Golf Course Overview: The Bridges at Hollywood Casino By Brian Weis

Golf Course Overview: The Bridges at Hollywood Casino

Insights From An Insider With Billy Baumgartner, Bridges Golf Operations Manager

By Brian Weis

Local and traveling golfers love to research courses before playing them, whether it is to gain some local knowledge or to set an expectation before their upcoming round. Below is an interview with Billy Baumgartner who shares some valuable insight about the property, its most talked about holes and the signature dish/drink to consume at the 19th hole.

How Does Your Course Differ From The Others In The Area?
We are the only Arnold Palmer Signature course in the state of Mississippi. The course was designed in the middle of a wetland. There is water and marsh on every hole. Also, we are the only resort on the coast with everything on property. We have a Golf Course, RV park, 4 restaurants , 300 room hotel, lazy river with a pool bar, and a 24 hour casino.

For someone who has not played the course in awhile, has there been any new changes/renovations to the course or property?
Due to hurricane Katrina, the course was completely renovated in 2006. The overall layout is still the same. We also reversed our nines last year.

What is your course's answer to Amen Corner? (Describe your best/hardest 3 back/back/back holes)
Numbers 2 thru 4 (for guest who have not played since October 2014, these holes would have been 11 thru 13). Number 2 is a narrow par 5 with a hazard splitting the fairway. For long hitters you may want to take a fairway wood or hybrid off the tee. Then your second shot is to a green that is tucked against bunkers on the left and hazard right. Bogey on this hole is not too bad. Next number 3 an intimidating par 3 with hazard left, right and long. This green is almost an island. Aim for the front of the green and two putt for par. Last number 4 rated the hardest hole on the Gulf Coast. This demanding par 4 can cause high numbers for the best of golfers. Its a dog leg right, with hazard on both sides. Your tee shot needs to get inside of 170 because your second shot is to a 2 tiered clover shaped island green. If you can make it through these holes only 3 over, then you've had a good day.

What is your course's claim to fame, or is there a little known fact that golfers should know about the property?
Due to the course begin built in the marsh, it is a known fact that you'll need extra golf balls. We also have more than a mile worth of cart path bridges - hence the name.

What tournaments/events have you (recently) hosted or will be hosting?
We have hosted

* The Hooters tour

* The Monday qualifier for the PGA Champions Tour MS Gulf Coast Resort Classic

* The Monday qualifier for the PGA Tour Zurich Classic

* USGA Pub Links qualifier

Besides golf, what other amenities do you offer if a golfer wants to spend most of the day at your facility?
We have 4 restaurants, lazy river with a pool bar, and a 24 hour casino.

Signature sandwich or drink?
An Arnold Palmer ( Half ice tea Half lemonade)

Contact Course
The Bridges
711 Hollywood Blvd
Bay St. Louis, MS, 39520
228-463-4047
www.hollywoodcasinobsl.com

Revised: 04/29/2015 - Article Viewed 39,460 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.