TwillDog1

Have played this course a few times over the years. Have to say that this visit was among the best. Played on Sunday, July 9, 2023 with my club. Honestly, today, this among the best public courses in the region. Greens were all in good shape and FAST. Course upkeep is really good. Definitely a pleasant surprise. Course is usually pretty good; maybe it was just because so many other courses in the region have been in less than stellar shape, but this was a nice outing.

Hadn't played this place in a while, and I'd heard that after Hurricane Ida it was pretty rough. They'd let utility trucks on the course to help restore power lines around the neighborhood.
Was so pleasantly surprised to find the course was in fantastic shape; in fact, better than I'd ever seen it before. Greens were excellent and true. Not so many rough spots on the course itself either. Pleasantly surprised!

Gifted with a day to do what I wanted while on vacation in Orlando, I decided to take the long-ish hike up to World Woods Golf Club to play the Pine Barrens course. It's perennially one of the top 10 public courses in Florida. Often courses like this don't live up to the hype. This one absolutely does. Grand in every way, the course is the thing. From the opening tee to the final green, the challenges are constant. The course is memorable and tough. The photogenic 4th hole, the double greens at the par four 12th hole, and the signature 15th hole are all just a part of a great round of golf.
When I played, it had been raining quite a bit in the days prior but the course held zero water. Nice to be built on sandy piney soils. There were a few greens with some spots on them, probably from excessive water runoff, but nothing major.
This course is a challenge for every golfer and if you don't like sand, you may be in for some extra challenges. But the beauty of the course and the layout will make up for it.
And the price.... I played a weekday mid-day round in the heat for $40 plus tax. Seriously. One of the top rated courses in the state for under $50 is a steal.
There are no houses on the course, it's kind of in the middle of nowhere. It was an hour and a half drive from Orlando. It's about an hour and a half from Gainesville and just about an hour from Tampa. The clubhouse isn't opulent - on the contrary it's very unassuming for a course with its reputation.
I can't possibly recommend this course more. And make a time of it - there is a short course as well as a sister championship course in Rolling Oaks, which is also highly rated. Pine Barrens is a Tom Fazio design and is a bit rough around the edges, a bit reminiscent of places like Pinehurst with the rough not so thick and penal but shrubby. Trust me, I hit balls all over the lot and found almost all of them. Rolling Oaks is a bit more traditional with well defined edges.
This is tremendous golf and well worth the trip from anywhere.

More of a heads up than a poor review. I've played this course many times, and while it's had it's ups and downs through the years, I still return to the swampy layout. Got to the course only to find out they'd sanded the greens. Through the sand you could see the greens were maybe a bit roasted. In the clubhouse, they were very apologetic, saying they were running a discounted rate because of the sand, which they in the clubhouse didn't know before they got to the course in the morning.
But the bigger issue was the wet. The course really does sit in a swamp and between an excess of rain and winds pushing water into the area of the course, it's been mostly underwater for days. They weren't even open for the majority of the week. They had tractors out trying to cut some areas, but the course was completely soaked and really should have remained closed between the sand and the wetness.
They were kind enough to give us a rain check - we only played 3 holes and gave up because it was rough - not so much the sand, but the fairways weren't cut and there was still standing water on the course. And it didn't rain all week.
Nice folks, still a good course. Just not right now.

This course is very close to my home. Over the last 15 years, I've probably played more rounds here than just about anywhere. I won't be going back for a while. Played in January, then again in February and the greens were atrocious. Decided to leave it alone for a while.
Went back due mainly to the fact that other local courses had aerated their greens this week. As soon as I walked up I saw a huge dirt spot on the 18th green and knew it was still in poor shape.
The greens are just poor quality, there is no nice way to put it. Balls bounce around to the hole. Fairways are just OK, nothing special. They have done a good job with their bunkers, which have been a problem area in the past.
Unfortunately, the green situation is simply bad. It will be a while again before I go back. There are other local courses that have made a much better effort to maintain their courses.
This is the best time of year around here. Other local courses' greens are fully in season. Unfortunately this one has not, and at whatever price they charge, it's too much for this condition.

