MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST
By Mike Mothersbaugh

The best way to describe Mississippi golf to the uninitiated is best summed up by the word “flavorful”. This due to the diversity – there are five distinct regions in Mississippi. And it’s not just high-quality golf and unique terrain which is distinct to each region. The regional cultures and related attractions are abundant as well. For instance, the Delta Region in northern Mississippi is marked by miles of cotton fields and the Mississippi River in Tunica, which is less than 30 minutes from Memphis, while the Coastal Region is a beach and fresh seafood lover’s paradise.

Fortunately, the southern hospitality Mississippians extend is everywhere. I visited the Gulf Coast recently and can eagerly report that the Magnolia State is home to some of the finest, most underrated golf and resort casinos that I’ve had the pleasure to encounter in North America. Here are some places you won’t want to miss when visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The newest course is Fallen Oak Golf Club. Designed by course architect Tom Fazio, it is an amenity exclusively for guests of Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Fallen Oak raises the bar for luxury resort golf. The 18-hole, par-72 championship layout unfolds in a majestic, almost cinematic, invitation to all who love the game. Opened in November 2006 it was instantly crowned one of the finest courses in the nation. Golfweek Magazine recently named it the second-best casino course in the nation – right after Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, which also happens to be an MGM Mirage Resorts property. Talk about brand integrity! Fallen Oak is more than “just” brilliant golf, however, it is an experience enveloped with deluxe pampering. The only way to get to the course is by the complimentary limo service from the “Beau”. Upon arrival you are greeted by an eager staff which whisks your clubs and golf shoes to the sublime locker room where a personal locker and engraved gold nameplate awaits you. By the time you get settled in your golf shoes will have already been buffed by the staff and sit gleaming next to your locker ready to play. The course weaves and bobs through a 510-acre tract at the edge of the DeSoto National Forest. Despite being only about one year old, it looks like it has been there forever. This is stunning considering the amount of work which went into it.

Fazio and crew transplanted more than 1,000 oaks, pines, magnolias, and other hardwoods some 60 feet or taller and moved 580,000 cubic yards of soil – they laid enough sod “to cover 96 football fields and give the course a mature feeling from Day One,” said Fallen Oak General Manager David Stinson. The course has five sets of tee boxes and plays a heroic 7,487 yards from the tips. The challenge is so stiff from the rear tees, and so few players attempt it, that there aren’t even tee markers on them. Speaking of few players, GM Stinson say fewer than two dozen golfers will tee it up at Fallen Oak on many days. This is because one must stay at the Beau to play Fallen Oak and because it costs $200 a round (which would be roughly $500 in Vegas). The Beau intentionally set the bar high as the course is an amenity for its high rollers and others who prefer a penultimate golf and casino resort experience. Fallen Oak’s greens are equipped with a SubAir System which allows the course to control air circulation and moisture content by vacuuming the water out of the greens. You may have heard of other courses with this feature – like the little one down in Augusta, the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island and Shadow Creek in Vegas. Beau Rivage Resort & Casino opened one year to the day after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the coast. It was not only a symbolic achievement meant to inspire hope and others to follow suit rebuilding but also grand in its scope and execution. The Beau offers 1,740 guest rooms and suites with contemporary décor including original artwork, cherry-wood furniture and stunning views of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Beau’s 85,000-square-foot casino brings the excitement of Vegas without the overpowering glitz. The resort’s top-notch restaurants are on par with the world’s finest including “Olives” by highly acclaimed super chef Todd English. And The Beau’s expansive, luxurious Spa and Salon is heralded for its unique architectural design and vast menu of treatments. For those who prefer a little Rock ‘n Roll to liven up their lives, the brand new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi opened last summer and has all the spice one desires. Beginning at the front desk, one is mesmerized by all the memorabilia from the Beatles and the “Boss” to ZZ Top. A hip room key and carry case is accompanied by a free CD that contains a genre of music based on the floor on which you are staying. Each floor is designed with a different Hard Rock theme.

The ultra modern, immaculate rooms are the perfect place to chill before you rock on. Catch a flick on the 42-inch plasma TVs or crank up your favorite CDs on the Bose Music System with iPod Docking Station.

As expected you can’t go anywhere in the Hard Rock without hearing great tunes and feeling the pulse of the place. This is particularly true in the Rise Lounge, which offers sizzling club nightlife as it hovers above the Gulf of Mexico on the top floor of the towering resort.

Don’t fret if you stay too late in the lounge or gambling in the casino and have an early morning tee time. The three-headed showers in each Hard Rock room are guaranteed to rejuvenate. Need a lift to one of the local attractions, just ask the concierge to secure a ride in one of their giant, purple-hued SUVs appropriately named Purple Haze I & II.

