Golf Course Review by: Brandon Wilde
The Takeaway: TPC courses all always well cared for. The greens are well-manicured and roll true. The fairways are beautiful, and the sand is soft. This track has minimal elevation change but it makes up for that with more than 100 sand traps and multiple water hazards. TPC Louisiana is one of the most accessible and playable PGA Tour courses as the Zurich Classic is played here in late April each year. Grade B-
Quick Facts
Designer: Pete Dye in 2004
Phone Number: (504) 436-8721
Course Website: Official Website - Visit TPC Louisiana's official website by clicking on the link provided.
Directions: Get here! - 11001 Lapalco Boulevard, Avondale, Louisiana 70094 – UNITED STATES
Photos: See additional photos of TPC Louisiana
What to Expect: Many hazards make this course quite technical to navigate. It’s not an overly difficult golf course, in fact compared to other PGA Tour sites, TPC Louisiana is probably one of the most playable for the average player. If you are dialed in with your long to mid-irons you could end up carding a low round on a Tour course that you can brag to your friends about for years in the future.
By the Numbers
| Tees | Par | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PGA Tour | 72 | 7425 | 76.3 | 138 |
| Dye | 72 | 6931 | 73.7 | 137 |
| Tournament | 72 | 6610 | 72.3 | 134 |
| Players | 72 | 6172 | 70.1 | 133 |
| Club | 72 | 5121 | 64.8 | 107 |
Individual Hole Analysis
Signature Hole: 18th Hole – 565 Yard Par 5 – With water stretching along the entire right side of the 565-yard-long fairway keeping the ball away from that trouble is a must. Even the longest hitters will have a hard time gripping and ripping it to try to get home in two. Your best bet is to safely play the ball to the left, enjoy the water hazard from a distance, and give yourself a chance to finish the round with a par. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the legendary behemoth of a gator that supposedly lives near the 18th green.
Best Par 3: 17th Hole – 172 Yards – It's not a long hole, but it does demand some precision, and the two small sand traps aren’t really in play. The water hazard to the left with a steep drop off will eat up any ball that misses that way. Your best play is to keep the ball right of center of the green.
Best Par 4: 6th Hole – 454 Yards – A beautiful dogleg left with water hazard guarding the left side encourages a safe drive to the center-right of the fairway. This will put the player in the position to avoid the large sand trap short and right of the green.
Best Par 5: 11th Hole – 546 Yards – The massive cypress tree standing in the middle of the fairway about 100 yards from the green makes this hole stand out. Whether you’re trying to hit the green in two shots or three, you will have this tree in your way defending the paint like Mark Eaton or Rudy Gobert. If you’re fortunate enough to get onto the green unscathed, par is a likely reward.
Birdie Time: 7th Hole – 528 Yard Par 5 – Mr. Dye strategically placed a lone bunker (pictured below) in the center of the fairway about 300 yards from the tee box which acts as a nice aiming point. Just shy of this bunker the fairway narrows quite a bit so if you come up short of the bunker you will have to play out of the rough. However, if you are successful clearing the bottleneck the perfect approach shot is waiting. You’ll still have a long iron or hybrid to get home in two, but the risk/reward here makes birdie a real possibility. Shorter hitters will love this hole as well, if they keep their second shot to the right of the fairway for an easy wedge into the green.
Bogey Beware: 16th Hole – 340 Yard Par 4 – You may be thinking a 340 yard par 4 can’t qualify for a ‘Bogey Beware’ hole, but don’t get too confident. Traversing those 340 yards in regulation is no walk in the park. All you must do is avoid the central bunker complex on your tee shot, then avoid the water hazard left of the green. Once you survive that, two-putting becomes a challenge. The green is divided into four undulating quadrants so good luck finding a straight putt! Three putts are plentiful on the 16th hole.
