Tunica Golf
Tunica has two new courses — the Hale Irwin designed Cottonwoods at the Grand, and River Bend Links, built by the consortium of Harrah’s, Sam’s Town and Hollywood.
Cottonwoods, which has three lakes, is a
7,000-yard challenge for seasoned players,
and offers a sense of adventure and fun for
the novice. Over half the holes border water and
there are 80 sandtraps guarding the
Crenshaw bent grass greens.
This course bounds over more than 6,000,000 cubic yards of imported soil.
The fairways are rolling and typical of a links-style course. The greens are
very creative, in that some are split by imaginative mounding, creating a
triple-green effect. They are very large, averaging 8,500 square feet. Overall,
the course is generous and playable for all levels. There are two signature
holes on the course. Hole #13, a 600-yard, par 5, offers two choices of
approach shots. Splitting the green is a large mound, with bunkers guarding
both sides of the green. The other signature hole is #16, a 190-yard, par 3,
which has yet another green dissected by mounding. Hitting to the correct
portion of the green is essential on this hole.
Cottonwoods was originally designed to be a links course, but the Grand’s owner took one look and asked for trees — so 3,400
young trees were planted. And there isn’t a cottonwood tree among the 3,400 — magnolias and maples, mainly, were
planted.
River Bend, which has played host to a Hooters Tour pro event,
is located in an alliance of three casinos. Sam's
Town, Hollywood and Harrah's Casino joined forces to build this course.
The links-style design, which is comfortably nestled in a bend of the
Mississippi River, offers sand and grass bunkers, mounds, and treeless,
wind-swept landscapes to facilitate a traditional feel. The layout employs
native grasses and lakes to enhance the Scottish feel. This course offers
both challenging and fun golf for players of all abilities.
If wide open links-style golf doesn’t suit you, there are several new daily-fee courses that have opened in recent years near Olive
Branch, less than 30 minutes away. And the best public course in northern Mississippi, Kirkwood National, is in Holly
Springs, about an hour away.
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