Louisiana Golf Courses

[Mid70s]

thought since there were so many of us from La, i'd start a review thread on Louisiana's golf courses......please add the courses you've played, or have a different view on......*all my course rates include a cart fee, and are a rough estimate from the last time i played it

Southwest Louisiana:

Gray Plantation -Lake Charles - public - nicest course i've been able to play in the state, well manicured fairways, and nice greens.......plenty of sand and water makes up for the lack of trees to add to the difficulty of this course.......it IS pretty open, and you can pretty much "Bomb away" w/ the driver.....if you can keep it out of the water, you usually have a pretty good chance to score well here....beautiful clubhouse....GPS carts...course rates -- weekends - $60 weekdays - $45

Mallard Cove -Lake Charles - public - not a bad little course, i've played here a few times recently and enjoyed each round.......the fairways were in good shape, and i thought the greens were as well......i don't find it to be a very difficult course, not too much water and the trees that come into play seem to be shorter trees that allow you to go over them........not a bad play for the price, gets a little crowded on the weekends though.....GPS carts for an additional $5...course rates -- weekends - $40 weekdays - $30


Lake Charles Country Club - Lake Charles - private - also a nice course, nothing overly impressive for a "country club" but they keep it in good shape.......it's been awhile, but every time i've ever played it, the greens and fairways have always looked really nice.........a little bit of sand and water add to the course........if you get a chance, i'd play it, but if you don't, don't be too upset....i wouldn't say you've missed out on too much.....course rates -- ?? can't remember, sorry

Pine Shadows - Lake Charles - public - nothing impressive here, shorter course w/ small "turtle back" greens, and a LOT of doglegs.......i played here a couple of weeks ago for the first time in many years and came away disappointed.....i will say that the greens had just been aeriated & sanded so that took away quite a bit of the pleasure for me.......it's an O.K. place to play, but if you're coming in from out of town, there are quite a few other options i'd recommend for this area.......course rates -- weekends - $35 weekdays - $25

Contraband Bayou - Lake Charles - public - pretty little Tom Fazio designed course at the casino here in Lake Charles........i've played here quite a few times recently and have enjoyed it........the fairways and the greens were both in good shape each time..........there's plenty of sand and water, not many trees......i'd say it's a shorter course and that longer hitters should play from the tips to make it a little more challenging.......i'd rank this one #2 in Lake Charles, behind Gray Plantation.......GPS carts..course rates -- weekends - $80+(i think, not sure, only played during the week) weekdays(locals) - $40.....(go sign up for a casino card for free in the casino lobby and you get the local rate)

Frasch Park Golf Course - Sulphur - public - i play here the most being that it's only 15 minutes from my house and 5 minutes from work........and for the price, it's a pretty decent course......the fairways always have decent grass and the greens are o.k......during the middle of the summer, the greens get a little hard, and are tough to hit approach shots into (this coming from a guy who hits his irons REALLY high)......it's definitely a narrow course that places a premium on driving accuracy, but if you hit it straight ,you should score well here, as it's a short course........a little bit of water and sand but not too much........a lot of TALL pine trees line most fairways, and make getting over them pretty difficult......course rates -- weekends $30 weekdays $20

Bayou Oaks Country Club - Sulphur - semi-private - normally a private course, but right now, w/ the condition the course is in, they are letting any and everybody play it..........this is the course i grew up on, and learned the game of golf.......it's a good design/layout, and that's about all the good things i can say for it.......the last few years it's just taken a turn for the worse.........the fairways are horrible, w/ antpiles and pasture grass in them........the tee boxes are unlevel.......the one sand trap on the course has gravel in it.......and the worst part of the course, the greens.....they're horrible, there are little patches of crabgrass on them and w/o them i don't think there would be ANY grass on them.........elevated dirt mounds, w/ a hole and a flag...........they ARE doing a lot of work on it right now, and i hope they turn it around.......like i said, they have a nice layout but it's been neglected for TOO long.....just in horrible shape right now.......course rates not sure there's been a coupon in the paper every sunday for the lasy year where you can get 2 green fees and a cart for $30, and w/o it i know i would never play this course