Not my first review of this course... Took some time off from playing here, hadn't played there in 10 months. It was too hit and miss. Played this week, and it's more hit than miss. New management company running the operation. They have some good employees there; very nice people. The course is a work in progress. Last time I played the greens were a mess and they were redoing bunkers. Greens still have some spots, but it is obvious some work has gone into them. It's been an affordable course for some time now, but the value didn't overcome the bad course itself. I think the value is pretty good and improving. Looking forward to my next round there now.

Wintertime golf in the South is relatively the same all over. You can play golf all year here but prepare for less than stellar course conditions. This course has continued to work in the winter at getting their stuff together and in the spring I think as long as the greens hold together, the course might be in it's best shape in years. They choose not to overseed the greens, only doing the tee boxes, so the greens are sparse. And as is the norm, the course is damp and moist. Overall the course is in pretty good shape all things considered

This course has its ups and downs. It's a course I used to play regularly, but due to course conditions I hadn't been out there in months. Pleased to say it's on it's way back. They had serious issues with the greens earlier, but they are about 90% good, though they were very wet today from watering (even at 10am...). They've done a good job getting sand in the bunkers also. Overall, the course was in decent shape. And for the price, it was absolutely worth it. Got a deal on GolfNow for the round.

This is as much a home course as I have. The first tee is about a quarter mile from my front door. I have reviewed this course previously.
As I play this course often, I don't review it every round.
Today, the course is in good shape. I used GolfNow for a hot time and only paid $20 for the round (with fees and taxes it came up to $25 - great deal). Normally you can get on here for $30 or less during the week, and for that number it's outstanding. Course is in as good shape as I've seen it in some time, save for a few fairway bunkers that are having work done on them. Fairways are good, greenside bunkers are mostly decent (18 has no sand, just hardpan), greens are running GREAT right now. The rough is a little high and can tend to be a bit juicy. We get a lot of rain in the summer and it's hard to cut the rough well. But overall, this course is solid right now and the price is very good!

The Gulf Coast has many options for quality golf. For 20 years now, the Oaks has been one of the Mississippi Coast's top golf destinations. It continues to be today.
Played yesterday for the first time in about a year, and the course was as good as I remember it. The course eases you in with 2 relatively mild par 4's before hammering you with a longer 4, followed by a short 4 with a green you can't see from the tee. From there it's game on. There are nice elevation changes, nothing major, but enough to make flat-landers work a bit harder on shots. The shot values are great, and the course is set up so everyone from low to high handiappers can have a great time. The course was in great shape and most of the greens were perfect. If there was one thing about this course that has changed over the years that is not a positive, it's the homes going up all around it. It's beautiful land and I've played this course since it opened up, pretty much at least once a year. Originally there were very few homes around the course, now there are homes on many holes. They don't really take away from the course, but whenever you find a course mostly secluded in the woods and you have that feeling of being surrounded completely by nature, it's special.

The course isn't long and doesn't really play long. There are several greens with a couple of tiers to adds to your fun, and some greens perched above fairway height , as well as a couple below it. While the par 3's take the spotlight on this course (as well as the gorgeous par 5 sixth hole), the short par 4's might be the most fun on the course. Holes 1,4, 13, and 14 are short-ish par 4's (13 can be long from the back tees, but from the front tees you can gamble a little and get inside 100 yards off the tee). On these holes you can lay back or hit the big stick and still have varying wedge shots in. It all makes for a fun course, with plenty of scoring opportunities, but also plenty of challenges.

I've played this course many times over the years. It has seen it's ups and downs. But the layout itself remains a solid one and a good test.
The course is on it's way back to greatness. The new owner will undoubtedly put a great deal of time and effort into making this course all it can be.
For the time being, it is a work in progress. They haven't had rain in a while so the course is hard and fast. There are a couple of rough fairways. The greens were all in good shape, but a bit hairy and slow on the day I played.
They have eliminated some useless bunkers and are making the course more user friendly overall.

