Page 94 - Play Coastal Mississippi - Fall, 2024

GOLF & OUTDOORS
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PLAYCOASTALMISSISSIPPII FALL2024
COASTALMISSISSIPPI.COM
Story by Tommy Snell
The cat – or should I say birdie – is out of the bag. Golfers are teeing off on Coastal Mississippi’s 15 challenging courses and returning home to share the remarkable news that Nicklaus, Love, Pate, McCumber, and Palmer, among others, have designed masterpieces that are accessible to every skill level.
From Jerry Pate’s Preserve Golf Club, built in a dedicated wildlife preserve, to Palmer’s Bridges Golf Resort, surrounded by nature’s bayous and marshes, golfers have choices that satisfy their golfing souls. And chosen they have.
The PGA Tour Champions hosted Hall of Famers at Fallen Oak and Grand Bear, while Mark McCumber’s Windance CC was the first venue to host the Hogan Tour (now Korn Ferry). Soon after, Hickory Hill CC and Resort welcomed the Korn Ferry (formerly NIKE Tour). The Oaks GC hosted the Korn Ferry (Buy.Com Tour) two years in a row, with rave reviews from all the PGA Tour players.
The Coast is no stranger to the best players in the world. The Oaks was voted one of the favorite venues for the Korn Ferry Tour and Number 13 was the third hardest hole on that tour in 1999 and 2000. When they check in, golfers can still view Tripp Isenhour’s fabulous 8-under 64 when he won in 2000.
Longtime PGA Tour Rules Official and local Mickey Bradley brought PGA Tour player Jerry Kelly down to Shell Landing GC after Katrina to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Kelly’s buddies John Daly, Bubba Watson, and many others were glad to help and adored the Love design, as well as the Coastal cuisine cooked up by the Bradley family.
Green fees to fit every budget. Challenges suitable to every skill level. A palette for every golfer’s creativity. The only