Blog: Toms on the Masters and designing courses
 
Mar. 26, 2007

Editor's note: David Toms is one of several players who will be writing a monthly blog for PGATOUR.com this year. Here is his second installment..

I just got back from Miami and I'm home for a day before heading to Texas for the Shell Houston Open. This will be the second year the event is held at the new Redstone course that Rees Jones and I designed. I didn't have any advantage or inside information last year as it turned out to be one of my four missed cuts during the season. I'm definitely expecting better things this year.

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David Toms is expecting better things in Houston this time around. (Greenwood/WireImage)

The Masters will be my third straight event. I've not played well in the last few years at Augusta National since they have added all the extra yardage. I have had a couple top-10 finishes (2003 and 1998) so I know that I can play good golf on that course ... it's a matter of staying focused on the positive.

Off the course, I was able to go snow skiing a few times this year. I had a great time with my family and it is something that I really enjoy. It won't be long before I start water skiing this summer.

My son's Dixie Baseball season has already started. The hardest part of my "job" is not being able to see all of his games. He loves baseball and I love watching him play. This is his first year of live-arm pitching which makes the games quite interesting.

Even though it's only March, I'm already excited about football season. LSU had another great recruiting class and expectations are high for another fantastic year in Tiger Stadium.

I'm also really enjoying the golf course design business. My first course, Carter Plantation, opened in 2003. I helped Rees Jones on the Redstone Course and I learned a lot from him. Rees and I also worked together on the redesign of Baton Rouge Country Club, one of my favorite places to play. I was just there last week and the course is coming along great. It will be set to re-open this summer.

I have a new course being built in Lockport, La. (between Houma and New Orleans). Ken Morgan is the architect and I think people in South Louisiana will really enjoy this course when it opens next year. I have another course in Clarksville, Tenn., that should break ground in the fall.

On the Foundation side, we are in the planning stages of developing a first-class junior golf academy that will introduce the game to underprivileged youth. Not only will we provide a teaching center that will educate the children on proper etiquette, rules, history and traditions of the game, but we will also teach important values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.

Plus, we will partner with other organizations to provide additional after school programs that would include tutoring.

It's something that I'm very excited about and look forward to providing more details as we get the project closer to reality.