Koasati Pines - Kinder - public - very nice course at Coushatta Casino in Kinder......greens were immaculate last time we went, and the fairways were also very well kept.....had a lot of sand, but i don't remember too much water or trees.......i know that this is another course where you can really let the driver loose, as there's not a whole lot of penalty for missing the fairway.....i'd definitely recommend this course if you're in the area, as it's the 2nd best course in SW Louisiana in my opinion........very nice clubhouse....GPS carts......course rates - weekends $60 weekdays $40

Cypress Bend - Toledo Bend - public - (not sure if this should be classified as Southwest La) mixed reviews here, the people i go w/ up there love it, and i can't stand it........i don't know why i hate the course so much, maybe b/c i always seem to stink it up when i go.......but they always rave on this course, and the few times i've been i just didn't think it deserved all the great praise........fairways were O.K., greens were decent at best, a lot of doglegs that took your driver out of your hands......quite a few blind shots, that if you aren't familiar with, would definitley leave you red faced.........and all the undulations in the fairway, take a few holes getting used to......i guess it's a nice course, just not one i'd drive over an hour to go play again.......been a few years--->course rates weekends $75 weekdays $50


--those are the only courses i know in depth, hope it helps some of you traveling to this area......i'll also be going to "the farm" in Lafayette in a couple of weeks, so i'll add a review to that one as well..........the following are some of the courses i've played in La, but only once or twice and it's been a little too long for me to remember the details

Carter Plantation - Springfield - played a scramble here, and had heard quite a few good things about it before i went, so maybe my expectations of it were too high.....it was a nice course, don't get me wrong, but nothing really stood out at me.....the fairways were nice, and the greens were in pretty good shape.......it just didn't have that "wow" factor for me, except for the fact that they had us teeing up from the tips on all the par 5's and they were close to 600 yards long..........i also asked in the clubhouse for individual rates and they were very expensive

Copper Mill - Zachary - it's been a couple of years and i don't remember a whole lot about it except that it was in good shape and i enjoyed the round, think it was around $50 when i went

Dumas Golf Course - Baker - it's been close to 10 years since i played this one probably, in fact i had to google the name......don't remember much about it, but i don't think i cared for it too much.

Warrior Hills - Leesville - another one i don't remember too much about it, but this time i know i didn't come away impressed.......not a great course

Country Club of Louisiana - Baton Rouge - talk about over-priced.......played in a couple of member/guests here, and the member i played w/ told me how much a membership at this place costs and i couldn't believe it..........decent course, nothing spectacular except the houses surrounding it........greens were in good shape, and the fairways were nice, but like i said, there is NO WAY i would pay that much money to be a member out there

[atm_73]

Originally Posted by Mid70s

Copper Mill - Zachary - it's been a couple of years and i don't remember a whole lot about it except that it was in good shape and i enjoyed the round, think it was around $50 when i went

Thanks for the reviews I've got an invite to preach in Zachary this fall, and I'm hoping that the weather will cooperate while there for golf. The guy I'll be staying with is a good friend of mine from college, and we played a course in Zachary several years ago at his wedding (don't know if it was that one or not), but maybe we'll try it out while there.

I've played several of the courses along I-20 (Eastland CC - Haughton, Oakland Plantation - Plain Dealing, Pine Hills - Minden, Ruston CC - Ruston, Sandy Hills - Dubach, La Tech's Course - Grambling, Trenton St - W. Monroe, Forsythe - Monroe, Bayou Bend - Bastrop) - If any of you want info on any of these, let me know.

The only one worth giving more than just a mention is

Trails End - Arcadia - pretty nice 18 hole course tucked in the center of the north part of the state. I used to live in Arcadia, and played this course several times. You won't find any courses around LA with more elevation changes, as it sits just 4-5 miles from the highest point in the state. Pretty challenging little course, with lots of hills, water, trees, & sand - You can post some pretty high #'s out there! Fees used to be $27.00 during the week (never played it much on Saturdays). Lots of course for little $ IMO.

