Channel makes flags on the pin stand at attention.
The channel provides deep draft access to the Port of
Lake Charles and some interesting scenery when the
big ships are being escorted.
It also provided a generous helping hand to Eckenrode
when he was building the golf course. Constant
dredging to keep the channel at the proper depth gave
the architect wonderful material – silt and soil to work
with and it shows best on the links-like holes.
The closing four holes are Director of Golf John
Hurt’s favorite. “Those have a wonderfully natural
look,’’ he said. “And the 18th, when it’s playing into
the wind, can be an incredibly stern challenge. The
clubhouse provides a beautiful backdrop. It’s a great
way to end the round.’’
Another day, a different golf course with Gray
Plantation, the granddaddy of the quartet, playing the
starring role. What’s more, the 589-yard, par 5 seventh
hole would secure an Academy Award nomination as
best supporting actor.
It qualifies as one of the most unique holes in
Louisiana, but you’ll have to play it more than once to
understand it is golf ’s equivalent of a “come to Jesus”
meeting. The risk-reward beauty tilts and rolls, bends
and eventually breaks your heart. It tempts players
who launch solid drives too good at the green, firing
a second to the left over a marsh inlet filled with a
thick ball-gobbling scrub. The more prudent play is to
the well-bunker right where a hybrid will leave a third
within scoring range. A narrow green and a forced
carry over the inlet again awaits.
This hole is only part of the reason Gray, a semiprivate course, has been named one of America’s 100
Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest. It is a constant
on Golf Magazine’s and Golf Digest’s lists of the best
courses in the state. Stretching to almost 7,200 yards
and playing to a slope of 140 from the back tees the
Rocky Roquemore design bobs and weaves through
a series of lakes and bayous that provide scenic views
and a pleasurable golf experience.
Golf architect Tom Fazio’s reputation precedes him.
He is held in the highest regard worldwide as a dirtmoving, land-shaping Picasso. Fifteen of his works dot
the list of Golf Digest’s top 100 Courses in America.
So it figures that after he said “abracadabra,’’ waved
his magic wand and turned some swampy ground
in Lake Charles into the only public Fazio course in
Louisiana, the accolades were sure to follow.
Contraband Bayou Golf Club has been an
every-year fixture in Golfweek’s Best Places to Play
in Louisiana, beginning in 2010. It hasn’t missed
Golfweek’s list of Best Casino Courses since 2010,
Contraband Bayou at L’Auberge Casino Resort
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Photo by Brian Weis at Golftrips.com