Tis the golf season in the Metro area. And to start it off, the women's developmental Symetra Tour comes to Hunters Ridge again for a three-day event on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This is an opportunity for men and women to check out these young players who want to get their LPGA card. I guarantee you will be amazed at their skill level.

In fact, I have always said, especially for the men, that the best way to learn a fluid golf swing is to take a look at the gals who are competing at Hunters Ridge in this edition of the Titan Tire Classic.

The final round should be held in beautiful conditions on the well-manicured surfaces of Hunters Ridge on Sunday. A trip out there and a walk in the sun would certainly give you a great perspective on how good these players trying to make the top rung of the ladies ladder really are.

That's not all in local golf. The first part of this week, I had a nice, long sitdown visit with Dick Vitale on the first tee of the Cedar Rapids Country Club in a golf event that benefitted the "V" Foundation to the tune of $100,000 for the fight against cancer.

If you think that Vitale is passionate beyond words about the college basketball scene, his emotional plea for donations to the "V" Foundation topped that.

Another man dropping into town this weekend will be Mike Bender. He is Zach Johnson's main swing coach, a former Waterloo resident and pro who has become one of the trusted mentors, not only to Zach Johnson, but to other PGA touring pros as their swing guru.

He'll be on hand for Monday's event at the Cedar Rapids Country Club that in its 19th year will be benefitting the Four Oaks program in this area. Mike will be on the first tee giving tips from the top.

NOTE: With the ending of the high school track season, I want to give a tip of the fedora to a real student/athlete in Connor Smock of Lisbon.

Not only did he win four events at Drake and won the 3200 meters for the fourth straight time in his division at state, it should be noted that as a high school honors student and an Eagle Scout, Connor has been able to balance his athletic and scholastic abilities in a refreshing story.

His next challenge will be to improve the track fortunes of Bradley University, and beyond that to reach his lifetime goal of athletic training to help others become better. His credentials show that at the high school level he was one of the best.

(Bob Brooks is sports director at KMRY and has been one of the leading voices of college and prep sports in Eastern Iowa for more than 65 years. He is a 10-time winner of the Iowa Sportscaster of the Year Award, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana in 2004. His sports reports can be heard weekday afternoons at 4:30 and 5:30, and Saturdays at 6:40 for the Hawkeye football wrap-up.)