On the evening of September 17, a group of Country Club of Louisiana members gathered at a new six-hole course for a ribbon-cutting. Representatives of the club's Junior Golfers, Ladies Golf Association, Men's Golf Association and Senior Members each hit a ceremonial tee shot. Then the course lights came on for the first time. Men's Club Champion Connor Cavin and Women's Club Champion Julie Harrison played the first round under them, according to Golfdom's account of the opening. The course is called The Rook, and it opened to member play the next day.
Less than two months later, The Rook matters more than it did that night. The Jack Nicklaus-designed championship course is scheduled to close this month for a full renovation. For most of the next year, members' golf at CCL will run through The Rook's six holes and the rebuilt practice areas next to it. The Rook was also designed to show members what the new 18 will play like, so the year of short evening rounds gives them an early feel for the course coming in 2027.
The Championship Course Goes Quiet Until Fall 2027
The work is the second major golf phase of CCL Forward, the club's long-term capital improvement plan. WBRZ reported in September that the renovation of the championship course and putting green would begin in November and is expected to finish in October 2027, weather permitting. That is close to a full year of seasons without the big course, including the stretch from fall into spring when South Louisiana's mild weather usually makes for the best golf of the year.
The first phase was built to cover that gap. According to Golfdom, phase one of the golf improvements included:
- The Rook, a six-hole par-3 short course with holes from 50 to 90 yards
- An upgraded driving range
- A new chipping green
- A new short-game practice area
- A greens nursery
Those pieces were finished before the main course closes. A member who usually plays a weekend 18 can still hit balls on the range, work on chipping and putting, and play a short loop of par 3s. The scale is different. The club itself is still very much in use.
Why the Lights Matter More After November 1
The Rook was built with a lighting and sound system so members can keep playing after sunset. WBRZ noted that this matters most in the months with less daylight. Those months are here now. Daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, and Baton Rouge's sunset moved to about a quarter past five.
| Date | Baton Rouge sunset |
|---|---|
| November 2, 2026 | 5:16 p.m. |
| December 2, 2026 | 5:03 p.m. |
| December 31, 2026 | 5:14 p.m. |
By early December, the sun sets around 5 p.m. On an unlit course, that ends any chance of an after-work round. The Rook was built for those hours. Its six holes run 50 to 90 yards, so a full loop under the lights is short, and it fits into the time between getting home and dinner.
In Golfdom's report, the club's director of golf, Marie Gateley, described the kinds of players she expects to use it:
"A junior golfer can learn the game here, an experienced player can work on scoring shots, families can play together and members can come out for a quick round in the evening."
According to the same report, the club plans to use The Rook for family golf, junior development, short-game practice, competition and casual play. With the big course closed, those uses carry more of the club's golf calendar. The lights add playing time at the end of the day, right when early sunsets would otherwise cut it off.
Every Green on The Rook Is a Sample of the New 18
The Rook was designed as a preview of the championship course. Golfdom reports that it uses the same turf varieties, putting surfaces and bunker construction planned for the renovated championship course. Bill Bergin of Bergin Golf Designs designed The Rook.
That means each evening loop this winter is also a preview. The way a putt rolls on The Rook, how the sand behaves in its bunkers and how the turf sets up for a chip are what members can expect across all 18 holes when the big course reopens. Bergin made the point himself in Golfdom's report:
"The turf, greens and bunkers reflect what members will ultimately see and play across the renovated 18 holes, so in many ways, The Rook provides the first glimpse of the next generation of golf at CCL."
He also described the small course's design approach in the same interview. "At this scale, every contour and every angle matters," he told Golfdom, adding that he wanted the course to be interesting for accomplished players while still comfortable for juniors, families and newer golfers. Golfdom's description of The Rook mentions varied shots, elevation changes and movement around the greens.
Bergin's recent renovations along the Gulf Coast show more of how he works on full-size courses. At Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, Golf Course Architecture reported that his renovation kept the existing routing. It exposed natural sand, removed trees, expanded ponds and added built dunes, and members saw the finished course in October 2021. At Kelly Plantation Golf Club in Destin, his firm's project page describes new bunkering and tee complexes. On one example hole, the sand area was cut in half to leave more room for imperfect shots. Those courses are a different setting from CCL. They do show an architect who often changes how much sand a golfer has to clear, and The Rook already gives members a small-scale look at his bunker work at CCL.
The Pickleball Courts Were Lit First
The Rook is not the first lit addition at CCL. In March 2026, the club held a grand opening for six new pickleball courts, also part of CCL Forward. Baton Rouge's Quality Court Industries built them. According to Frasure Reps Sports Lighting, which supplied the fixtures, the courts are lit to USA Pickleball Class II levels.
So members have two lit evening options while the main course is closed. The pickleball courts have been open since spring. The Rook has been open since September 18. In a year with no 18-hole golf at the club, both are built for play after dark.
What the Club Says It Is Building Toward
CCL's CEO, Chris Brown, called The Rook's opening "an important moment in the history of the Country Club of Louisiana" in Golfdom's report. He said it gives members "their first opportunity to experience the vision behind the golf portion of CCL Forward, and it is only the beginning." In the same piece, he described the club's responsibility as preparing it "for what comes next" while "preserving what makes CCL special."
The next milestone is the reopening. The renovated Nicklaus course and its putting green are expected in October 2027, weather permitting. Until then, members who want golf after a 5 p.m. sunset can play The Rook under the lights, on the turf, greens and bunker style planned for the new course. Schedules and member updates are on the Country Club of Louisiana's website.
CCL Forward will change the club over the next year, and those changes will shape this neighborhood for years after that. If you'd like to talk through what the renovation could mean for your home in Country Club of Louisiana, Del Rio Real Estate would be glad to sit down with you. Schedule a Private Consultation.
