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	KELLY'S GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS Like most natives of New Orleans, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world. I was born and raised in Algiers, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River just a few miles from downtown. The customs, traditions and unique lifestyle that became ingrained early in my life always draw me back to the city. Unlike many of my fellow touring pros, I don't live on or near a golf course. I reside in the Warehouse District - the hub of the city's art community between St. Charles Avenue and the Mississippi River - so I feel I can give you a keen insight to my hometown. You'd be hard pressed to find another American city with the individuality and energy New Orleans possesses. In many ways, despite its urban sprawl, New Orleans has a small town feel, with dozens of neighborhoods where families have lived within the same blocks for generations. Important areas for visitors include the French Quarter and Canal Street, the riverfront area, the Garden District and the Warehouse District. When New Orleans is mentioned, most people envision wearing a party hat, not a golf hat. In comparison with many cities on the PGA Tour, New Orleans is not a golf mecca. However, if you don't bring your clubs, you're making a mistake - there are several impressive layouts around. The headliner course in New Orleans is English Turn, which I've represented since 1991. Fashioned from swampland, with few trees and water on every hole, this Jack Nicklaus-designed 7,078 -yard, par -72 layout is a great test of skill. English Turn, a PGA TOUR stop since 1989, is a private course. To play, you must be accompanied by a member or receive an invitation from the Director of Golf. Lakewood Country Club, for years a PGA TOUR site, has excellent, fast Bermuda greens. Beau Chene in Mandeville, on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, is a 36-hole complex with a river winding through many holes. This is where I won the State Amateur title in 1986. Money Hill Golf and Country Club, a new facility located in Abita Springs, is a beautiful layout with rolling terrain and a challenging 18 holes. Money Hill was rated best new course in Louisiana by Golf Digest in 1999. It is also the home of the Rob Noel Golf Academy, my instructor for the past 14 years. New Orleans golf will be reaching new heights when a proposed Tournament Players Club of Louisiana is completed in approximately 36 months. I am extremely excited about this proposed golf course having been selected as part of the design team with Pete Dye and Steve Elkington. While New Orleans may not be a golf capital, it has some of the best food in the world. That's a bold statement, but in my golf-related travels I haven't discovered a city that offers as many great possibilities in all price ranges. From elegant French establishments with crystal chandeliers to courtyard settings with Creole cuisine to 10-seat oyster bars with tile floors, the restaurant scene in New Orleans is a diverse one. Food, drink, and entertainment--- New Orleans has few rivals and always seems to be celebrating something. A quintessential hole-in-the-wall, Acme Oyster Bar on Iberville Street, is one of my long-time favorites for oysters on the half shell, seafood gumbo, jambalaya and fried catfish. Get in "game shape" to break the record for eating oysters. The current mark is 33 dozen in one sitting. For Creole cuisine connoisseurs, two restaurants I always suggest to visiting friends are Commander's Palace in the Garden District, a stately turquoise mansion with a shady outdoor dining courtyard, and Emeril's in the Warehouse District, which offers kind of a California/Creole contemporary cuisine. Every type of spot imaginable - and even some not so imaginable - make up New Orleans' lively night life scene. Currently, one of the most happening places on Friday night is a crusty, few frills club called Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar & Grill in the Warehouse District, where dancing and partying go on until 4 the next morning. Other longtime classic spots include Pat O'Briens, where piano sing-alongs are in order; Preservation Hall, the city's most famous traditional jazz venue; and Mid-City Lane Rock n, Bowl, a 1941 landmark where patrons dance to live music between alley strikes. New Orleans is always celebrating something. Mardi Gras, staged every year, is a world-class blowout. As a member of the Krewe of Bacchus, I am fortunate enough to ride on a parade float, and it is the wildest five hours of my life. Also, don't miss the Jazz and Heritage Festival in April, which features some of the best musicians in the world with lots of great food and festivities. For sightseeing in New Orleans, put on some comfortable walking shoes and walk around the French Quarter and the waterfront. The famous French Quarter has no shortage of bars, shops, historical buildings and restaurants. Other popular attractions include the Aquarium of the Americas, where marine life exhibits and mega-tanks are brimming with exotic sea creatures; Jackson Brewery, a renovated 1891 brew house transformed into a six-level shopping and dining complex at Jackson Square; and the Woldenburg Riverfront Park, with its awesome view of the Mississippi River as it curves around the city. For an action-packed and educational adventure, try a swamp tour, where you'll cruise rapidly though nearby bayous for an up-close look at alligators, wild boar, egrets and other wildlife. I suggest you bring a big appetite, a good-times attitude and golf clubs to New Orleans. Even if your "A" game eludes you, you've got hundreds of other ways to enjoy your visit.		CLICK HERE FOR KELLY'S LIVE SCORING
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KELLY'S GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS

Like most natives of New Orleans, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world. I was born and raised in Algiers, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River just a few miles from downtown. The customs, traditions and unique lifestyle that became ingrained early in my life always draw me back to the city. Unlike many of my fellow touring pros, I don't live on or near a golf course. I reside in the Warehouse District - the hub of the city's art community between St. Charles Avenue and the Mississippi River - so I feel I can give you a keen insight to my hometown.

