This review is a few days late. After 99 holes of golf in 5 days I didn't realize how worn out I would be when I got back from Alexandria. Needless to say, I had no energy to get the video edited and write this blog post. Lesson learned to not play so much before doing a review. Especially when it is as hot as it has been the past week.
Links on the Bayou Golf Course is one of my favorite golf courses in the state of Louisiana. The course is owned by the city of Alexandria and is not only a fun design, it can be a good challenge as well. Links On The Bayou is a good risk-reward golf course. Although you could potentially hit your driver on every hole it is not required. The yardage on the scorecard is short but when the wind blows it will feel much longer, just as any true links-style golf course can be.
The staff is awesome and among the best of any golf course, I have ever played. They treat everyone like a member and make you feel very welcome. This is not only from the golf staff but also the staff over at the grill, known as Becky's Bunker Club. Which by the way, serves great food you can enjoy while having great views of the golf course.
Links On The Bayou is starting something new as well. They are doing away with the gender-based tee stigmas and also doing something fun. They are adding what they call the Easy tees. All tees are a color and you will still have the tips and forward tees that are currently on the scorecard. The Easy tee will be placed at the beginning of the fairways on every hole and eliminates forced carries. This is a great idea for beginner golfers or golfers who might not hit the ball far enough to carry the ball over or past any trouble on some of the holes. The Easy tee will put golfers who want to play from there past any forced carry or potential hazard that may come into play from the existing teeing areas. This is also a great option for golfers who want to play the course more like a short/executive-style course. Links On The Bayou has contacted the Louisiana Golf Association to rate the new Easy tee so golfers can not only have fun playing them but also be able to track and post their scores for handicap purposes.
The golf course itself is always well-maintained. They did have some issues with poana grass taking over the greens early in the year but that has since been eradicated and the conditions are back to what I expect every time I go visit the golf course. I nearly expect what you would expect when visiting a private country club and not a city-owned public golf course.
Overall: 4.25 out of 5
Tees: 4 out of 5
The tee boxes at Links On The Bayou are great. They are not only level but they are well maintained and cut to a really good height. Good enough that when you use a tee with a 3 wood you can get it to ground height without having grass around the ball. On par 3 holes, you can drop the ball like it's on a fairway or use a tee. Maintenance also does a good job keeping the markers at the recommended 6-yard width which helps keep the entire tee box from getting chewed up from daily play.
Fairways: 4.5 out of 5
The fairways are not only the best I have seen here in a while but some of the best I have seen at almost any golf course this year. The fairways play firm and fast the majority of the time and the cut is tight so you can play those low chasing links-style golf shots up to the greens. Depending on the wind direction you have to account for extra roll so as to not hit a drive through a fairway and into a hazard.
Greens: 4 out of 5
The greens were in great condition. Although they were firm and you may have to consider a big bounce when landing they were also very receptive to shorter higher shots and allowed the ball to stop quickly. The speed was quick but also not so quick where putts would get away from you. Almost all putts rolled smoothly and stayed online right where you would putt your ball. The greens also have some undulation on them. You really need to pay attention when chipping the ball or you could end up hitting a good chip shot that ends up a good 20+ feet from the holes because of a slope. There was one green that had some type of issue as well as a divot from a golfer that damaged it. There is a point in the below video I am actually putting through that area and you can not see it on camera or how little it affected the golf ball.
The rough is good. Not deep but deep enough your ball could sit down in it. There are, however, many native grass areas on the golf course and plenty of hazards and out-of-bounds you really don't need much rough to make the golf course a challenge. The bunkering is pretty good but they could use some work as a few hold water in them after some rain. The sand is consistent in the fairway and greenside bunkers. Links On The Bayou also has a great short game practice area where golfers can work on the short game including bunker shots.
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