Luxury for less the Gulf Coast way: High-end hotels, golf courses with mid-range rates
With steals like Kiva Dunes and Shell Landing Golf Club, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Alabama Gulf Shores are prime destinations for golfers looking to live large. These are the rare spots in today's high-thread-count-chasing world where you can get luxury for less.
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Alabama Golf Features
There's life after Katrina for golfers in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Ala. took a hard right hand from Katrina. The good news is that the city has pretty much completely recovered from the storm, and business has returned to normal. All this is great news for golfers, who have known for years Mobile has a number of excellent golf courses.
... full article »Follow the pros from Alabama to Texas on Gulf Coast golf courses the PGA Tour visits
The Gulf Coast, from the Florida Panhandle to the Redneck Riviera, to the Texas coast, is one of the most geologically interesting places in the world. From the unnaturally white sand beaches to the bayous of Louisiana to the oil platforms off the Texas coast, it's a place where thousands of people choose to spend their vacations. The area also has a ton of golf courses up, down and near the coast, cooled by Gulf breezes and warmed by Southern latitudes.
... full article »Gulf Shores, Alabama goes from 'emerging' to 'emerged'
Unlike Myrtle Beach, Gulf Shores is a golf first, nightlife second destination. Golf widows take solace in the fact the area is devoid of gentlemen's clubs. There are plenty of local establishments, however, at which to belly up. It is easy to see how tales of 36 holes a day and honky tonks by night may paint a picture of a golf destination that oozes testosterone. Allow us to digress. The region's unique blend of sugar sand beaches, affordable golf and unforgettable eateries sets up perfectly for a couples golf trip.
... full article »Architect Earl Stone still going strong at 77
Stone's courses are loved by the bogey golfer because he makes them playable. Most golfers don't want to get beat up every time they play, so Stone's philosophy is welcome, and they'll be glad to know he doesn't plan to quit anytime soon. Now, at age 77, with a strong body of work all over the South, especially in Alabama, his phone still rings and that's good news for all of us.
... full article »Things you thought you knew, need to know and wish you never found out
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama, a unified system of golf courses spanning eight cities comprised of 378 holes (with more on the way), is even more daunting to summarize concisely than it is to play. The following are random notes, facts, and figures that may lead to a better, and possibly more confused, understanding of this remarkable golf destination. In case you hadn't heard, the Trail courses are difficult. They're also long. Lead architect Roger Rulewich, an associate of the late Robert Trent Jones for 34 years, worked alongside project manager Bobby Vaughan for three years to bring the courses to life. Difficulty and length were mandates from the beginning.
... full article »Golf Podcast: There's life after Hurricane Katrina in Mobile, Ala.
The golf courses in the historic city of Mobile, Ala., which sits on Mobile Bay, have completely recovered from Hurricane Katrina. Lakewood Golf Club, Magnolia Grove (a Robert Trent Jones Trail facility), Azalea City, Rock Creek Golf Club and Timbercreek Golf Club each offer Gulf Coast golfers a mix of challenge and playability. Listen to a podcast about the current state of Mobile after Hurricane Katrina.
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Mississippi Golf Features
With steals like Kiva Dunes and Shell Landing Golf Club, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Alabama Gulf Shores are prime destinations for golfers looking to live large. These are the rare spots in today's high-thread-count-chasing world where you can get luxury for less.
... full article »Mississippi's best golf resorts mix high stakes gambling with superb courses
Mississippi was the home of riverboat gamblers in the Old West, floating casinos in the modern era and, in post-Hurricane Katrina, land-based casinos. As the state has developed, so have its golf courses and golf resorts. It's one of the few states where you can mix golf and gambling, though all the resorts mentioned here don't have casinos. Here is our list of the best golf resorts in Mississippi.
... full article »Creole, Thai, French, down-home and soul: Biloxi restaurants offer golfers diverse menus
Mississippi Gulf Coast has a string of good golf courses, big fancy casinos and, believe it or not, excellent restaurants. You don't have to go all the way to New Orleans for great eats. Here are a few suggestions to chew on as you consider your golf trip to the Biloxi area.
... full article »Biloxi, driven by casinos and golf, rebuilding pretty much on its own
Going on two years after Hurricane Katrina hit in August of 2005, the Gulf Coast, particularly Biloxi, has made tremendous strides to returning to pre-Katrina tourist levels. Two of the driving forces behind the economic recovery have been the casinos and the golf courses.
... full article »Give thanks to Biloxi: Its golf courses are back in business
Nature did its worst, but a year-plus later the biggest problem facing Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is man-made: perception. "People don't know we're back to functioning normally," said Steve Richer, executive director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.
... full article »Try these parks for RV camping and golf on the Gulf Coast
So you have the urge to pack your clubs and hit the road with the open Gulf of Mexico out the window of your RV. There are golf courses stretched all along the Gulf Coast, many of them first-class, but do you really want to lumber into a ritzy country club course in your behemoth RV? Well, there are some RV resorts with courses right on the grounds. You'll never have to disconnect your 50 amp plug-in!
... full article »Women who don't want to gamble on overly long, macho courses should try these in Biloxi
The Biloxi, Miss., area is a good place for women golfers. There are some fairly difficult courses along the Mississippi coast, like Shell Landing and The Bridges, which women might want to consider before playing. On the other hand, there are some that women particularly seem to enjoy, writes National Golf Editor Tim McDonald. He takes a look at some of the best, including Great Southern Golf Club, Grand Bear and Sunkist Country Club.
... full article »Biloxi, where casinos and golf courses meet the wide, wide Gulf
Casinos began arriving in Biloxi, Miss., in the early '90s and turned a hard-working seaport town, which also doubled as a warm-weather retreat for wealthy Northerners, into what marketers like to call an "emerging destination." One fairly recent tourism thrust is geared to golf. There are now 300 holes in the area that are within easy driving distance of each other and the casinos and beaches.
... full article »Tunica County turning into legitimate destination
Tunica County has become one of the nation's most unlikely tourist destinations in a little over a decade. In 1991, at the time casinos became legal in Mississippi, it had just 20 hotel rooms. Nine casinos and 13 years later, the community is bustling with activity. With 14,200 slot machines, gambling will always be the top draw, but as Jason Scott reports, golf is gaining.
... full article »Governor Haley Barbour is in charge on the course
When the most powerful man in the state makes the rules on the first tee, you better listen. As Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour prepares to tee off at Annandale Golf Club, he turns around to the three foursomes in his golfing party and sets the record straight. Barbour might sound like that former Democratic President who uses mulligans like they're mandatory, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Barbour is as Republican as they come. He's a close friend of President George W. Bush and a former Republican National Party chair.
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