You'd be hard pressed to find another American city with the individuality and energy New Orleans possesses. In many ways, despite its urban sprawl, New Orleans has a small town feel, with dozens of neighborhoods where families have lived within the same blocks for generations. Important areas for visitors include the French Quarter and Canal Street, the riverfront area, the Garden District and the Warehouse District.

When New Orleans is mentioned, most people envision wearing a party hat, not a golf hat. In comparison with many cities on the PGA Tour, New Orleans is not a golf mecca. However, if you don't bring your clubs, you're making a mistake - there are several impressive layouts around.

The headliner course in New Orleans is English Turn, which I've represented since 1991. Fashioned from swampland, with few trees and water on every hole, this Jack Nicklaus-designed 7,078 -yard, par -72 layout is a great test of skill. English Turn, a PGA TOUR stop since 1989, is a private course. To play, you must be accompanied by a member or receive an invitation from the Director of Golf.

Lakewood Country Club, for years a PGA TOUR site, has excellent, fast Bermuda greens. Beau Chene in Mandeville, on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, is a 36-hole complex with a river winding through many holes. This is where I won the State Amateur title in 1986. Money Hill Golf and Country Club, a new facility located in Abita Springs, is a beautiful layout with rolling terrain and a challenging 18 holes. Money Hill was rated best new course in Louisiana by Golf Digest in 1999. It is also the home of the Rob Noel Golf Academy, my instructor for the past 14 years. New Orleans golf will be reaching new heights when a proposed Tournament Players Club of Louisiana is completed in approximately 36 months. I am extremely excited about this proposed golf course having been selected as part of the design team with Pete Dye and Steve Elkington.

While New Orleans may not be a golf capital, it has some of the best food in the world. That's a bold statement, but in my golf-related travels I haven't discovered a city that offers as many great possibilities in all price ranges. From elegant French establishments with crystal chandeliers to courtyard settings with Creole cuisine to 10-seat oyster bars with tile floors, the restaurant scene in New Orleans is a diverse one. Food, drink, and entertainment--- New Orleans has few rivals and always seems to be celebrating something.

A quintessential hole-in-the-wall, Acme Oyster Bar on Iberville Street, is one of my long-time favorites for oysters on the half shell, seafood gumbo, jambalaya and fried catfish. Get in "game shape" to break the record for eating oysters. The current mark is 33 dozen in one sitting.

For Creole cuisine connoisseurs, two restaurants I always suggest to visiting friends are Commander's Palace in the Garden District, a stately turquoise mansion with a shady outdoor dining courtyard, and Emeril's in the Warehouse District, which offers kind of a California/Creole contemporary cuisine.

Every type of spot imaginable - and even some not so imaginable - make up New Orleans' lively night life scene. Currently, one of the most happening places on Friday night is a crusty, few frills club called Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar & Grill in the Warehouse District, where dancing and partying go on until 4 the next morning. Other longtime classic spots include Pat O'Briens, where piano sing-alongs are in order; Preservation Hall, the city's most famous traditional jazz venue; and Mid-City Lane Rock n, Bowl, a 1941 landmark where patrons dance to live music between alley strikes.

New Orleans is always celebrating something. Mardi Gras, staged every year, is a world-class blowout. As a member of the Krewe of Bacchus, I am fortunate enough to ride on a parade float, and it is the wildest five hours of my life. Also, don't miss the Jazz and Heritage Festival in April, which features some of the best musicians in the world with lots of great food and festivities.

For sightseeing in New Orleans, put on some comfortable walking shoes and walk around the French Quarter and the waterfront. The famous French Quarter has no shortage of bars, shops, historical buildings and restaurants. Other popular attractions include the Aquarium of the Americas, where marine life exhibits and mega-tanks are brimming with exotic sea creatures; Jackson Brewery, a renovated 1891 brew house transformed into a six-level shopping and dining complex at Jackson Square; and the Woldenburg Riverfront Park, with its awesome view of the Mississippi River as it curves around the city.

For an action-packed and educational adventure, try a swamp tour, where you'll cruise rapidly though nearby bayous for an up-close look at alligators, wild boar, egrets and other wildlife. I suggest you bring a big appetite, a good-times attitude and golf clubs to New Orleans. Even if your "A" game eludes you, you've got hundreds of other ways to enjoy your visit.

CLICK HERE
FOR KELLY'S
LIVE SCORING

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