There are two definitions of the word insanity. The first is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. The second and slightly more obscure version goes something like this: waking up at 4:00 a.m. when it’s 25 degrees outside to drive 10 1/2 hours straight south with the hope of getting in 18 before nightfall. But when the destination is Mississippi, where gambling and golf go together like pinball machines and laundromat, what some may call insanity I call serendipity.

Our four-day, mid-February excursion to The Magnolia State was just what three golf-starved media-yahoos from the Midwest were craving. Kevin “One-Putt” Packard, Andy “All Carry” McCabe, and myself, Glen “Darth Fader” Turk were treated to amazing hospitality, gourmet cuisine, and incredible weather throughout our journey. Before our trip, my thoughts of Mississippi consisted of Brett Favre, bayou country, and the collective works of Mark Twain. (I prefer the collective works of Shania Twain, but that’s for another magazine.) After our expedition you can add an exciting casino atmosphere and affordable, enjoyable golf to that list.

Janet Leach of the Mississippi Department of Tourism explains why golf and gaming go so well together. “Tunica’s golf and gaming offerings, as well as the state at large, have much in common. Perhaps most dynamically is their growth and rapid ascension from largely unsung entities to best-in-kind contenders. Before gaming was approved by the legislature some 13 years ago, Tunica was a relatively poor county. Since then, and thanks to gaming revenue, it has become a county that provides top services– schools, roads, economic development– and quality of life to its residents. Also, it has become a top-notch destination to its visitors, thanks to increasingly added amenities such as top-notch golf courses, Mississippi River Park and Museum, and so on. It has been able to highlight its unique offerings, such as the Mighty Mississippi, Birthplace of the Blues and inimitable Southern hospitality.” Thanks Janet for showing me how to properly use the word “inimitable” in a sentence.

After a 10 hour plus jaunt down a quarter of the U.S. Interstate System, we arrived at Tunica National Golf and Tennis Club just after 3:00 p.m. Tunica is located 20 miles south of Memphis and is America’s third-largest gaming region next to Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The Mark McCumber design plays over 7200 yards from the tips and is links-style golf through and through. The main difference though, water impacts over two-thirds of the property. The four par-3’s are stunning-with only the 11th giving the golfer a hazard-free look at the putting surface.

And in one the finest on-course nuances I’ve ever seen, golfers must drive their golf cart through a bunker in order to get back to the cart path on the par-3 eighth hole. I believe the definition of “buried lie” would be if your ball found its way into a set of fresh tire tracks.

Director of golf Bob Wolcott loves Tunica National’s diversity. “Every hole is unique because of being in the Delta the course needs to flex or play, challenge, and still be fair for the golfer in a south or north wind. Holes 12, 13, 14 is what I call ‘Amen Corner’ because you have a great par-4 (No. 12) that is difficult to make par on, the great par-3 13th with water to the right, bunker left and trees long. This hole has great ambience because the14 tees are near the green which is a reachable par-5 if you place your tee shot between the bunkers. Then your second shot is over water with the huge clubhouse in the background that provides grand view.”

After coming up the 18th in total darkness (I knew McCabe shouldn’t have gotten the Mega Buddy Cola in Litchfield, Illinois, but I digress.) at Tunica National, we crossed Hwy. 61 and checked into The Grand Casino Hotel. The Grand is one of nine casinos in a four-mile stretch and features more flashing lights than the streets of Chicago after midnight. Simply put the Grand was grand– immaculate rooms, great service, and as we would soon find out one of the finest restaurants in the nation.

Honestly, do you really know what to expect when you’re eating at a casino? Well from now on, I’m expecting a five-star dining experience like the one we received at the Café Sonoma inside the Horseshoe Casinot led by head chef-----. The meal began with Salt ‘n Pepper Shrimp, Baby Arugula Salad on Parmesan Galette, and the finest mini-Crab Bisque Gratin soup I have ever had. The main course consisted of a superlative sampling of Swordfish, Cedar-Plank Scallops, a 14 oz. Filet, and the coup de grace– Asian Style Chilean Sea Bass. Overall, our two hour gorge-fest was one of the best culinary experiences we have ever had!
Top it all off with Chocolate Bombe’s w/ Coconut Bavarian and I wish I would have tried harder in writing class. Maybe then I’d be a portly, well-respected food critic instead of a thin and inadequate golf writer.

Most people view not needing an expandable belt after downing a meal of such epic proportion as beating the house, but not Packard and McCabe. They decided losing a little coin at every blackjack, craps, and slot machine would be a fitting way to end a day only fit for Caligula. Now that’s what I call losing an after-dinner mint. But that’s ok, the boys of spring still had three more days of golf and gaming ahead of them, and if luck wasn’t part of the casino equation we’d all be winners.


