Golf in Thibodaux Louisiana

In Louisiana, you can hit the links at the site of an 1812 battlefield or an old plantation home. Here, golf courses seem a natural part of the landscape. And for good reason: The courses of Louisiana's Audubon Golf Trail—the innovative collection of 18 top-notch courses, covering all five regions of the state—are all members of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, which promotes ecologically sound land management and the conservation of natural resources.

Established in 2001, the Audubon Golf Trail includes courses designed by Hal Sutton, David Toms and Pete Dye. Dye's latest creation, TPC of Louisiana at Fairfield, which opened in 2004, hosts the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which is an annual draw for golf's heavyweights.

And while the Audubon Golf Trail provides a splendid sample of golf in Louisiana, there are numerous other beautiful and challenging courses statewide. Be sure to swing by.

Though first settled by French and Spanish Creoles from New Orleans, Thibodaux rapidly became a refuge for the Acadian exiles of the mid-1700s. The city’s history still echoes today, through its historic architecture. There’s the 1830s era E.D. White Historic Site, a plantation on Bayou Lafourche that was home to a Louisiana governor and his son, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court. There’s the Rienzi plantation, built during the Spanish colonial days— according to legend— for the Queen of Spain. There’s also the Laurel Valley Village. Once a massive sugar plantation, its dozens of remaining structures give visitors, a window into the past, as it was lived by field hands. As home to Nicholls State University, Thibodaux benefits greatly from the vibrancy and cultural activities that come from being a college town. Stop in at the Jean Lafitte Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center to learn more about the area.The Center is a great way to experience the culture. It offers canoe treks in the spring and fall, plus daily walking tours and Monday night Cajun jam sessions.