Delta Blues and Pristine Greens
by CHRIS LANG
Golf is only part of the story on the road through Mississippi
The sun is setting on a warm, windswept evening on the Mississippi Delta as we pull up to the intersection of U. S. routes 61 and 49, just north of Clarksdale. The bus stops, and a group of writers amble out onto the pavement, set to pay respect to one of the most important spots in blues folklore.
Three giant blue guitars tower over the intersection, signifying one of the spots where blues pioneer Robert Johnson— as legend has it— sold his soul to the devil in exchange for supernatural musical ability.
Musical ability, he had. Little was known about Johnson’ s short but prolific musical existence before researchers and historians began to piece things together in the 1960s. Born in May 1911, Johnson died of unknown causes just over three months after his 27th birthday. Recognized as a master of the blues, his influential career gained further acclaim in 1986, when he was inducted into the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category. Not bad for a guy known mostly for playing on street corners and in tiny Delta juke joints.
“ The Crossroads” was a fitting stop on a weeklong tour of the Magnolia State, because you can’ t tell the story of golf in Mississippi without talking about two other key components of the state’ s tourism industry— music and gaming. As the three intersect, it all adds up to an intriguing journey to a destination most wouldn’ t consider a prime golf travel spot.
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!
In August 1992, the Isle of Capri opened in East Biloxi, earning it the distinction as the first casino in the South. People stood in line for hours just to get a chance to roll the dice on a craps table or test their luck at blackjack. Per the Biloxi Sun Herald, the advent of gaming in the Magnolia State became known as the“ Mississippi Miracle.” The newspaper reported that A. J. Holloway, the late Biloxi mayor, frequently recounted how the city coffers were so low in 1992 that there wasn’ t money to fill a pothole.
The casino was an immediate financial success, and it led to a boom of development on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Today, the roughly 80-mile stretch between the Alabama and Louisiana borders features 12 casinos, including the Beau Rivage, where we started our adventure on a late March Monday.
CHRIS LANG( 4), PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE COURSES
30 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M AY / J UNE 2025