Dancing Rabbit (Oaks)

The Azaleas and Oaks courses at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club are golfing amenities of the Pearl River Resort, owned and operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate, the Azaleas appeared first in 1997, followed two years later by the Oaks.

Both courses are routed through densely forested terrain to the west of Philadelphia, on ancestral land owned by the Native American tribe. Strangely enough, the grasses used to construct the two 18-hole layouts are entirely different: the Azaleas is carpeted with Bermuda fairways and bent grass greens while the Oaks features Zoysia fairways and Bermuda greens.

Unlike its older sibling, The Oaks is routed in an out-and-back fashion and there’s a half-way house situated conveniently at the turn, close to the 10th tee boxes. Grass fronted bunkers help to defend par on this course, and several ponds also come into play. A little escarpment is encountered at the 6th, 16th and 17th, bringing quite a bit of interesting elevation change into proceedings.