Day two started with an early tee time at Cottonwoods Golf Course, a Hale Irwin design that’s adjacent to the Grand Casino. Cottonwoods hosted the famous “What are you guys doing here?” Brett Favre non-retirement press conference last April. Of the three courses we played in Tunica, Cottonwoods is the most championship-caliber of the lot. Beautifully sculpted mounding, moguls, and bunkering give Cottonwoods a mystique all it’s own. Throw in an immaculate, southern-style clubhouse, a full service locker room, driving range, and restaurant, and it’s no wonder the Favre family choose Cottonwoods as their tournament host. PGA Tour pro John Daly has also hosted his “Lion’s Heart” charity outing at Cottonwoods.

Director of Golf Matt McNeil discusses a few of his favorite holes at Cottonwoods. “My favorite holes on the course are 16, 17, & 18. Number 16 is our signature hole, it is a par-3 that plays 185 yards from the back tee with a four- tier green that is situated on a large island. The green on 16 features four levels with dramatic undulations that can be used to work the ball into the difficult pin positions. Number 17 is a mid-length par-5 that measure 515 from the back tees and has water down the entire right side of the hole. With an aggressive tee shot, this hole can be reached in 2 shots. The green has a huge slope in the green that feeds right to left. If you leave your 2nd or 3rd shot left of the green, it makes for a difficult up and down while favoring the right side brings the water into play. Number 18 is a long par four that usually plays into a stiff breeze. The hole plays 445 from the back tees and requires a good approach shot to a three-tiered green guarded by three bunkers. These three holes can make or break your round especially if your match is down to the wire with your playing partners.”

Of course golf is one of our favorite pastimes, but it’s not all we do. We watch college basketball as well, especially when it’s tournament time. And it just happened our trip coincided with round one of the NCAA Tournament. So after a morning 18 at Cottonwoods we retreated back to our hotel rooms, grabbed a sandwich in the lobby and watched UWM (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) trounce yet another “Power Conference” representative in Oklahoma. The gaming board knew we were coming, so they came up with this bogus “no-betting on sporting events” policy, so we could only line our pockets with Panther pride during the trip instead of the monetary stuff.


Then it was off to River Bend Links, a similar layout to Tunica National in form and function.(I don’t know what that last line means, I just saw on a recent car commercial so I went with it.) In all reality, River Bend is links-style golf, with nine water features that come into play on seven holes. It was here where MGM stalwart Kevin Packard earned the moniker “One-Putt”, taking only a single-stroke to navigate 12 of the 18 greens at River Bend Links. Included in the short stick display, two consecutive birdies for the first time in his career. In past articles I have been critical of Packard, comparing his swing to Charles Barkley’s, or a guy who knows he’s double-parked. But all in fairness to Kevin, he represented himself as the true media hound he is- a guy who plays golf for a living, yet doesn’t get paid to do so. Well done, Packard. Overall, River Bend Links is an extremely player-friendly course, complete with smooth greens and a good 20 yards of extra roll if you find the fairway. If the casinos have beaten you up, fight back by playing River Bend Links.

Day three began with yet another morning tee time in West Point, MS, home of Old Waverly. Please see the inserted feature on what the locals call “The Golf Club of the Mississippi.”
The final day of our Mississippi adventure took us to Olive Branch, an out-lying suburb of Memphis, Tenn. just inside the Mississippi state line. Here you will find two wonderful courses, The Plantation and Cherokee Valley. They are both owned and operated by Mike Herrington, whose father Clay served as Olive Branch’s mayor from 1960 to 1976. It was during this time where the elder Herrington understood the positive power that golf could have upon the community. “My father got Olive Branch C.C. started in 1967 and he realized what a social game golf was and how it created life-long friendships,” stated Mike Herrington. He built and operated the highly-successful Holiday Golf Club for 16 years and then opened The Plantation in 1990. He started Cherokee Valley in 1994 but passed away before it was completed in 1996. To me he’ll always be the ‘Grandfather of Golf in Olive Branch.’ I’m just here trying not to mess it up.”

Both courses offer ridiculously low stay and play packages through the Hampton Inn in Olive Branch. “During the last two years we’ve run a very successful promotion where you can play one or our two courses and receive a night stay for only $79 per person from November 1st until May 1st,” stated Herrington. For more information on this package, call (662) 895-3530 or visit www.olivebranchgolf.com.

Mike served as our tour guide for a glorious round at The Plantation—a course whose condition is only outmatched by its service. To Mike, those two factors have to come to the forefront on a daily basis. “We have a wonderful combination of grass in the mid-south– bentgrass greens that sustain themselves during the hot summer and zoysia fairways that don’t take big divots. It’s like hitting off a driving range mat! Our staff rotates between the two courses and most of them have been here for years. It has always been our goal to make our guests feel like a country club member for a day.”

