Hole 2

The Preserve Golf Club:

A Jerry Pate Designed Gulf Coast Beauty.

There are numerous iconic figures in golf. Jerry Pate is arguably one of those figures, having his career cut short after only 6 years on tour, but filled with 8 victories including a U.S. Open, Canadian Open and the inaugural Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Many remember his celebratory dive into the lake with then-tour commissioner Deane Beman and Pete Dye after his final PGA victory. Following injuries that cut his career short Pate went into broadcasting and ultimately course design. With nearly two dozen original designs in his portfolio Pate is still making a name for himself throughout the industry.

One of Pate’s original designs is The Preserve Golf Club located a few miles north of I10 in Vancleave Mississippi. This premier public play facility is affiliated with the Palace Casino Resort and features a sprawling collection of challenge and shot making. Routed through a variety of landscapes, The Preserve is a masterful blend of water, wood and grassland holes. The layout has a nice balance of length and precision but it is the green complexes on many of the holes that will ultimately test your skill while seeking a par. Stark slopes and severe ridges characterize many of the course’s greens and will push your limits with the flat stick.

Course Stats:

Access: Public Play and for Guests at the Palace Casino Resort.

Location:

Vancleave, Mississippi

Editor's Shot Maker's Picks: The Preserve

Feature Holes Descriptions:

Standing on the tee of the lengthy par 3 second hole the entire feel of the course is in front of you. Towering southern pines, wetlands and scrub await your shot to a large sloped green guarded in front by a series of deep white sand bunkers. Your gentle welcome is over here. The third is a sharp dogleg right and a deceptive short par 4. The corner is protected by trees right and nasty bunkers left, while the green is tucked behind a large pond and buttress fronted green. Pay close attention to the pin location as the green is heavily sloped from back to front, so attacking a front pin risks a watery grave for your approach.

Hole 3

Not often is a short hole the number 1 on the handicap index. Hole 16 is one of those par 3 holes that plays as the most challenging at The Preserve. This brutally long hole plays slightly uphill with a series of 4 traps between you and the putting surface. This might be one of the most severe greens you will ever face. With cliffs and ridges creating multiple tiers making sure you are on the correct section of the green is the only chance you have at par. The final hole of the round is a longest par 4 of the day. A mighty drive must avoid the bunkers down the right and ideally find the left side of the fairway. This shortens the approach but brings more challenge as the green is tucked behind a pond that protects the left side of the green.

Impeccable conditioning and fantastic service fits seamlessly with this terrific Par 71 paradise. The Preserve presents a wonderful array of holes that will test your ability to plot as well as execute your way around the layout. This Jerry Pate design is a fine test and a great few hours of golf for any visit to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Contact:

The Preserve Golf Club
8901 Highway 57,
Vancleave, Mississippi,
39565

228.386.2500

[website]‎