Mossy Oak Golf Club

Overview: Mossy Oak Golf Club in West Point is a Gil Hanse design built around the idea of working with the existing landscape. The course occupies former dairy-farm ground with old oak trees, lakes, open fields and remnants of the property’s agricultural history. Its links-influenced character comes from the open corridors, firm-looking ground and limited use of trees rather than from a coastal setting. Hanse arranged the holes so that views can extend across the property, while the changing angles between fairways, greens and bunkers give the round a strategic rhythm. The course has room to stretch from the back tees, but its visual interest comes from the relationship between old landscape features and newly shaped playing ground.

History: The project grew from the partnership between Old Waverly owner George Bryan and the Mossy Oak outdoor brand. Planning began in 2012, construction started in 2014, and the course held its grand opening on September 2, 2016. Mossy Oak was created as a companion to Old Waverly, giving West Point a two-course golf destination and providing a practice setting connected with the Mississippi State University golf program. Hanse’s brief was to create a course with a light footprint, retaining important trees and using the site’s existing knobs, lakes and open ground as the basis for the routing.

Did You Know? A grain bin from the former farm was preserved as one of the site’s visual landmarks. The project also retained a group of very old oak trees, and the course’s elevated seventh-hole area provides a point from which all 18 flags can be seen, according to course reporting.