Doug Wright will have something on his résumé that most of his college-age peers most likely can't match.

The 20-year-old civil engineering student designed the 13th hole at Westhaven Golf Club, which is under construction in the Franklin mixed-use development. He did so after winning an amateur golf-design contest presented by Links magazine.

Nashville-based Southern Land Co. has entered the world of corporate blogging in a different way.

The company has hired a reporter to write about the real estate market and housing trends on a separate Web site from its own. The site address is www.whatsforreal.com.

Running a 5K in Tennessee summer weather can become a tricky proposition.

Heat avoidance and a later start for the Life is good Festival's runs, which meander through the Westhaven subdivision neighborhood, gives participants a jump on other activities pre-race.

"This year, we're moving around the scheduling a bit because we found that the runners didn't want to stick around for the festival after the race, and also it got really hot during the day," said event co-chair Melonee McKinney Hurt.

Last year, the morning 5K attracted almost 1,000 runners who raised about $30,000. Those funds were split evenly between the Boys & Girls Club of Franklin and Williamson County and the Life is good Kids Foundation, which distributes money to nonprofits that support children in need. This year's goal is $50,000.

Lace up your running shoes or attend an inspirational dinner with the Life is good co-founder to help needy kids.

This year's Life is good Festival, which raises money for The Boys & Girls Club of Franklin/Williamson County and the Life is good Kids Foundation, is scheduled for June 7.

Over 600 people came out to tour eight beautiful courtyard gardens May 16-18 during the 3rd Annual Courtyard Garden Tour. The event raised $6,420.00 for Waves, Inc., a Franklin based nonprofit agency that provides support and services to adults and children with developmental disabilities in Williamson County.

Jennifer Krayhenbill, Executive Director of Waves Inc., said “Waves is honored to be chosen as the beneficiary of ticket sales from the Courtyard Garden Tour. The money will be used to further our efforts to support children and adults with developmental disabilities in Williamson County. It is exciting to see the growth in participation each year. We so appreciate all the garden owners opening their courtyards to the public for three days and to Southern Land Company for initiating and promoting the Tour.”

This weekend's Courtyard Garden Tour at Westhaven is really about gardening in relatively small spaces and in containers. And Barbara Wise, Westhaven's head gardener, is happy to share ideas that anyone can use.

Plants you can ignore: If you want plants that are very drought-tolerant and also low-maintenance sun lovers, she says to consider Agave, a thick succulent that provides color and texture if not flowers, as well as sedums, which come in different colors and make great ground covers.

Courtyard Garden Tour details
The Courtyard Garden Tour will be held from
10 a.m.-2 p.m. today,
10 a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Westhaven Residents' Club, 401 Cheltenham Ave., in the development, which is just west of Franklin off Highway 96.
Proceeds benefit WAVES, a nonprofit agency that provides support and services to adults and children with developmental disabilities in Williamson County.

The St. Jude Dream Home, located in Southern Land Company’s Westhaven community in Franklin, will open for free tours on Saturday, May 17. The house will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. every Sunday, May 17 until June 15.

Visitors to the house can register free for a chance to win a $5,000 shopping spree with American Signature Furniture. A limited number of $100 tickets for a chance to win the $700,000 home, constructed by SLC Homebuilding, will also be available during free tours of the house.

For 46 years, children with life-threatening illnesses have arrived at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, hoping for a cure. The hospital does its work quietly, day in and day out, not only finding new ways to treat diseases, such as leukemia, but also finding new methods to fund the treatments that insurance won't cover.

One of the most popular fundraisers for the hospital takes place this year in the Westhaven community of Franklin, where a $700,000 home will be raffled with virtually all proceeds going to fund lifesaving research at St. Jude.

Take a tour of seven private gardens in the Westhaven neighborhood Friday through May 18 with the third annual Courtyard Garden Tour.

And while you're in the neighborhood, stop in this year's St. Jude Dream Home, where tours open to the public that weekend as well.