Everything a group needs to plan a Mississippi Gulf Coast golf trip: the courses worth building a trip around, where to stay, and the best time of year to go.
They call it the Golf Coast for a reason. The Mississippi Gulf Coast pairs championship golf with beachfront casino resorts along a compact, easy-to-navigate stretch from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi and Ocean Springs. For a group, it is one of the country's most complete destinations: play all day, and the dining and nightlife are a short walk from the room.
The headliner is Fallen Oak, a Tom Fazio design reserved for guests of Beau Rivage Resort and Casino and routinely named among the best courses you can play. Around it sits a deep bench: the Jack Nicklaus-designed Grand Bear, Davis Love III Shell Landing, and a run of well-regarded resort and daily-fee courses that let a group play a different track every day without a long drive between them.
Lodging on the Coast is built around beachfront casino resorts, which is what makes it so easy for groups. Properties like Beau Rivage, the IP, Hard Rock, and Golden Nugget put rooms, restaurants, gaming, and entertainment under one roof, so the group never scatters. Many pair naturally with the courses nearby for stay-and-play packages.
The Gulf Coast plays nearly year-round, which is a big part of its appeal. Spring and fall bring the most comfortable temperatures and are the most popular windows for groups. Summer is warm and humid but quieter and often better value, and mild winter days draw groups escaping colder states up north.
Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport sits right in the middle of the action, and New Orleans is about an hour and a half to the west for groups that want a bigger airport. Once you arrive, everything is close: the compact geography is exactly why the Coast works so well for a group trip.
Championship golf by day, a beachfront casino resort by night, and a short drive between the two. That is the Gulf Coast formula.
Fallen Oak, a Tom Fazio design reserved for guests of Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, is widely regarded as the top course on the Coast and anchors most group trips to the area.
Spring and fall offer the most comfortable weather and are the most popular seasons. The Coast plays nearly year-round, with summer being warmer but quieter and better value, and mild winters drawing groups from colder states.
Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is the most convenient, located in the center of the destination. New Orleans International is about ninety minutes away for groups needing a larger airport.