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PRESS RELEASES November 17, 2002 On the Road in Mississippi: Y'all will love the golf, history, southern hospitality and vittles By David R. Holland, TravelGolf.com Senior Writer GULFPORT, Miss. (Nov. 17, 2002) -- Long
before glitzy casinos dotted the Mississippi coastline and
the golf boom produced brand-new daily-fee treasures, there
was a historic match that just might have caused folks in
these parts to re-think the game of golf. "I really think this historic match defined golf on the Mississippi Gulf Coast," said Kevin Drum, executive director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association. "Nelson and Snead battled it out in a 19-hole playoff and the match ended after Mr. Nelson showed incredible sportsmanship by conceding Mr. Snead's putt to make him that year's champion," Drum said. "Two years later, in 1945, Nelson went on his string of 11 consecutive victories that is still a PGA record." The same Great Southern Golf Club recently completed a $1.2-million facelift that gave this fun, 6,238-yard classic a new look. It's a shotmaker's track with several Gulf of Mexico backdrops and even a lighthouse photo opportunity. Today the Gulf Coast is resplendent -- it's the Riviera of the South. The historic drive down Highway 90, including 26 miles of Gulf of Mexico shoreline, gives way to views of ante-bellum homes including Beauvoir, the retirement home of the Confederacy's only president, Jefferson Davis. And now the view includes 12 Las Vegas-styled casinos. The ritzy new golf layouts include Arnold Palmer's The Bridges at Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, a Davis Love III signature course named Shell Landing Golf Club in Gautier and The Oaks Golf Club in nearby Pass Christian. You might also want to check Grand Casino's Jack Nicklaus-designed Grand Bear in Biloxi. But Drum says not everyone comes to the Mississippi "Golf" Coast to play the newest layouts. "Bob Murphy, the Senior PGA Tour player, was here recently and he played St. Andrews Golf Club in Ocean Springs, which was built in 1968," Drum said. "Murphy said the course reminded him of courses he grew up on in Florida. It's a fun layout with no bunkers, but has great views -- its signature 13th hole is right on the Gulf of Mexico." Mississippi golf is also gaining notice for Dancing Rabbit Golf Club's Azaleas Course, inland and east of Jackson. Part of a 36-hole complex designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate in Philadelphia, it has just been named No. 35 on Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play List. Golf Digest ranks it No. 2 in the state and The Oaks Course at Dancing Rabbit No. 7. Here's a capsule look at some choices for golf vacations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and also a look at Dancing Rabbit. Log on to www.golfcoast.com for package information and remember that most of the larger hotel and casinos offer golf packages. Shell Landing Golf Club, Gautier Just don't snap one into the tall pines and rolling landscape here on this Davis Love III signature layout because the 6,978-yard, par 72 layout is demanding. Wayward shots might also find the countless wetlands areas. "You can't really see it, but just beyond the far side of the par-3, 194-yard signature No. 17 is the Gulf of Mexico," said Kenny Hughes, Director of Golf. "I think the travel golfers like this course because of the over-seeding in winter, our packages and service and the fact we are close to the major hotels and casinos." The Bridges Golf Club at Casino Magic,
Bay St. Louis The King's Tees, on this Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary course, measure 6,841 yards at par 72 spread out over 600 acres that includes the brand-new 291-room luxury hotel and casino. And it's only 50 miles from New Orleans. Opened in 1997, the golfer will find water or wetlands everywhere, but the tee landing areas are generous. Watch for deep cross bunkers, no recovery marshland, and bold carries on many holes from the tips. The Bridges is a 4-star Golf Digest Places to Play winner. The course has hosted many prestigious tournaments including The Brett Favre Celebrity Golf Tournament, Mike Ditka Celebrity Tournament, Bridges All-American Intercollegiate Invitation, PGA Tour's Buy.com Pro-Am and the Gulf Coast Open. The Oaks Golf Club, Pass Christian It's ranked No. 8 in the state's Top Ten by Golf Digest and has played host to Nike and Buy.com Tour events. Tripp Isenhour owns the course record at 64. Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Philadelphia
With all this beauty and the addition of 10,000 azaleas and pink-flowering dogwoods did anyone blank out and envision Augusta National? The Azaleas opened in 1997 and is ranked second in the state by Golf Digest behind Old Waverly, site of the 1999 Women's U.S. Open. This rolling layout measures 7,128 yards at par 72 and the greens can Stimp to 12 if someone really wants to be mean. Opened in June 1999, The Oaks at Dancing Rabbit stretches out to 7,076 yards at par 72 and golf packages abound at the next-door Pearl River Resort which includes the Silver Star Hotel & Casino and the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino. • Reader forums
Golf in Mississippi -- it's Southern hospitality, casinos and deep-sea fishing. Vittles? Try some cheese grits, fried catfish, black-eyed peas and cornbread and sweet tea. Your golf vacation in the Deep South might just feel like y'all have come home.
Shell Landing Golf Club The Bridges Golf Club at Casino Magic The Oaks Golf Club Where to Stay Casino Magic Biloxi Beau Rivage Hilton Pearl River Resort
Don't miss meeting Green Bay Packers' QB Brett Favre's family. They are all here -- mom, dad, brother and sister. And the food is great. Fresh seafood any way you like it and steaks. Pier 4 Restaurant They say Pier 4's Sunday Champagne Brunch is the best on the Gulf Coast. On other evenings don't miss the Surf N' Turf and the seafood catch of the day. The Bridges Clubhouse Grill / Located in the golf clubhouse overlooking the first tee. Breakfast, sandwiches, grilled items. The casino has Bienville's Bay Buffet, Tuscany, Jourdan River Grille and Jackpot Java. Other helpful websites Mississippi is on the short-list of nominees for awards voted on by International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) members and the Golf Travel Writers Association (GTWA). Mississippi is nominated in the category of best "Emerging Golf Destination of the Year." This is the second consecutive year that Mississippi has been nominated in this category, and it is the only U.S. representative golf destination included on the list, which includes Bahamas, Barbados, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Thailand, and Gold Coast, Australia. The IAGTO Awards are the official annual awards for the golf tourism industry. Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association Log on to check out the other golf courses in the area. Hancock County Tourism Bureau Mississippi Gulf Coast CVB Visit Beauvoir, retirement home of the only confederate president Jefferson Davis. Log on to: www.beauvoir.org. Mississippi Gulf Coast Climate The mild climate of the Mississippi
Gulf Coast has
David R. Holland is an award-winning Senior Writer for TravelGolf.com, two-time winner of Forbes Magazine's Best of the Web award. Contact him at dave@travelgolf.com. # # # Mollie Gregory |
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