This is one of my local courses that I will play a few times a year. Normally, I wouldn't re-review a course unless there were major changes. The course is relatively unchanged. The layout hasn't been altered; several years back they reversed the nines, but that's been a while. Several reviewers say the staff has been less than cordial - that hasn't really changed. There are still spotty greens and some bare lies, but not so much on the fairways anymore. The major difference I see is the bunkers. Much as you don't want to be in them, the bunkers on this course are about at fair and nice as any around. They've done a decent amount of cosmetic work around the course - some obvious, some not so much. But the bunkers are absolutely notable.
This is still regular golf. No frills. Short course, tight fairways, hits off line are more times than not punch outs back into the fairway. Lots of OB. Water on a lot of holes, particularly on the back with a canal running through it, but not so much water in play on a ton of holes outside of wild shots. Honestly, not bad for what you pay to play it.

Belle Terre Country Club is not a bad course, but it is not a great course either. I've played here numerous times and every time I play it seems there's one thing or another going on with the course - there's something that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Today it was inconsistent green speeds and textures. Holes 1-6 were slow and hairy; the rest were faster, including several holes on the back which were almost bare and very slick. However, today, the bunkers featured what I have to say is the best sand I've seen on any course in the area. Unfortunately, this is normally the case at Belle Terre.
In Laplace, LA, a city far enough away from the greater New Orleans area that is feels a world away, it's a solid 20-30 minutes west of downtown normally. It sits in lowlands and has a swampy feel to it, particularly on the front nine. There isn't much movement to the earth and it features mostly push-up greens, several of which were redone a few years back. The back nine feels a bit higher.
There aren't many forced carries. There are just enough areas to bail out or land if you aren't brave enough to make a forced carry.
The last 2 holes are probably their feature holes and both are solid golf holes anywhere. Both par 4's, they are as good a pair of closing holes as you'll find.
One of the questions this questionnaire asks is wold your recommend it to someone. I said yes, but with trepidation. I've been back to play it, so I'm not opposed to the course. Simply saying it's not the best test of golf, and due to it's location, I'd probably not recommend it much. It's more worthwhile to stay closer to town. That said, it's not a bad trip out of town, and I've seen it look pretty nice on occasions.
I did not pay the actual rates as I played this round with my traveling club.

Had the opportunity to play the University Club, the private club that is the home of the LSU Tigers golf teams. Don't let private fool you - this isn't an uppity stuffy club. It's like the people around it - down to earth.

The course is quite long from the tips, but offers lots of options for tee boxes. The third hole is a 673 yard par 5 with an insane forced carry across the water. The bailout is a narrow fairway cut with high grass right. Not for the faint of heart.

Probably the neatest feature of the course is it's quartet of par 3 holes. All are tremendously challenging and picturesque.

We played on a Thursday. It was busy but not packed. The course itself is very nice, the shot values are good. The layout is nice. The grasses were a little thin, particularly in the chipping areas. Greens are slick but pretty true.

Overall I found the course to be a good test of a golfer's game. Novice golfers would be highly challenged here with the forced carries and OB on a few holes, but for intermediate to skilled golfers, it's a nice test.

My review would be best if given in 2 separate parts - My first review would be what the course was like compared to many courses; the other would be to compare it to other courses at the price point and also compared to other PGA Tour courses.

This is a very good course. The layout isn't so much a challenge but getting the ball from point a to point b and into the hole readily is quite the challenge. You have to know where to miss and where you just have to hit greens. And then while the greens are true (though not as quick yesterday as normal - I suppose all the rain we've been getting has them slower than normal because cutting is going to be problematic), they have a lot of very subtle movement to them that will trick you. If you play this course compared to most public or even many private courses, you'll find it to be enjoyable.