[Mid70s]

Originally Posted by atm_73

I've got an invite to preach in Zachary this fall,

my uncle preaches in zachary.....little baptist church called olive branch............zachary also has a course called Beaver Creek, haven't got to play it yet but i've heard good things from a couple of different people.........hope you enjoy your stay and good luck w/ the round

[TwillDog]

[quote=atm_73;50833]Thanks for the reviews I've got an invite to preach in Zachary this fall, and I'm hoping that the weather will cooperate while there for golf. The guy I'll be staying with is a good friend of mine from college, and we played a course in Zachary several years ago at his wedding (don't know if it was that one or not), but maybe we'll try it out while there.QUOTE]

I don't know that you could play Copper Mill without remembering it... It is an unusual track. It features 6 par 3's, 6 par 4's and 6 par 5's for it's 18 holes! I have not seen another course like that. I've played it a few times and it's just quirky! But a fun play, if you get the opportunity.

[atm_73]

Originally Posted by TwillDog

I don't know that you could play Copper Mill without remembering it... It is an unusual track. It features 6 par 3's, 6 par 4's and 6 par 5's for it's 18 holes! I have not seen another course like that. I've played it a few times and it's just quirky! But a fun play, if you get the opportunity.

We may try it - as to why I don't remember, It's been about 5 years, and we've had two kids, and two moves since then - I don't remember anything from 04' back!

[Mid70s]

played a little nine hole course, Oak Lake, in Clinton, La (about 20 mins north of Zachary) on Monday......two sets of tee boxes so you can play 18........it wasn't too bad, wasn't expecting much.......the greens were extremely firm, and it took quite a bit of getting used to.....the fairways were really hard and had a lot of roll......i thought it had a nice little layout, but it's a very short course....good rates......cost $20 w/ a cart

[TwillDog]

Originally Posted by atm_73

We may try it - as to why I don't remember, It's been about 5 years, and we've had two kids, and two moves since then - I don't remember anything from 04' back!

I don't know that Copper Mill was open over 5 years ago. I don't remember exactly when it opened, but I wouldn't think it more than 5 years old. Then again, the years have done their number on my few useful brain cells... so I should understand your not remembering....

[Mid70s]

Southeast Louisiana:

Beaver Creek - Zachary - public -- nice course, i played there this morning and really enjoyed myself........the front nine was more of a links style course w/ hardly any trees, and the back nine trended to a more traditional style course.......i thought it was a fairly easy layout, playing pretty short, but we did play one up from the tips, so it may be a little more difficult if you play from the back tees.......it was in great condition today, w/ the greens being fast and receptive to iron shots.........and no complaints on the fairways either, always had good grass to hit out of.......and when you take into account that this is a city run course, you have to come away impressed.....very, very good shape for a muni.....course rates - payed a little less than $50, it was a holiday so i assume that this is the weekend rates

The Island - Plaquemine - public - we were excited to play this one this afternoon w/ it being part of the Audubon Trail, and i have to say that it didn't let us down........a really challenging course w/ narrow fairways, and water that comes into play on 16 of the 18 holes....the fairways and greens were in great shape as well.......but i'll warn you, the greens are very difficult w/ a lot of ridges and break....definitely took some getting used to........and if you're not hitting your driver well, i could easily see putting up a pretty big number on the scorecard.......course rates - $45, this was a twilight green fee w/ cart

*i'd also like to take back my review on Carter Plantation in Springfield.........after playing The Island, and thinking about it some more, i'd have to say the two were in similar conditions.......w/ both of them being nice golf courses.........like i said before, i think the only reason Carter was a little bit of a letdown was b/c i had heard so many good things about it and had my expectations REALLY high.......that and the fact that the green fee's are pretty expensive there.........but overall, it's still a nice course and worth playing

[TwillDog]

Originally Posted by Mid70s

Southeast Louisiana:

Beaver Creek - Zachary - public -- nice course, i played there this morning and really enjoyed myself........the front nine was more of a links style course w/ hardly any trees, and the back nine trended to a more traditional style course.......i thought it was a fairly easy layout, playing pretty short, but we did play one up from the tips, so it may be a little more difficult if you play from the back tees.......it was in great condition today, w/ the greens being fast and receptive to iron shots.........and no complaints on the fairways either, always had good grass to hit out of.......and when you take into account that this is a city run course, you have to come away impressed.....very, very good shape for a muni.....course rates - payed a little less than $50, it was a holiday so i assume that this is the weekend rates

