P+P | Mossy Oak

MAGAZINE

FALL: THE GREAT OUTDOORS

www.porchprairiemag.com

Volume 2 • 3

NATURE'S GOLF–IN THE HEART OF MISSISSIPPI Those who have never embraced learning the game of golf often look at those who do with disdain, and in some cases, as if they were crazy. The process of taking this crooked stick, swinging it violently toward a tiny ball, and hoping for it to find a hole hundreds of yards down someone’s manicured lawn is enough to make someone look crazy, or at least seem like a complete lunatic. For those who’ve tried to pick up the game themselves, they recall those first efforts to advance the ball forward, complete with the shanks, the hooks, the ground balls, the chilidips, and every other wayward shot a novice endures. To the player, it’s maddening. To the outsider, it’s enough to call for the wagon.

58 - FALL 2021 | PORCH + PRAIRIE Magazine

But now fast forward to another time. Let’s get past the thousands of striped range balls, the four or five sets of clubs that lay in the garage (because of course, it’s always the clubs’ fault), and perhaps the money spent on the lessons. Let’s get past the afterwork rounds with buddies, or the 9-hole golf league that meets on Wednesdays at 5pm and then beer in hand at the bar by 730. Skip through all of those vital parts to the games development, all just to get you……. Here.

Where is here?

West Point, MS-Mossy Oak Golf Club- “Nature’s Golf”

Sprawled across the northern fringe of Mississippi’s Black Prairie lies a piece of the golfing world that looks as though Mother Nature herself got on the bulldozer and carved a masterpiece. Well, Mother Nature and Gil Hanse of course, whose reputation for crafting world-class golf courses precedes him everywhere he goes.

But Mossy Oak Golf Club is so much more than the combination of Momma Nature of Mr. Hanse, and yet there thumbprint shines through on every detail to create a scene that is out of a golfer’s fairy tale. To play Mossy Oak Golf Club means you are in for a real treat, as myself and a pair of dear friends (who also happen to be colleagues of mine), set out on our first experience on this long links-style layout. Rather forgiving from the tee with wide fairways, the course is inviting, yet greenside, it shows its teeth. Big, soft bunkers and fast, firm, undulating greens are ready to deflect even the most marginal of shots. A golf course of this caliber is not what you expect as you take the drive down a rural highway of old cotton fields and past the twists and curves of the kudzu vines.

No, this isn’t the middle of a presumed golfer’s heaven of Georgia or Florida or Texas, but rather right in the heart of Mississippi. A

short hour flight from Atlanta, or Dallas, or even a 4 hour sunsoaked drive from Nashville or New Orleans, has you arriving at Mossy Oak Golf Club’s door step, ready to meet the Club’s Owner, Mr. George Bryan, a kind man who has been synonymous with the region, the outdoors, and Mississippi golf for a very long time.

It’s at that very same doorstep, one hour before we tee off, that we sit with Mr. Bryan to talk through how Mossy Oak Golf Club came to be, its history, and how its place in golf will be carved into the game for good.

PORCH + PRAIRIE magazine | FALL 2021 - 59

P+P: Tell me a bit about the relationship with Mossy Oak— obviously they are from the West Point area, but what made them such an integral partner for the golf course?

GB: he Haas Family have been friends for life here in West Point.

Their deep passion and connection with the great outdoors is a perfect fit for Nature’s Golf at Mossy Oak. They are huge supporters of our home town. About 10 years after hosting the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open we started thinking about a second course. Plans were made to begin looking for property that could fit the vision. We had traveled to Scotland and Ireland many times and loved the feel of the links style courses and thought we could make that happen here. It would be totally different than Old Waverly and make it very special for golfers to be able to play two very different style courses during their golf trips. Course Architect Gil Hanse was a perfect fit for this project. We felt confident that Gil’s minimalist style golf architecture would lend itself to the Mossy Oak Golf Club vision. Gil came and looked at the property and said he could do it. Six months to a year later we had the course design finalized.

P+P: It is clear that Gil Hanse used the very best of the landscape to design this club – what was it about this tract of land that was so endearing to him?

GB: The property was founded in 1905 as an old dairy farm.

