Fun Places to Play Golf in Southwest Louisiana
“Swinging through town” takes on a different meaning when it comes to Southwest Louisiana. That’s because there are several quality golf courses in the region that offer fun challenges for both experienced players and newcomers to the sport.
“Southwest Louisiana is a thriving area to be a golfer. There are so many good choices,” says Dave Kaspar, director of golf operations at Graywood Golf & Racquet Club in Lake Charles. “We have several really good courses, including championship courses that rank among the best in Louisiana. The courses definitely have different personalities, but they’re all worth playing. And they’re all within about a half-hour drive of each other. It’s incredible.”
Making it even better – there is no offseason. While much of the country’s golfing community shivers during the winter months, the highs in Southwest Louisiana continue to average in the comfortable 60s.
“We’re golfing about 360 days a year around here,” Kaspar says. “We rarely close because of any kind of cold weather. Maybe five times a year. February is actually one of my favorite months to play. Even in the winter, the course conditions are spectacular.”
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A Mix of Private + Public Courses
Graywood is one of two private courses in the area, the other being the historic Lake Charles Country Club (LCCC), which opened in 1919. Kaspar, who served as the LCCC golf pro for a dozen years, says the two courses are extremely different.
“Graywood is longer with big fairways and big greens, while Lake Charles is a really neat old-school course with tight fairways and small greens,” Kaspar says. “They’re both a lot of fun, just in different ways.”
Kaspar, who has been teeing it up in the region for nearly 40 years, says the offerings are just as diverse – and enjoyable – among the public courses in the area, as well.
“You’re going to get a golf experience around here that is equal to the bigger markets in Arizona and Florida,” Kaspar says. “These are championship-level courses that are close together and worth a weekend trip to play two or three rounds of golf.”
1) Contraband Bayou Golf Club
Located at the L’Auberge Casino Resort, the Contraband Bayou layout was designed by famed golf course architect Tom Fazio, who has more than 200 courses to his credit nationwide.
“It’s a really neat layout with tighter fairways and plenty of trees and bunkers,” Kaspar says. “It’s a lot of fun to play.”
2) The Country Club at The Golden Nugget
This casino course next door has hit the jackpot in recent years. The Country Club at The Golden Nugget was named the No. 1 course in Louisiana by Golfweek in 2021, then a year later, it hosted a professional tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental league of the PGA Tour.
“Several holes border Prien Lake, so there are spectacular views,” Kaspar says. “There are a lot of open holes where you can just bang away.”
3) Koasati Pines Golf Club at Coushatta Casina Resort
If you don’t mind taking a short drive before hitting a (hopefully) long drive, then head north from Lake Charles to Koasati Pines in Kinder. This course is rated highly enough that for the past five years, it has been the site of the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship.
“That is a wonderful course. It’s definitely worth the drive,” Kaspar says.
4) Mallard Golf Club
A new municipal golf course is a rarity these days, but that is what happened in 2021 when the City of Lake Charles opened Mallard Golf Club, a Scottish links-style design just a few miles from the Lake Charles Multi-Sports Complex.
“That’s a neat course,” Kaspar says. “There are hardly any trees, but there are a lot of rolling hills with big elevated greens. It’s a good challenge.”
5) National Golf Club of Louisiana
There is some sort of water hazard lurking on nearly every hole at this municipal course located less than 10 miles north of Lake Charles in Westlake.
“It’s a great drivers golf course,” Kaspar says of National Golf Club. “You have to put the ball in play on the fairway. There are a lot of bunkers, a lot of water. It’s challenging, but a fantastic layout.”