Bayou Oaks At City Park - North Course: South Course
Bayou Oaks At City Park - North Course: South Course
1040 Filmore Ave
New Orleans, LA 70124-3929
United States
Telephone
About
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Bayou Oaks at City Park – South Course: A Resilient Jewel of New Orleans Public Golf Rising from the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, the South Course at Bayou Oaks in New Orleans stands today as a triumphant symbol of civic resilience, thoughtful design, and public accessibility. Redesigned in 2017 by Rees Jones and Greg Muirhead, this championship-caliber municipal course sits in the heart of City Park—an expansive urban greenspace where centuries-old oaks and meandering bayous frame a surprisingly modern and strategic test of golf. The South Course is, first and foremost, a joy to play. Stretching to over 7,300 yards from the tips, it offers generous fairways that welcome the driver and accommodate the everyday golfer, yet it remains no pushover. Its real challenge lies in its intricately placed bunkers, water hazards, and demanding green complexes. Bunkering here is not merely cosmetic. Many holes feature centerline bunkers or traps that intrude into preferred landing zones, demanding either precise execution or strategic avoidance. Players must think, not just swing, a quality too often lost in many modern designs. Water is another ever-present element. It frames fairways, guards greens, and snakes subtly throughout the course, yet it rarely feels punitive. Jones and Muirhead used water intelligently—providing visual drama and strategic tension without overwhelming the average player. For those who navigate conservatively, much of the trouble can be skirted, making the course remarkably player-friendly while still posing a challenge for scratch golfers and tournament play. The playing surfaces are firm and fast, courtesy of Bermuda grass on both fairways and greens. While not quite matching the elite conditioning found at Southern private clubs like Squire Creek or Old Waverly, the surfaces are generally excellent for a municipal track. Greens are expansive and subtly contoured, offering a mix of challenging hole locations and approachable targets. On a firm day, controlling spin and trajectory into these greens becomes a true test of skill—especially as tightly mown surrounds offer a multitude of short game options. But perhaps the most impressive element of Bayou Oaks is its context. This isn’t just a public course—it’s a symbol. Built on land once home to multiple City Park courses destroyed by Katrina, the South Course was the centerpiece of a $26 million revitalization project led by the Bayou District Foundation. The mission was broader than golf: to create a sustainable, revenue-generating public amenity that funds education, housing, and healthcare initiatives in the nearby Gentilly neighborhood. Every tee time contributes not only to the joy of the game but also to the well-being of the community. Few courses anywhere can make such a claim. Bayou Oaks – South Course may not be a classic in the architectural sense, but it is a modern civic masterpiece. It blends strategy and playability, challenge and forgiveness, elegance and accessibility. It is a place where a wide spectrum of golfers—from scratch players to beginners—can walk in the footsteps of a city’s rebirth and enjoy a game that feels elevated, dignified, and deeply rooted in purpose. In a golf world often defined by exclusivity and privilege, Bayou Oaks shines as a public treasure—a course built not just for golfers, but for a city determined to rise."
Read More2025
Review
“Bayou Oaks South is the post-Katrina redesign by Rees Jones that combined two of the City Park courses, including a RTJ design, into one championship-length course. It remains the benchmark public course in New Orleans, which has a rich history of public play within the city park system. While a relatively straightforward design, several large live oaks create interesting visual obstacles, especially on the par 5s (#3, #11, and #18), making tee shots and second shots appear trickier than they actually are. The course has a good mix of long, challenging par 4s (#5 and #13) along with some shorter holes that represent scoring opportunities (#4, #6, #8, #12 and #16). The course is shaped around some large ponds that feature on multiple holes in a variety of ways adding to the challenge. The greens are relatively straight forward, but well bunkered. Conditioning is soft, even during dry periods, but the greens are smooth after a strong recovery effort after battling invasive grasses this spring."
Read More2024
Review
“Bayou Oaks South is the post-Katrina redesign by Rees Jones that combined two of the City Park courses, including a RTJ design, into one championship-length course. It remains the benchmark public course in New Orleans, which has a rich history of public play within the city park system. While a relatively straightforward design, several large live oaks create interesting visual obstacles, especially on the par 5s (#3, #11, and #18), making tee shots and second shots appear trickier than they actually are. The course has a good mix of long, challenging par 4s (#5 and #13) along with some shorter holes that represent scoring opportunities (#4, #6, #8, #12 and #16). The course is shaped around some large ponds that feature on multiple holes in a variety of ways adding to the challenge. The greens are relatively straight forward, but well bunkered. Conditioning is soft, even during dry periods, but the greens are smooth after a strong recovery effort after battling invasive grasses this spring."
Read More2024
Review
“The course was in excellent condition. I found the layout to be pretty plain but I would play here again if the green fee was reasonable. I find $140 to be too high in this area for this golf course."
Read More2023
Review
“Good layout with changing hole directions and distances. Bunkers and greens are in terrific shape. Greens pretty flat with minimal movement. Pretty wet in areas holding water from rain the day before. Couple of scenic holes with good views over water."
Read More2022
Review
“Best of the New Orleans municipal courses. Was remodeled after Katrina by Rese Jones. They closed 2 other courses so Jones used lots of land. Very wide fairways, Not many trees, and condition was very good for a muni. The greens had very good coverage and were very firm and fast. Really fun to play."
Read More2022
Review
“Newer course that should improve over time, but already challenges good players while allowing higher handicappers to get around."
Read More2018
Review
“Renovation was well done"
Read More2018
