BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- The award-winning Bridges Golf Club has re-opened to the public more than a year after being closed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The Bridges, the first resort golf course in the world to be granted the Audubon Silver Signature Status by Audubon International and the state's only Arnold Palmer Signature course, is part of the new Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis.
The facility's multi-million-dollar renovations are complete and the new turf is now mature and ready for play. The newly renovated clubhouse will reopen later this year.
Seaside Golf Development of Pensacola, Fla., under the watchful eye of Arnold Palmer Course Design, removed and replaced the old turf from the entire golf course and regrassing the entire course with more than 100 acres of Certified Tifway Bermuda sod from tee to green as well as repaired all drainage and bunkers on the golf course.
"Overall, the golf course routing has remained untouched, but some minor modifications in the way of shaping have been made to make the course more resort- and player-friendly," said Chris Altese, the PGA Director of Golf at the Bridges.
The total square footage and number of bunkers remain the same. Some bunker locations have changed slightly to improve the playability of the course and to be more conducive to the renovation process.
"Greens on hole Nos. 3, 10 and 17 have been raised slightly to improve the drainage that was damaged by the storm," he added. "Amazingly, the one-mile span of bridge work and bulkheads stayed in place and had very minimal damage from the storm."
The Hollywood Casino opened in late August with the Hollywood Hotel offering 291 guest rooms, 900 new slot machines, 20 table games, and a new six-table poker room. Three restaurants are open, and the Bridges Grill will open later this year.
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