Carter Plantation

New Orleans has golf courses, but not a lot of them, and the ones that are in the immediate vicinity often are short on charm. Sometimes, it's a good choice to venture away from the city and find some other great options. Carter Plantation in the little town of Springfield is about an hour northwest of the city and well work every second you'll spend driving to it.

I'd not played Carter in about 3 years so it's always interesting to see how layouts mature, change, and develop over time. I remember playing it within it's first year of opening and thinking how nice the place was. Well, it still does not disappoint.

We've been getting pounded by our traditional summer showers in the area and Carter was not exception. The course was damp, really wet in a few places, but with the only standing water in the bunkers, that was OK. The course drains amazingly.

After a relatively easy first hole, the second ramps up with a shallow green which has some funky angles to it. Follow that up with a mid-length par 3 with a green so deep you could hit 3-4 different clubs on the hole. The course begins in lowland wetlands and then moves up into pine wetlands by the time you reach the par 4 9th hole.

During high season, at the turn there used to be a little halfway house, but when we played it was closed. However, the 9th isn't terribly far from the clubhouse should you require an ice chest refill.

The back starts similar to the front, just with the holes playing a bit tougher.

The notable holes on the course are the Par 4 8th, a hard dogleg right and across a pond. PLAYER TIP NUMBER ONE - don't try to cut the corner across the near bunker on the dogleg - the water comes into play quickly. Your target should be the middle to right edge of the farther bunker with a fairway wood or hybrid.

The next notable hole is the Par 5 13th hole. Plenty long, it is generous off the tee (although 2 bunkers squeeze the landing area) and on the layup, but the green is fronted by bunkers and backed by water.

The short Par 4 14th is drive-able, but bunkers make your shot a challenge, particularly if you roll off the back of the green because the green slopes severely from back to front. There is no good bailout if you miss the green either.

The final notable hole is the par 3 17th. Water on the left and bunkers on the right as well as a well canted green make this one tough, although picturesque.

I played with my golf club, so my rates aren't indicative of what they normally charge. I've played it on the regular for as little as $49 and as much as $70. Again, it drains well and that's important in the summer here. The bunkers need some work, excessive rain has washed a good bit of sand from them, and many of them are packed solid from the rain. In the summer be prepared for hot. Great course, among the BEST in the New Orleans area. Even though it's an hour away, because New Orleans is so starved for quality courses, this has to be included amongst the highest quality in the region.

I play this course several times a year as I have a vacation home only 10 minutes away. The course was is great shape and the greens are transitioning to winter. One thing that was different about this trip is that my wife wanted to ride along with me and they charge me $25.00 for her to ride! The same holds true if you bring a child or grandchild with you, so just know that you will be charged. This doesn't make sense at all. If they have a problem with their residents using too many carts, they need to take it up with them and not charge the public who pay for the majority of the rounds.

After being rained out three days in a row on our Gulf Coast golf trip . the sun came out as we were driving through Carter Plantation area. We made a call and they were able to get us on with 45 minutes.

The staff was very friendly on the phone and upon arrival. Cart path only for the day , which was understandable, and not much of an issue as the pace of play was great.

The course was in very nice condition and the greens are very true and oh so subtle. Read them carefully and believe what you read after a second look that is.

The course could use a few signs on cart paths poiting some direction…mostly not an issue but two spots were a bit confusing even though we guessed correctly both times.

They should warn you that the front nine does not pass the clubhouse when they do not have a halfway house open. This also did not ruin the round for us but something that should be taken into consideration for any new golfers to the course.

Still we had a great time and enjoyed our round at Craters Plantation

I was really impressed with the layout, conditions and scenery of this course. I played the TPC and English Turn. Both are different style layouts but neither was any more challenging or in better condition than Carter's. If I was a golfer visiting NOLA and wanted a $60 course to play, this should be on the top of your list. It's about an hour drive from town but still not bad when one considers the overall value.

Me and my golf partner went to Carter to play on there Twilight special of 35.00. 5 holes into the round weather stop play and never let up. Went to pro shop and was told there are no rain checks with twilight rate. To offer nothing after 5 holes is really just wrong and bad business , wonder why golf play is down with practices like this. I would advise people to stay away from this place.

Great value for this excellent course. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Carter plantation has always been a favorite. Rolling fairways and smooth greens are some of the best in south Louisiana, combined with a friendly knowledgable staff. Well worth the scenic drive and reasonable greens fees every time.

I had a great experience with this course and will be going back quite often.

Carter is a nice road trip. Once you are there, definitely worth it…...

I play this course about twice a year. Mileage from my home (40 miles) and green fee price ($69) make it prohibitive for me to play anymore than that. On this occasion, there was a deep discount on the green fee so I took advantage even though the temperatures were in the upper 40s with winds blowing around 15 mph from the NNW. They had just started aerating the fairways so this made it less than ideal. Other than that, the greens were in good shape, especially after such a harsh winter.

Most of the time, this is one of the best courses I have played anywhere. The normal green fee is really a bargain for the quality of the golf course. I think it is every bit as good as TPC Louisiana, if not better. You get free range balls with your green fee, the food is good, there is a snack bar and restrooms near the 10th tee box so you don't have to go all the way back to the club house before starting the back nine. The course drains quickly after a hard rain so you don't have to worry about a wet course.

If I could afford it on a weekly basis and I lived a little closer, this would be my course of choice.

Cold weather and rain the prior weekend did not affect the quality of play at Carter Plantation.

Due to a family issue our 4th had to drop out and left us with just a 3some. We were still charged for the 4th even though he didn't show up. The staff explained there was nothing they could so when obviously they run their business and they can due as they please whether it's related to golfnow.com or not. They gave a rain check for the extra greens fees they charged but at $70 this course is average at best and is an hrs driving distance from Baton Rouge and an hour an a half from New Orleans. Obviously the saying "the customer is always right" does not adhere to carter plantation. Will not recommend this course to anyone.

Have played all over southeast Louisiana, both private and public. I would rate this as my top course. It was perfectly maintained, fairways and greens were perfect, rough was the proper length and mowed evenly. For $60 you cannot beat it

With very little rain lately, this course was excellent. Staff was great and course was easy to navigate. Greens were true and rolled well. May make this my home course.

The course was in great shape. Fairways were in good condition, bunkers were raked - playable (this is rarely the case with most area courses). The greens ran a bit faster than most I've played around south LA. Lots of hard slopes away from greens and fairways into O.B. or dense hazards, which made it pretty challenging.

The only disappointing thing was that there were no pin sheets / location or any type of hole numbers / markers. Seems for a nicer course that there would be more way-finding measures.

I was fortunate to join a couple of regular players my first time on the course. The greens had been aerated the week before, so were not a fast as normal. Even so, they ran true. The course layout is challenging, but fair. A beautiful course I hope to play again.

Elevated greens are well protected by bunkers and water hazards. Fairway bunkers come in to play for the average length player off the tee. Greens and fairways are in great shape.

Always in great shape and a great value! We never mind making the 40 mile drive when we have time to play this amazing course!

Greens were of average care.
Bunkers are horrible. Standing water in most that I either played or saw. The ones where the water drained, were as hard and packed as concrete.
The cart service was poor and ended as we made the turn.
Played on 4th of July weekend and the beverage and food center at the turn was closed. Unacceptable considering the weekend that we were there.

Course was very scenic. The only problem I had was the greens, but they were being worked on. I'm sure in two weeks, the greens will be rolling fine. David Toms designed this course well.