Ranking Places MGM MIRAGE’S Tom Fazio-Designed Masterpiece In Top 1 Percent Of Country’s 10,000 Courses Created Since 1960
BILOXI, Miss. – March 25, 2009 – In what has become a recurring theme that reflects the beauty and challenge of the course, Fallen Oak debuted at No. 55 on Golfweek’s prestigious Best 100 Modern Courses.
The honor came on the heels of the publication naming Fallen Oak the No. 2 Top Casino course in the country for the second time. It was yet another mention in a long string of honors bestowed on the Tom Fazio-designed golf course that has become the crown jewel of Gulf Coast courses in the two-plus years since it’s November 2006 opening.
Golfweek’s admiration for Fallen Oak doesn’t end there. The respected weekly selected the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino 22nd among its 2009 Top 100 Golf Resorts, the first time Fallen Oak’s parent earned that distinction.
“These latest honors are a testament to not only Tom Fazio and his team, but to the people who make playing Fallen Oak such an unique golfing experience,” said George P. Corchis, Jr., president and chief operating officer of MGM MIRAGE’s Mississippi resorts, which includes Beau Rivage in Biloxi and the Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica. “When you see what goes into creating and maintaining such a special place like Fallen Oak, it makes it that much easier to appreciate huge honors such as these from Golfweek. We could not be more pleased.”
According to Golfweek’s 2007 Rater’s Handbook, Fallen Oak’s inclusion in the Top 100 Modern list places the course among the elite 1 percent of courses designed since 1960, the cutoff between the publication’s Classic and Modern categories. The handbook states there are about 10,000 Modern Courses, of which 1,400 were considered for inclusion.
Golfweek’s raters rank the courses using 10 criteria: Routing, Quality of Shaping, Overall Land Plan, Greens and Surrounds, Variety and Memorability of Par 3s, Variety and Memorability of Par 4s, Variety and Memorability of Par 5s, Tree and Landscape Management, Conditioning and what the publication calls a “Walk in the Park” test, or how memorable the experience is for a golfer.
Fallen Oak received a score of 7.03 out of a possible 10. The average Modern Course received a 5.46.
Fallen Oak’s debut on Golfweek’s Top 100 Modern Courses list is noteworthy for the courses it vaulted past to earn that No. 55 spot. Behind it are such courses as Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Ala. (No. 65), Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn – the site of this year’s PGA Championship – Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind. (No. 69) and Valhalla in Louisville, Ky. (No. 84), the site of last year’s Ryder Cup, all of which have hosted major championships.
“Fallen Oak Golf Club is an ornately sculpted Tom Fazio design,” writes Golfweek Senior Writer Brad Klein.
Speaking of Fazio, his Fallen Oak design is one of 21 Modern courses the noted architect has on the Top 100 list. That’s the most of any Modern architect and second behind the legendary Donald Ross among all architects.
What earned Fallen Oak its latest honors are the same elements that brought it to the forefront of players of all levels of skill and experience from the moment the course opened in November 2006. Unique among Gulf Coast courses, Fallen Oak features dramatic elevation changes, which Fazio incorporated among the more than 4,000 oaks, magnolias, pines and other hardwood trees that join the ponds, streams and wetlands that frame the course.
Aside from those elevation changes, remarkably true-rolling greens and Fazio’s dynamic design tactics of using the DeSoto National Forest and all its inherent natural elements as a template, the multi-million dollar course features gently rolling terrain and pecan orchards amid the oaks, pines and magnolias.
The clubhouse and practice facilities alone put Fallen Oak among the top courses in the region. Built to resemble an Acadian-style Southern mansion, the 12,000-square foot clubhouse houses a 1,000-square foot pro shop and locker facilities. The 70-seat lounge and restaurant features top-level dining and a panoramic views of the 18th hole, as well as the majestic live oak that gives Fallen Oak its name.
Last year, that clubhouse was voted one of the “Best 19th Holes in Golf” by Golf Digest Magazine.
Joining the heralded Shadow Creek as the only golf courses built by MGM MIRAGE for their guests, Fallen Oak is located on a 510-acre tract at the edge of the DeSoto National Forest.
From the moment guests enter the lush and picturesque course through the gated front entrance, they know they are someplace special. With a personal greeting upon arrival, swing tips on the practice facility, exceptional caddy service, on-course food and beverage and chilled scented towels, Beau Rivage guests find a round at Fallen Oak that delivers an experience that is memorable and unrivaled in the region.
Stretching to a hearty 7,487 yards from the back tees, Fallen Oak offers golfers five sets of tees and strategic play options as each hole winds through ever-changing terrain and environments.
Fallen Oak is available exclusively for guests of Beau Rivage. Greens fees for this elite MGM MIRAGE golf experience are $200. To make reservations, call (877) 805-4657 or visit www.beaurivage.com.
ABOUT BEAU RIVAGE:
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, named one of the top 100 hotels in the continental United States and Canada by Travel + Leisure Magazine, opened on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1999. The property re-opened for business August 29, 2006 following a dramatic $550-million renovation. Beau Rivage is a wholly owned subsidiary of MGM MIRAGE, the premier entertainment, hotel and gaming company in the world. For more information or to make reservations, call (888) 56-ROOMS or visit www.beaurivage.com.
ABOUT FAZIO GOLF COURSE DESIGNERS:
Throughout his 40 years in golf course design, Tom Fazio and his staff of talented designers have been recognized for creating award-winning courses throughout the United States. No living designer has more credits on Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses and Golfweek’s collection of America’s Best. The Golf Digest poll for Best Modern Day Golf Course Architect was discontinued after Tom claimed the award three consecutive times, and he has also received The Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
ABOUT MGM MIRAGE:
MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM), one of the world’s leading and most respected companies with significant holdings in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, owns and operates 16 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has 50% investments in four other properties in Nevada, New Jersey, Illinois and Macau. CityCenter, an unprecedented urban metropolis on the Las Vegas Strip scheduled to open in late 2009, is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World. MGM MIRAGE Hospitality has entered into management agreements for future casino and non-casino resorts in the People’s Republic of China, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and Vietnam. MGM MIRAGE supports responsible gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its properties. MGM MIRAGE has received numerous awards and recognitions for its industry-leading Diversity Initiative and its community philanthropy programs. For more information about MGM MIRAGE, please visit the Company’s Web site at http://www.mgmmirage.com.
Contact:
Mary Cracchiolo-Spain, Beau Rivage, (228) 386-7134
Brian Robin, Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc., (818) 462-5610
