The Audubon Golf Trail in Louisiana was founded in 2001 in response to Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Back then there was a collection of just six golf courses, each unique and eager to bring Louisiana to the forefront of the golf travel industry. Today the Audubon Golf Trail lists 12 member courses and it looks like the number will continue to grow.
Audubon golf course designers
Named for the lumberjack and artist John James Audubon (1785-1851), the Audubon Golf Trail winds south from Shreveport to New Orleans, passing through New Iberia, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Atchafalaya and many more places with names even harder to pronounce. And speaking of names: the designers of the Audubon Golf Trail include some of the most famous names in the industry: David Toms, Hal Sutton, Louisiana native Steve Elkington, and the teacher himself, Pete Dye. All of the courses on the Camino are members of the Audubon Cooperative Society, a dedicated group of people with a dream.
The Society’s goal is to preserve Louisiana’s unique natural environment and preserve the heritage of the game of golf.
Attractions along the trail
The Audubon Golf Trail begins but does not end with golf. Along the way you will find many distractions… well… attractions. These include limitless opportunities to sample what Louisiana has become so famous for, its cuisine. Then of course there is jazz and music in all its vibrant and Cajun forms. And let’s not forget the fishing: the swamps of southern Louisiana offer some of the best fishing in the world. Finally, there is New Orleans and, of course, Bourbon Street.
Hurricane Katrina, and to a lesser extent Rita, was an event that no one will forget. Six of the Audubon Trail Golf courses were in the path of both hurricanes and were devastated. One course lost more than 1,000 of its trees. However, I am pleased to report that all six courses have recovered and are playing better than ever.
The Audubon Golf Trail courses
- The Audubon Park Executive Golf Course, a par 62 course located in historic downtown New Orleans, spans 81 wooded acres on St. Charles Avenue and is the only course in the country accessible by streetcar.
- The Atchafalaya Golf Course in Idlewild is one of my personal favorites. Designed by Robert von Hagge, the 7,533-yard course is surrounded by the rich wildlife and incredible natural beauty found only in the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin. Marvelous!
- The Black Bear Golf Course sits on approximately 300 acres atop Macon Ridge. The course was designed by Bechtol Russell Golf and built by Weitz Golf International. Black Bear is just a super golf course.
- The Carter Plantation, near historic Springfield and just 30 minutes from Baton Rouge, is the signature design of LSU alumni and former PGA Champion David Toms.
- Cypress Bend Golf Resort, on the Texas-Louisiana border, incorporates the 186,000-acre Toledo Bend Lake – ten of the 18 holes play along the lake’s shores and through its coves – exciting golf, great fishing too.
- The gray plantation, located just outside Lake Charles, was ranked 75th out of 100 on Golf Digest’s list of “America’s Best Public Courses” in 2005.
- The island, a par 72 course of more than 7,000 yards where the water is at stake in 17 of the 18 holes. There are 54 bunkers, nine lakes, and Bayou Plaquemine and Bayou Jacob to deal with as you progress through the course.
- OakWing Golf Club is a unique Jim Lipe design that was established on what was once England’s Air Force Base. A 7,043-yard blend of the natural beauty of Louisiana’s swamps and lakes, it features streets lined with ancient giants, rolling hills, and rolling greens.
- Olde Oaks Golf Club near Shreveport was designed by PGA Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton. Sutton, a native of the area, calls his first signature course one of the best in the region.
- Tamahka Trails Golf Club is a course of great natural beauty and a seemingly endless succession of challenges.
- TPC Louisiana, just 15 minutes from the French Quarter, is the crown jewel of the Audubon Trail. TPC Louisiana was designed by Pete Dye along with Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson.
- The Wetlands Golf Club in Lafayette is the newest member of the Audubon Golf Trail and, which opened in April 2006, is also the newest golf course on the trail. Wetlands, deep in the heart of the swamps, James Lee Burke Country, features the many areas of swamps, lakes and wetlands in the region.
The formation of the Audubon Golf Trail was a stroke of genius. Add to that all the rest of the things Louisiana has to offer and you’ll soon see why the state is fast becoming one of America’s top tourist destinations.
To book a Louisiana golf vacation to the Audubon Golf Trail, call 1-888-AGT-INLA (248-4652); visit www.audubontrail.com.
