Mississippi's DeSoto County

They have a simple saying in Mississippi - "Find Your True South" - that reverberates through really any destination in the state. Whether its blues music, historical stops, local seafood, or the numerous popular outdoor activities supported by long, steamy summers and short, mild winters, a relaxed and hospitable environment awaits.

That southern experience extends even to the northern most part of the state and golf, an area and a sport which combine for an unlikely, yet inviting stop. DeSoto County, which acts as a Southern suburb to Memphis on the Tennessee-Mississippi border, markets four popular golf courses which not only tailor to the locals, but also contribute to the one million golf visitors to the state (according to a 2010 study) each year.

While the Gulf Coast region south and Tunica just to the west get much of the attention, the top DeSoto public courses - Cherokee Valley Golf Club, Plantation Golf Club, Wedgewood Golf Course, and North Creek Golf Course - in the Hills region of Mississippi offer one of the best concentrations of golf in the state. Among the advantages the DeSoto courses have are accessibility (they are a short drive from Tunica and Memphis), playability (the highest rating is just under 73 while slope ratings run in the 120's), affordability (greens fees typically run under $50), and a commitment to the finest course conditions (by the end of 2011, three of the four courses will have had new Champion Bermuda greens installed in the past couple of years). What's not to like about all that!

"DeSoto County is more of a family-oriented county," said Adam Payne, Director of Golf at both Cherokee Valley and Plantation. "It's a county that looks to play golf with one another or they'll have friends from the neighborhood that will play with one another. DeSoto is young, it's exciting, it's booming. With the economy the way it is, it has dropped off some, but they're looking more for deals and we've been conscious of that. Five years ago on the weekends, we were charging $60 to ride 18 holes and now we're at $45."

Cherokee Valley and Plantation in Olive Branch, owned by the same family, have been staples of the area since the mid-1990's. While both courses play to a similar yardage from the back tees (just over 6,700 yards), their diversity sets them apart. "They're really two different types of golf courses," said Payne. "Plantation is a little bit of a flatter golf course. Cherokee is more through the rolling hills, it's got more elevation change, it's spread out more, and the holes are wider. It's a more player-friendly golf course. Plantation is tighter with smaller greens."

For that, Plantation tends to play like a target golf course, especially on the front nine. There is either water or out-of-bounds on holes 1-4 providing a stern start. "We tend to get a little bit more of the better player at Plantation," said Payne. "For the average golfer, it's a little bit tougher. Most of the trouble on the front nine is on the right side of the golf course. So it doesn't set up well for someone that slices.

"A lot of people play Cherokee because it's player-friendly and you can score well. And because of the greens being big, you can hit it on a green and give yourself a putt at birdie... We get more senior play (at Cherokee) due to the fact that we tend to dry faster than most places because of our elevation change. We get better runoff. Plantation sits in a flood plain. When it rains, there's several holes down there in that bottom that will hold water, so it restricts us at times to being able to get off the cart path. And Plantations greens are what I would call a little more country club-like greens. They're smaller, so they're a little bit harder to hit."

Plantation has worked diligently in recent years refining its bunkers, re-doing its greens, and working out its drainage problems. The feedback has been fantastic from its customers. "We're seeing a lot more repeat business because of those projects we've done," said Payne. "People seem to be really fired up about playing over there right now." Added owner/manager Mike Herrington, ""The difference in the way we care for our courses is obvious. When people play here they know the profits aren't being sent off to big corporations elsewhere. We put the money back into our courses, and it shows."

A third quality course in Olive Branch is Wedgewood. It is the longest of the four DeSoto courses at 6,863 yards and is routed on wooded, rolling terrain in amongst a residential area. Wedgewood is owned by the same management company as North Creek in Southaven, which puts an emphasis not only on quality golf, but also on pace of play. Go to the Wedgewood web site and the home page proudly displays a headline for both Wedgewood and North Creek being the "Home of the 4-Hour Round."

"Our general manager John Wells kind of implemented that over the spring really at (Wedgewood) and we've adopted that over here to keep the pace of play moving," said North Creek Head Professional Alan Hickam. "It's as simple as that." While most courses attempt to promote pace of play as being important, Wedgewood and North Creek make it stand out. Click on the "Home of the 4-Hour Round" headline and a policy and expectation for tidy play is laid out, even with a reminder from the home of golf: "If you took over 4 hours to play in Scotland - and that's without the aid of a cart - well let's just say it wouldn't happen!"

North Creek Golf Course, just 15 minutes west of Olive Branch in Southaven, rounds out the DeSoto foursome of courses. As the shortest course, its lack of length can be deceiving. "It's more of a placement-type golf course, always in real good condition," said Hickam. "The course is 6,433 yards from the back tees, but the landing areas are pretty generous. And there's a lot of undulation on the greens."

Holes 13 and 15 at North Creek share a green, and the layout features back-to-back par three's over water at the 16th and 17th. All told, according to Hickam, 16 of the 18 holes have water on them. And the new greens, changed out to Champion Bermuda last year are nearly perfect. "Our greens turned out so much better than we expected," said Hickam.

The courses of DeSoto County are typically open year round. For more information on North Creek and Wedgewood go to www.wwncgolf.com and for Cherokee Valley and Plantation go to www.olivebranchgolf.com. For Mississippi golf in general visit www.visitmississippi.org/.