U.S. Southwest Offers Great Golf and Awesome Hospitality

October 14, 2016–If you’re looking for great golf, food, fun, fishing and awesome hospitality, Lake Charles, is a hidden gem in Southwest Louisiana. Gray Plantation Golf course has breath taken landscape lined with beautiful pine trees, even with the loss of 18 trees during Hurricane Rita.

Gray Plantation Golf Course

By Demetrice Burgess

Golf Magazine September 2016 issue listed this course as one of the top 100 courses to play. There four par 3s and two of them have island greens, 94 bunkers surrounded by beautiful pine trees. The course is challenging, but weekend players will enjoy.  The National Golf Club of Louisiana is a pine tree forest with an abundance of water hazards,

National Golf Club of Louisiana

The National Golf Club of Louisiana is a pine tree forest with an abundance of water hazards, beautiful wetlands and huge sized greens and 90 bunkers. The course is well maintained.  It is a challenging course, but lots of fun to play.  Golfers of all skill levels will enjoy playing a round here, and with the five sets of tees, everyone from the beginner to the truly accomplished, single handicapper, golfer will have a grand time.  The course is one of Lousiana’s newest and also one of the most affordable premier courses.

Featuring 14 lakes, 65 bunkers, and some of the area’s most challenging greens, The National’s 7000 yard layout not only provides a great golf experience, it’s beauty alone will have you coming back again and again. You’re sure to enjoy playing The National year round.

Contraband Bayou Golf Club at L’Auberge Casino Resort

Contraband Bayou Golf Club at L’Auberge Casino Resort is the only course in Louisiana designed by the famous golf architect Tom Fazio. It’s lined with water and natural vegetation and the eight lakes on this beautiful course. It has been named by Golf week as one of the best courses to play in Louisiana, also best casino as well. In 2010 the greens were replaced with Champion Ultradwarf Bermuda grass.

Country Club at Golden Nugget

The Country Club at Golden Nugget, designed by Todd Eckinrode and Origins Golf Design.  The course has a natural, native look, it is located on the bayou. This is a must play for every visitors of all levels; the course has been ranked on the top 10 list of Best New Courses in the U.S. by GolfDigest.com. It opened in 2015.

Ahhh, Now the Food
The various food establishments in Lake Charles will satisfy your palate, starting with Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill inside L’Auberge Casino Resort. Chief Lyle Broussard prepared mouth-watering brisket savory baked beans, alligator, fish, and the best pound cake I’ve tasted.

Award winning Chef Lyle Broussard at Jack Daniels’s Bar and Grill. He was recently named on Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine’s list of Chefs to Watch.

This is a place that you don’t want to miss out on. Seafood Palace is the neighborhood favorite, with choices as crab, fried alligator, and ALL the fish you desire, and, if you like fishing they will actually cook your catch. Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp serves Mexican Cajun seafood, fish tacos, Boudin balls and salsa. There is plenty on the menu for all taste buds! But the Boudin sausage is everybody’s favorite, I heard everyone raving about it.  Blue Dog is another famous Cajun restaurant that you’ll want to give a try.

Louisiana fusion, steak, and seafood.There’s also an art collection from the renowned artist George Rodrique the creator of Blue Dog. Then there’s Darrell’s, a famous favorite loved by the locals.  Darrell’s has the best hoagies you will ever sink your teeth into. Lake Charles is the place to be; I can’t stress enough about the outstanding hospitality, customer service, and great golf.

Demetrice Burgess is a freelance photojournalist
passionate about the game of golf
and she resides in Chicago, IL