New Orleans & Baton Rouge Golf Courses & Tee Times

Who runs public golf in New Orleans & Baton Rouge

In New Orleans, City Park has two 18-hole courses, the par-72 South and the shorter par-68 North, and calls itself the city's only public 36-hole complex. The City of New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways owns and runs Joseph M. Bartholomew, Sr. Municipal in Pontchartrain Park, and Audubon Nature Institute runs the par-62 course in Audubon Park Uptown. In Baton Rouge, BREC runs Webb Memorial, Santa Maria, Beaver Creek in Zachary, and the nine-hole Historic City Park and J.S. Clark. BREC sells annual passes, such as the 2026 Webb pass covering Webb, Historic City Park and J.S. Clark at $750 a year for an individual, but passes carry no tee time privileges. City Park's $285 Lagniappe Pass is for Louisiana residents only.

Public courses worth knowing in New Orleans & Baton Rouge

• Bayou Oaks at City Park - South Course: Rees Jones and Greg Muirhead rebuilt it on City Park's old East and West courses after Katrina; it reopened in 2017. Par 72, over 7,000 yards from the tips, 46 bunkers.
• TPC Louisiana Golf Club: Pete Dye design with Tour pros Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson, opened in 2004 in Avondale. Home of the Zurich Classic since 2005 and open to the public.
• Audubon Park Golf Club: Opened in 1898 and redesigned by Denis Griffiths in 2001. An 18-hole, par-62 course of 4,220 yards under old live oaks, a few minutes from downtown.
• Joseph Bartholomew Golf Course: Opened in 1956 as the Pontchartrain Golf Course, designed and built by Joseph M. Bartholomew Sr., the first African American to build a public golf course. Renamed for him in 1979 and rebuilt after Katrina.
• Webb Memorial Golf Course: Opened in 1925 as Westdale Country Club, bought by LSU in 1936 and used as the school's course for 20 years, then sold to BREC in 1957. 6,656 yards among big oaks near downtown Baton Rouge.
• Santa Maria Golf Course: BREC's Robert Trent Jones Sr. course off Highland Road near I-10, 6,969 yards with 18 lakes, and part of the Audubon Golf Trail.
• Historic City Park Golf Course: Tom Bendelow's 1926 nine-hole course, Baton Rouge's first municipal course and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Elevation changes up to 25 feet.

Booking tee times in New Orleans & Baton Rouge: the local rules

BREC's 18-hole courses open the sheet at noon, 13 days out. For the first 30 minutes you can only book online or by phone; after 12:30 you can also walk in. BREC won't book singles, and on its nine-hole courses every fourth tee time is held for walk-ons. At City Park, Full Annual Pass holders book seven days ahead, while Lagniappe Pass holders can book only 48 hours out, and weekend times after 9:30am. Audubon Park takes tee times by phone at the pro shop or online. BREC twilight starts at 3pm during Daylight Saving Time and at 1pm the rest of the year.

Why tee times in New Orleans & Baton Rouge are hard to get

In New Orleans & Baton Rouge, the busiest months are spring and fall. In summer, everyone wants to finish before the heat, so early tee times go first.

Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.

When tee time cancellations happen

A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.

How to get a tee time in New Orleans & Baton Rouge

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
5. Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Audubon Park Golf Club and Fennwood Hills Country Club.

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked