The Bridges

Getting To Know: The Bridges Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Billy Baumgartner, Golf Manager

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 Billy Baumgartner 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
We are the only golf course on the gulf coast that has everything on property. We have a 24hr casino, hotel, RV park and 3 restaurants. The course is built in the wetlands of south Mississippi and every hole has scenic marsh views. The course gets it's name because of the 21 bridges that span over 17 ponds and together the bridge work is a mile long. It is the only Arnold Palmer Signature golf course in Mississippi. Arnold stated in his magazine "Kingdom" that The Bridges is one of his top 100 designs. With an abundance of water hazards, undulating fairways and Tif-Eagle greens it is a beautiful challenge.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
The Bridges offers something for everyone. If your looking for a beautiful scenic course then The Bridges is for you, with beautiful marsh views, views of the back bay and an abundance of wildlife. If your looking for a challenge The Bridges can be a shot makes course, with all the water and marsh hazards to carry over it truly can be a challenge.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Accuracy is better than distance at The Bridges. With all the water hazards here it is better to play placement golf to set yourself up for your next shot.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
The Bridges has owned a spot in the top 50 casino courses in the nation for the last 3 years. The bridges has also been ranked in the top 10 of the state by Golf Digest.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
I would have to say #8 is our "featured" hole. This hole has everything you could want. Beautiful marsh views, hotel/casino views and views of the Bay of St. Louis. The hole is a short par 4, your tee shot is over marsh to a green surrounded by bunkers and hazard.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
I would have to say #8 is my favorite hole...I love the views and the risk reward this beautiful hole gives you. This hole plays 283 yards from the back tees. The opportunity for eagle through double bogey present itself. I personally like to hit 3 wood from the tee and leave myself a short wedge into the green.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Bloody Mary is hard to beat.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Kevin Stadler shot 64 in the Zurich Classic PGA Tour's Monday Qualifier. Kevin said he hit everything close. I did not have the opportunity to see any of his round.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 6841
Slope: 137
Rating: 73.4

More Information
The Bridges Golf Club
711 Hollywood Blvd.
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 39520
228-463-4047
www.hollywoodcasinobsl.com

Revised: 01/28/2014 - Article Viewed 32,053 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a 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). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.