First shot the important one to St. Edward's Winters

It's always a good idea in the game of golf to make a good first impression.

So St. Edward senior Eric Winters has been working hard this summer to make sure his first impression is always a memorable one.

"The tee ball seems to set everything up," Winters said. "On most courses, if I hit a good tee ball within 150 yards-my irons are a strong part of my game, so I can get on the green and usually do well. The driver is the only thing I worry about. Lately, I've been trying to work on my tempo and not swing hard. It's been working out the last couple of weeks."

Winters admits his on-again, off-again relationship with his driver could be mentally driven.

"It's probably something subconscious," he said. "I see a long hole on the scorecard and I think I have to swing hard and you really don't have to do that. I've got it under control. It's taken a little while."

At the same time, Winters notes a good tee shot can go a long way with the mental aspect of the game.

"A good tee ball makes a huge difference," Winters said. "When you hit the ball well, everything comes naturally. You don't think about anything when you hit the ball well. You go with the flow. If you are spraying the ball too much, then you are going to think too much and that's one of the worst things you can do out there."

Winters rates his iron play as the strongest part of his game right now.

"I take a smooth swing and try to make solid contact and get good yardage," Winters said.

Winters also has the benefit of three high school golf seasons under his belt. Winters is coming off a 2009 season in which he finished sixth in the state in Class 1A.

"I've played the three previous years and that helps a lot," he said. "I know how things work. The nine-hole matches, you have a half-hour bus ride and have 10 minutes to practice putts and then you go off the first tee. With the 18-hole tournaments, you might have to split a spot with a guy on the team with warming up. I've been there. I know how to handle those things."

Winters' dad, Greg, St. Edward's boys golf coach, is impressed with how his son keeps an even head on the course.

"He doesn't get nervous," Greg Winters said. "If he's having a couple of bad holes he can put a couple of birdies on top of a couple of bogeys and he's right back in the game. His mental fortitude is the best thing going for him."

Eric Winters reasons there is no use in getting frustrated during a round-only bad things will result from that type of attitude.

"You have to keep plugging along," he said. "You can't give up. Your teammates need you out there. If you are in a nine-hole match or a tournament, you could end up losing by a stroke or two and then you are going to feel bad when you look back at your round and you could have saved two or three strokes throughout the round."

Winters enjoyed some success earlier in the summer. He tied for first in regulation at a Mid-American Junior Golf Tour (MAJGT) tournament in Byron and ended up finishing second in the playoff. Winters would like to see more of that success come St. Edward's way this fall.

"For sure, this is the best team we've had during my years here," said Winters, who is investigating playing at Valparaiso University next year (where older brother Brad currently plays). "My goals this year are mostly team-oriented. I've done a lot of individual things. I want to see the team get to the state tournament."

In addition to Winters, St. Edward also returns junior Michael Holevas (state qualifier as a freshman), who had a pair of top 3 finishes in the summer in tournaments in Iowa and Wisconsin. Seniors Blake Poremba and Ryan DiCristofano are also back. The fourth varsity position is likely to be occupied by Greg Winters' youngest son, Dan, a freshman.

"He's the last of the Mahicans," Greg Winters laughed.

Greg Winters likes the fact the Green Wave are playing a schedule that features quite a few larger-enrollment opponents on it.

"I think we've got a chance to do real well," Greg Winters said. "We're playing a lot of 2A and 3A schools in tournaments early. If we can get in the top 5 and the top 10, I'd be happy with that. We're looking to be shooting in that 305-310 range most of the year. I think once we get to regional and sectional time, we'll do just fine. The good thing about going against these bigger schools is it pushes the kids. They're facing good competition. We need that."

Fox Valley Snapshot: A quick look at some of the other happenings around the Fox Valley high school boys golf scene:

With the additions of Geneva, Batavia and Metea Valley to the Upstate Eight Conference the league has broken into two divisions. Each boys golfing division will hold a conference tournament (played at the same time at the same location). Teams will play each division opponent once and also have several crossover dual matches with the other division.