The Island - Plaquemine - public - we were excited to play this one this afternoon w/ it being part of the Audubon Trail, and i have to say that it didn't let us down........a really challenging course w/ narrow fairways, and water that comes into play on 16 of the 18 holes....the fairways and greens were in great shape as well.......but i'll warn you, the greens are very difficult w/ a lot of ridges and break....definitely took some getting used to........and if you're not hitting your driver well, i could easily see putting up a pretty big number on the scorecard.......course rates - $45, this was a twilight green fee w/ cart

*i'd also like to take back my review on Carter Plantation in Springfield.........after playing The Island, and thinking about it some more, i'd have to say the two were in similar conditions.......w/ both of them being nice golf courses.........like i said before, i think the only reason Carter was a little bit of a letdown was b/c i had heard so many good things about it and had my expectations REALLY high.......that and the fact that the green fee's are pretty expensive there.........but overall, it's still a nice course and worth playing

I played the Island a few months back and felt the same way, though I prefer Carter Plantation, maybe because there's less water... The Island is a nice challenge, and currently has great Tuesday rates, for you weekday golfers like me; I believe it's less than $30 on Tuesdays. May have to challenge it again...

[frichissin]

Sorry guys but I think golf has been forgotten in Louisiana.

I live in the Atlanta metro for 10 years and played some of the best courses around.

But as far as the New Orleans it's bad.

Places I played

Beau Chene Country Club Oak Golf Course Mandeville, Louisiana Not inpressed
Covington Country Club Covington, Louisiana Hit or miss
Royal Golf Club Slidell, Louisiana Dump
Pinewood Country Club Slidell, Louisiana STAY AWAY GOAT FARM
Audubon Golf Course New Orleans, Louisiana Not bad but not good if you like to plays 5somes this is the place
Pine Hills Golf Course Calhoun, Louisiana DUMP if you like to fish you can fish in the ponds after 4PM $65.00 on the weekend.
Oak Harbor Golf Club Slidell, Louisiana Not bad maybe a 6 of of 10 for Louisiana
Black Bear Golf Course Delhi, Louisiana 10 very nice by far one of the best $35.00 on a weekend this is a must play.
TPC Golf Course Avondale, Louisiana 10 but it's also $125.00 on the weekends

[TwillDog]

Originally Posted by frichissin

Sorry guys but I think golf has been forgotten in Louisiana.

I live in the Atlanta metro for 10 years and played some of the best courses around.

But as far as the New Orleans it's bad.

Places I played

Beau Chene Country Club Oak Golf Course Mandeville, Louisiana Not inpressed
Covington Country Club Covington, Louisiana Hit or miss
Royal Golf Club Slidell, Louisiana Dump
Pinewood Country Club Slidell, Louisiana STAY AWAY GOAT FARM
Audubon Golf Course New Orleans, Louisiana Not bad but not good if you like to plays 5somes this is the place
Pine Hills Golf Course Calhoun, Louisiana DUMP if you like to fish you can fish in the ponds after 4PM $65.00 on the weekend.
Oak Harbor Golf Club Slidell, Louisiana Not bad maybe a 6 of of 10 for Louisiana
Black Bear Golf Course Delhi, Louisiana 10 very nice by far one of the best $35.00 on a weekend this is a must play.
TPC Golf Course Avondale, Louisiana 10 but it's also $125.00 on the weekends

Not an inaccurate listing of the state of golf in Louisiana. And this isn't just because of Hurricane Katrina - golf has always been lacking here. Katrina just exacerbated the problems...
Just a quick note on public golf in the New Orleans area. Pre Katrina, the city of New Orleans proper had 7 public courses; today there are 2. The City Park complex had 4 courses, but one of them had shut down prior to Katrina. None of the three remaining courses, one of which was the former home to the New Orleans tour stop now known as the Zurich Classic, is currently open. One of them, however, is slated for a June/July opening. Lakewood Golf Club was to close anyway for a renovation project - that project should be completed by fall of this year. There are several other courses in and around the N.O. area that are now getting the lion's share of play due to the City Park courses closure.

