Golf, fish, gamble, or hit the beach — dealer’s choice and you’re the dealer in Coastal Mississippi.

Stay at Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport

Two Casino hotels in one are connected by a skywalk. The Beach Tower on the south side is right on the water for morning strolls along the beach. Full casinos chime in both towers, and even non-bettors can enjoy live entertainment, with space to dance and romance.
Dining is superb at the vast Buffet, Dockside and Carter Green Steakhouse, where dishes are grilled to perfection, artfully plated, and efficiently served. Owner Rick Carter also has a wagyu farm in Wiggins called Blackjack Ranch, so expectation levels are high and met.

Debbie Bristol, an executive at Island View Casino, shared their popular “How to” events that keep guests coming back. We missed the “How to Make Peach Cobbler” session since we were golfing, but attendees not only learned the recipe and preparation, but they also received the required pan, tasting, homemade chips, beverages, and new friends. The upcoming agendas include “How to Make Luminaries.” All “How Tos” are on the house.

To gamble or golf? By day, it’s golf — no contest.

Play The Club at Diamondhead

Two full championship courses await in Diamondhead. We tackled the front nine of The Cardinal Course in under two hours. Greg, the starter, offered simple advice: “This is a target course. Pick your clubs and hit your distance.” Hard to argue with that.
The opening hole is a slight dogleg left-to-right with the first of many fairway bunkers to avoid. There’s a par 3 over water with wooden rails, and several holes offer tempting shortcut opportunities, though safe positioning is a sure bet (unlike the casino).
The Club at Diamondhead features the only indoor/outdoor, state-of-the art Golf Academy on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. At Latitude 30 Patio & Grill, we enjoyed pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches while watching Rory McIlroy roar to the finish on Masters Sunday.

Play The Bridges Golf Club

Drive along the longest man-made beaches and cross the new expansive bridge over St. Louis Bay to reach Hollywood Casino’s scenic course, with many wooden bridges — hence the name. PGA Pro Billy Baumgartner shared where to spot the gators — on two, four, anywhere! One was perfectly posed across a pond with its mouth wide open.

Mississippi’s only Arnold Palmer Signature Course was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina and closed for repairs in 2005. A high-water marker by the freeway exit offers a sobering reminder of the devastation. You wouldn’t know it today.

We only had time for the front nine and would happily return for the second half. This is another target course, typical of Arnold Palmer designs. Hole 8 delivers a stunning view of the marsh and marina along St. Louis Bay, dotted with boats of all sizes. Hooray for Hollywood!

Play Grand Bear Golf Club

Just a short drive away, in Saucier, lies a Jack Nicklaus masterpiece. The long and narrow Grandview Boulevard winds through dense forest as the only road in and out, setting the tone for a secluded experience.

Everything here feels grand —from the log-beamed clubhouse to the gigantic bear centerpiece. Big bear paw tee markers add a playful touch (and might make you crave a Canadian bear claw pastry).

Don’t miss a single hole. The final stretch is especially memorable with the distinctive turquoise turret in full view atop the clubhouse. Where else can you play courses separately designed by Palmer and Nicklaus in one day? It’s a rare treat.

Play Windance Country Club

Owned by Rick Carter and Terry Green, partner owners of Island View Casino, this course was designed by Mark McCumber. We played with Pro, Micky D’Angelo and his assistant Jake who both drive the ball a mile and are true Southern gents who appreciate engaging and playing with the 300 “family” members. Casino guests as well as the public are welcomed by the entire staff.

This course has lots of creeks running through the forest intertwined by lush fairways. Homes on a few holes are set safely back from play.
The back tee on hole 13 was created to evoke Augusta National Golf Club’s 18th, complete with a similar left-side fairway bunker. Micky grew up in the silver house on this hole, proposed to his wife Rachel on the green, and now lives behind the fairway trees with their daughter, Presley. Thirteen is their lucky number. ’03 was not as lucky because that was Micky’s final play as a quarterback for Southern Miss. He has the footage on his computer of the double hit that took him down. Golf got lucky when he then switched sports. In any game, he is a major player. Micky and his well-trained, friendly staff represent the best of Mississippi golf. And from blackened salmon to burgers, post round eats and drinks are great too.

Dine at White Pillars

Dining here feels like stepping into history. The building was once Dr. Folke’s home and office where he saw patients in 1905, and some say his daughter still haunts upstairs. Downstairs, you’ll find antique chandeliers, gold-framed mirrors, and paintings and one of the oldest bars in Mississippi.
The restaurant has weathered decades of ups and downs, such as when the casino restaurants opened, followed by Katrina and Covid. But today it thrives as a standout dining destination. A James Beard finalist chef delivers inventive, farm-to-fork dishes. Wood-grilled Gulf African pompano fish with heirloom carrots, labneh, zhoug, dukkah, roasted radishes and arugula tasted as extraordinary as it sounds, alongside a “Love and Murder” cocktail. Oysters are a highlight served raw, roasted, or fried, especially the local Eagle Point variety. White Pillars is recognized in the 2025 MICHELIN Guide American South.

Fly into Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, just minutes from Island View Resort —
or come via New Orleans less than an hour away by car or Amtrak. www.VisitMississippi.org/golf