Print this page  |  Close Window

By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

Have you ever eaten gumbo on a par 3 while waiting for the group in front to clear the green, hoping they take their time? Have you ever eaten roasted oysters on the 10th tee with three groups stacked up and no one in a hurry to go anywhere? Of course, there is the beverage of your choice on nearly every tee, as well.

The TPC Louisiana was the place to be on Wednesday. (WireImage)

For years, this has been the scene on Wednesday for the pro-am at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. The truth be told, pro-ams are not necessarily a PGA TOUR player's favorite event of the week. However, even for the blandest of palettes on the PGA TOUR, the New Orleans pro-am is an event to be anticipated. This is not a week to be counting calories.

A perfect day in New Orleans begins with a stroll through the lobby of one of the independently owned old hotels near the French Quarter. My favorite is the Hotel St. Michelle on Toulouse. A walk through the French Quarter as morning beckons the early risers and chases home the night owls is refreshing. From Bourbon Street, make a right turn on Orleans and wander around Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral while the merchants and artists set up their stands. A short walk across Decatur Street and you can smell the beignets up at Café Du Monde. After only one beignet and the Times-Picayune, I am ready to face the day.

There is no question that New Orleans has been put through more than its fair share of devastation. However, it is more than ready to do what it does best -- host. In 2006 the Zurich Classic was the first major sporting event to return to New Orleans, and it was an incredible success. There were obvious questions at the time about what to expect. While the well-chronicled catastrophe devastated the outlying area the infrastructure in the heart of the city was not crippled.

A year later things are even better. Luke Farabaugh is the head golf professional at the TPC Louisiana and a native of the Crescent City. Luke has become somewhat of an ambassador and an advocate for the city. During an interview today, he suggested that we are still four or five years from a complete recovery in the outlying areas of the city but that golf in New Orleans has rebounded ahead of the curve.

The TPC actually opened 45 days ahead of schedule. When the course debuted on TOUR in pre-Katrina 2005 it was received with mixed reviews. It is typical for new venues on the PGA TOUR to experience some tweaking after the pros see it for the first time. In the case of the TPC Louisiana, the tweaking took place as part of a restoration process, as well. The original design left plenty of room on the tees for the pro-am buffets but a little too much space between those tees and the greens. In what has become a rare move in modern golf course renovations, the TPC was actually shortened by more than 150 yards.

At the current yardage of 7,341, the golf course lends itself to a more well-rounded competition. It allows the bombers to use their advantage with the big stick and swing away. But the big boy's advantage is not so great that the average drivers don't have a chance.

Perhaps the TPC's reduction is a metaphor for the rest of the city. Only about 60 percent of the pre-Katrina population has returned to New Orleans, however, the city is thriving. With events like the Zurich Classic and the influx of millions of dollars in tourist dollars that come along with the event the city may rebound faster than expected.

The one thing that has remained intact throughout the rebuilding process is the spirit of the great city.

The PGA TOUR players are once again discovering this week that there is no city in the world like the "Big Easy." Some will busy themselves away from the golf course in the casinos or on Bourbon Street while others will go to the aquarium with their families. No matter what their pleasure, they will all be well-fed. You are always well-fed in New Orleans.