Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, MS has been a fixture on Golf Digest's Top 100 lists for two decades and I finally added it to my list of courses played in early April. The resort became even more desirable in 2016 with the opening of the Gil Hanse designed Mossy Oak Golf Club just northwest of Old Waverly,
As is my custom, I left Fort Wayne, IN before 4:00 AM for an eleven hour drive in order to make my 3:00 PM tee time. Traffic was light and I arrived in time to check into my room at one of the nine four bedroom cottages just off Old Waverly's tenth hole.
Each cottage has four secure rooms that open into a common area with comfortable seating, a big screen TV, and amenities such as refrigerators, ice machines, coffee makers and such. Each cottage is perfect for groups of four or eight golfers but also accommodate couples and even singles like me.
As is my custom, I left Fort Wayne, IN before 4:00 AM for an eleven hour drive in order to make my 3:00 PM tee time. Traffic was light and I arrived in time to check into my room at one of the nine four bedroom cottages just off Old Waverly's tenth hole.
Each cottage has four secure rooms that open into a common area with comfortable seating, a big screen TV, and amenities such as refrigerators, ice machines, coffee makers and such. Each cottage is perfect for groups of four or eight golfers but also accommodate couples and even singles like me.
Once I was settled into my room I headed back to the Pro Shop where I checked in for my round.
Old Waverly Golf Club
Old Waverly Golf Club is ranked 43rd on Golf Digest's 2017 "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" list. It has been in my sights for several years but every time I attempted to schedule a round when I would be in the area, an event at the venue precluded me from playing. Now I was finally in West Point, MS.
Old Waverly has a massive practice area and I spent some time getting rid of the cob webs from four months of golf inactivity and the long drive.
The 2019 Women's US Amateur will be held at Old Waverly Golf Club from August 5 through 11 and that was a key reason I wanted to play the course in 2019. Old Waverly was designed by Jerry Pate and Bob Cupp and opened for play in 1988. Golf Digest rates Old Waverly as the number one golf course in Mississippi.
You will find gently rolling hills, tree-lined fairways, a good bit of water with risk/reward golf choices, complex green sites, and par threes that are not long but make you think.
There are four sets of tees ranging from 5244 yards to 7088 yards with slopes from 119 to 144.
In addition to the 2019 Women's Amateur, Old Waverly hosted the 1999 Women's US Open won by Julie Inkster.
This is a southern course where you will need to deal with the various strains of Bermuda grasses including the added variable of the grain on the greens.
It was sunny with a temperature in the high 60's as I began my round.
Old Waverly has a massive practice area and I spent some time getting rid of the cob webs from four months of golf inactivity and the long drive.
The 2019 Women's US Amateur will be held at Old Waverly Golf Club from August 5 through 11 and that was a key reason I wanted to play the course in 2019. Old Waverly was designed by Jerry Pate and Bob Cupp and opened for play in 1988. Golf Digest rates Old Waverly as the number one golf course in Mississippi.
You will find gently rolling hills, tree-lined fairways, a good bit of water with risk/reward golf choices, complex green sites, and par threes that are not long but make you think.
There are four sets of tees ranging from 5244 yards to 7088 yards with slopes from 119 to 144.
In addition to the 2019 Women's Amateur, Old Waverly hosted the 1999 Women's US Open won by Julie Inkster.
This is a southern course where you will need to deal with the various strains of Bermuda grasses including the added variable of the grain on the greens.
It was sunny with a temperature in the high 60's as I began my round.
I encountered only one other group on the course, a twosome which I caught on the 14th hole. I was in no hurry so I completed the round in a leisurely fashion.
It was early spring and the temperatures had not yet risen enough for the Bermuda grass to reach its peak color but all-in-all, the course was in excellent shape.
Since my round for the next morning at Mossy Oak was a mile away, I loaded my clubs, headed back to my room, showered and got ready to sample the resort's cuisine.
It was early spring and the temperatures had not yet risen enough for the Bermuda grass to reach its peak color but all-in-all, the course was in excellent shape.
Since my round for the next morning at Mossy Oak was a mile away, I loaded my clubs, headed back to my room, showered and got ready to sample the resort's cuisine.
Dining at Old Waverly
There are several dining options at Old Waverly but you need to be a guest at the resort on the correct days or with a reasonable outside temperature to take advantage.
The premier restaurant, the Magnolia Room is only open for diners on Friday and Saturday with a requirement of jackets for all gentlemen. Since this was a Tuesday, this dining option was not available.
Cameron's is a cigar/wine/liquor bar.
The Garden Room caters to the meetings crowd, is casual and reservations are required. It was not an option this Tuesday evening.
