Texas golfers looking for bargains can find one with the new "Stay and Play and Play" package that the new Eldorado Resort Casino in Shreveport, LA is offering in conjunction with the Olde Oaks Golf Club, 15 minutes away in Haughton, LA.
The cost of $140 per person includes two nights lodging at the 403-room Eldorado (Monday through Thursday nights) plus two rounds of golf (Monday through Friday) at Olde Oaks.
Olde Oaks is a 27-hole layout designed by Hal Sutton that can provide a stern test for the better players from the back tees--measuring more than 7,200 yards for any of the 18-hole combinations with USGA ratings of 75+--and yet still be playable from the blue, white, yellow or red tees, measuring 6,600 to just over 5,000 yards with course ratings of 72 to 69.
Olde Oaks, owned by the Louisiana Municipal Police Retirement Association, hosted the Northern Texas PGA Pro-Pro Championship last March and received many favorable comments from these club professionals.
Val Howard, a PGA life member from Vernon, also played with another group from River Creek Park Golf Course in Burkburnett last fall and really liked the challenge. "It‚s a super golf course," he said.
"There‚s lot of water and the trees do come into play. My partner and I had a 78 the first day, but then came back with a 68 the second day when everything seemed to go in the hole." Olde Oaks, which has Dwarf Tiff greens that are overseeded with poa trivalis and bent in the winter, will host a NGA Hooters Tour this summer and also a charity event hosted by Sutton and PGA Tour star David Toms.
"The advantage of having 27 holes is that we can handle a tournament or outing and still have tee times for the regulars," said Michael Ross, the director of golf operations.
"For the golfers who want to play two or three times, another advantage is that they get a different 18 holes each time they play," he added.
The Meadows is more of a links style and more open while the Oak and Cypress take their names from the trees that line most of the fairways, catching some errant shots, but giving most golfers ample room off the tees.
Ross indicated that some of the longer hitters didn‚t like the fact they have to lay up off the tee on the dogleg left first hole on the Oak and then lay up again short of the water. John Daly, playing in the charity events hosted by Sutton and Toms, solved this dilemma by aiming over the cart barn and cutting the corner of the dogleg to leave himself only a wedge approach from 130 yards.
The second hole on the Oaks, measuring 257 to 343 with water all the way down the left side, gives the longer hitters the chance to go for the green, especially in a scramble format, but the safer course is an iron to the fairway and a short iron to the green.
The toughest hole on the Oaks is No. 9, playing from 327 to 436. It plays downhill off the tee, but the scary part is the 140-yard carry over a lake with the approach shot. Many high handicappers just lay up when they find themselves 175 or more yards away.
Ross indicated that a new tee had been added on the par-4 No. 4 on the Cypress, making it play 490 yards uphill to the landing area. Adding to the difficulty is a large Cypress tree that guards the entrance from the left side of the green.
Ross‚ favorite hole on the Cypress is the 185-yard par-3 No. 4, requiring a long iron approach over water.
Ross noted that the Meadow tended to be tougher when the wind was blowing. Golfers are faced with a 130-yard carry over water for their approach shots on the No. 8 hole, measuring 301 to 439 yards. Slicers have to be wary of trees on the right side of the fairway.
The par-5 No. 9, measuring 424 to 522 yards, offers a risk-reward opportunity for the long hitters willing to challenge the water that guards the green and the entire left side of the fairway.
The Eldorado is the newest casino in Shreveport. The Carano family of Reno, N, who own the Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy in Reno along with a winery, purchased the former Hollywood Casino in July of 2005 and opened it later in the year after making comprehensive cosmetic changes. The casino now features the latest in slot technology--more than 1,300 machines equipped with EZ Ticket technology. In addition, there are now 50 table games located on the first level, including favorites such as Blackjack, Craps, Roulette and Mini-Baccarat. There‚s an expanded 15-table Poker Room on the third level for all the guests wanting to enjoy Texas Hold ŒEm games and daily satellite tournaments for the World Poker Tour.
There are 403 spacious rooms in the hotel and three restaurants, including a diner where Howard and I had a $9.99 New York streak on a recent visit. "The chicken and dumplings in the snack bar is the best I've ever had," added Howard. After sampling it, I would agree.
While located in Louisiana on the banks of the Mississippi River, the casino definitely has a Texas flavor. Shawn Dougherty, one of the casino hosts, indicated that almost 90 percent of the visitors there were from Texas. This was evident from all the Texas license plates on the cars in the parking garage on a recent visit. Also, I even ran into a former co-worker from the Wylie News.
Even with higher prices for gasoline, the stay and play package is still a bargain for Texas golfers, freeing up some extra money for them to try their luck with fellow Texans in the casino.
Howard and I left a little pocket change in the casino, but had an enjoyable weekend trip even without getting our clubs out and playing in chill factors around the freezing mark. |