Bartlett is part of the UEC Valley Division along with East Aurora, Metea Valley, Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley, Lake Park and South Elgin. The Hawks return senior Mike Marciniak and sophomore Ryan Wolfe. Junior Ryan Starks will also be counted on.

"We don't have a lot of depth and we're a little inexperienced," Bartlett coach Tom Boyle said. "Hopefully we can get some good experience and keep getting better."

South Elgin returns junior state qualifier Xavier Owens, along with senior Ryan Pondel and junior Ryan Ford.

"Hopefully, we can be consistent and score well," said South Elgin coach Jay Bartholomew, whose team went 8-3 in conference play last year, but graduated 8 seniors. "Xavier and Ryan have been neck-and-neck with averages. They should be the leaders of the team."

In the UEC River, Larkin seniors Austin Lodge and Cody Wahl are back. Sophomore Dylan Ganow and freshman Jack McCracken will also help the Royals, who have entered eleven 18-hole tournaments this year.

"We're hoping to be improved by regional time," Larkin coach Tim Jones said. "With these new teams, our conference is going to be even more competitive. It's not going to be easy."

Seniors Alex Woodridge, Bobby Post and Dominic Tatone return for Streamwood.

"Those three are good, solid players," said Streamwood coach George Rosner, who will also look to sophomores Jeff Weaver and Devin Holota for scoring contributions.

Seniors Zach Sprague, Danny Hegal and Kevin Stearns return for Elgin.

"We look to improve over last year when we did not win a match all year," Elgin coach Andy LaScala said. "The kids worked very hard over the summer to improve their games. We look to move up from the cellar in the conference this year and surprise a few teams."

In the Fox Valley Conference, Cary-Grove lost seven senior starters from last year's team that went 11-0 in conference play. Junior Kyle Lehnertz and freshman Dan DePrey will lead the way for the Trojans this season.

State-qualifier Scott Cahill, a senior, leads the way for Jacobs. "We should be competitive within our conference," Jacobs coach Jeremy Bauer said. "I think we should finish in the top five."

Sam Yung (Sr.), Mason Wicks (Jr.) and Ryan Craig (Soph.) are all experienced golfers back in the fold for Huntley. "These guys want to continue to improve and see some conference wins," said Huntley coach Jim Rolando, who noted the majority of the team is comprised of 9th and 10th graders. "We believe we have an opportunity to win some matches if we play well, but more important, we want to keep our team totals competitive and going down as the year moves along."

Seniors Scottie Stalo, Brendon Knaiser and Mike DiGrazia, along with junior Nick Robles return for Crystal Lake South. "We have good varsity experience," South coach Curt Wadlington said. "We look to build on the success of last season."

South won the recent Cary-Grove invitational at Chalet Hills by 32 strokes with Robles (72), Stalo (75) and Knaiser (78) finishing 1, 2 and 3.

Dundee-Crown brings back juniors Joe Aschacher and Anthony Cardelli. "We've got a lot of spots that are open," D-C coach Bob Sweeney said. "With a little more experience, we'll do all right."

In the Big Northern Conference, Hampshire brings back junior standout Jeremy Yoder, along with classmate Adam Clemons and senior Ryan Tasche. "I am looking forward to another solid season," Hampshire coach Jeff Howe said. "I believe we have a good shot at moving on to sectionals for a second year in a row." Kyle Carbone and Matt Spitzer will also chip in for the Whip-Purs.

Elsewhere, Elgin Academy welcomes back sophomore Andrew Dykun (shot 76 recently at par 72 Cog Hill #3) and senior Christian Lynn.

"Those are two very good golfers who should have a big impact," Elgin Academy coach Bill Harris said. "We should be competitive in the Independent School League this year if the 3 through 5 golfers are consistent-then we've got a chance to get third or fourth this year. The ISL is usually a very strong league in golf."