The Old Waverly Club announced the reopening of its Mossy Oak Golf Course on Thursday, reintroducing one of the top-rated courses in Mississippi after a redesign spearheaded by former U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate.
The reopening announcement also revealed a restructuring of leadership within the Old Waverly Club and the family of George Bryan, who founded the club in 1988.
The Bryan family consulted with Pate throughout the process of building the first course in the 1980s. He is the co-chair of the Golf Clubs of Mississippi LLC investment group, which bought Old Waverly in 2024, and is now the chairman of the club, with the Bryan family remaining involved alongside the new investors.
“The reopening also marks an exciting new chapter for Old Waverly Club,” the release reads. “A new ownership group, led by Pate as chairman and joined by the Bryan family and a small group of investors, brings Mossy Oak and Old Waverly under one umbrella. These courses provide one of the most diverse and unique golf offerings in the country.”
The course, originally designed by Gil Hanse, first opened in 2016 right across the street from Old Waverly. In 2018, it was recognized as a Top-100 Modern Golf Course in the United States by Golfweek magazine and serves as the official golf facility for Mississippi State’s men’s and women’s golf teams.
“Gil Hanse routed and strategized one of his finest works on a beautiful site of rolling farmland in the Mississippi countryside,” Pate said in the announcement release. “Challenging bunkers with traditional links-style greens that lay gently into the existing contours of the land make for a memorable experience at Mossy Oak.”
The renovation of the course included a “complete reconstruction” of bunkers, a lengthening of the course and re-grassing. The course also added upgraded golf cart pathways throughout.
Posted in Local Sports
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