The Laurel Country Club Golf Course was recently ranked the fourth best golf course in the State of Mississippi by GOLF Magazine. According to golf.com, the Magazine’s rankings are established by a group of expert course raters consisting of “97 well-traveled, well-connected, golfers/aficionados, each capable of expressing their own sense of design excellence at the highest level.”
GOLF’s Top 5 Courses in the state list includes 1-Mossy Oak – West Point, 2-Old Waverly – West Point, 3-Fallen Oak – Saucier, 4-Laurel Country Club – Laurel, and 5-The Azaleas at Dancing Rabbit – Philadelphia.
“We take this as a high honor,” exclaimed JD Conn, Laurel Country Club Superintendent. “It’s pretty good to be up there with the best clubs in the ranking.”
Conn said the other golf courses listed in the rankings are larger clubs with larger budgets that have hosted several PGA and other major events.
“It feels good to be ranked among them,” said Conn.
Conn, who has been the superintendent for the past seven and a half years, contributes the esteemed ranking and success of the Laurel Country Club in recent years to its strong membership and a great management team that keeps the golf course in excellent year-round playing condition. In addition to golf, the club has tennis courts, a swimming pool, and some of the best food in Jones County, according to many of its members.
“The turf is my biggest concern,” said Conn. “It’s my job to keep it in great playable condition for our members.”
The 100-year-old Laurel Country Club is a private 18-hole PAR 72 golf course with challenging, fast, small greens. Designed by Seymour Dunn, the golf course was completed in 1919, and the first tournament was played in 1920. Beautiful towering pine and hardwood trees surround the fairways and greens with large white-faced foxtail squirrels scurrying through the pine straw covered ground near the cart paths.
Conn said that many professional golfers who have played the course have found it challenging to score below PAR.
In describing golf at the Laurel Country Club, their website states, “Most of your tee shots at Laurel Country Club require precise placement to set up a nice approach to the devilishly small and contoured greens. If you’re struggling with your driver, it could be a very long day!”
“We would love for people in the community to join us and enjoy the beauty that is Laurel Country Club,” said Conn. “You would never imagine that this piece of property is actually in the middle of the City of Laurel. It is absolutely gorgeous.”
The Laurel Country Club is located at 2011 Highway 84 West. The phone number is 601-649-8660, and the email is team@laurelcountryclub.com.