My big issue is that this course is a PGA Tour course. While I have not played any other PGA Tour Courses (I've played a Champions Tour course and and LPGA Tour Course, both of which were in better condition than this TPC), I'd venture a guess that many of them have superior conditioning. Torpedo grass infiltration is problematic. The greens are among the best around and the overall course is fine, but it's the details that seem lacking. I volunteer annually for the Zurich Classic golf tournament so I'm always here for those days. The course always looks pretty good, but again, some small things could be rectified. I know many of the other facilities on Tour are private courses. It's much easier to keep up private courses because their funding is different and the number of rounds played can be limited. But this course is cost prohibitive and I'd doubt gets more than a couple hundred rounds per week most weeks. Just seems like with little play it could be better maintained annually.

That said, back to the good - it's a tour course. You can watch a game at Fenway, but you're not likely to play on it. You can watch a game in the Superdome, but you're not likely to play there either. This course hosts some of the best golfers in the world every year, and you can play it all year long. That's something very cool and makes the experience worthwhile!
And if anyone reads my review and wonders about the cost of the round, since I volunteer annually for the Zurich Classic, I get a free round of golf there, so I played on my free round pass. Normal prices are about $125 for out of town guests and start around $75 for locals. Afternoon rates are better for both.

New Orleans has golf courses, but not a lot of them, and the ones that are in the immediate vicinity often are short on charm. Sometimes, it's a good choice to venture away from the city and find some other great options. Carter Plantation in the little town of Springfield is about an hour northwest of the city and well work every second you'll spend driving to it.

I'd not played Carter in about 3 years so it's always interesting to see how layouts mature, change, and develop over time. I remember playing it within it's first year of opening and thinking how nice the place was. Well, it still does not disappoint.

We've been getting pounded by our traditional summer showers in the area and Carter was not exception. The course was damp, really wet in a few places, but with the only standing water in the bunkers, that was OK. The course drains amazingly.

After a relatively easy first hole, the second ramps up with a shallow green which has some funky angles to it. Follow that up with a mid-length par 3 with a green so deep you could hit 3-4 different clubs on the hole. The course begins in lowland wetlands and then moves up into pine wetlands by the time you reach the par 4 9th hole.

During high season, at the turn there used to be a little halfway house, but when we played it was closed. However, the 9th isn't terribly far from the clubhouse should you require an ice chest refill.
The back starts similar to the front, just with the holes playing a bit tougher.
The notable holes on the course are the Par 4 8th, a hard dogleg right and across a pond. PLAYER TIP NUMBER ONE - don't try to cut the corner across the near bunker on the dogleg - the water comes into play quickly. Your target should be the middle to right edge of the farther bunker with a fairway wood or hybrid.
The next notable hole is the Par 5 13th hole. Plenty long, it is generous off the tee (although 2 bunkers squeeze the landing area) and on the layup, but the green is fronted by bunkers and backed by water.
The short Par 4 14th is drive-able, but bunkers make your shot a challenge, particularly if you roll off the back of the green because the green slopes severely from back to front. There is no good bailout if you miss the green either.
The final notable hole is the par 3 17th. Water on the left and bunkers on the right as well as a well canted green make this one tough, although picturesque.
I played with my golf club, so my rates aren't indicative of what they normally charge. I've played it on the regular for as little as $49 and as much as $70. Again, it drains well and that's important in the summer here. The bunkers need some work, excessive rain has washed a good bit of sand from them, and many of them are packed solid from the rain. In the summer be prepared for hot. Great course, among the BEST in the New Orleans area. Even though it's an hour away, because New Orleans is so starved for quality courses, this has to be included amongst the highest quality in the region.

