The Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour's only official team event, is played at TPC Louisiana. This article will break down this challenging Pete Dye design, analyze the key holes that make or break a round, and offer some professional insights to help you understand how the pros attack - and survive - this unique test of golf.
Since 2007 (with a one-year exception in 2006 due to Hurricane Katrina), the Zurich Classic has called TPC Louisiana home. Located in Avondale, a short drive from downtown New Orleans, this course is a quintessential Pete Dye layout. Opened in 2004, it was designed in consultation with PGA Tour players Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson, creating a layout that is both a strategic puzzle for the world's best and a playable, yet demanding, experience for the public.
As part of the Tournament Players Club (TPC) network, the course was built to host PGA Tour events. This means everything from the spectator mounds to the routing is designed to produce compelling tournament drama. And thanks to Pete Dye's signature style, it consistently delivers.
Merely knowing the course name is one thing, understanding its personality is another. TPC Louisiana isn't a course you can overpower with brute strength alone. It’s a thinking-person’s course that demands precision, creativity, and nerve. Let's break down the key features and offer some coaching advice on how to navigate them.
The opening nine sets the tone immediately. Water is a constant presence, not just as a penalty area but as a strategic element that dictates every shot. The course winds through Cypress swamps and lagoons, forcing players to commit to their lines and club selections.
Number six is a standout hole and classic Pete Dye. At first glance, it looks like there’s sand everywhere - because there is. A massive, meandering fairway bunker complex runs up the entire left side. Playing this hole well is all about picking the right target from the tee.
The 9th hole is a long, demanding par 3 that often plays over 200 yards. Water guards the entire right side and a collection of deep bunkers guard the left. There is very little room for error.
The final three holes at TPC Louisiana are where the Zurich Classic is won and lost. This stretch is a brilliant mix of risk-and-reward holes that tests a player’s skill, strategy, and courage under pressure. This is pure golf theater, and it's what makes the course so memorable.
A short par 4 that most professionals can reach from the tee, the 16th is the ultimate temptation. The green is protected by a nasty pot bunker right in front and a line of cypress trees down the left. It’s an easy birdie or a disastrous "other."
At just over 215 yards, this hole requires a long-iron shot to a green that feels like it's an island. With water short, right, and long, and railroad ties shoring up the green, it has echoes of Pete Dye’s famous 17th at TPC Sawgrass. It’s visually intimidating and mentally taxing.
This is a spectacular finishing hole. A long par 5 that doglegs around a massive lake that runs the entire length of the hole on the right side. Bunkers line the left, making the fairway feel incredibly narrow.
The Zurich Classic isn't like other tournaments because of its two-man team format. This has a direct impact on how players approach a difficult course like TPC Louisiana. The event is split between two formats:
So, the next time you watch the Zurich Classic, you’ll know it’s TPC Louisiana that’s asking the questions. From the swampy hazards of the front nine to the nerve-wracking finish, it's a Pete Dye masterpiece that perfectly complements the unique drama of the PGA Tour's only team event.
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