“To understand the world you must first understand a place like Mississippi”—William Faulkner
When I say burning up, I mean temperature. The state of Mississippi has changed dramatically from what was depicted in the film Mississippi Burning, but it’s still stifling in summer. It’s the middle of July and it’s just plain hot and humid—not too steamy, though, to play a few of Mississippi’s wonderful golf courses.
If you like our blues, you will love our greens
Spring and fall are the prime seasons here, but whenever you come, you’ll find lots to do between rounds. Some of the major artists of the 20th century were from Mississippi: Elvis Presley, born in Tupelo; Tennessee Williams, born in Columbus; William Faulkner, born in Oxford; and B. B. King, who first saw light in Indianola. There are fascinating museums at each of these birthplaces. Having promoted many concert dates with BB King, and getting to know him as well as I did, I especially wish I had had time to visit his museum, which gives a taste of the social history of the Mississippi Delta and a firsthand account of Riley B. King’s life on the farm as a sharecropper and all the way through to his worldwide fame as a musician.
People have referred to Mississippi as the birthplace of American music, The fact that it is home to to such music greats as Tammy Wynette, Faith HIll, Jimmy Rogers, Bo Didley and Willie Dixon may be evidence enough of that.
But back to business. Where should you be making tee times in Mississippi? There are some great choices.
Old Waverly Golf Club
Old Waverly in West Point, just two hours south of the Memphis airport, hosted the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open and has been rated in Golf Digest’s top 100—and you can play it. Old Waverly gets nearly half of its revenue from guest play, mostly thru stay and play packages at the club’s own lodgings—townhomes, cabins, and cottages that can accommodate over 100 people. Given the reasonable prices and the wonderful course designed by Jerry Pate and Bob Cupp, Old Waverly is a real deal.
Lake Waverly, a forty-acre lake is the centerpiece of this development with holes 10,11,12,17 and 18 playing along its shores. There are several other small lakes on the property, so water is in play on many holes. Greens are very firm and very fast, even after a downpour of rain, we went back out and they remained firm and fast. The fairways are generous and play well, most of the holes are tree lined and the sand is extremely well maintained.
The clubhouse at Old Waverly was built when the course opened but as you wander through, it looks and feels like an old southern Antebellum home, a bit like walking onto the set of Gone with the Wind. Even the dining room is built with such an intimate look, it feels as though you are eating in someone’s home.
In the proshop,there is a framed display of 4 signed golf gloves. The plaque reads: The only 4 men to ever win all 4 major championships Gene Sarazan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan. Conspicuously missing , is Tiger Woods. I assume this went up before Tiger accomplished this ,and when he was in Mississippi for rehab, he just didn’t have time to get over to Old Waverly to sign a glove.
If you go: www.oldwaverly.com
662-494-6463
Unaccompanied guest fees $165.00, but check out their stay and play packages.
Dancing Rabbit Golf Club at Pearl River Resort, Choctaw MS
Dancing Rabbit sits on ancestral lands of the Mississippi band of Choctaw Indians, and was named for its location along the banks of the Big and Little Dancing Rabbit Creeks. Many casinos now come with golf courses, but few have two courses of such high caliber—The Azaleas and The Oaks, both designed by acclaimed golf course designer Tom Fazio and PGA great Jerry Pate. They both play from about 7100 yards down to 5000 yards so there is plenty of challenge for all levels of players.
Towering pines and stunning Oaks frame both of these courses, and today I am thankful for that, because it 95 degrees with over 90% humidity and the shade on the cart paths is a lifesaver.
The courses are very different. For starters, the Oaks fairways are Zoysia grass with bermuda greens. Azaleas, on the other hand, has bermuda fairways and bent grass greens. These two types of grasses play very differently. Bent grass is difficult to grow in extreme heat, so its an uncommon grass in this climate.
Every hole at Dancing Rabbit is a work of art laid upon land that is wrapped in over 5 miles of meandering spring-fed streams. Most of these beauties will leave an indelible mark on your memory.
The Oaks meanders through many elevation changes with some outstanding views. As you stand on most of the tee boxes the holes lay out clearly in front of you. The Par threes are all down hill to stunning framed greens. And Tom Fazio sure knows how to bring excitement to drivable short par fours.
Azelias is rated as more difficult and it is. The fairways are tighter and with the bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens almost every approach is likely to take one more club than would be the case on The Oaks.
There are 8 sleeping rooms in the clubhouse, and it’s a very charming place to stay. Having experienced this I will take staying in a clubhouse like this over a hotel any day. There is also one 3 bedroom house on property which is a nice way to go as well. You can always stay at the Casino hotel, which is nice, but you can find accommodations like that anywhere. If you go, stay in the clubhouse!! You won’t regret it.
Restaurants-- There are several here to choose from, in the clubhouse and in the casino offering a large variety of food choices. But Miko Steakhouse, their upscale steakhouse is fabulous. The ribeye steak accompanied by a sweetcorn soufle may be worth the visit all by itself.
If you love gambling, then you have come to the right place. They not only have plenty of slot machines but all the table games as well.
www.dancingrabbitgolf.com
601-663-0011
Annandale Golf Club
Annandale Golf Club, just outside of Jackson, is an early Jack Nicklaus design. The Viking Classic is being played there this week and several golf travel writers on this trip are playing in the pro-am. Our team teed off at 8:30 am with Chris Riley. His regular caddie was off this week, so his wife Michelle was on his bag. She was a great competitive golfer in her day, playing not only on her college team but on an LPGA mini tour as well. It was interesting to watch her gather the yardage and map pin positions and green slope information that Chris would need later that week for the competition.
This is the first Pro-am I have ever played in and I have to say it is a real treat. The gifts alone are worth it, but the best part is playing with a pro. There is no other sport where you can play alongside a pro and once you do stand there, you really appreciate the vast difference between their skill level and the skill level of us average Joe golfers.
The southern hospitality really shone through in this event as well. The volunteers did not have signs that read “Quiet.” Instead they read “Hush Y’all.” The service was fabulous, the food was non stop and we truly felt welcome at every turn.
Southern hospitality was king, not only at the Viking Classic, but throughout Mississippi. It is a much more interesting state than I had imagined. Just do your best to avoid the heat of the summer, unless you are headed to the gulf coast.
www.VisitMississippi.org
Larry Berle is a travel writer who writes on many travel topics but specializes in golf travel. He is author of A GOLFERS DREAM: HOW A REGULAR GUY CONQUERED THE GOLF DIGEST LIST OF AMERICAS TOP 100 GOLF COURSES. Learn more about his book at www.GolfersDreamBook.com and from there you can also access his travel blog.
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