Gil understands as we do that one of the attractions to the game of golf is the connection with nature. Mossy Oak delivers a fullsensory experience that truly immerses players into the native habitat and natural surroundings of the Mississippi Black Prairie.

60 - FALL 2021 | PORCH + PRAIRIE Magazine

P+P: He added man-made elements that look like they’ve been there for a century--- how much of that was Gil’s vision versus what Mother Nature put there?

GB: The course was designed with a light footprint on the land.

It was really a collaboration of Gil Hanse and Mother Nature that came together. The course design follows the natural contours of the rolling prairie and oak tree stands. The only dirt from the property was excavated to increase depth for irrigation in to two ponds. The old grain bin and pump house were added to the golf course. The pump house bricks are 150 years old. Holes one through five take golfers on a journey through the prairie, oaks and grasses as a showcase of the native landscape and around a challenging combination of par-5, par-4, par-4, par-3, par-5 that also unlocks timeless views and history of the property.

P+P: Your tagline, “nature’s golf”--- tell me about some of the sustainability efforts and environmentally efficient elements to the course and facilities?

GB: We truly wanted a natural feel to the property after the golf course was built. This property was called Knob Hill Dairy, named for the nine knobs on the property.

The drainage remained pretty much the same after we built the golf course.

P+P: The facilities are world class, from the cottages, to the new pro shop and bar-- paint for me a picture as to the motivation behind that?

GB: We wanted to attract destination golfers to Mossy Oak Golf Club.

These golfers come from all over the Southeast and Midwest United States. It is vital to have great facilities to entertain these golfers. The Cottages are conveniently situated on the tenth fairway and provide amazing views overlooking the golf course. Each Cottage offers a spacious common area in the center with four individual bedrooms, and each bedroom offers two queen beds. Guests have the option of renting either the entire Cottage or individual bedrooms. The Mossy Oak putting green is adjacent and perfect for early morning sunrise or late evening sunset putting.

P+P: Mississippi State calls Mossy Oak GC home—what attracted a program of that caliber to come to a facility like Mossy Oak given the demands of an SEC and national schedule?

GB: We have always been a strong supporter of Junior Golf and Collegiate Golf. That is our future. We have hosted many collegiate golf events at Old Waverly over the years. It was a natural evolution to have Mississippi State University here when we built Mossy Oak Golf Club four years ago. “The Barn” is state of the art and home to Mississippi State University Women’s and Men’s Golf Teams.

P+P: What is your favorite part of the club?

GB: Meeting people from all over the world. We all have a connection in golf. We have stayed connected for many years and have enjoyed seeing those come back year after year. Some groups have been coming close to 30 years to Old Waverly. We hope to continue that tradition at Mossy Oak!

P+P: The club brings so many people into the Golden Triangle that maybe otherwise wouldn’t come--- what do you want visitors to take away from the region that they otherwise wouldn’t know?

GB: We are proud to be here in the Golden Triangle considered the heart of the Mid-South and Mississippi. We want our visitors to understand our real hospitality and have them as repeat customers for years to come.

P+P: The group of investors in the club are amongst the best and brightest and most successful in the region—clearly they all have great pride for Mississippi--- what is it about MOGC that makes them so passionate about the club?

GB: There is a great variety of Founders within Mossy Oak from ten different States. They are motivated by economic growth to our area and unique links style golf. They are a huge reason why we are here.

P+P: Newcomer to Mossy Oak—what holes do I stand on for an extended period of time to make sure I soak in every view?

GB: There are many great holes at Mossy Oak. Left of #6 Green on the mound, you can see every green and flag on the course. #17 is a very picturesque hole with a large bunker protecting the front sixty yards from the green on a large knob. There are sweeping views all over the property. This was golf in the early 1900’s in America.

P+P: What do you see as the future of Mossy Oak Golf Club?

GB: We believe golf is back on the rise in the United States at this time. We hope the destination golfer will continue to stay and play our 2 great courses in the heart of the Mid-South. We sincerely appreciate our members and founders that have helped guide this project throughout the years. We hope that golf will continue to grow in the future. P+P

10% OFF The subscription price of

MAGAZINE Promo Code: MO10 offer expires Dec 31, 2021

www.porchprairiemag.com/subscribe

Click here to download pdf file