NEW ORLEANS – A few years ago the State of Louisiana introduced a golf trail, christened the Audubon Trail in honour of the renowned naturalist and artist John James Audubon, who spent a great deal of his time in the Bayou State painting the rare birds that migrate here each year.
Louisiana's trail consists of a collection of courses scattered throughout the state. And that's one of the biggest side benefits to any golf trail because it usually takes players to remote corners of a state and thus spreads out the tourist dollars far more evenly.
For instance, did you ever think of visiting a place called Thompson Creek or Cypress Bend or Lake Charles in Louisiana? Of course not. But you will if you follow the Audubon Trail. And to get there, you will have to travel amazing highways that sit on stilts - some stretching almost 35 miles - over the state's swamps and bayous, where alligators and giant snakes sun themselves in full view of passing motorists.
The biggest bonus to playing golf in Louisiana is the prices charged at the six Audubon courses - most are in the $60 range, which includes cart.
Your first stop on the Audubon Trail should be a
course called The Island. This course was carved
out of a sugar plantation and it's
pretty
sweet, although the 54 bunkers and
nine lakes
scattered about the 7,000-yard,
par 72
championship course will leave you
feeling a little
sour if you don't bring your
A-plus game.
From Baton Rouge, you'll head a little north to the
Bluffs On Thompson Creek, an Arnold Palmer-
designed course that takes you through tight terrain.
It once ranked the 34th-best course in the United
States and it doesn't disappoint. Top hole is the
elevated par 3, 17th protected by water on the right
and bunkers in front and to the left of the green.
Then there's Tamahka Trails Golf Club and Cypress Bend to play a little farther north near Alexandria before heading for the most northern point in the state, Shreveport and the Olde Oaks course, which straddles the Texas border.
Tamahka is nestled in thick forest while
Olde Oaks and was designed by PGA star
Hal Sutton. A beautiful lake borders
Cypress Bend and makes every shot a
test for the golfer.
Lake Charles, a good drive from
Shreveport, is home to the Gray Plantation
course, the final stop on the trail and
maybe the most memorable. Golf Digest
magazine ranked this No. 3 among new
American courses when it opened a few
years back. The 7,000-yard layout
features 60 acres of lakes that come
into play on 12 of the holes.
Moss-draped
pines and 94 bunkers are the other
challenges you will have to contend with
on this beauty.
Lake Charles is home to Harrah's Casino and Steamboat Bill's, which serves up some of the best jambalaya and gumbo in Cajun Country. There are other worthwhile side trips along the trail as well, like the 180 mile Creole Nature Trail - well worth the trip on its own - near Lake Charles and the amazing Rosedown Plantation, one of the last well preserved cotton plantations where hundreds of slaves toiled in the nearby fields during America's most troubling period.
For more information on Louisiana's golf trail,
go to
www.audubongolf.com or visit the state's
website at
www.louisianatravel.com.
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Marc Atchison is the former Travel and Golf Editor of Canada’s largest daily newspaper The Toronto Star. More of Marc’s stories are also available on www.tnnworld.com.
