Michigan Golf Journal November 2019

DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ 'ŽůĨ :ŽƵƌŶĂů 'ŽůĨ dƌĂǀĞů ʹ >ŽƵŝƐŝĂŶĂ ƐƵƌƉƌŝƐŝŶŐůLJ͕ ŶŽƚ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ historic Louisiana Purchase, ƐŽ h͘^͘ ůĂǁ ĞŶĨŽƌĐĞŵĞŶƚ didn’t patrol the area and it ďĞĐĂŵĞ Ă ŚŽƚďĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƉŝƌĂƚĞ ĂŶĚ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŝůůĞŐĂů ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĞĂƌůLJ LJĞĂƌƐ͘ &ĂƐƚ ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ Ă ĨĞǁ ĐĞŶƚƵƌŝĞƐ ĂŶĚ the Lake Charles area is a ǁŽŶĚĞƌĨƵů ǀĂĐĂƟŽŶ ƐƉŽƚ ǁŝƚŚ ŐƌĞĂƚ ŐŽůĨ͘ Contraband Bayou has ƚŚĞ ĚŝƐƟŶĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ ďĞŝŶŐ the only public course in ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƚĞ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ďLJ dŽŵ &ĂnjŝŽ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ŶŽƚ ŽǀĞƌůLJ ĚŝĸĐƵůƚ ĂŶĚ ŝƐ Ă ĨƵŶ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ǁŚĞƌĞ buddy side bets could be ǁŝŶŶĂďůĞ ďLJ ĂŶLJ ŐŽůĮŶŐ ƐŬŝůů ůĞǀĞů͘ dŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ǁĂƚĞƌ ŽŶ ŵƵĐŚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ďƵƚ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ŽŶůLJ ŝŶƚƌƵƐŝǀĞ ĨŽƌ ŐŽůĨ ŽŶ Ă ĐŽƵƉůĞ ƉĂƌ ϯ ĐĂƌƌŝĞƐ͘ dŚĞ ĨƌŽŶƚ ŶŝŶĞ ďƵŶŬĞƌƐ ƐĞĞŵ deeper and more aggressive in design than those on the back – which has an excellent closing stretch ĨƌŽŵ ,ŽůĞƐ ϭϱͲϭϴ͘ All-in-all, it was the most playable Fazio course I have ĐŽŵĞ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ͘ dŚĞ EĂƟŽŶĂů 'ŽůĨ ůƵď ŽĨ >ŽƵŝƐŝĂŶĂ͗ dŚŝƐ ĂƩƌĂĐƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĨƵŶ ŵŝŶŝ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĂƌďLJ ƚŽǁŶ ŽĨ tĞƐƚůĂŬĞ ŝƐ ĂĚŵŝƩĞĚůLJ Ă work in progress but always ŝŵƉƌŽǀŝŶŐ͘ &ƌŽŶƚ ĂŶĚ ĐĞŶƚĞƌ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ Ă ŶĞǁ Ψϰ͘ϰ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ĐůƵƵƐĞ͘ dŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ǁĂƐ ƐĞƚ ƚŽ ŽƉĞŶ ũƵƐƚ ĂƐ ,ƵƌƌŝĐĂŶĞ ZŝƚĂ ĐĂŵĞ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ĂŶĚ ƐĞƚ ƚŚŝŶŐƐ ďĂĐŬ Ă ůŝƩůĞ͘ dŚĞ ͚ďŽŶĞƐ͛ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ĂƌĞ ƐŽůŝĚ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĂĐŬ ŝƐ Ă ĨƵŶ play – and as a muni, is very ĂīŽƌĚĂďůĞ͘ DLJ ĨĂǀŽƌŝƚĞ ŐƌŽƵƉŝŶŐ ǁĂƐ ŚŽůĞƐ ϰͲϲ͘ dŚĞ ϰ th is a medium-length par 4 with ǁĂƚĞƌ ůĞŌ ĂŶĚ ƌŝŐŚƚ ƚŽ Ă ƐůŝŐŚƚůLJ ĞůĞǀĂƚĞĚ ŐƌĞĞŶ͘ dŚĞ ϱ th is a par 3 to a very elevated green, guarded ŝŶ ĨƌŽŶƚ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚƌĞĞ ůŽŶŐ ƐƚĞƉ ďƵŶŬĞƌƐ͘ EŽ͘ ϲ ŝƐ Ă medium-length par 4 to the ůĂƌŐĞƐƚ ŐƌĞĞŶ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ͘ ^ŚŽŽƟŶŐ ƉĂƌ͕ Žƌ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ much, much worse, is very ŐĞƩĂďůĞ ŽŶ Ăůů ƚŚƌĞĞ ŚŽůĞƐ ŝĨ ŶŽƚ ĐĂƵƟŽƵƐ͘ ŽŶƚƌĂďĂŶĚ ĂLJŽƵ 'ŽůĨ ůƵď͕ ,ŽůĞ ϭϴ EĂƟŽŶĂů 'ŽůĨ ůƵď ŽĨ >ŽƵŝƐŝĂŶĂ