Since 1988, the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans has been staged at one of two area venues: TPC Louisiana and English Turn Country Club.
And good news for golfers: both are publicly accessible. TPC Louisiana, designed by Pete Dye, is one of the most affordable of the public courses in the TPC Network. Meanwhile, English Turn, a historically private club and designed by Jack Nicklaus, offers windows of public tee times as well.
Both courses have been reviewed plenty on Golf Advisor, so we thought we'd see how they stack up. One reviewer, chargercoach, a low-handicapper from Michigan, reviewed both courses and awarded each five stars. In his review of English Turn, he compared the two experiences in detail.
"I played the TPC course twice during the week and was impressed with the conditions there," he wrote. "But English Turn is every bit as impressive in its own right. More open, windier, but conditions were just as good. The practice area is nicer than the TPC ... The greens are small, but it just adds an appropriate challenge to a course that is supposed to keep one's attention."
When looking at the review data, English Turn has a slight edge compared to TPC Louisiana in each category. You can view the details in the comparison below:
TPC Louisiana vs. English Turn | Create infographics
In addition to these two premium options, a couple other courses are among the city's top rated on Golf Advisor: Audubon Park, a par-62 course. Another course that receives solid reviews in town is Lakewood Golf Club, a semi-private course that, while still over $100 rack rate, is a premium experience, but a step below TPC and English Turn.
We're curious what your favorite courses are in New Orleans and if you prefer English Turn, TPC Louisiana or prefer the destination's value plays instead. Let us know in the comments below.
I have also played them both and while I don't remember my rating for English Turn, I rated TPC Louisiana a 4 star course overall. Great courses both, but so different. English Turn is a Jack Nicklaus course. Relatively short, the course features incredibly small greens and a bit more roll to the land maybe than the TPC. The entire course at English Turn is ringed by ponds or canals. For the most part, it's just to separate the houses from the course, but they come into play on occasion. It's not a links course, but it is more open to the elements and therefore more susceptible to wind. The TPC is kind of a super-charged parkland course. Longer than English Turn, the greens are large, supporting more pin placements, but also making putting a bit more challenging. The TPC is a more modern layout and as such will drain quicker and the greens are better conditioned...
Overall, if I had one round left to play, I'd probably choose English Turn over TPC Louisiana; mostly because of it's charm, but also because of its shot values and the layout itself. But for overall conditioning, TPC has got it on over the Turn.