As for Frichissin's assessment of courses, the only disagreement I have (I'm familiar with 6 of those 9 courses) is I think Audubon is pretty good, with the best greens in the city. I've been playing there a lot lately; it is an executive course, par 62, and is a great workout for your irons. And a 4 hour round, outside of a weekend morning, is hardly heard of.

I played Royal as my first home course. It is severely neglected by it's owner, so it's gone from being an OK course to just above goat ranch status. And the TPC of Louisiana is just overpriced for the market. We locals get an OK summertime rate, but during the rest of the year, the $100+ green fees make this a tough outing.

[GolfSavage]

The only course I've played in LA is Bayou DeSiard (sp?) Country Club in Monroe, and that was about 30 years ago at the age of 13! We lived just north of there in Sterlington over one summer, and played it 3 or 4 times with my dad and brother. I remember lush fairways, velvet greens and making my first par playing from the men's tees.

[jwaldrop]

Love Grey Plantation in Lake Charles...fun course. My son lived in Lake Charles for a few years, and I still have a beautiful granddaughter there, so get over once in a while. My son enjoyed Mallard Cove, but I haven't played it. We played Frasch Park together and had a good time. Pretty good value.

I have only played Audobon in NO once, but thought it was really nicely manicured. I can't remember the names, but played a couple of course within 30 min of downtown NO, and thought they were fairly well manicured, ok courses, but pretty overpriced for the money.

Thank you for the reviews. I'll have to try to get on some of these. I really want toplay the course at L'Auberge Du Lac. Looks fun.

[TwillDog]

Originally Posted by jwaldrop

Love Grey Plantation in Lake Charles...fun course. My son lived in Lake Charles for a few years, and I still have a beautiful granddaughter there, so get over once in a while. My son enjoyed Mallard Cove, but I haven't played it. We played Frasch Park together and had a good time. Pretty good value.

I have only played Audobon in NO once, but thought it was really nicely manicured. I can't remember the names, but played a couple of course within 30 min of downtown NO, and thought they were fairly well manicured, ok courses, but pretty overpriced for the money.

Thank you for the reviews. I'll have to try to get on some of these. I really want toplay the course at L'Auberge Du Lac. Looks fun.

Grey Plantation is consistently one of the top 2-3 ranked courses in the state. I have yet to play west of Baton Rouge, but hope to get out there someday. Louisiana is a big state and the Lake Charles area, with several new and top-notch courses, is about 200 miles west of here. At 3 1/2 to 4 hours, that's not a normal day trip...
Audubon began as just a short course, par of 68 I believe with tight fairways and tiny greens. It was always rough and not in the best of shape. Then they decided to go the executive course route, and honestly the course is one of the best around the area. Well manicured and fair, and really you get to use every club in the bag. The par 3's range on the back tees from about 125 yards to almost 230 yards. The longest hole on the course is set as a par 5, but would be a mid-long par 4 for the tour at 471 yards.
Other courses around the area within 30 miles - you may have played Stonebridge (my home course), Timberlane, Lakewood, Belle Terre, TPC of Louisiana, Eastover or English Turn. Or you may have crossed Lake Pontchartrain and played Oak Harbor. These courses are all within 30 miles of the city and are decent.
By the way, I said earlier there were 7 courses in New Orleans - there were actually 9, I forgot about a nice 36 hole complex at Eastover which was also a casualty of the storm. They are definitely losing 18 holes there. They reopened 9 holes post Katrina, but the response was lukewarm (the course had been semi-private and expensive, so a lot of people didn't play it before) and there are currently no holes open there. There is talk of possibly reopening 18 holes once everything in that community gets rebuilt and there is a population in the city to support golf there again, but there are no plans on the table currently to reopen that facility.

