Golf in Lake Charles

Calcasieu Parish anchors southwest Louisiana with Lake Charles as its regional capital, a city whose identity is shaped by the petrochemical complex that lines the Calcasieu Ship Channel and, more recently, the resort casino industry that transformed the lakeshore. The combination has produced a metro area with more economic activity and golf infrastructure than its population might suggest. Contraband Bayou Golf Club at L'Auberge Casino Resort represents the most visible facility, a casino-resort course open to resort guests on land named for the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte's alleged cache. Gray Plantation Golf Club is a well-regarded layout in the Houston suburb tradition, while Mallard Cove and The Country Club at Golden Nugget round out a surprisingly deep local market. The Calcasieu Lake and the ship channel give the area a navigable water presence distinct from the bayou systems that characterize most coastal Louisiana.