The Atchafalaya at Idlewild

The Atchafalaya at Idlewild: Located on flattish terrain on the edge of the USA's largest area of river swamp, the Atchafalaya at Idlewild is one of the newest additions to the Audubon Golf Trail. Native flora surrounds much of this excellent Von Hagge layout, with the front-nine loop pushing into a swampy forest of cypress trees (which once made this area the world's largest exporter of cypress wood). Despite its woodland perimeter, most of the course, and especially the back-nine, is characterised by an open, almost linksy environment. Plenty of earthmounding, excellent bunkering and no shortage of water hazards create an enjoyably challenging layout. On this quiet, former dairy farm (with a former silo built into the clubhouse), holes like the long par-4 4th, 9th and 18th holes are played to greens which dangerously hang out over the side of small lakes. A large, lakeside double-green awaits at the 9th and 18th. Among the snaking par-5s, the 635-yard 6th and 594-yard 16th will test the length of anyone ambitious enough to play this 7500-yard layout from the back-tees. If you do opt for the tips, all the par-3s will play well over 200 yards. Several bunker-festooned holes use a mix of grass-bunker clusters, small pot bunkers (a mere 20 of them on the 18th alone) and larger more expansive sand traps. The tee-box markers: bears, eagles, 'gators, otters and turtles, indicate something of the abundant wildlife that occupies this natural habitat, while "cypress knees" provide the 150 yard markers.