[frichissin]

Originally Posted by TwillDog

Not an inaccurate listing of the state of golf in Louisiana. And this isn't just because of Hurricane Katrina - golf has always been lacking here. Katrina just exacerbated the problems...
Just a quick note on public golf in the New Orleans area. Pre Katrina, the city of New Orleans proper had 7 public courses; today there are 2. The City Park complex had 4 courses, but one of them had shut down prior to Katrina. None of the three remaining courses, one of which was the former home to the New Orleans tour stop now known as the Zurich Classic, is currently open. One of them, however, is slated for a June/July opening. Lakewood Golf Club was to close anyway for a renovation project - that project should be completed by fall of this year. There are several other courses in and around the N.O. area that are now getting the lion's share of play due to the City Park courses closure.

As for Frichissin's assessment of courses, the only disagreement I have (I'm familiar with 6 of those 9 courses) is I think Audubon is pretty good, with the best greens in the city. I've been playing there a lot lately; it is an executive course, par 62, and is a great workout for your irons. And a 4 hour round, outside of a weekend morning, is hardly heard of.

I played Royal as my first home course. It is severely neglected by it's owner, so it's gone from being an OK course to just above goat ranch status. And the TPC of Louisiana is just overpriced for the market. We locals get an OK summertime rate, but during the rest of the year, the $100+ green fees make this a tough outing.

Your right Audubon is a great place to play, but I played it 2 weekends ago and had a fivesome in front of me my gruop was a fivesome and the group behind me was a........fivesome that day was a 6 hour and a half hour round

As for Royal your right again this could be a great place but the owners will not put any money into the place.

I have been back in Louisiana for three years now and the golf here is in sad shape.

By the way I stopped in at the bar you work in a few months back asking for you, but you where off.

[TwillDog]

Originally Posted by frichissin

Your right Audubon is a great place to play, but I played it 2 weekends ago and had a fivesome in front of me my gruop was a fivesome and the group behind me was a........fivesome that day was a 6 hour and a half hour round

As for Royal your right again this could be a great place but the owners will not put any money into the place.

I have been back in Louisiana for three years now and the golf here is in sad shape.

By the way I stopped in at the bar you work in a few months back asking for you, but you where off.

I remember one of the guys telling me someone stopped by looking for me! Sorry I missed you. And that club will be no more as of this week! I'm moving down the street to Bourbon Cowboy, shining up my buckle and all that stuff.
I have seen some 5somes out at Audubon, so I get you there. And no disrespect but the average age there is higher than many places, so you get people who toddle along. If you play on a Saturday morning, I could see a long round. I've been out there every Tuesday morning and outside of one 4 hour round, all the others have been less than 3 1/2 hours.
Royal has become a bit of a joke. Gerald Gatlin seems to really not want to spend any money on capital improvements, so they do as little as possible. They cover their expenses, he makes a couple of bucks and they get by. That place could really be a nice course without a large budget. Well, except for an irrigation system that may actually keep some fairways alive... And I wonder if anyone realizes they can charge an extra $5-$10 if they are improving their product. The difference in a $30 course and a $40 dollar course is somebody caring about the product. And if you care, I'd rather play your course.

Golf in Southeast Louisiana consists of 3 basic types of public courses: 1. Bare bones golf - where the emphasis is just on come out and play. Dress how you want, play at whatever pace, we'll be happy to have you (Royal Golf Club, Bayou Barriere, Brechtel Golf Club - muni). 2. Courses that want to be better and are trying to cover every base in a post Katrina world (Oak Harbor Golf Club, Stonebridge Golf Club of New Orleans, Belle Terre Golf Club. 3. Courses that think entirely too much of themselves and miss the point of the golfing experience; while they are good courses and better than a lot around here, they price themselves as a great course in another market might, but don't deliver the same quality that those courses do (Carter Plantation, TPC of Louisiana). I can drive to southern Mississippi and play 5 courses that are equal to or better than Carter Plantation for half the price (Shell Landing, The Oaks, The Bridges, Grand Bear, or Timberton). Grand Bear and Shell Landing dropped prices post Katrina so people would come out and forget their troubles and play golf. Grand Bear used to be a resort course; after Katrina, they dropped the resort status and charged $50/round to play what is considered one of the top 3 courses in Mississippi. Carter Plantation charges around $90 a round. The course is nice, but not $90 worth of nice. And not one of the top 5 courses in Louisiana...

[frichissin]

All the New Orleans guys should hook up one weekend and play.