Jackson, Miss. – The Mississippi Development Authority Division of Tourism says fiscal year 2005 sales (July 1 2004 through June 30, 2005) at Mississippi public golf courses increased 48.2 percent over FY 2004.
“Golf travelers are discovering Mississippi offers great golf, great gaming and much more,” says D. Craig Ray, MDA Tourism Division director. “Visitors tell us they love complementing their unique golf experiences in Mississippi with trips to our Vegas-style casino resorts, world-famous music, renowned culinary offerings, Southern hospitality and our history, heritage and architecture.”
Attractions contributing to Mississippi’s growing popularity 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; and
· History, heritage and architecture, including Antebellum Era mansions turned award-winning B&B venues.
“Mississippi has worked hard to entice avid golf-and-gaming travelers to visit our great state, because we knew if we got them here once, they would come back,” says Ray. “The sales increases demonstrate the rising trend of visitors to Mississippi and we hope increasingly more visitors will judge our offerings for themselves.”
Highly regarded golf-course architects are well-represented in Mississippi, including Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Davis Love III, Jerry Pate, Bob Cupp, Arthur Hills, Hale Irwin and others.
There are numerous award-winning golf courses in Mississippi such as:
· Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, which will host the USGA’s 2006 Women’s Mid-Amateur, was the host site of the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open won by Julie Inkster and was recently named No. 96 in Golf Digest magazine’s “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.”
· Dancing Rabbit at Pearl River Resort and Casino in Philadelphia, which boasts two 18-hole championship courses jointly designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate – Azaleas and Oaks – with the Azaleas course being named No. 70 in Golf Digest’s “America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses.”
Several new golf courses are being developed and will open in the near future, including Fallen Oak by Tom Fazio, a stunning track which is owned by the Beau Rivage Casino Resort, and offerings from Arnold Palmer, Jerry Pate and others.
“We’re experiencing tremendous golf-tourism growth as people begin to understand the golf-and-gaming destination diamond we are,” says Ray. “We have committed the resources necessary to inform the public and invite people to experience Mississippi’s great golf and other attractions, and the return on investment continues to grow.”
Information about Mississippi golf is available by calling 866-801-8551 or visiting www.visitmississippi.org.
“Golf travelers are discovering Mississippi offers great golf, great gaming and much more,” says D. Craig Ray, MDA Tourism Division director. “Visitors tell us they love complementing their unique golf experiences in Mississippi with trips to our Vegas-style casino resorts, world-famous music, renowned culinary offerings, Southern hospitality and our history, heritage and architecture.”
Attractions contributing to Mississippi’s growing popularity 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; and
· History, heritage and architecture, including Antebellum Era mansions turned award-winning B&B venues.
“Mississippi has worked hard to entice avid golf-and-gaming travelers to visit our great state, because we knew if we got them here once, they would come back,” says Ray. “The sales increases demonstrate the rising trend of visitors to Mississippi and we hope increasingly more visitors will judge our offerings for themselves.”
Highly regarded golf-course architects are well-represented in Mississippi, including Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Davis Love III, Jerry Pate, Bob Cupp, Arthur Hills, Hale Irwin and others.
There are numerous award-winning golf courses in Mississippi such as:
· Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, which will host the USGA’s 2006 Women’s Mid-Amateur, was the host site of the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open won by Julie Inkster and was recently named No. 96 in Golf Digest magazine’s “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.”
· Dancing Rabbit at Pearl River Resort and Casino in Philadelphia, which boasts two 18-hole championship courses jointly designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate – Azaleas and Oaks – with the Azaleas course being named No. 70 in Golf Digest’s “America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses.”
Several new golf courses are being developed and will open in the near future, including Fallen Oak by Tom Fazio, a stunning track which is owned by the Beau Rivage Casino Resort, and offerings from Arnold Palmer, Jerry Pate and others.
“We’re experiencing tremendous golf-tourism growth as people begin to understand the golf-and-gaming destination diamond we are,” says Ray. “We have committed the resources necessary to inform the public and invite people to experience Mississippi’s great golf and other attractions, and the return on investment continues to grow.”
Information about Mississippi golf is available by calling 866-801-8551 or visiting www.visitmississippi.org.
