Hattiesburg

Max Maxwell has surely dealt with questions whether he comes from the famous line of Perry and Press Maxwell; he has not, but he has enjoyed a successful career as a golf course architect in his home region of Mississippi nonetheless. The Hattiesburg Country Club had existed for more than 40 years when he and associate Nathan Crace arrived during 1999 in order to prepare the club for the 21st Century.

That included adding yardage (bringing it beyond the 6,900-yard mark) as well as rebuilding bunkers so that the tree-lined fairways were not the only obstacle for a scratch player.

The update was important to members who were used to the course’s championship history. Hattiesburg hosted the Magnolia Invitational, famous for being the PGA event held during the same week as the Masters Tournament a few states over. Players who hadn’t yet qualified for the biggest show came to the club from 1968 through 1993; among the notable names in attendance would be future Masters winners Nick Faldo and Craig Stadler, as well as Payne Stewart, who claimed his first professional win at Hattiesburg during 1982.