The execution of a perfect golf swing, incorporating relaxation, style and rhythm, is the ideal metaphor for a journey across Louisiana to visit three of the 16 courses on the Audubon Golf Trail.
Created in 2001 to enhance the designation of Texas’ neighbor to the east as ‘The Sportsman’s Paradise’ and with the aspiration of becoming America’s most diverse golf destination, the Audubon Golf Trail course designers – Pete Dye, Rees Jones, Arnold Palmer, Robert Trent Jones Sr., David Toms and more – brought to life this vision.
Santa Maria Golf Club, close to the State Capital, in the culturally rich city of Baton Rouge, is where this journey begins. The course personifies the Audubon spirit as this Robert Trent Jones Sr-designed facility features two waterways and 15 lakes that are strategically placed to capture any errant golf ball. Wildlife is abundant and even the encroachment of million-dollar homes does not distract from the overall feeling of a natural setting. Grand trees and diverse colored grasses showcase nature on every hole.
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It’s easy to see why Golf Digest continually recognizes Santa Maria as one of the nation’s finest municipal courses. It deserves this status and is a pleasure to play. For unique overnight lodging and delectable dining, visit Houmas House, a historic plantation south of Baton Rouge.
Nature is at its finest at Carter Plantation Golf Club, PGA champion David Toms' design east of Baton Rouge in Springfield. The course plays through three distinct landscapes with oak groves, cypress wetlands and upland forests.
Sounds of exotic birds, fragrances of wild flowers and southern pine are accentuated in the warm southern air, but don’t let the beauty fool you, as the course features 86 bunkers and 11 water hazards. The Villas at Carter Plantation are located across from the clubhouse. Six units with seven luxury suites in each provide the perfect stay to a day of play.
In Central Louisiana, the Trail tour continues at the Steve Smyers-designed course of Tamahka Trails Golf Club in Marksville. This resort course was developed and is owned and operated by the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe whose desire was to create a championship course that would complement their successful Paragon Casino Resort.
This is a resort worth the stay. The rooms are spacious, beautifully appointed and overlook a grand foyer which houses a small canal throughout the lobby in which small alligators, with gentle tail movements, can be seen navigating its waters. The course itself can be difficult, as the greens are quick and negotiating the subtle breaks can lead to multiple putts. Each nine starts with a par 5 and the sod bunkers create the feel of links golf.
Louisiana is relaxation, celebration, history and diversity wrapped up around the unique golf courses along the Audubon Golf Trail. Go soon and experience it for yourself. More information can be found here.
