Golf Course Review: Carter Plantation Golf Resort

Yesterday I had an opportunity to play golf and decided to go do a review and video at Carter Plantation Golf Resort. The drive to Carter Plantation takes about 55min from downtown New Orleans, North on I-55. It is kind of a scenic drive across swamps and over the small town of Manchac, which has one of the best seafood restaurants, Middendorf's, in the entire state of Louisiana.

As you drive into the property you get a glimpse of the golf course and what you might expect. This is especially clear when you pass the par-3 8th hole, which looked amazing. It was a good indication I was in for good golf conditions. (video at bottom). You are also greeted with a huge sign letting you know Carter Plantation is part of the Audubon Golf Trail.

The staff was good this time. The last time I was there the assistant in the golf shop was sitting in a chair and didn't get up to greet me or check me in. This time was very different. Very professional and treated me as if I was a member or a regular. He even put up with me thinking I had paid online and didn't owe anything at the course. I quickly caught my own mistake and we laughed. They made a change and now have a vending machine for their range balls and I was pointed in the right direction for that.

Tee Shot on Hole #2

Hole #3

Hole #8

Hole #12

From 1 tee down the 18th

For a Thursday it was nice to see a beverage cart out there. Not only was there wonderful service and the pricing great, but she made it around the golf course plenty of times. It was hot out so I went through water and Powerade very quickly. However, there was never a point I waited to get another drink. Her timing was perfect. As I finished a drink I would see the beverage cart coming down the next hole.

The marshalls and course staff were very friendly as well. However, when I asked the pin location for the day I was told it is on the GPS. That would be fine if I trusted the GPS in the cart, but there are pin location zones on the scorecard. Which by the way there were about 5 or 6 pins that were not where the GPS said they should have been. I recall one hole where it said the pin was in the back of the green 191 yards away, but when I used my range finder the pin was only 179 yards away and on the front of the green. I figured out the zone after a few holes and that pin location was In the correct zone on the card but not set properly for the GPS.

Tee Boxes: 3.5 out of 5

Most of the tee boxes were really good. The only reason I say a 3.5 out of 5 is the length of grass on most of the par 3's. Although many were cut to a good height the ones on the back nine were longer. Using a tee was no issue using a driver but when you teed up an iron at the top of the grass there was still a good quarter inch between the ball and the ground. If you swing normal as if the ball is on the ground you would hit the ball high on the club face causing the ball to shoot up and come up short of your target Opposite if you didn't use a tee it was like hitting out of a half inch of rough. I know this is because of the heat and to keep the grass from burning out. The tee boxes were still very playable, I just would have liked them a bit shorter.

Fairways: 4 out of 5

The fairways were firm but just like many of the tee boxes, some were slightly longer. There were many spots you got a perfect lie on a tight fairway but there were some holes you would borderline have to consider a possible flier. Again I know this is due to the heat and to protect the grass. It also may be due to a lack of rain. Many of the fairways kicked up some dust when the ball would land and there are some areas of dirt in various parts of the course that looked very dry. All in all the fairways were very playable, still rolled out a good bit, and the approach shots still allowed a run-up shot if needed.

Rough: 4 out of 5

The rough was a good length. Short enough to see your ball and play out of without too much difficulty but also long enough to pose a small challenge. The only reason I give the rough a 4 out of 5 is there wasn't much consistency to the rough off the fairways. There were a few holes that would have one inch rough then a few feet away it may be near two inches or only a half inch. Now the rough around the greens was very consistent, at least in the areas I ended up. Anytime I missed a green in the rough it was a consistent lie in about an inch of rough. That is something I personally like instead of when golf courses just "shave" everything down around the greens.

Greens: 4.5 out of 5

The greens were fantastic. Although they had signs of recovering from verticutting or some type of maintenance work it was mostly visible and didn't affect the ball rolling much at all. There were some greens where you may get a bobble or two but mostly the ball rolled pretty smoothly. The greens were very quick also. Even after using the practice putting green, I thought I got the speed for the day. I three-putted the first hole underestimating how fast they were. I had a 20 feet putt I was playing as if it was only 15 feet and hit it 10 feet past the hole. After that, I played the speed as if I was only putting for half the distance on most putts, depending if it was uphill or downhill. The greens were also firm. The ball would still spin and hold the greens but for anything less than a full shot you had to play for extra rollout. This was especially the case on chip and pitch shots. You will see in the video below the ball would check up nicely and still roll out several feet.

Golf Nola Golf Shop

Overall the golf course is great. Carter Plantation is definitely worth playing. They have all the amenities you need from bag drop service to a full restaurant. A great short game area, two practice putting greens, and a full driving range. Add those amenities to superb golf course conditions and it is a winning situation.