Belle Terre touts itself as a Pete Dye design. If you've ever played a Dye course, you might find this one to be a bit different from the others you've played. Like so many other South Louisiana courses, Belle Terre is downright swampy, and it might be worth noting that as you approach a water hazard on this course, you might want to look 2 or 3 times for alligators and snakes. I have seen both out there.
This course is located in Laplace, Louisiana, about 35-40 minutes west of downtown New Orleans on I-10. It's definitely out of the way, and as such is more a locals course than a tourist destination.
It's two nines both emanate from right in front of the clubhouse and make outward turning loops through neighborhoods. The course isn't long, topping out at 6849 yards. The breeze off Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain can be daunting on the northern facing holes.
The signature holes on the course are the 183 yard par 3 5th hole, which seems to simply be an oasis in the marsh, and the 448 yard par 4 17th, which features a bit of everything - water in the forms of ponds and a canal running across the fairway, as well as tough bunkering.
It's a bit outside of the easy access of the city so it's not likely on many people's radar. And while it was recently renovated (green complexes upgraded for better roll and drainage) it remains just maybe a slight notch above an average course - rough edges, housing, not much for beauty. But a good play nonetheless!

Summer golf in Louisiana is normally one of two things - hot or wet. Sometimes it's both. This day, it was very hot and sticky, and the rain that had fallen pretty much every day prior to the week of this event.
This round at TPC Louisiana came courtesy of the ForeKids Foundation which is a charitable organization that helps to put on the Zurich Classic PGA Tour event held at the course annually in April. I volunteer for that event and normally we get a free round of golf - this year the foundation also put on this tournament for us as well, as an extra thank you due to some trying weather and volunteers going above and beyond this year.
The TPC course is a Pete Dye design, with some typical Dye features - railroad ties, some target golf. It was carved out of some Louisiana swampland, about 15-20 minutes from downtown New Orleans.
On the day we played, the course was in good shape. Aerating had taken place several weeks back so the greens were getting back up to speed, but hadn't made it to the speed they normally play. My one complaint on the day was the rough. When the tour comes to town in April, the grass is just coming out of it's winter dormancy, so the rough is thin. During the summer months, the rough gets very thick. Couple that with a good bit of rain, and the rough was nearly unplayable, causing slow play in 2 ways - poor shots and trying to find balls that just simply missed the fairway. We lost at least 2 balls that just weren't hit on the fairway, but into the rough. Once the ball settled to the ground, the rough was so thick as to make it impossible to find.
The course itself has 5-6 different tees so there isn't any way the course should be too long for you. The front and back nine are on the same area so everything is even. Overall the course is nice. Is it outstanding? Remarkable? Memorable? Not so much, but it's a great golf course. The cost on a normal round is a bit steep, though they run a lot of specials. In the summer, though, they run lots of deals to get people out there. Because it's a bit of a hike from some parts of the city, it needs a discounted rate more often to get people out there.

Since my previous review of this course, I've become a member of the club, but not a full golf member, so I don't get all the golf perks. Just a full disclosure.
Since I don't get all the perks, this course is just one of the many I play regionally. I went out on this day simply to see how the course looked and to bang balls around. August was one of the wettest months on record in the greater New Orleans area. Many courses took it on the chin with the rainfall. This one had some low spots that couldn't be traversed and some fairways that were mushy. But overall the course was in good shape. There were a couple of holes you couldn't drive on due to the wetness left over, but overall the course was nice.

If you visit New Orleans and you have time to play only one full round of golf, Lakewood is probably your best bet for a place to play. The course always seems to be in good shape and the greens are as true as any in the region. It's a course that offers scoring opportunities and doesn't beat you up, but can punish you if you aren't careful. The course is the former site of the New Orleans PGA Tour stop, in it's earlier incarnation. The course was revamped in 2009 by Ron Garl. The entire course was remade, but Garl left some of the holes as they were from the original course, so if you played there prior to the makeover, you might remember the general flow of holes 1-4 and 11-15, which remain virtually the same in routing if not in look as some of the old course holes.

On my most recent visit, I was not surprised to find the course equally as pleasant as ever. I was rained out of another recent round there, but only because the rain never stopped. One of the other things that makes Lakewood a great place to play is that it drains better than any other local course. That is definitely a plus in the south Louisiana summer!