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by Tim Baines

While it's hard to confirm, a young Elvis Presley, perhaps wearing blue suede golf shoes, may very well have smacked a golf ball around Gulf Hills Golf Club in Ocean Springs, on Mississippi's Gulf Coast.

It is certain that the young Presley, in his early 20s, was a regular in the golf course's Pink Pony, a lounge frequented by the hottest of the hot. Presley's piano playing was a highlight in the days when the golf course was so popular that each night there was a bidding war for the next day's tee times.

It's said that back in the day Al Capone and his "friends" occupied many of the area's homes, in some cases right alongside the feds who were trying to bring them to justice.

And while you may not find the pop stars of today playing their schmaltzy melodies on the piano, or any of the leading underworld figures, the golf course is still mighty fine. It's a true treasure on the Gulf Coast and still one of the United States' best bargains if you're looking for any combination of sun, golf and casinos.

The fact that the golf course still sprawls out over a relatively short 6,300 yards, made much trickier by its narrow fairways and unforgiving rough, is a testament to the club's members, which came to the rescue in 1998 when Taiwanese investors sold their stake.

"A lot of people like to play a course where you can hit onto another fairway and still play your ball. Here, if you slip up, you're going to get double and triple bogeys," says Steve Bartles, who can list himself under any number of titles, including Director of Golf and Director of Maintenance. "There's a lot of out of bounds and a lot of hazards."

Bartles has become a fixture at the course and at the accompanying Gulf Hills Hotel, where it is certain young Presley spent plenty of his time. This is one of the few golf course and hotel combinations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that are actually attached to each other.

"A lot of people think I don't work because I play golf every morning," laughs Bartels. "If anything needs to be fixed, I guess that's where I come in. That makes it hard to get rid of me."

The par-71 course is semi-private, with green fees ranging from $45-$65 carts included. The Gulf Hills Hotel and Conference Center offer stay-and-play packages that will also allow you to experience many of the area's other spectacular golf courses as part of your package. Some of the courses are designed by the who's who of the golf world.

Gulf Hills Golf Club

Gulf Hills Hotel

The Grand Bear

Some of those included are:
- The Bridges designed by none other than the King – Arnold Palmer
- The Jack Nicklaus-designed Grand Bear
- My personal favorite, the Davis Love Signature Course – Shell Landing
- The now 2-year-old Preserve Golf Club that has recently won its share of Golf Digest awards.

You will not be disappointed with a golf vacation to this area. The Gulf Coast boasts some of the best and most affordable golf courses in the southern United States.

The Gulf Hills course was built in 1927 by Jack Daray, head pro at Olympia Fields in Chicago and winter resident teaching pro at the old Biloxi C.C.

"I'd say about 5-10% of our business, if not more, has golf as part of it," says Bartles.

Gulf Hills is one of the many treats you can find in the area. Its proximity to 12 casinos, world-class restaurants, deep sea fishing and beaches make it very inviting. Mississippi's Gulf Coast is in the midst of a splendid revitalization and recovery from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the area in 2005.

And if all that wasn't enough, you're in for a wonderful dose of southern hospitality — treatment fit for a king.

While the climate isn't tropical year round, it's pretty darn good. In the Biloxi area, the sun shines an average of 300 days a year."January can be a bit chilly early in the morning, but it can be up to 55-60 degrees (Fahrenheit) by the middle of the day," says Bartles.

Natural elevation changes make Gulf Hills unique to the area. Hole No. 17, might be the course's signature hole. A par-3, playing between 165-180 yards, Bartles calls it "a pretty tricky little hole." Golf Digest labeled it one of the Top 5 most beautiful, challenging holes in the South.

The course has its share of oak trees, along with some pine. "There used to be a big oak tree, 200 yards out on No. 9," said Bartles. "You had to go over or around it with your tee shot. But the hurricane split it in the middle. It's gone now."

The Gulf Hills Hotel has the "Love Me Tender, Love Me Suites" which wis "pretty much the same setup as it was in the 1920s, with 50s retro furniture," according to Bartles. "(Elvis) stayed here and he rented several different houses in the area."

Elvis? Mobsters? Movie stars? Great golf? Once you get beyond the mystique, it's a tremendous opportunity to get great golf at great prices. Yes, the price is right. And did we mention the hospitality?

"I feel like I've been part of the renaissance," said Bartles. "The hotel was in bad shape and the course was bad, going downhill." And now it's a treasure, with rich history attached to it. For more details, check out www.gulfhillsgolf.com