The Terrace is an outside option next to an open air fireplace. This also did not appear to be an option.
The English Garden is another outside option with an original smokehouse where various meats are prepared. I did not find this option available on this Tuesday evening.
Murphy's is located on the lower level of the clubhouse and that is where I ended up. It was a bit crowded and I was seated in what felt like a greenhouse that also served as a passageway from the kitchen to the main parts of Murphy's. Chairs were mismatched at the four tables, two tables on each side of the aisle and there wasn't a feeling of coziness. It was "gourmet hamburger night" at Murphy's and the rest of the menu was essentially upscale bar food. I settled on a Chicken Strip basket which was ordinary and could have been ordered anywhere in West Point.
Disappointing is the only way to spin the dining options.
The premier restaurant, the Magnolia Room is only open for diners on Friday and Saturday with a requirement of jackets for all gentlemen. Since this was a Tuesday, this dining option was not available.
Cameron's is a cigar/wine/liquor bar.
The Garden Room caters to the meetings crowd, is casual and reservations are required. It was not an option this Tuesday evening.
The Terrace is an outside option next to an open air fireplace. This also did not appear to be an option.
The English Garden is another outside option with an original smokehouse where various meats are prepared. I did not find this option available on this Tuesday evening.
Murphy's is located on the lower level of the clubhouse and that is where I ended up. It was a bit crowded and I was seated in what felt like a greenhouse that also served as a passageway from the kitchen to the main parts of Murphy's. Chairs were mismatched at the four tables, two tables on each side of the aisle and there wasn't a feeling of coziness. It was "gourmet hamburger night" at Murphy's and the rest of the menu was essentially upscale bar food. I settled on a Chicken Strip basket which was ordinary and could have been ordered anywhere in West Point.
Disappointing is the only way to spin the dining options.
Mossy Oak Golf Club
Wednesday dawned with beautiful sunshine and temps in the upper 50's. I loaded up my vehicle and headed to Murphy's where breakfast was served to order beginning at 7:00 AM. After a tasty breakfast sandwich and several cups of coffee, I drove less than a mile and found the Mossy Oak Pro Shop.
Mossy Oak is a spectacular Gil Hanse Design which opened for play in 2016. You will remember Hanse as the designer of the Olympic Golf Course in Brazil. Mossy Oak is another course along the lines of Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes, Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes and the courses at Streamsong. It is rolling, built on a setting where little ground was moved, and the fairways are hard and fast.
I love this kind of course! The new South Course at Arcadia Bluffs is in this genre of golf courses (although it does not have the elevation changes).
After warming up at the good-size driving range, I was met at the first tee by my caddie, an undergraduate at nearby Mississippi State. Caddies are optional but there is no way to enjoy a course like Mossy Oak the first time if you don't know what's in front of you.
There are five sets of tees at Mossy Oak ranging from 5089 to 7212 yards with a slope from 122 to 135. It is not a killer of a course and the variety of holes makes it a shear joy to play. And when you get great roll from your drives, the course plays shorter. West Point had recently experienced torrential Spring storms but you never would have known it from the firmness of the sandy fairways.
Mossy Oak is a spectacular Gil Hanse Design which opened for play in 2016. You will remember Hanse as the designer of the Olympic Golf Course in Brazil. Mossy Oak is another course along the lines of Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes, Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes and the courses at Streamsong. It is rolling, built on a setting where little ground was moved, and the fairways are hard and fast.
I love this kind of course! The new South Course at Arcadia Bluffs is in this genre of golf courses (although it does not have the elevation changes).
After warming up at the good-size driving range, I was met at the first tee by my caddie, an undergraduate at nearby Mississippi State. Caddies are optional but there is no way to enjoy a course like Mossy Oak the first time if you don't know what's in front of you.
There are five sets of tees at Mossy Oak ranging from 5089 to 7212 yards with a slope from 122 to 135. It is not a killer of a course and the variety of holes makes it a shear joy to play. And when you get great roll from your drives, the course plays shorter. West Point had recently experienced torrential Spring storms but you never would have known it from the firmness of the sandy fairways.
Like Old Waverly, the temperatures had not yet risen enough for the Bermuda grass to reach its peak color. But I found the course to be in excellent shape.
Old Waverly is an excellent resort in just about every way except for onsite dining. You won't find two better and more different courses to play in this part of the south. From a cost standpoint, I played two stunning courses with a night's lodging for less than $500. I strongly encourage you to put this resort on your bucket list.
Old Waverly is an excellent resort in just about every way except for onsite dining. You won't find two better and more different courses to play in this part of the south. From a cost standpoint, I played two stunning courses with a night's lodging for less than $500. I strongly encourage you to put this resort on your bucket list.
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