There are three things a visitor to Louisiana should know before embarking on a golf vacation.

1.  Never, under any circumstances, try to hit a golf shot if your ball comes to rest near an alligator. You are going to see some of these guys in the lakes and bayous around some of the golf courses in Louisiana, but stay away from them. You get free relief and don’t even worry about trying to retrieve your original ball.

2.  Always keep track of time when enjoying the nightlife. From the countless restaurants and clubs offering a variety of Cajun and Creole cuisine ranging from gumbo to catfish, to the rhythmic bayou sounds of jazz, bluegrass, gospel and blues oozing from the open doorways of packed nightclubs, one can eat and drink oneself into such a stupor, it would be easy to lose track of time and fail to make your coveted tee time the next day.

3.  When selecting a course, always, always play one of the courses on the Audubon Golf Trail. While there are many outstanding golf courses throughout the state, only 12 are part of the AGT which means that course has been inspected, dissected, selected and certified to meet rigid standards of quality one would expect to find on a quality golf course.

“We want everyone to have a great time when they visit Louisiana,” said Eric Kaspar, Director of Golf for the AGC.  “Everyone already knows about all of the fine music and food we have in our state. We are trying to show them we have some pretty outstanding golf courses, too.”

Golf is the latest tourist attraction to Louisiana and to make sure visitors have a chance to play the finest courses, the state instituted the Audubon Golf Trail in 2001. The AGC is an alliance of high-caliber, high-value golf facilities that combine golf with unique Louisiana culture, outdoor recreational opportunities and hospitality.

“It’s our stamp of approval,” Kaspar said. “We started with six courses, had 13 at one time, and now we have 12. Courses that are part of this alliance have benefited greatly because they are getting visitors from all over who want to experience golf on the Audubon Golf Trail.”

Louisiana natives and PGA Touring golf pros Hal Sutton, David Toms and Steve Elkington along with world-renown golf architects such as Pete Dye and Robert van Hagge are among those who designed the courses.

During a recent five-day stay in the state, I played five of the 12 AGT courses and covered 200 miles from New Orleans to Lake Charles. Between rounds I stayed at three different hotels, dined at variety of fine restaurants and even took a tour of an alligator-infested swamp.

The first course I played was the Audubon Park Executive Golf Course, a gorgeous little layout not far from the French

Quarter. It is unique because it is accessible by streetcar. The only course on the AGT exempt from having a minimum par of 70, it is also special because golf has been played at Audubon since 1898 making it the oldest golf course in the state.

The par-62 course is spread over 81 tree-lined acres and the holes meander through and around four lagoons. Recently, the course was awarded 4.5 of 5 stars on Golf Digest’s Best Places to play rankings.

Although it measures only 4,220 yards, the course, designed by Denis Griffith, challenges players of all abilities to make good decisions because water comes into play on 12 of the 18 holes.

Some of the holes look tantalizing easy, but on the day I played, the wind was up which brought bunkers and lagoons into play. A well-struck shot can balloon and blow into a lagoon or come up short into a bunker that required only a carry of 120 yards.

There are two par-fives on the course – the 9th and 18th – and four par-fours ranging from 282 to 360 yards.

Your ego can receive a boost at Audubon, but even if you play poorly, you cannot feel bad about your score because you are mesmerized by the beauty of the course which is nestled among hundreds of majestic century-old oaks and  across the street from the Audubon Zoo.

On the back nine you will find yourself waving at some of the joggers who like to use the running trail to stay fit.

On the second day of my trip to Louisiana, it was another short drive from the French Quarter to the dazzling TPC Louisiana, home of the Zurich Classic, the only PGA TOUR event in the state.

Located across the Mississippi River from New  Orleans, the course is a testament what Pete Dye can do with 250 acres of pristine land that features natural wetlands and stately Cypress and Oak trees.

Steve Elkington and Louisiana native Kelly Gibson worked with Dye on the design, but make no mistake; this course has all of the earmarks of a typical Dye course – pot bunkers, spectator mounds, lakes and rolling fairways.

With five sets of tees, TPC Louisiana can challenge PGA TOUR caliber players from the tips (7,402 yards, 76.6 rating, 138 slope) as well as make a round enjoyable for high-handicappers from the Club tees (5,121 yards, 69.2 rating, 119 slope).

It really is important to play from the correct tees to get the most enjoyment from this course. A 16-handicap, I played from the recommended Tournament tees (6,610 yards, 72.3 rating, 131 slope), but probably should have moved up to the Players tees (6,171 yards, 69.8 rating, 119 slope) because of the strong wind that day.

The fairways are lush and generous, but you will pay a dear penalty if you miss them because pot bunkers and waste bunkers will swallow our errant shots.

After a couple of serene opening holes, water comes into play for the first time at the par-three third hole. There are six bodies of water and the wet stuff comes into play on seven holes. One of the most intriguing holes is the par-four 16th where you might encounter a 12-foot alligator which likes to roam in the lake that surrounds the green.

