Southern Living: play the magnolia state

A challenging variety of top-notch courses has turned Mississippi into one of our region's most surprising golf destinations.

When you think about the South's major golf centers, Mississippi may not spring to mind first. Such honors, many would say, should go to Florida or the Carolinas. But those folks obviously haven't heard the news: A spate of golf courses-designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Tom Fazio-have opened across the Magnolia State, and they're changing the face of the game for the better.

The national media has certainly taken note. More and more Mississippi courses are finding their way onto coveted lists, such as Golf Magazine's top 100 U.S. public courses (The Azaleas at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, #35). Golf Digest has ranked Mississippi towns (Biloxi/Gulfport and Hattiesburg) among the country's best golf areas. It's no surprise, then, that last year The Golf Insider dubbed the state the best up-andcoming golf destination in the U.S. With around 150 different courses to choose from, vacationers intent on teeing it up can put together a memorable golf trip for a long weekend, seven days, or more. Here are just three examples.

U.S. Open Challenges In West Point

LPGA players are clearly aware of Mississippi's rising reputation. Plenty of them joined the field in 1999 when the U.S. Women's Open took place at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, near Columbus. There, in the midst of a five-win, two-majors year that would propel her t into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, JuIi Inkster set the all-time scoring record for an Open at 16 under par.

Unlike many of the sites used for national championships, Old Waverly does welcome visiting golfers, which means you have a chance to follow in the footsteps of the game's finest. Rated by Golf Digest as the number one course in Mississippi, Old Waverly offers an alluring blend of grace and game. The stately clubhouse calls to mind its namesake, a restored antebellum mansion that sits just down the road. For all that grandeur, though, the place isn't stuffy in the least. It's relaxed, hospitable, and a blast to play.

These bent grass greens may be the most manicured you'll see outside of Augusta, and the course layout, which Jerry Pate and Bob Cupp designed to loop across nearly 400 acres, provides challenges aplenty. The most eye-catching hole, though, is the par 3 No. 7. From the tips, your ball has to span a creek and Palmer Falls as it climbs steeply uphill 205 yards to an undulating green. Even once you're safely aboard, you can still be faced with a treacherous, sliding putt. But, after all, isn't that what you'd expect on a U.S. Open course?

A Delta Nod to the British

The royal and ancient game wasn't always played on the pampered courses of today. The sport was born on the wild strands of land that linked Scotland's shores with the fields beyond. By tradition, even nowadays, the ground is rumpled, barren of trees, pocked with deep bunkers, lined by tall grasses, and buffeted by flag-snapping winds. While The Delta bears scant resemblance to St. Andrews, and Tunica is certainly no Royal Troon, River Bend Golf Links provides a fun imitation of Scottish golf, Southern style.

The course, generally level and mostly straightforward, features the requisite humps and mounds that deflect balls in unexpected-and usually unwanted-directions. The only trees to be seen are those that stand in a thick row between the holes and a lazy curl of the Mississippi River, from which the site draws its name. Uneven patches of waist-high grass dot the edges of the fairways, threatening to gobble up any errant shots. Hitting it straight pays premiums here, but if you can keep it in the fairway and putt with consistency, you should have your way on this track.

Bridges Built by a King

Down by the Gulf, Arnold Palmer, long known as The King, has created a course for the ages. The Bridges Golf Club at Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis offers a stiff test of golf in an unforgettable setting. Just how strong is that test? When you sign up for a golf package here, they give you a dozen free balls. Know this: You may well need most of them by the time you tap in at No. 18.

Each cart comes equipped with a detailed yardage book for the course, which you should study carefully. One glance, though, and you'll recognize where the course got its name. There are some 21 bridges, along with a water feature on almost every hole, and where there's not, there are wide swaths of wetlands. You need to land your tee shot at just the right distance, or you'll be looking at trouble for your second swing.

The par 3 seventh hole is all carry over marsh, while No. 8 is a short-and devilishly tricky-par 4 that fronts the St. Louis Bay. You can drive the green, but hit into one of those fairway bunkers, and you're facing certain bogey. On the par 5 finish, the green seems to hide behind water, calling for a precise approach shot. Par here is one of those feats you'll be bragging about after returning home.

DIANNE YOUNG

Playing Tips

* Both River Bend Golf Links and The Bridges are members of Mississippi's acclaimed Magnolia Golf Trail. Organized last year by the Mississippi Development Authority Division of Tourism, the trail includes 14 courses throughout the state. By purchasing a MGT Player's Card, a golfer receives reduced greens fees at participating courses.

For example, regular greens fees at River Bend run $60 before noon and $45 after. With a trail card, the morning charge drops to $45. At The Bridges, rates normally are $65 Monday-Thursday, $95 Friday-Sunday, and half off after 3:30 p.m. on any day. The trail card here will save you from $10 to $15 per round. For more information on the Magnolia Golf Trail, visit www.magnolia golftrail.com, or call 1-866-468-7245. For more on River Bend Golf Links, visit www.riverbend links.com, or call 1-888-539-9990. For more about The Bridges, visit www.casinomagicbaystlouis.com/course.asp, or call (228) 463-4047.

* To play at Old Waverly Goif Club, sign on for the "Stay and Play" program that allows you to stay in on-club accommodations and schedule a round. Lodging rates start at $ 110; a round of golf costs $110 on a weekday and $140 on the weekend. For more visit www.oldwaverly.net, or call (662) 494-6463.