New Orleans golf is bouncing back

NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans golf was a lot slower than the Mississippi Gulf Coast to bounce back, but that’s characteristic. They take things slow here in the Big Easy.

A number of courses closed, but there are still some excellent courses, led by the TPC and the Carter Plantation.

The thing I like about the TPC, aside from being a classy layout, is its walkability. The course has actually improved since Hurricane Katrina hit. During the down time that followed TPC officials worked out some of the problems people had complained about, one of which was those nasty, little pot bunkers even the pros said were unfair.

The Carter Plantation course is a beauty, deserving of all the awards various golf magazines have bestowed upon it.

Carter Plantation is no resort pushover. It’s officially listed at 7,049 yards, but they’ve added about 200 yards, and the slope comes in at a healthy 140 from the back tees.

The biggest challenge is probably the greens, which is where the movement really picks up; almost every green has a significant degree of slope and undulation, and they frequently fall off dramatically to collection areas or hazards. They are also usually guarded by one of the 86 bunkers on the course.

The routing takes you through three different types of Louisiana terrain: live oak flats, cypress wetlands and upland pine forests and Tupelo gum trees. There is also water on 11 holes, but this isn’t a course where you come away grousing about losing a bunch of balls to water; much or it is lateral, though you will be carrying several ponds and creeks off the tee and into several greens.

Other good plays are Audubon Park, Money Hill and English Turn.

Look for the full stories coming soon.