Mississippi Golf Courses Shine in GOLF Magazine Rankings

Mississippi's Fallen Oak and Dancing Rabbit Golf Club/Azaleas have been ranked No. 30 and No. 32 respectively on GOLF Magazine's prestigious "2014 Best Courses You Can Play" in America - a biennial list of 100 public-access courses.

Using a team of national course raters, GOLF Magazine recognized five Mississippi courses overall in its "2014 Best Courses Near You" by state list, found in the September, 2014 print edition.

* No. 1: Fallen Oak in Biloxi
* No. 2: Dancing Rabbit Golf Club/Azaleas Course in Choctaw
* No. 3: Grand Bear Golf Course in Saucier
* No. 4: Dancing Rabbit Golf Club/Oaks Course in Choctaw
* No. 5: Shell Landing Golf Club in Gautier

"The state of Mississippi is honored to once again see its golf courses earn this critical distinction," said Malcolm White, Visit Mississippi Director of Tourism. "We hope these rankings encourage people to visit our state and experience the optimal year-round weather, variety of courses and array of popular after-golf activities."

Fallen Oak is open exclusively to guests of the renowned Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. The Tom Fazio masterpiece sits adjacent to the DeSoto National Forest and each spring plays host to the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, a Champions TOUR event won in recent years by Fred Couples and Tom Lehman.

Dancing Rabbit's Azaleas and Oaks courses are amenities of the Pearl River Resort, which is owned and operated by the Mississippi band of Choctaw Indians. Meandering through hundreds of acres, the two 18-hole championship courses are isolated among ancient pines, set alongside lush fairways.

Grand Bear Golf Course, an amenity of Harrah's Gulf Coast Casino, Hotel and Spa, is perennially named one of the top casino courses in the country. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Course features deep bunkers, secluded fairways and manicured greens.

Located less than a mile from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Davis Love III-designed Shell Landing Golf Club winds through bayous, marshes and tall pines, showcasing a layout all skills of golfers enjoy.

For more information about these courses or for a list of value-laden Mississippi stay-and-play packages visit http://www.visitmississippi.org/sitepages/golf or call toll-free 1-866-801-8551.