The Magnolia State of Mississippi lies in the American South, with Jackson doubling up as both its capital and largest city. With around three million people living inside its borders, Mississippi is said to be the poorest state in the country with the lowest per capita income, even though it enjoys the lowest cost of living in the nation – unfortunately, the boom days when cotton was king are long gone for many in Mississippi.

The Mississippi Golf Association was established in 1925 and it offers member services to male golfers in around 150 clubs. Its female equivalent, the Mississippi Women’s Golf Association, has provided governance to lady golfers since it was formed in 1930 whilst the Mississippi Chapter of the Gulf States Section of the PGA oversees the activities of professionals and apprentices in the state. 

Mississippi has no golf course history to speak of so all its top tracks are modern affairs. Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate laid out the Azeleas and the Oaks courses at the Dancing Rabbit Golf Club at Pearl River Resort in the late 1990s and they comprise the best 36-hole facility in the area. Fazio’s solo design at Fallen Oak is situated 25 miles inland from Biloxi’s Beau Rivage Resort in the De Soto National Forest and it’s acknowledged as the best 18-hole layout in the state. Like Shadow Creek, its Las Vegas counterpart, the course is open to resort guests only.