While the Beau Rivage and the Hard Rock offer great food experiences, one must make time to dine at historic Mary Mahoney’s Old French Restaurant while on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

Approaching the restaurant you are met by a 2,000 year old Live Oak tree named “The Patriarch.” Try the Seafood Gumbo to warm up your palate. Mary Mahoney’s is known for this signature dish and frequently ships gallons of it via air to past visitors who relish it.

Established in 1964, the restaurant was built around one of the oldest homes in America so it has a unique vibe, and it specializes in hyper fresh seafood from the Gulf Coast. Many Presidents, celebrities and others have eaten at Mary Mahoney’s and for good reason.

Like Fallen Oak, The Preserve is a virtually brand new golf course. It debuted in 2006 and is designed by Jerry Pate. An amenity of the Palace Casino, another fine casino resort option, it’s all the golf anybody wants with lightning fast, sloped greens and an inspired course routing which knifes through thousands of acres of adjacent forest preserve.

The No. 1 handicap hole is rare – it’s a par-3 (No. 16) – and making par on this 225-yard devil is like making birdie on other holes. It’s not just that the tee shot has to avoid the deep bunkers guarding the left side of the huge green, but it must also stay on the proper tier. A huge vertical slope separates the two (think of a roller coaster). As pretty as it is difficult, The Preserve is unforgettable and leaves the golfer pining for repeat plays.

Don’t miss playing Grand Bear Golf Course (Jack Nicklaus design), Shell Landing (Davis Love III) or The Bridges (Arnold Palmer) while on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

All three are terrific daily fee courses with highly affordable green fees and available to the golfing public. Grand Bear (Harrah’s Grand Biloxi) can be played for $50 midweek! Both it and The Bridges (Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis) are amenities of casino resorts.

These three courses couldn’t be more different – The Bridges with its pristine landscape and Audubon Sanctuary status, Shell Landing with its mix of wetlands and sandy terrain, and Grand Bear, a muscular track which carves its way through towering pines and forest solitude. There’s not a bad course in the bunch and virtually all are rated among the best in the state by national golf and travel outlets such as ZAGAT Survey, Golf Digest, Golfweek and GOLF Magazine.

Where to Stay
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
(www.beaurivage.com)
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi
(www.hardrockbiloxi.com/)

Where to Play
Fallen Oak Golf Club
(www.beaurivage.com/amenities/
amenities_golf.aspx)
The Preserve Golf Club
(www.preservegc.com)
Grand Bear Golf Course
(www.harrahs.com/golf/GrandBear)
The Bridges Golf Club
(www.hollywoodcasinobsl.com/golf/)
Shell Landing Golf Course
(www.shelllanding.com)

For more information or to schedule a visit to Mississippi, call 866-801-8551 or go to www.visitmississippi.org/golf and receive a free Golf Travel Guide and suggested play-and-stay itineraries.

Sidebar

TUNICA COURSE RETURNS TO ITS DELTA ROOTS

Mississippi is increasingly becoming known as the nation’s best golf-and-gaming destination. It’s the third-largest gaming destination in the U.S. after Vegas and Atlantic City and it has the best combination of golf courses and value to complement the dozens of casino resorts throughout the state.

How does the Magnolia State keep its edge and remain the leading golf-and-gaming destination in the United States, perhaps the world?
By refusing to rest on its laurels.

The latest demonstration of this statewide mission is found at the Grand Casino Resort Tunica in Northern Mississippi, about 30 minutes south of Memphis.

In this its 10 anniversary season, the casino resort has “quietly” undertaken several upgrades designed to add more challenge and optimized course conditions at Links at Cottonwoods, a Hale Irwin Signature Design which was voted a Top-40 Casino Course in the U.S. by Golf Digest Magazine.

The course was designed as a true links layout with extremely minimal tree plantings. Before completion of the course project, the owner of the Grand Casino insisted on trees and consequently 2,500 trees were planted throughout the layout. Over the past 1.5 years Links at Cottonwoods has been selectively removing trees and planting additional native areas consistent with the original links design.

The ever-present and often stout wind which rolls over the vast flatlands of the unprotected Delta make pars a premium.

Measuring 7,000 yards from the back tees – but frequently playing longer thanks to the often balmy and blustery breezes – the par-72 course is defended additionally by multiple sand bunkers and water hazards.

Two other championship courses and eight casino resorts are located within minutes of Links at Cottonwoods and Grand Casino Resort Tunica. The other courses are Riverbend Links and Tunica National Golf & Tennis Club. Hence, the destination is an extremely popular golf-and-gaming hub.

Links at Cottonwoods Golf Rates and Packages
Individuals, couples, foursomes and group packages at the course include 18 holes each day, range balls prior to each round, accommodations, and all taxes and gratuities. For pricing information call 877-307-PLAY (7529); Groups of 12 or more 800-WIN-4-WIN ext. 3112.

Call 888-4TUNICA to request a value-packed Winner’s Guide, or visit www.tunicamiss.com for travel information.