Golf Course Review: LaTour Golf Club (Oct 2025)

Although this is one of my favorite golf courses in Louisiana, I haven't done a Golf Course Review of LaTour Golf Club since May. I probably haven't played the course since the last review either. It turned out to be a perfect day as the weather was great evn though it was a little chilly to start. Turned out to be a great day to video (at bottom) as well.

LaTour Golf Club is a great layout with superb practice facilities. The golf course is a good David Toms design that can be fun and fair or very challenging. Most of the challenge is dependent on the wind; however, the course can be set up to play extremely tough when the greens get quick and the rough is thick. There is a good mix of holes that allow you to play different shots off the tee for position or rip driver as far as you can. The start of the round makes you think about club selection. The first hole is a medium-length par 4 that has water that crosses the fairway, with water left, and bunkers right. You could run out of fairway from 185 yards to 310 yards, depending on the tee you decide to play and how far you hit the ball. Or you can take a risk by hitting the ball over the right bunkers, right of the water, to a narrower landing area. A golf course that gives you options like that is a good design.

Another thing I love about the design is that you rarely get the same yardage on the par 3s. Something I think not enough course designers ever consider. It also seems like something many golf course maintenance employees don't take into consideration when setting up the course daily. Sometimes this may happen by accident, depending on the hole location and tee placement, but we have all played courses where you pretty much know what club you will hit on every par 3 based on what you hit on the first one. If you look at the scorecards of a few other golf courses in our area, you will notice many of them have almost exact yardages on par 3s. It may be all, or it may only be three of them, but the yardages are usually within 5-7 yards. Even if the yardage is 10 yards different, the course setup for the day ends up making the holes play the same. If I were to design a golf course, I would follow what David Toms has done at LaTour.

Golf Sunglasses Under $100

There is currently a new clubhouse being built at LaTour. Something they have needed for a while. I personally do not like the plans and think they need something more traditional with full locker rooms with showers, a grill room, a lounge area, a covered outdoor patio, and an uncovered one with a firepit, all in a Cajun French country style exterior. The plans that were shared on Instagram make it look like it will be a giant aluminium warehouse with no style. It will supposedly have lockers and showers with a grill and patio. I would join LaTour if they had a full clubhouse with lockers and showers. I'd spend a full day down there practicing or playing if I could eat or relax or shower before leaving. We will just have to wait and see what the finished project turns out to be. I will say that the slab (pictured below) that is there now looks kind of small to fit what is needed for a good clubhouse.

Slab Foundation For New Clubhouse

I must add that at this time of year, the drive off the main road to the entrance of LaTour is a nice sight. Sadly, I didn't think to get pictures, but the sugar cane fields that surround LaTour were fully grown. Something we may see often driving around Louisiana, but not something we see pulling up to a golf course every day. It is quite the sight compared to the look of empty fields most of the year. You can see a lot of the sugar cane fields from many different holes while playing as well. I expect all that sugar cane will be harvested in the next two months, so that drive in and some of the views will be a bit different coming up.

Now onto the golf course itself: LaTour is one of the best-conditioned golf courses I have played in the last several weeks. That includes two private clubs, two casino-affiliated courses, and two resort courses, along with some regular public courses ranging from Gulf Shores, AL, to Baton Rouge. The best thing is the consistency of the conditions. Not just consistent from day to day but also from hole to hole. The greens, the rough, and the fairways are all very consistent.

Maintenance Starting Bunker Work. Picture Courtesy of LaTour Superintendent.

The one minor thing that has not been consistent has been the bunkers. Many are really good, but there are a few that the liner underneath was showing and coming out of the sand. However, I received a text the very next day that bunker work has started to repair some of those damaged liners and improve the sand quality in the bunkers as well. I was even sent a picture (above) to show that the bunker project has started. One thing that is always great to see on any golf course is the crews working to make improvements for the playability and enjoyment of golfers.

Overall Course Conditions: 4.5 out of 5

Tee Boxes: 3.5 out of 5

Although the tee boxes were cut like the fairways, and many were level, I give it 3,5 for a few reasons. One par 3 is developing a crown and was chewed up from overuse of the teeing area. Nothing major, but it is very noticeable when every other tee box is flat and full of grass. I know this is because it is one of the smaller teeing areas, and for the color markers, the majority of golfers play. I also know that this is something being monitored and will be addressed if it starts to get really bad. The other reason is due to the tee marker setup. There were about 4 or 5 holes where the tee marker alignment was not towards the fairway. One was placed aiming golfers so far right that I actually moved it. It seems silly, but it helps golfers know in what direction the hole plays, especially when there may be a bunker or something obstructing the view of the fairway landing area.

Fairways: 4.5 out of 5

The fairways were near perfect. Actually, to most golfers, they probably were perfect. They were cut short and tight with a good definition between fairway and rough. It was difficult to see from the tee, due to the coloration of the grass turning light brown right now, but when you were on the fairways, you could see the difference in cut height between them. Even the fringe cut around the greens was a noticeable difference from the fairway cut. The only thing I really had an issue with was from other golfers who didn't fill in their divots. There were a good number of them, and although I never landed in one, it just makes the fairways look bad. Even the ones that are growing back but were never filled with sand. You can see the depression it left, and it usually doesn't properly get fixed until a golf course does aerification and sans the course. The only thing that would have made the fairways better would have been if they were cut "tour" tight, which is not practical for everyday play.

Greens 4.5 out of 5

Just like the fairways, the greens were virtually perfect. They were smooth and had a very good speed on the fast side. They seemed soft and receptive to shots, but also firm at the same time. You definitely had to play for a first firm bounce, but the ball would grab and stop quickly. Some lower shots would check, then roll out a few feet. The speed was actually just slow enough that the wind wouldn't move the ball much, but just fast enough that you could hit a putt 6ft past the hole, thinking it would stop short. The greens were also a really good speed based on many of the hole locations. They could be slightly firmer and faster, which I have seen, but for late October, cooler weather, and 30mph winds, it would be really challenging getting a ball to stop if they were firmer or faster.

Overall, you can not ask for better conditions at any golf course, especially at a golf course under $100 to play. The conditions right now are just as good as two courses I have played recently that charge $120 and $140. The only difference is that those courses offer the service of a bag drop attendant, a beverage cart daily, a full grill, and an attendant who cleans your clubs after.

I look forward to getting back down to LaTour Golf Club again soon to see how the bunker project is coming along and the progress on the clubhouse. Right now, the superintendent is doing a great job. I would be honest and tell him if he wasn't. Which is actually how we became friends after I was critical about some things a few years ago.