The George Bryan family, founders of Old Waverly Golf Club, has joined two forces of nature – golf course architect Gil Hanse and outdoor brand Mossy Oak – to create a truly unique new golf experience with the highest detail in nature preservation.
Mossy Oak Golf Club is set to open in 2017 in West Point, Mississippi, and will feature a 7,400 yard, par-72 golf course, a clubhouse and guest cabins to accommodate golf travellers.
Together, Hanse, Mossy Oak, the George Bryan family and 76 founding members are creating a new premier golf destination experience that will be known as Nature’s Golf, a sustainable and mindful approach to course development that leaves a gentle footprint on the local habitat while delivering a world-class golf experience.
“Nature’s Golf is a perfect complement to Hanse’s minimalist approach to course design and a logical extension of the Mossy Oak brand,” said George Bryan and Toxey Haas, co-founders of Mossy Oak Golf Club. “The lay of the land and depth of the untouched prairie will guide the development of this new course and inform fairway routings, to the point of utilizing existing ridge views for the final green complexes on which legendary putts will be made.”
Many great courses are equally recognized for their natural beauty and minimalistic design, but few have delivered a 360-degree nature experience from course design and development, native landscaping, management techniques, irrigation strategies and the player experience. Not only will Mossy Oak be the namesake for this new course, but its team of experts are partnering with Hanse to physically prepare the land for course development and guide the selection of native grasses, wildflowers, plants and trees to be used in the project.
“Mossy Oak is an iconic thought-leader in the outdoor industry and I’ve admired the approach that they have taken towards preservation and the love of the outdoors,” said Hanse. “We are excited to learn from each other and innovate in the way we approach the design of the overall golf experience. We believe that the outdoor enthusiast and avid golf traveler share a common love of nature, and the inherent qualities in this site will allow us to seek to create the ultimate in Nature’s Golf.”
For the last three decades, Mossy Oak has been pioneering new techniques to help land owners manage the process of growing and maintaining natural habitats. Mossy Oak has grown from a leader in outdoor camouflage print into a family of recognized brands that enable people to live their best lives outdoors. The company’s Mossy Oak Properties is a leader in enabling land owners to secure prime recreational and hunting land. Through Gamekeepers, Mossy Oak delivers thought leadership in not only preserving and restoring natural habitats, but also in establishing native vegetation to nurture the survival of local game wildlife. Its Nativ Nurseries incorporates superior root-system growth strategies to produce hearty vegetation that enable reforestation and habitat preservation.
“The literal mission statement of our entire enterprise is connecting human beings with the outdoors and nature; the golf course is literally nature,” said Mossy Oak founder Toxey Haas. “Our goal is to create a truly unique golf experience and to develop it into not only one of the finest golf courses in the country, but in the world.”
In addition to the new golf club, Hanse has designed the practice facility to serve as the official home for the Mississippi State University men’s and women’s golf teams. The facility includes a five-green driving range, short-game training areas and a 16,000 square foot putting green formed into the shape of the State of Mississippi.
The project also features a 6,400-square foot team clubhouse with locker rooms, players’ lounge, coaches’ offices, indoor putting center (with SAM PuttLab training system), exercise room and conference room. Construction is expected to be completed in 2015.
Mossy Oak Golf Club is adjacent to Old Waverly Golf Club of Mississippi, one of the premier golf courses in the Southeast and home to the 1999 Women’s U.S. Open and 2014 ISPS Handa Cup. The George and Marcia Bryan family have owned and operated the private club since its creation in 1988. The membership has stretched beyond West Point, Mississippi, to include people from a 200-mile radius around the South, and the family sees the addition of Mossy Oak Golf Club contributing to the positive economic impact for the region. The new course will become an extension of the Old Waverly Golf Club, with opportunities for guests to stay and play at both championship courses.
Old Waverly Golf Club www.oldwaverly.com
Gil Hanse Design www.hansegolfdesign.com
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