Even though the PGA Tour has made an annual stop in the Crescent City for more than 70 years – the last 15 of those years at English Turn – New Orleans has never been known as a golf town. That has changed.

Now, thanks to the Louisiana Audubon Golf Trail, the greater New Orleans area is adding “golf destination” to its many enticing charms.

New and acclaimed TPC of Louisiana and Carter Plantation are public facilities and the newest members of the Audubon Golf Trail, as is Audubon Park Golf Course. TPC of Louisiana is within 15 minutes of downtown New Orleans, Audubon Park is in the city, and Carter Plantation is an easy 45-minute ride to Springfield.

 The Trail offers a growing collection of courses (there are currently 10) situated across the state. Members range from award-winning layouts such as Gray Plantation (Lake Charles) and Cypress Bend Golf Resort (Toledo Bend Lake) to mid-tier gems such as Tamahka Trails (Marksville) and OakWing Golf Club (Alexandria).

The biggest news for visitors to the state, though, is the opening of the TPC course, and the fact that the TOUR event is moving there beginning in 2005. This 7,520-yard track was designed by Pete Dye, with Tour professionals Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson (the latter a New Orleans resident) acting as player consultants.

The course is off to a flying start. Opened last May, it was named one of the 10 best-new upscale courses you can play in the U.S. by Golf Digest (January 2005 issue).

TPC of Louisiana is a typical Dye-in-the-Lowcountry design. Those who know Harbour Town or Long Cove (Hilton Head), TPC at Sawgrass (Jacksonville) or Old Marsh (Palm Beach Gardens) will recognize similar elements at TPC of Louisiana. All of these courses are built upon flat, low-lying terrain encompassing marsh and tidal lands, and an abundance of trees. In Louisiana the trees are pine, oak and cypress, many draped in Spanish moss, some with waist-high "knees" protruding from the ground.

Distinct from his previous designs, at TPC of Louisiana, Dye and associates chose to incorporate a desert's worth of sand, often in wide swathes from tee to green. This feature, along with 69 of Dye's signature pot bunkers, promises to make the professional think a little on the tee.

Carter Plantation is another new course to the Audubon Golf Trail worth experiencing. Located north of New Orleans (30 minutes east of Baton Rouge), it is less demanding than the TPC, certainly so for the average golfer. The first course designed by Louisiana native and Tour professional David Toms, Carter Plantation was named by GOLF Magazine in 2003 as one of the Top 10 New Courses You Can Play. If this is what we can expect from Toms as a designer, we hopefully have many future treats in store.

Toms and architect Glenn Hickey "field-built" the 7,000-yard course. That is, they worked the land from its raw state without the use of blueprints or plans. Toms visited the site more than 20 times during its construction.

The golf course is the recreational centerpiece of a 700-acre master-planned residential community. Homes will be near, but not crowd, some fairways. This scenic course plays across native marshes, through live oak flats, cypress wetlands and next to pine forests. Several holes – the island green at the par-three 17th, for example – are very memorable. Throughout, Carter Plantation is a well-conceived, expertly cared-for design.

A cluster of luxury lodge-style suites, an excellent chef and restaurant, and facilities that can handle small executive meetings make Carter Plantation a highly desirable destination unto itself.

New Orleans is a city you want to visit anyway. Now with these spectacular new golf additions and the Audubon Golf Trail, it is all the more inviting.

For more information about the Louisiana Audubon Golf Trail, call 1-866-AGT-IN-LA or visit www.audubontrail.com.

Where To Stay, Where to Eat, Where to Play

If you like to be in the center of action, the New Orleans Riverside Hilton is your place. Located in downtown New Orleans, the Hilton is across the street from Harrah’s Casino and overlooking the Mighty Mississippi River. A short hop gets you to TPC of Louisiana or Audubon Park golf courses. And a little farther up the way is Carter Plantation, where you can stay at the immaculate and comfy new golf villas there. And make sure if you visit Carter Plantation you sample some of Chef Phil’s culinary cornucopia. He’s as good as they come. Speaking of good vittles, after a round at TPC of Louisiana, try Chef Dwight’s seafood gumbo. As the Cajuns say, “Whoo-whee! Gar-un-tee you gonna like it!”

When Playing OakWing

Parc England Hotel                     (318) 445-7574   www.parcengland.com

OakWing Golf Club                     (318) 561-0260

When Playing Tamahka Trails

Marcelines at Paragon Casino     (800) win 1 win www.paragoncasinoresort.com       

Paragon Casino Resort                (800) win 1 win  www.paragoncasinoresort.com    

Tamahka Trails Golf Club           (318) 240-6300  www.paragoncasinoresort.com

When Playing Carter Plantation, TPC of Louisiana and Audubon Park

Carter Plantation Villas               (225) 294-7555  www.carterplantation.com

Carter Plantation Golf Club         (225) 294-9855  www.carterplantation.com

Riverside Hilton New Orleans     (504) 561-0500

TPC at Louisiana Golf Club         (504) 436-8721

Audubon Golf Trail                    (866) AGT-IN-LA www.audubongolf.com

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