 Travel Feature
Tunica County
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And when you’re done with a day on the links, by night the green felt of the blackjack tables awaits at any one of the area’s nine casinos. It’s a golf-and-gambling combination that adds up to a hole-in-one, granted you come home with some money left in your checking account.
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, once all flat delta farmland, is bustling with activity. The county used to lead the nation with a 22-percent unemployment rate, but now luxuries like shows, concerts, gourmet restaurants and big events like the Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis fight – all spurred on by the casinos -- are an everyday fabric of life. Only Las Vegas and Atlantic City attract more gamblers than Tunica County’s 15 million visitors annually.
With 14,200 slot machines and 465 gaming tables, gambling will always be the top draw, but golf is gaining.
Must Plays
The Cottonwoods, a Hale Irwin design, is part of the Grand Casino’s 2,200-acre entertainment complex. Irwin, not yet known for his design work, did well with the flat terrain he was dealt.
The 6,952-yard design opens with a benign 329-yard par-4, then never lets up. Its five water
holes are stellar, with the daring par-4, 356-yard fifth and the two par-5s -- the dog-leg left
549-yard seventh and the dog-leg right 512-yard 17th -- truly memorable.
The 6,923-yard River Bend Links, the only area course that has joined the Magnolia Golf Trail, a collection of the state’s best courses formed in 2002, is the county’s most unique experience. Architect Clyde Johnson did his best to create a pseudo-links course, complete with a 144 pot bunkers, nine lakes and fairway mounding. The land, an old cotton field, is completely devoid of trees, leaving it exposed to harrowing winds from the nearby Mississippi River.
The course, jointly owned and operated by the Harrahs, Hollywood and Sam’s Town casinos, gives out Strokesaver yardage books, the kind more commonly found on trips to Scotland and Ireland, to authenticate its links-like experience.
Solid Second
In due time, the Tunica National Golf and Tennis Center might be ready to challenge Cottonwoods and River Bend for area supremacy but not yet. The 7,210-yard Mark McCumber, which just opened in early 2004, needs some maturing. The $12-million facility, built by the county and operated by KemperSports Management, does have the infrastructure to grow into something special.
A 360-degree driving range, the state’s largest practice range, and a six-hole, par-3 practice course will provide a perfect home for a golf academy, which has yet to open.
The four indoor tennis courts are the South’s only indoor, climate-controlled Har-Tru clay courts. Four outdoor hard courts, with stadium seating, are scheduled to open outside the 8,000-square foot clubhouse later this summer. The County also plans to build a convention center with hotel accommodations adjacent to the course in the near future.
And Tunica National’s staff is second to none. Director of Golf Bob Wolcott, hired away
from GreyStone Golf Club in Dickson, Tenn., played on the PGA Tour in the 1990s. His highest finish
was third twice at the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic and the Greater Greensboro Open. Head tennis
professional Keith Evans, who’s no slouch on the golf course either, played in tennis’
version of the U.S. Open, along with Wimbledon and the French Open. He won 14 United States Tennis
Association pro circuit tournaments in his career and once held a singles ranking of 114
nationally.
“We think we’re the best golf-tennis tandem in the country,” Wolcott said.
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Where to stay
With only three courses, it’s a much easier decision where to play golf than it is choosing where to stay among the 6,300 rooms at nine different casinos. Each casino has a theme, so go with what your heart desires. The Sam’s Town brings country western to life. Harrah’s sells year-round Marti Gras. Hollywood might be the most popular with its movie memorabilia, including a copy of the Bat Mobile and a three-story King Kong replica. The Horseshoe has a blues hall-of-fame/museum.
Off the Course
If you can’t shoot a good score on the links, maybe you can shoot straighter at Willows Sporting Clays, a shooting range at the Grand Casino.
The brand new Tunica Queen (TunicaQueen.com) might be the best entertainment off the greens. The 120-foot, 400-passenger paddlewheel boat offers four cruises daily and nightly dinner cruises up and down the mighty Mississippi. A cocktail hour cruise, complete with the sun dipping in the horizon and a slight breeze blowing, is a can’t-miss experience.
Once you’re off the water, head to any of a number of nightly shows at Sam Town’s River Palace Area, the Gold Strike’s Millennium Theater, the Bluesville Showcase Nightclub at the Horseshoe Casino or the Grand Casino Event Center. National names like Kenny Rodgers and Michael Bolton, who seem to tour the casino circuit nationwide; are regulars. Dancers and magicians also grace the stages.
The Paul Battle Jr. Arena & Exposition Center (662-363-3299), the state’s largest arena floor with concert seating for 6,000, holds horse and trade shows, bullriding exhibitions, tractor pulls and conventions.
And don’t forget nearby Memphis, with its zoo (memphiszoo.org), a much-improved NBA franchise (the Grizzlies) and rockin’ Beale Street.
Where to Eat
Much like Vegas, buffets are the meal of choice for many visitors on a budget (they’re saving their money for that next big slot pull), but there’s food at every turn (38 restaurants in the nine casinos).
The best of the bunch might be Jack Binion’s Steakhouse in the Horseshoe Casino with its steaks, Maine lobster and veal.
The Verdict
None of the courses in Tunica County can match the state’s top golf destination -- Dancing Rabbit’s Jerry Pate/Tom Fazio gems in Philadelphia, which are two of the nation’s undiscovered treasures. Nevertheless, with reasonable prices, and good package deals with area casinos, River Bend, Cottonwoods and Tunica National are all fun to play. More importantly, there’s good variety from one course to the next.
Combined with the all-night casino action and the proximity to Memphis, a weekend getaway to Tunica County looks all the more appealing.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
