Hundreds of Course Rating Panelists Reviewed Candidates to Identify Excellence From Among the Nation?s Very Newest
(JACKSON, Mississippi) – The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) Division of Tourism today announces that three golf courses in the Magnolia State – Fallen Oak, The Preserve and The Dogwoods at Hugh White State Park – have been voted America’s Best New Courses for 2007 by Golf Digest Magazine.
The Dogwoods was also singled out as “America’s Best New Bargain” by the national publication.
“Whoever said you get what you pay for hasn’t played The Dogwoods,” wrote Golf Digest about the Gary Roger Baird design which can be played for $39, with cart. Golf Digest pointed out that The Dogwoods is “the highest rated course (fifth) with the lowest green fee on our Best New Public Course Under $75 list.”
Golf Digest’s annual survey of America’s Best New Courses is conducted by a panel of more than 800 golfers who considered nominees that had opened (or reopened after a remodel) between May 1, 2006, and April 30, 2007. The publication’s panelists rated courses on their Shot Values, Design Variety, Resistance to Scoring, Memorability and Aesthetics. The categories are Private Courses, Public Courses (Under $75 and $75 and Over), Private Remodel, Public Remodel and Canadian.
“Mississippi is delighted to have our courses recognized for excellence by Golf Digest,” says Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division Director D. Craig Ray. “We hope this moves golfers to visit our great state and discover why Mississippi is rapidly becoming known as the nation’s best golf-and-gaming destination.”
Golf Digest America’s Best panelists voted Fallen Oak No. 2 in the category of Public Courses $75 and Over.
Located 15 miles north of the Beau Rivage on a 510-acre tract in Biloxi, Mississippi, Fallen Oak runs adjacent to the DeSoto National Forest. Owned by the opulent Beau Rivage Resort & Casino it is a "sister" course to Shadow Creek, MGM MIRAGE’s hyper-luxurious course in Las Vegas.
Fallen Oak measures a muscular, PGA Tour caliber 7,480 yards from the tips, and the course is characterized by a lush, rolling landscape covered in oak and pine ridges, magnolias, pecan groves, large lakes, winding streams and wetlands. It features 10 bridges and concealed cart paths to protect the terrain’s natural features.
Typical of its top-line brand and quality, MGM MIRAGE spared no expense in building Fallen Oak, including a SubAir drainage system, which alternately heats and vacuums moisture out of the greens to keep them consistent and healthy; transplanting more than 1,000 oaks, magnolia, pine and other hardwood trees; more than 3,500 tons of Ohio-based, Tour Grade Signature Blend bunker sand, which was brought by barge down the Mississippi River to Mobile, Ala., and trucked to the sit; and approximately 125 acres of sod, enough to cover 96 football fields.
Designed by legendary course architect Tom Fazio Fallen Oak is exclusively for guests of Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. For more information, visit www.beaurivage.com, or for reservations call (888) 567-6667.
Located a short drive from Fallen Oak on the Gulf Coast is The Preserve Golf Club in Vancleave. Like Fallen Oak, The Preserve was honored by Golf Digest as an America’s Best New Public Course ($75 and Over category) and ranked No. 6.
Designed by world-class course architect and former U.S. Open Champion Jerry Pate, The Preserve is an upscale, “core” golf course with no homes built around it. The par 71 championship layout offers superior service, immaculate course conditions and five sets of tees. As an Audubon International Signature Course, The Preserve meets high standards to protect the local environment.
Pate is no stranger to crafting Mississippi masterpieces – he was co-designer along with Bob Cupp on Old Waverly, which was ranked as one of Golf Digest’s elite “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.”
The Sandhill Crane Refuge and Nature Conservancy – all 1,800 unspoiled acres of it – borders The Preserve’s 245 acres. Old Fort Bayouhugs the east side of the course. Deer, sandhill cranes and hawks are seen on the property, and pitcher plant bogs, cypress swamps, long leaf pine savannah, live oak groves and native grass prairies have been integrated into the design.
Golfers who enjoy The Preserve should consider a stay-and-play package with the Palace Casino Resort, a AAA Four Diamond Award property which is affiliated with The Preserve. For more information or tee times at The Preserve call 228-386-2500.
The Dogwoods at Hugh White State Park is the third Mississippi course to garner best-new distinction from Golf Digest.
Located in Grenada in the Northwest quadrant of Mississippi between Jackson and Memphis, Tenn., the course is a player friendly gem surrounded by unspoiled natural beauty in every direction.
Thirty-foot-tall dogwood trees grace the course, which is set on tranquil, sloping property overlooking the 63,000-acre Grenada Lake in north-central Mississippi. The Dogwoods is built on an impressive scale, with greens as large as 10,000 square feet and fairways up to 80 yards wide, all garnished with rough-edged Alister MacKenzie-inspired bunkering and mounding.
The Dogwoods is a par-72 layout measuring 7,300 yards from the back tees. It is one of three highly regarded golf courses at state parks inMississippi. The other two are Quail Hollow in McComb at Percy Quin State Park, and Mallard Point in Sardis at John Kyle State Park. For more information about The Dogwoods call 800-373-2571.
About Mississippi Golf
Mississippi’s 2007 Golf Guide is live and can be viewed by visiting http://www.visitmississippi.org/golf/ and clicking on the ONLINE GOLF GUIDE icon.
The state’s 2007 Golf Guide lists information about courses, accommodations and package information, including breaking down the info into Mississippi’s five diverse topographical and cultural regions:
* The Delta – birthplace of the Blues and comprised of Northwestern flatlands
* The Hills – home of gently rolling, Northeastern landscapes
* The Pines – located in the Central-East part of the state and blanketed with quiet forests
* The Capital/River – with its winding waterways and rich history in the state’s Central-Southwest
* The Coastal – located in the South and featuring the Gulf of Mexico’s sparkling water and beaches
Mississippi’s is the nation’s greatest golf-and-gaming tourism destination thanks to the more than two dozen resort casinos throughout the state, many with acclaimed golf clubs as amenities.
Attractions contributing to Mississippi’s growing popularity as a preferred golf-and-travel destination are:
* Great year-round weather and direct flights from major carriers
* More than 150 courses offering all price points and design varieties in five distinct regions
* New and existing courses designed by top golf course architects that garner national recognition
* World-famous cuisine, blues music and luxurious casino resorts offering big-name entertainment
* Family-themed attractions of all types
* Widespread acclaim from the annual PGA Tour golf tournament held in Jackson
* History, heritage and architecture, including Antebellum Era mansions turned award-winning B&B venues.
In addition to being annually acclaimed for its great golf courses and other tourism attractions, Mississippi has collected a slew of distinctions recently. For instance, ZAGAT Survey, Golf Digest, Golfweek and Golf magazines have previously rated Mississippi courses as some of the best in the nation.
For more information about Mississippi golf, gaming and other tourism opportunities call 1-866-801-8551 or visit www.visitmississippi.org.
Contact:
Dan Shepherd, 703-891-3320
Buffalo Communications, dshepherd@billycaspergolf.com
