50 Words or Less
The Ole Miss Golf Course is a track that can challenge Division 1 golfers but also allows average players to have a good time. Very good conditions. Great greens.
Introduction
The term “college town” brings to mind many things, but most people don’t think of golf courses. That’s a shame because many colleges, especially those with strong golf teams, are home to great courses. Ole Miss Golf Course is one such course, and it’s a great reason to go back to school.
Practice Facilities
Driving up to the clubhouse, I looked out the window to see some otherworldly practice facilities. Acres of short game area, a huge range, and massive putting greens. Sadly, I was seeing the facilities reserved for the Ole Miss golf teams.
While not on par with those of the university’s teams, the practice facilities for the general public are nothing to sneeze at. They have a large grass-tee driving range, a sizable putting green, and a very nice short game area. If I were an Ole Miss student, my poor grades would be directly attributable to spending too much time here.
Customer Service & Amenities
Unsurprisingly, the pro shop at the Ole Miss Golf Course is loaded with gear bearing the university’s logo. Whether you’re looking for a hat, shirt, jacket, or ball marker, you’ll find it here. Beyond the soft goods, the shop carries Titleist golf balls and essentials like tees.
One thing that separates the Ole Miss Golf Course from its local competitors is a high quality on-cart GPS system. They also have a walk-up turn window, which I love because it helps keep pace of play brisk.
If you want the full story on why northern Mississippi should be your next golf destination, click HERE.
Beauty & Scenery
Variety makes the round at Ole Miss enjoyable both in terms of golf and aesthetics. The course sits on land with some dramatic elevation changes, but it mixes in flat holes to make the steep ones more impactful. Similarly, after a hole where you feel boxed in by trees, you’ll find one that opens up for wide views.
Par 3
While each par 3 at Ole Miss Golf Course is a good hole, as a group they don’t offer a ton of variety. With the exception of #16, which is substantially longer, each is a mid-iron shot to a slightly elevated green. Each of the greens sits slightly askew to the player, creating doubt about the right club, line, and shot shape.
The two par 3s on the front nine are conventional with bunkers flanking the green. The two par 3s on the back show one of Ole Miss’s signature traits – protecting the green with grass bunkers and mounding. I found the mounding to be much more devious than a bunker. A good sand player can always get up and down. There are plenty of spots where the combination of mounds and slopes on the green makes par a near-impossibility.
Par 4
The opening hole at Ole Miss sets the tone for the round with a dramatic downhill tee shot followed by an approach that climbs back up. There are numerous approach shots where you won’t be able to see the putting surface because of the elevation. If you’re not striking pure, powerful iron shots, you’ll spend a lot of time in the aforementioned grass bunkers.
Smart target selection is the key to successfully navigating the par 4s. You don’t need superhuman length or accuracy off the tee if you play to the correct side of each fairway. Similarly, you need to choose your target carefully for your approach shots. These greens are tough, and you can easily rack up doubles and triples by short siding yourself or being above the hole.
Par 5
The par 5s are the best group of holes at Ole Miss, despite their unusual back-to-back placement on both the front and back nine. Within this quartet, you get a sharp dogleg right, a soft dogleg left, a flat, wide-open hole, and one with a relentless uphill climb. The two dogleg holes (#6 and #14) play the shortest thanks to downhill tee shots. Both are easily reachable in two with a good drive. #7, the flat, open hole, requires two bombs to have an eagle putt. Despite being “only” 544 yards from the tips, getting home in two on #15 should qualify you for the long drive tour.
Overall Design
Three things stood out at Ole Miss that gave the course great character. Off the tee, there’s typically one side of the hole that’s dead but plenty of room to play safe. The course doesn’t seem to favor drawers or faders – any shot shape can be successful if it’s played intelligently.
I also enjoyed the use of grass bunkers and mounding. To the untrained eye, the lack of sand bunkers makes the course seem less difficult. In reality, the swales and mounds provide far more challenging lies and compromised views than sand traps ever could.
The third standout trait at Ole Miss is the wonderful collection of greens. These greens all run at quick-but-fair speed, they’re very firm, and they’re loaded with movement. While I don’t know that I’d say the contours are subtle, they’re not dramatic either. They tend toward large, gradual bends that result in sizable breaks and massive difficulty to those who find themselves above the hole.
Favorite Holes
#2 – Par 4 – 460 Yards
The tee shot here is prototypical for this course: the right side is heavily wooded, the left side is totally open. However, if you want a short club into the green, you need to either wrap a draw around the lone tree on the left or bomb a shot over it. Four mounds border one the best greens on the course.
#12 – Par 3 – 180 Yards
Regardless of the tee box you’re playing from, the angle and contours of this green will put a knot in your stomach. There are no sand bunkers on this hole, but the mounds and swales do a fine job punishing shots that don’t find the putting surface.
#14 – Par 5 – 580 Yards
I won’t lie to you, this hole might be on the list because I made eagle. It’s a sharp dogleg right with a substantially downhill tee shot. Being too far right off the tee means you can’t go for the green in two. The green is elevated at least 30 feet above the fairway, and it’s wide but shallow. Going for it in two is a risk, but your approach is tough even if you lay up.
Conclusion
The Ole Miss Golf Course is further evidence that Mississippi may be the king of great golf values. When you consider that this course is challenging, fun, and in great shape, it’s hard to believe the maximum rate is $34.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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Matt: Great review; thanks for sharing. I’m going to be doing more golf-related travel this winter and your reviews are extremely helpful. FYI, I am a central Illinois native and played the Western Illinois University a few weeks ago. The course is extremely well designed and has many holes that are both scenic and challenging, reminiscent of the TPC Deere course in the Quad Cities. I paid $15 to walk (my preferred mode of golf transport). Check it out if you’re ever in the vicinity of Macomb. All best, Peter (P.S. Offer to take you as a guest to Brae Burn in Newton, MA still is open.)
Peter,
Much appreciated, thank you!
-Matt
This course is no challenge to a D1 player. To short and fairways to wide.