Even scarier, though? This probably means Madden won't be far behind. Bet he's soothing the pipes right now, chugging honey-laced hot tea to soothe the pipes, getting them ready for a Keith Jackson-like unretirement party.

Whoa, Nellie!

well, some people feel that "ultimate frisbee" is a sport, so when people play it with no pants, I can see why people would get upset about it...

somebody actually wept after losing in ping pong...

do we see so much of Congressmen...

I know it's a short list, but today is an off day for the Daily Dose...
which will be back in full force beginning Monday, May 11