After ending up with an afternoon of free time and the weather beautiful it ended up being a last-minute decision to play golf yesterday. It had been a long time since a Golf Nola review of The Golf Club at Audubon Park so it ended up being a great day for it.
When you want to tee off after 1pm, get in 18-holes, and be home before dark, The Golf Club at Audubon Park is the perfect place to do so. A par-62 executive golf course it is also a great place to work on your iron play and short-game shots.
This time of year when arriving at a golf course, especially when the weather has been consistently under 60°, you never really know what to expect until you arrive on property. You wonder: Did the golf course overseed? Is the course dry after rain from 4 days ago? Are the greens being cut? Are the greens firm or soft? No matter what those questions may be every property handles winter conditions differently.
I knew once I saw the practice putting green I knew how the golf course would play. The putting green was brownish and looked more like packed-down dirt than a green. This is normal when the Bermuda grass goes dormant. It is not a bad thing here and usually only lasts a short period of time as our average winter temperature is usually around 65° for the winter. The grass does not normally go fully dormant like this. When properly maintained it only means the greens will not look as appealing but will roll well and be fast. It also means the greens will be softer with less grass allowing golf balls to stop faster on most shots. The greens can still get firm but most full shots, especially higher shots, will make a deeper pitch mark.
Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Tee Boxes: 3 out 5
For the most part, the tee boxes were well-maintained, level, and had very few divot patterns on them. Something that happens this time of year as the grass is either growing slowly or dormant. Only one tee box was a real issue as they put a mat out there. Still uncertain why, the tee box itself looked pretty decent, but the mat on turf has nothing to grip like it does on concrete or a hard surface. As a result, when you stepped on it you could feel an air bubble underneath. This also made it difficult to hit off of. As you swung you could feel the air under your feet and it made the mat unlevel by the time you got to impact. This caused either a heavy/fat shot or a thin shot.
Fairways: 4 out of 5
Although there are not many fairways on the golf course at Audubon they were in really good condition. There was a good amount of grass on each and even though they were soft and damp the ball would still bounce and roll. Not much but the ball was not plugging like can happen many times when conditions are softer during the colder months.
Greens: 4 out of 5
The greens may not look that great when they are dormant but they were rolling well and they were very quick. They get quick as a result of barely any grass for the ball to grab on. Dormant greens virtually become like a billiard table. The greens were smooth except for footprints and unrepaired pitch marks. However, there was actually a ridiculous amount of unrepaired pitch marks on many of the greens. Not sure why many people can not fix these, especially on a day like this when they are so noticeable.
The big surprise was to see work being done on the bunkers around the golf course. Many had new sod planted around the edges along with new sand in the bunker itself. Some of the bunkers seemed completed while others you can tell they just dumped the sand and had not had a chance to spread it around and get it to settle at the depth they want.
The best surprise arriving at The Golf Club at Audubon Park was actually not any part of the golf course at all. The construction along Magazine Street is finally complete. The street is wider and smoother and no longer feels like an offroad adventure to go play golf.
Considering the time of year, and the recent weather The Golf Club at Audubon is in good condition. As an executive golf course, the pace of play is usually really good, it is a great place to practice your short game, and it's a golf course that is easily walkable for extra exercise. The price is decent right now as well.
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