So our four-day, three-night epic journey to the The Magnolia State was complete. Now it was time to head back to the cruel remainder of a Wisconsin winter. But we wouldn’t have “Miss” issippi-ed it for the world




The Grand Casino/Hotel • Tunica, MS
1-800-WIN-4-WIN www.grandcasinotunica.com
 
 Café Sonoma • Tunica, MS
1-800-303-7463 or www.grandcasinos.com

Fitzgeralds Casino/Hotel • Tunica, MS
1-800-766-LUCK or www.fitzgeraldstunica.com
 
Tunica National Golf and Tennis • Tunica, MS
1-866-TEE-OFF1 or www.tunicanational.com

Cottonwoods Golf Course • Tunica, MS
1-800-946-4946 or www.grandcasinos.com

River Bend Links • Tunica, MS
1-888-539-9990 or www.riverbendlinks.com

Old Waverly • West Point, MS
(662) 494-6463 or www.oldwaverly.net

Cherokee Valley G.C. • Olive Branch, MS
(662) www.olivebranchgolf.com

The Plantation Golf Club • Olive Branch, MS
(662) 895-3530 or www.olivebranchgolf.com

For All Things Mississippi •
Go to www.visitmississippi.org

Old Waverly Golf Club


Have you noticed that when it comes to golf fashion, what’s old is new again. How else can you explain the recent trend of Trucker hats and white shoes on the PGA Tour. The same goes for golf courses as well. If a course can exude history after just being built, that inherent old-school feel can go a long way in providing a memorable experience.

The finest example of a throwback course in Mississippi is Old Waverly in West Point. The course has the lure of a 100 year-old treasure in the time it took MTV to completely stop playing music videos. Finished in 1988, “The Golf Club of Mississippi” is a Jerry Pate and Bobby Cupp design that is named after the 1814 Sir Walter Scott historic novel “Waverley.” In only 18 years, Old Waverly has hosted multiple USGA events including the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open won by Juli Inskster. This October, the course will entertain the top female amateur players in the game during the 2006 Mid-AM. Please refer to the “Making History” graphic on page 33 for a full list of prestigious tournaments hosted Old Waverly.

It doesn’t take long to realize that Old Waverly is like playing golf on the set of “Gone With The Wind.” The entire property is stately, elegant, pristine, and revered. On-course villas and cottages provide an opportunity for non-members to enjoy all the benefits that their over 700 members receive. Yes, that’s not a typo—Old Waverly has over 700 members from around the world. Their membership packages are divided into four specific categories– local, non-resident, corporate, and juniors.

Even though the spectacular golf blew me away, Old Waverly is so much more than just sticking a tee in the ground. Members can enjoy tennis, swimming, and fishing on Lake Waverly, which creates a triangle in the middle of holes 10, 11, 12, 17, and 18. The property also features a Lavender Rose Garden, a gourmet restaurant, an exercise room, and a playground. If I could have gotten my personal affects over-nighted to me I may still be there.
The finest holes on the property are numbers 1-18, and I promise you that’s no cop-out. Every hole is distinctive whether it’s the first six tree-lined holes or the second six more open, marshland vistas. The final six holes combine the first 12 in perfect harmony, especially the incredible par-4 385 yard 18th. But like all the really top-notch venues in America– the course is just part of a winning equation. “We have the greatest staff in the world. From top to bottom our staff is dedicated to making Old Waverly the best. It goes deeper than just taking care of our member and guests, you can pay people to do that,” stated Director of Golf Chris Jester. It comes from the staff truly wanting to do anything we can to make our members and guests experience better.”

I don’t believe I have ever played a course with so many natural wonders. Magnolias complement the Red Bud trees, glistening lakes frame greens from far away and pine, maple and elm trees line plush fairways. One round is all it takes at Old Waverly to realize it’s a must play in any time period.


Other Mississippi Hot Spots

The golf is always greener in DeSoto County, where mild weather means our four championship courses are seldom dusted with snow. We have more exciting golf choices than most areas even dream of, and it’s all sandwiched between the casino thrills and shows of Tunica and the world-famous music and attractions of Memphis.

It’s a golfer’s paradise, with on-site PGA professionals and challenging courses designed by Don Cottle, Sr., D. A. Weibring, and Leo Leathers and Don Markle. And with green fees as low as $25, you can spend far more time on the links while putting far less stress on your wallet.

Each of our unique golf clubs features 18 holes, challenging fairways, beautifully manicured greens, complete practice facilities and outstanding clubhouses. Set among beautiful hardwood trees and natural beauty, Wedgewood Golfers Club was voted by Golf Digest as one of the Top 10 Best Mississippi Courses. Wooded enclaves, steeply inclined bunkers and rolling hills highlight The Club at North Creek. Cherokee Valley Golf Club extends a challenging game with 11 lakes, 78 bunkers, wide fairways and clean, forgiving roughs, while Plantation Golf Club offers a cutting-edge game with well-placed berms and 35 acres of water framing many of the holes.

At the end of the day, indulge in delectable dining from upscale bistros to down-home cafes and then recharge at one of our exceptional bed & breakfasts or other excellent lodging options. You’ll find all you need for a relaxing, rejuvenating golf escape in DeSoto County!