LOUISIANA GOLF TRAILS

from Texas Golf Insider - SW Bayou - Fall/Winter 2022

LETS PLAY NINE

Let the Good Times Roll! Laissez les bon temps rouler

Story by Greg Wise

Although the Cajun French version of “let the good times roll” was developed in the French Quarter of New Orleans… I felt compelled to borrow this term for your trip around Louisiana and the joie de vivre (joy of living) that truly explains our love of the game of golf.

Louisiana is a “Sportsman’s Paradise” for fishing or hunting, but golfers have nothing to fear when it comes down to ample quality, challenging golf – all around the state.

The Louisiana Golf Trails was developed to connect golfers with other experiences in Louisiana.

Look… we all know that golf is a simple 4-hour game (that might be thinking a little too optimistically, or to share

Cypress Bend 18th Hole

some of my personal sarcasm), so what do you do with the balance of your time?

The well-known Audubon Golf Trail consists of 16 golf courses around the state and covers all 3 regions of Louisiana. This original “Golf Trail” has connected those 16 courses with 6 other opportunities for you to experience the culture around Louisiana.

I would call the Louisiana Golf Trails “GOLF &”.

“Golf and Fishing Trails” – Not just a hobby to pass the time – fishing is a way of life. From their lakes, rivers and marshes to the deep blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana has the fisherman in you covered.

Check out the Cypress Bend Golf Course in Many, LA. At this location you are literally minutes away from completing your challenging round on their mind-blowing golf course and dropping your line in the water with a guide that knows where the hot spots are on Toledo Bend Lake.

“Golf and

Gaming Trails” – Known as “Las Vegas South” – you find yourself chipping in on the 5th hole at Koasati Pines in Kinder, LA, and throwing the dice on tables at Coushatta Casino Resort. LOOK…I have never heard a golfer yell “7 come 11” on the first tee at any golf course, especially when we play for money. But I did hear one of our players yelling “give me an easy 4” on the first hole at Tamahka Trails Golf Course that is part of Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, LA.

“Golf & Culinary Trails” - Really… do we need to explain this one? A study not long ago found that Louisiana was the nation’s happiest state. Want to make me happy? Serve up some fresh Gulf seafood or boudin, or even andouille sausage gumbo… and although I may have just

The Lucky 19th hole at Koasati Pines Place Your Bets ...

Don’t forget to visit Rosie’s Roof Top Lounge at The Higgins Hotel.

shot well above my normal score on the golf course, I am going to have a smile on my face as I bite into a fresh hot Beignet. Enough said!

“Golf & Craft Beer Trails” –Imagine a great round of golf… a great Cajun dinner and you are strolling through a small town and find a Craft Brewer. You settle in for a cold one and enjoy their unique flavor and vibe that sets them apart from the next. Maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the other ingredients, or maybe it’s just the atmosphere that takes you away as you listen to the history of their special town. Those problems that you may have had on the golf course seem to melt away. Preparing you for the next round on the golf course.

“Golf and Music” –Say what? The birthplace of jazz, zydeco, Cajun, and swamp pop, music is engrained in the soul of Louisiana. From the main stage at the lavish casinos right down to the Street Performers… Louisiana Music can be found everywhere. I’ll bet the next day on the golf course you will be hearing those tunes filtering through the trees.

“Golf and Distillery”

Now we are talking. The Big Easy? – No, those legal “Speakeasies” – where you nestle up to the bar talking about your heroic shots of the day and sipping on some “World Class” bourbon being distilled in the back room. Take a tour, see how it is done. Okay… so the golf that day just got a little easier to take, while preparing for the next day.

The folks of the Louisiana Golf Trails made it easier for all of us. They have established 3-day itineraries that truly fit all of these “Golf &’s” that you have been reading about. Check them out at: LouisianaGolfTrails.com Laissez les bon temps rouler