re: Bluffs Facing Uncertain Future

I was comparimg to RTJ which is owned by Governement. I was just using CCL as an example of differences other than health of grass.

Try and keep up. You are the one that equates good shape to Augusta National.

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Also, Santa Maria is a RTJ design.

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It's just made of holes he designed other places right? Not that it matters to me.

The Bluffs use to have a certain mystique to it uncommon to South LA golf. Possibly, it was #17's tremendous elevation change not many people have experienced if only playing in our region.
It use to be a treat to play when conditions were consistent and primo. Not anymore! I believe people no longer view The Bluffs as a top course and have experienced subpar conditions far too often to return. I know I have.

I hate the "Golf is too expensive" crutch. It costs just as much to get started with guns, ammo, leases to hunt or everything that goes in to fishing. People in Louisiana just dont care about golf as a whole as much as they do about hunting and fishing.

The Bluffs could command the $80 green fee if it were properly maintained and it became the "resort" that's in its name. Itll never get the daily play rates that a city muni would get, but i guarantee if they sunk money in to it and made it nice that people would go up there for a weekend trip like Old Waverly does north of Jackson. It would require a lot of money and would be risky but that would be the model to go after.

As a hunter and fisherman, I can tag along and hunt public land for 2 boxes of shells, a license, and some gas money.

An 11-87 is the same as it was 10-15 years ago. I dont fish nearly as much because it's to expensive. I golf because it's harder and harder for me to enjoy the outdoors for an entire weekend. Its not a crutch... its the troof.

If Louisiana were a rich state and finances weren't an issue, then I agree with you. We are a poor state, and our courses reflect as such. I dont mind having lackluster courses around the area, as long as I got Greystone and TPC within an hour. Makes those outings that much more memorable.


But opinions are like assholes... everyone has one. I do know that I've worked in the Golf industry a number of years ago, and I saw a decrease in the beginners and most complained of pricing.

An 11-87 is what $600-$700? Which you can get a set of middle of the road irons for the same price. Two boxes of shells = $40-$50. Throw in some decoys, camo, waders, etc and your startup costs are the same if not more. Beginners lose interest because golf is hard and they don’t get the enjoyment out of it so that’s where they feel like they are spending too much money on something that isn’t enjoyable.

Yes, you can hunt public lands and hope that you get something but usually it’s crowded and spotty as to what you see. Alabama and Mississippi are poor states as well, which is why I think it’s a culture thing. Not saying there’s anything wrong with that, just the reality of the situation. In the prime months of fall when weather is tolerable in south LA (late sept- dec), more people will be in duck blinds and deer stands than tee boxes and greens.

Would love for Baton Rouge to have a lot of options and good options for golf and maybe LSU having a good golf team will help that, but it’ll be a process to change the culcha

Between LSU football on Saturdays, Saints on Sundays, LSU baseball all weekend during the spring, hunting, fishing, etc. I'm shocked anyone makes it out to golf courses as it is.

Not to mention 7 months a year it is brutally hot in the middle of the day.

You don’t have to charge that much for them to be nice fwiw.

They are running a special for this month $30+ burger and fries T-W-TH. $42 on the weekends If I'm not mistaken.

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I think your issue should be with places like GolfNow that bring down the overall experience on the course.

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Golf Now has been good for courses. It helps with pricing and driving traffic and specials. Golf Courses have embraced Golf Now and even use them for the POS. So, this is just wrong.

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I am not following your logic at all. Bluffs is $80+ to play on the wknd. I will never pay $80 to play

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I have been playing the Bluffs for a few years now even on weekends and have never seen or paid $80+ for a round.

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if BREC wasnt around

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Who is saying BREC shouldn't be around? No one. So you need a Straw Man to try and argue with? I think BREC should be around. I just don't think they need this many courses. The play is spread around too much. It needs to be concentrated on fewer courses and those remaining courses should be made nicer.