It felt good to have last week off and use that time to relax and spend time with the family, but also invest quality time working on my game leading up to the Masters.
The schedule really gets going from here for the next several months. I am playing in this week’s Shell Houston Open. This is a wonderful tournament and the Golf Club of Houston Tournament Course, designed by Rees Jones, is the perfect tune-up for The Masters. It’s a big course in a wooded landscape and it is always in unbelievably good shape. In recent years the TOUR has done a great job setting it up to create a similar kind of challenge to Augusta National – you get the shaved banks, no heavy rough, those little collection areas around the greens and a high number on the Stimpmeter. For me and for a lot of the top players, that’s what makes it a great place to be the week before the Masters.
Of course, there’s no perfect formula for getting ready for any of the four majors – you either play the week before or you don’t. I’ve mixed it up and done both, but this time it’s good to be in Houston, for all of the above reasons and also to put those shots that you need for Augusta into play under tournament conditions.
Whether you’re playing in Houston or playing practice rounds back home, in the weeks leading up to the Masters you tend to work on shots that you are going to be playing out there. You also want to try to get your short game sharp. The Masters has that effect on everyone; we’ve all got one eye on that week. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, though. After a good showing at Bay Hill and a productive week off at home at The Bear’s Club, I feel I have a strong chance here in Houston.
Before all of that, I want to pay tribute to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, for his unbelievably generous donation to the Dubai Autism Centre, which was announced at the weekend. There’s no doubt that a sizeable donation such as that will make a huge positive impact on the lives of so many young people on the spectrum. It’s a wonderful gesture.
Staying with Dubai, I want to say thanks to the guys playing this Thursday at The Els Club Dubai (pictured below). They have selected Els for Autism as one of the beneficiaries and the proceeds will be split evenly, with 50 per cent to Els for Autism and 50 per cent to Safe Center, a day centre for children and young people at the high end of the spectrum, with Asperger’s Syndrome and its associated difficulties.
That leads us nicely into the news that April is the globally recognized Autism Awareness Month. As in previous years, there will be a repeat of some long-standing campaigns out on the PGA TOUR, such as the ‘Light it Up Blue’ day during the RBC Heritage. There are a number of events taking place across the month, plus a number of my partners have shown support with give-back programs. It’s one example of how raising awareness for autism has enabled sponsors and the general public to jump on board and truly change the landscape for people on the spectrum. We’ll cover those events in more detail as we go along. In the meantime, the Els for Autism team here in Florida have some ongoing initiatives that might interest you if you’re looking to support us or take part in some fundraising of your own. For more information, please just click here.
Okay, that’s it for now. Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy
