For drivers passing by on Louisiana Avenue, the Lafayette municipal golf course is a sea of green in the urban heart of the city, dotted with live oaks, water hazards and golf carts visible through a three-story high netting that lines the roadway.
For non-golfers, the course provides a pleasant backdrop to their daily commute. For residents of north Lafayette, it’s a 100-year-old anchor of the community, a place where generations have grown up working part-time jobs and swimming at the nearby Domingue Recreation Center. And for people like District 5 Lafayette council member Kenneth Boudreaux, and Herb Schilling of Schilling Distributing Company, the course is a core part of their personal histories — a place that has shaped careers and friendships over decades.
“This is the first place I ever hit a golf ball,” said Schilling, sharing memories at the Jay & Lionel Hebert Municipal Golf Course Centennial Kickoff Celebration, held on Friday, March 20 in the clubhouse.
“I ended up playing golf for USL. Went to the city championship. I ended up living a life because of golf that I never could have imagined. I look forward to the course continuing to grow, and making it the very best that it can be.”…