The signature hole is the last one, a dogleg right par-five that features bunkers and a lake along the entire right side of the fairway. It is a risk/reward hole one must make the correct decisions or pay the consequences.

The TPC Louisiana experience left me wanting to spend more time on a course that can intoxicate you with its beauty and serenity.

Day three started with a 90-minute drive to play The Atchafalaya at Idlewild. This course is definitely off the beaten path, but worth the ride from New  Orleans, Baton Rouge or Lafayette.

After playing the course, I though Atchafalaya meant water, water and more water. I was close to being right. It is an Indian word meaning “long river.”

Robert von Hagge designed the course which was named by Golfweek in 2009 as the No. 1 course among its “Best Courses You Can Play” list. Twenty years in the making, the course was designed to promote the Atchafalaya Basin region, one of America’s most fertile and unspoiled areas.

There are five lakes and 10 native wetlands surrounded by 40 specious of indigenous flora on the course. Surrounded by all of that beauty, von Hagge moved more than 500,000 yards of soil to create dramatic elevations and viewing vistas.

The course can play as long as 7,533 from the Gator tees to as friendly as 5,263 yards from the Otter tees. Water comes into play (not only from lakes, but from streams, ditches, ponds and creeks, as well) on 16 holes.

I played Atchafalaya from the Blue Eagle tees (6,520 yards, 71.9 rating, 127) and found it to be fair and enjoyable. The fairways were generous and the greens were large with a lot of undulation. Although you had to pay attention to all of the water, you can score on this course if you plan properly and execute your shots.

The 13th hole was the most interesting on the course. A 473-yard par-five from the Blues, you can put yourself in position to go for the green in two with a drive that clears a bunker complex. There is water to the right and behind the green, however, and only the bravest will go for the pin when it’s in the back/right portion of the green.

After a round, Cajun fare along with traditional favorites is available in the 10,00-square foot clubhouse which also features large flat-screen HD televisions.

The next stop on my journey was The Wetlands, deep in the heart of Cajun country in Lafayette. Designed by Frank Burandt, The Wetlands opened in 2006 and is the newest member of the Audubon Golf Trail.

The first thing I noticed upon arriving at the course was the excellent practice facility which featured target greens, practice bunkers, a chipping green and a putting green. If you give yourself enough time, you have no excuses for not playing your best at The Wetlands.

The second thing I noticed was the extremely large finishing green that actually is a double green for the 9th and 18th holes.

This is a links-style course with very few trees, but with native flora and grasses which gives the course a natural look. There are wide, rolling fairways and large greens, but beware because wind is always a factor and water comes into play on 11 of the 18 holes.

The course plays to 7,293 yards from the tips (74.9 rating, 134 slope) to 5,015 yards from the forward tees (68.7 rating, 110 slope).

With clam winds, you can post a pretty good score on this course. Unfortunately for me, the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour and turned it into a very difficult day to score. It made a difference of two to three clubs when hitting directly into the wind, but made me feel like a long hitter when it was helping me.

My final stop on Day Five was Gray Plantation in Lake Charles, the fifth largest city in the state.

This was one of the most interesting places on my sojourn through the southern portion of the state. There is a local legend that pirate Jean Lafitte buried some of his treasures on the sandy shores of Lake Charles. This legend is celebrated each spring with a two-week Contraband Days Pirate Festival.

When a visitor asks if it’s possible some of that bounty might be buried under some of the land at the Gray Plantation, the answer is always, “Maybe.”

The golf course quickly made a name for itself in 2000 when Golf Digest ranked it No. 3 on its “Best New Courses in America” list. Five years later, it was named 75th out of 100 of America’s greatest public courses.

Located on the banks of the Calcasieu River, the course, designed by Rocky Roquemore,  features 60 acres of lakes and moss-draped pines.

The signature hole on the course is the shortest one, the No. 6 par-three hole that played to 146 yards into a strong wind the day I played. Did I mention that’s 146 yards over water to the smallest green on the course?

There is ample water on the course as it comes into play on 12 holes. In fact, there also is an  alligator that came into play on the day I played it. The gator was enjoying himself in the sun alongside the lake in front of the green at the eighth hole.

At the end of my final day in the state, I enjoyed the outstanding cuisine and hospitality in the Cypress Grill which overlooked the 18th green. The food was terrific, the views were breathtaking and the memories will remain forever.

Places to stay while playing Audubon Golf Trail courses:

Courses must have a minimum of 20 practice stations and practice balls must be Spaulding or of a similar quality. Courses must have a signature hole, drinking water at least every three holes, restrooms and concessions, and a halfway house if the front nine does not return to the clubhouse.

The courses are evaluated and rated for course condition, customer service, and esthetics, condition of facilities, course design, challenge and playability.

For reservations to play any of the courses on the AGT, call 1-888-248-4652 or call the courses directly.