Lake Charles

Combine a host of new casinos with Cajun food and music and it's tough for visitors to Lake Charles, Louisiana city not to live up to the area's mantra: "Laissez les bon temps rouler (Let the good times roll)." There are plenty of good times to be had for golfers as Lake Charles has a small but diverse collection of quality courses.

At the high end is Contraband Bayou Golf Club at L'Auberge Du Lac, a Tom Fazio design that was named by readers of Southern Gaming Magazine the best casino course in the region. At the intermediate price range is Gray Plantation, a great risk/reward Rocky Roquemore design which Golf Magazine calls "a delicate mix of Southern charm and Cajun fire" and ranks third among public golf courses in Louisiana.

Excellent bargains are to be found at two of the state's top munis Frasch Park Golf Course and Mallard Cove Golf Course. Water and bunkers are the theme at the National Golf Club of Louisiana, the centerpiece of an upscale housing development. Another casino course, Koasati Pines at Coushatta, 40 miles to the northeast, is a beefy test at 7,617 yards and draws raves for its fast, immaculate greens.