Carter Plantation

Carter Plantation, in Springfield, Louisiana, opened for play in 2003 and holds a special place in golf design history as the first course credited to major champion and Louisiana native David Toms, who collaborated with Glenn Hickey. The par-72 layout stretches beyond 7,000 yards and threads through three distinct Louisiana landscapes: live-oak flats, cypress wetlands, and upland pine forest. The routing reflects Toms's own strategic, position-first playing style rather than raw length. The debut drew immediate acclaim, earning recognition from Golf Magazine among its Top 10 New Courses You Can Play, which gave Toms early credibility as an architect. Today the course anchors a resort community north of the Gulf and remains one of the more distinctive public-access designs in the state.