OLD WAVERLY
GETS
BETTER
WITH
AGE
by MARC ATCHISON

The maroon-colored cap sits on my
mantle like a trophy.  The fabled
Mississippi State University bulldog
mascot known as “Bully” is embossed
on its side. Above the brim sits a
cupola with a pennant flying proudly
above. I’ve never worn that cap but
often, while sitting in my den enjoying
a glass of wine in that old wingback
that’s had the stuffing knocked out of
it over the years, I just stare at it and
replay in my mind one the most
memorable rounds of golf I’ve ever
enjoyed at a course I’d rate among
the top 50 in the world I’ve played.

And I’ve played a lot!That’s the effect
Old Waverly golf club has on me, and
a lot of others who come to this pretty
backwater town in the heart of Mississippi to play a layout Golf Digest recognizes among its top 100 courses in America. Old Waverly enchants the moment its stately white clubhouse comes into view.  The plantation-style building looks like it jumped off the pages of Gone with the Wind. The exterior is accented by lush gardens. The air is spiced with the sweet scents of lavender and roses. The interior is filled with cozy parlors, romantic dining facilities like the Magnolia Room where sunsets are a perfect ending to the culinary delights served there, and Murphy’s, a pub-style bar where golfers gather to share tales of there round on one of the most challenging courses in the U.S.

The golf is so good at Old Waverly it’s been chosen to host a number of important professional and amateur championships on several occasions, including the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open and in 2006 will welcome the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. But we would expect nothing less from a course designed by the dynamic duo of golf architects, Jerry Pate and Bob Cupp

















This course can best be described as Mississippi’s Augusta National – complete with a grouping of holes, 10, 11 and 12, that make Augusta’s amen Corner look like a Sunday school picnic. And just like Augusta, there are magnolia bushes and stone bridges. The only difference between these southern gems is we mere mortals can tee it up at Old Waverly.  This Mississippi beauty is the Great Lakes of golf, with five bodies of water coming into play on eight holes – two on one hole, No. 16, alone!  The biggest of the lakes is Lake Waverly, which the clubhouse overlooks.  Five holes surround the shimmering pond – 10, 11, 12, 17 and 18, for my money, one of the best finishing holes in golf.

You get a quick introduction to the water at
Old Waverly, with Lake Azalea poking into
the front of the well-bunkered first hole. The
rest of the front nine is water free but what 2
through 9 lacks in water, they more than
make up for in bunkers – over 45, with 11
on the par 5, 9th alone.  The front nine
fairways are wide and generous for the most
part, with tall pines and bunkers being the
only distractions. But all filter into narrow,
well-guarded greens that are as tough a test
of putting you’ll ever encounter. Take time at
the clubhouse, enjoy something to eat and
have a spiked drink – it will help settle your
nerves for what lies ahead on the back nine.

Having a slice is a definite advantage on 10,
11 and 12, with water coming into play down
the left side of each narrow fairway. The pin
is tucked behind the green on the par 5, 10th
but keeping your second shot right could
introduce you to a grouping of five small
bunkers.  The par 4, 11th is a bit more
generous off the tee but your approach shot
will be challenged by the lake that guards the
front and a long narrow bunker that runs the
full length of the green. The par-3, 12th
requires accuracy so choose your club wisely.

The lake and five strategically placed bunkers
will test your shot making, and nerves. 
Numbers 13 and 14 take you away from the
water but you quickly return, with Pecan Lake
guarding the green at No. 15 and lakes
Camellia and Livesay’s coming into play on
16, rated the fifth toughest hole on a course
full of tough challenges.

Now it’s back to Lake Waverly where the par-3
17th is highlighted by a beach bunker that
starts mid fairway and winds up the left side
and behind the green. Oh, did we also mention
that the lake vies for attention all the way from
tee to green down the left side. Good luck! 
They save the best for last at Old Waverly.

The par-4, 18th is a sensational test from tee to green. You’re tempted to cut off the lake with your approach shot but six front bunkers and the green that falls off into the lake may make you have second thoughts. However, those trying to avoid the lake
off the tee may find themselves digging out of trouble from one of the three bunkers that come into play down the right side. There’s also a hidden gully behind the tall pines that border the fairway’s right flank. Once on the green, mounds located back center and left front define the contours of this large, well-protected hole.

Your round over, it’s nice just to look back at the light dancing on Lake Waverly and
tip your cap to a Mississippi beauty you’re sure to fall in love with.

For more information on stay and play packages at Old Waverly please visit www.oldwaverly.com.

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Marc Atchison is the former Travel and Golf Editor of Canada’s largest daily newspaper The Toronto Star. More of Marc’s stories are also available on www.tnnworld.com.