Diamondhead Country Club & Golf

Getting To Know: Diamondhead Country Club & Golf

An Insightful Interview With Hoppy Smith, Head PGA Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Hoppy Smith who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Experience award winning golf at Diamondhead Country Club, long recognized as a popular MS Gulf Coast golf destination. Conveniently located between Mobile & New Orleans, we are immediately accessible off I-10 at exit 16 and the public is welcome.
TWO 18-hole courses, attractive rates, and an unmatched experience throughout the region. The design and length of both courses are very friendly and promote a relaxed round of golf for an unforgettable experience.
We also have a full service restaurant and 19th Hole, 8 lighted, hydra clay tennis courts at Tennis World, marina & airport.

Diamondhead is the right choice for players of all abilities in search of challenging and scenic golf.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Diamondhead is the only facility on the MS Gulf Coast that offers 36 championship golf holes. Play 18 holes or play all day. Stay & play packages are always available with our lodging partners. With the addition of the Golf Academy of Diamondhead, golfers will now be able to book stay & play packages that include professional golf instruction in our indoor/outdoor state of the art golf training facility. Plus, we have the newest greens along the MS Gulf Coast!

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
It's real simple here...make sure your tee shot is in play!

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Within the past year our guests continue to compliment us for our service and product. Many guests make it a point to stop in the Golf Shop to let us know that Diamondhead has "the best greens on the MS Gulf Coast". Diamondhead is committed to providing a great golf experience from start to the 19th Hole.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Hole #15 on the Cardinal Course was designed to be Diamondhead's signature golf hole. #15 is a spectacular 577 yard par 5 framed by a 10 acre lake on the left and majestic oak trees on the right. The lake flanking this hole was designed to be in the shape of the Diamondhead logo so the property could be easily spotted from the air.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
There are so many really good holes here in Diamondhead. Hole #16 on the Pine Course is a great dogleg left par 4 playing 418 yards with a double tier green. The tee shot, depending on how far you carry your drive, can benefit a short hitter. If your drive catches the down slope your ball will be catapulted an extra 50 to 60 yards. Fun to out drive the big hitters!

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Served during lunch, our 19th Hole burgers are the best! For munchies, try our home made onion rings or many enjoy noshing on our chicken quesadillas. Our bartenders will take good care of all your beverage needs. You can place your order from the course & have it available for pick up in the 19th Hole at the turn.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Bob Stanton holds the course record on the Pine Course with a score of 62. Bob was a former club professional at Diamondhead Country Club who finished 2nd in the Australian Open and mentored a young Greg Norman. According to a member, during a two week stay in Diamondhead, Greg Norman drove the creek on #10 of the Pine Course, only a 350 yard drive from the back tees, then asked Bob for a yardage for his approach shot on #11, a 433 yard par 4. Bob dropped three balls and proceeded to hit each one with a different iron to within 15 feet of the pin. He then turned to Greg Norman and said "maybe you should give up on the PGA Tour and just stick with the long drive competitions".

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: Pine/6769 Cardinal/6729
Slope: Pine/132 Cardinal/129
Rating: Pine/72.8 Cardinal/72.7

More Information
Diamondhead Country Club & Golf
7600 Country Club Circle
Diamondhead, MS, 39525
228-255-3910
www.diamondheadms.org

Revised: 11/19/2012 - Article Viewed 34,465 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.