Venues and Course Types Run the Gamut from State Park andCasino Amenities to the Site of the PGA TOUR’S Viking Classic (JACKSON, Mississippi) – The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) Division of Tourism today announces that 10 courses in the state have been voted to Golf Digest magazine’s biennial ranking of “America’s Greatest Courses State by State 2009-10.”
Furthermore, one of them – Fallen Oak in Saucier – garnered the elite distinction of being named to the magazine’s “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses,” debuting on this coveted list at No. 19. Mississippi’s best-in-state courses according to Golf Digest are:
* No. 1 – Annandale Country Club (Madison), Jack Nicklaus design hosts the state’s annual PGA Tour stop, the Viking Classic, which Will MacKenzie won last fall and will be played Oct. 29-Nov. 1 this year
* No. 2 – Fallen Oak Golf Club (Saucier), Tom Fazio design and amenity of the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, an MGM Resorts Property and sister course to Shadow Creek in Las Vegas
* No. 3 – Old Waverly (West Point), designed by Bob Cupp and Jerry Pate, hosted 1999 U.S Women’s Open won by Juli Inkster and U.S.G.A. 2006 Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship
* No. 4 – Reunion Golf & Country Club (Madison), Bob Cupp design across the street from No. 1 Annandale, these two renowned private courses offer as good a one-two punch as exists
* No. 5 – Hattiesburg Country Club (Hattiesburg), recently renovated private club course which has hosted many national golf events including the PGA TOUR’s former Magnolia Classic, now called the Viking Classic and held at No. 1 Annandale
* No. 6 – Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Azaleas Course (Philadelphia), designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate, an amenity of the Pearl River Resort which annually hosts a Hooters Tour event; many say it has an Augusta National look and feel
* No. 7 – Shell Landing Golf Club (Gautier), designed by Davis Love III, unspoiled natural beauty and environmental sensitivity are hallmarks of the modern design; tricky, fast greens are one of the course’s primary defenses
* No. 8 – Grand Bear Golf Club (Saucier), designed by Jack Nicklaus, an amenity of Harrah’s Grand Casino Biloxi, meanders through the DeSoto National Forest and is an unencumbered, pure golf experience
* No. 9 – The Dogwoods Golf Course (Grenada), nestled in the expansive natural environs of Hugh White State Park, this Gary Roger Baird design has also been tabbed “America’s Best Golf Bargain” by Golf Digest
* No. 10 – The Bridges Golf Club at Hollywood Casino (Bay St. Louis), Mississippi’s only Arnold Palmer Signature Design, shot-maker’s delight scenically located adjacent to the casino and bay.
Golf Digest's biennial best-in-state rankings are determined by the magazine's course rating panelists, a group of several hundred low-handicap golfers who rated thousands of U.S. courses on a 10-point scale in various criteria. These updated state-by-state rankings appear in the May 2009 issue of Golf Digest which is currently on newsstands.
“Mississippi is delighted to have our courses recognized for their excellence by Golf Digest magazine,” says Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division Director D. Craig Ray. “We hope this will inspire golfers to visit our great state and discover why Mississippi is rapidly becoming known as one of the best golf destinations worldwide.”
For more information about these courses or to schedule a visit to Mississippi, call toll-free to 866-801-8551 or go to http://www.visitmississippi.org/ and receive a free Golf Travel Guide and suggested play-and-stay itineraries.
Contact: AmericanGolferBlog@gmail.com
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