Golf in Morgan City

When designing Squirrel Run Golf Club's three courses, architect Joe Lee incorporated the verdant charm of South Louisiana, challenging golfers of all stripes with 27 holes of stunning natural beauty. Throughout the Plantation, Steeple, and Woods courses, trees reflect off of glistening pools of water, and greens of Champion grass keep balls rolling with buttery-smooth surfaces. Separate practice greens and facilities allow golfers to fine-tune specific skills, and a well-stocked pro shop carries fairway-ready gear from labels such as Callaway, Cleveland, and TaylorMade or custom-fitted clubs from Ping and Titleist. After strolling the greens and thwacking shots into the stratosphere, guests share frosty beverages, grilled fare, and stories of the time they gave Fred Couples a piggyback ride at The Restaurant at Squirrel Run.

In 1959, Robert Trent Jones Sr. completed work on Timberlane's 7100-yard, par-72 golf course near the west bank of the Mississippi, and it still stands as a friendly, challenging round in a pleasant, private setting. Mature oaks line the sides of each Bermuda-grass fairway, and in 2007, Timberlane re-surfaced its expansive greens with Tif Eagle turf, giving putts a new zip and helicopter pilots a new view. Before hitting the links, sharpen up your chipping, putting, pitching, pitch-shifting, and Super Bowl Shuffling on the all-grass practice range and putting green, or try the driving range nearby. When you're ready, hop in your provided golf cart to match wits with the labyrinthine course, which features four sets of tee areas per hole, 17 water hazards, 80 sand bunkers, and 13 mechanical yetis. If he's around, see if you can snag a tip from resident PGA pro Tim Brown, who was named by Golf Digest as the #1 Best Teacher in Louisiana in 2009.

Originally built in 1930, Spring Hill Golf Course spans 6,665 yards of kempt fairways lined by mature trees and interspersed water hazards. The par 72 course snakes through the charming Spring Hill College campus, challenging golfers with subtle elevation changes, six ponds, and rogue professors interrogating passersby about the lost history of the mashie niblick. The driving range prepares golfers for their 18-hole odyssey, which begins with an unforgiving first hole—a 435-yard par 4 rated the course's most difficult.

PGA professional Shane Allen oversees the stately grounds, employing digital video analysis in lessons for juniors, adults, and caddies desperate to determine their most intimidating post-putt howl.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,665 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 71.3 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 124 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Scorecard

Copper Mill Golf Club fuses the traditional design of a links-style layout with the swaying native grasses and scenic wetlands of the Cypress Bayou for a 6,866-yard course lauded by Golf Digest as one of Louisiana's top 10 golf destinations. Each hole showcases a colorful moniker that forecasts its unique challenges, such as the high-risk, high-reward second shot at "Wise Man's Folly," the precariously elevated green at "Cliffs of Despair," or the caddy-eating Cyclops that stalks the 632-yard trail at "Odyssey." The cool shade of centuries-old oak trees blankets golfers as they encounter memorable shots throughout the round, including the concealed green at the par-3 sixth hole and the rustic mill ruins that hug the left side of the 17th hole.

After rounds, clubbers can head to the Palmetto Grill, which serves a menu of steaks and seafood. The semiprivate club also encompasses two lighted tennis courts, a resort-style pool, and a spray park, where youngsters and thirsty golf carts frolic through miniature geysers and soak one another with squirt-gun turrets.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72, links-style course
• Unique layout with six par 3s, six par 4s, and six par 5s
• Length of 6,866 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 73.0 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 131 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Scorecard