trending_upHighest Slope Rating

Hardest Golf Courses in Mississippi

The 25 most challenging golf courses in Mississippi, ranked by maximum slope rating.

The hardest golf course in Mississippi on Stymie is Old Waverly in West Point, designed by Bob Cupp & Jerry Pate (opened in 1987). It carries a maximum slope rating of 144, stretching 7,063 yards from the back tees, placing it well above the USGA's neutral 113 and into the territory where bogey golfers should expect to lose 8-12 strokes versus their handicap. These 25 courses below are ranked by maximum slope rating, the single best proxy for "how punishing this course is" for the average golfer.

Across the full Stymie directory, the average maximum slope in Mississippi is 124 — in line with the typical US state benchmark around 125. 5 courses in Mississippi carry a slope of 140 or higher; a slope of 140+ is considered very difficult and demands accurate driving, distance control on iron shots, and patience around the greens.

If you're testing yourself or planning a buddy trip built around difficulty, start at the top of this list and play from a tee one set forward of your normal handicap range. Course difficulty is not the same as course quality — many of the hardest courses below also rank among the most enjoyable in the state, but the slope rating tells you to bring your A-game.

Ranked

Peak slope

144

Avg max slope

124

Slope 140+

Hardest Easiest Longest Oldest Newest

#	Course	City	Par	Slope
1	Old Waverly Gold tees · 7,063 yds · Rating 74.7 · Par 72 · Bob Cupp · 1987 · PrivateWest Point	West Point	72	144
2	Kirkwood National Golf Club Black tees · 7,129 yds · Rating 75.0 · Par 72 · Greg Connor · 1994 · PrivateHolly Springs	Holly Springs	72	143
3	Fallen Oak Golf Course Tee #1 · 7,487 yds · Rating 76.5 · Par 72Saucier	Saucier	72	142
4	Wedgewood Golf Course Black tees · 6,863 yds · Rating 73.1 · Par 72 · 1990 · Semi_privateOlive Branch	Olive Branch	72	141
5	Shell Landing Black - Snapping tees · 7,024 yds · Rating 73.3 · Par 72 · Davis Love III · 2000Gautier	Gautier	72	140
6	Bay Pointe Resort & Golf Club White tees · 6,372 yds · Rating 77.3 · Par 72 · Marvin Ferguson · 1987 · Semi_privateBrandon	Brandon	72	139
7	Annandale Golf Club Tournament tees · 7,143 yds · Rating 75.7 · Par 72 · Jack Nicklaus · 1981 · PrivateMadison	Madison	72	137
8	Timberton Golf Club Black tees · 7,032 yds · Rating 74.3 · Par 72 · James Ray Carpenter · 1991Hattiesburg	Hattiesburg	72	137
9	The Refuge I tees · 7,005 yds · Rating 74.7 · Par 72 · Roy CaseFlowood	Flowood	72	137
10	Canebrake Country Club Gold tees · 7,003 yds · Rating 73.6 · Par 71 · Jerry Pate · 1998Hattiesburg	Hattiesburg	71	137
11	Cleveland Country Club Gold tees · 6,659 yds · Rating 72.4 · Par 72 · 1965Cleveland	Cleveland	72	137
12	Northwood Country Club Blue tees · 6,330 yds · Rating 77.4 · Par 72 · 1930Meridian	Meridian	72	136
13	Back Acres Country Club Blue tees · 6,492 yds · Rating 72.2 · Par 72 · 1962Senatobia	Senatobia	72	135
14	Starkville Country Club Black tees · 6,560 yds · Rating 71.7 · Par 72 · 1967Starkville	Starkville	72	134
15	Yazoo Country Club Blue tees · 6,098 yds · Rating 69.4 · Par 71 · William Brown · 1926 · PrivateYazoo City	Yazoo City	71	134
16	Hattiesburg Country Club Gold tees · 5,697 yds · Rating 72.9 · Par 72 · Press Maxwell · 1959Hattiesburg	Hattiesburg	72	133
17	Lion Hills Gold tees · 5,523 yds · Rating 72.1 · Par 72Columbus	Columbus	72	133
18	Deerfield Course Championship tees · 6,900 yds · Rating 73.1 · Par 72 · Joe Finger · 1980 · PrivateMadison	Madison	72	131
19	Olive Branch Country Club Blue tees · 6,496 yds · Rating 71.2 · Par 71 · Ed Creasy · 1963 · PrivateOlive Branch	Olive Branch	71	131
20	Grenada Country Club Blue tees · 6,482 yds · Rating 70.3 · Par 71 · 1923 · PrivateGrenada	Grenada	71	131
21	Elm Lake Golf Course White tees · 6,012 yds · Rating 74.3 · Par 72 · Kevin Tucker · 1995 · Semi_privateColumbus	Columbus	72	131
22	Mallard Pointe Golf Course White tees · 5,959 yds · Rating 74.1 · Par 72 · Bob Cupp · 1997Sardis	Sardis	72	131
23	Tupelo Country Club Black tees · 6,900 yds · Rating 72.9 · Par 72 · John Frazier · 1970Tupelo	Tupelo	72	130
24	Live Oaks Golf Club White tees · 6,371 yds · Rating 76.1 · Par 72 · 1969 · Semi_privateJackson	Jackson	72	129
25	Bay Springs Country Club Blue/White tees · 6,366 yds · Rating 70.4 · Par 72 · 1965 · Semi_privateBay Springs	Bay Springs	72	129

Frequently asked questions

What is the hardest golf course in Mississippi?

Old Waverly in West Point, Mississippi is the hardest ranked course with a maximum slope rating of 144. Slope rating measures the difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch player — 113 is average, 140+ is very difficult, and 155 is the maximum.

How many golf courses in Mississippi have a slope rating of 140 or higher?

5 golf courses have a max slope rating of 140 or higher in Mississippi based on the scorecards in the Stymie directory. A slope of 140 or above is considered very challenging for bogey golfers.

How does Mississippi's average difficulty compare to the rest of the US?

The average maximum slope rating across golf courses in Mississippi is 124, versus a US average around 125. A higher state average indicates courses that are, on the whole, tougher for mid-to-high handicap golfers.

What makes a golf course hard?

Course difficulty is driven primarily by slope rating (how much harder it plays for a bogey golfer than a scratch golfer), course rating (how a scratch golfer would score), total yardage, hazards (water, bunkers, forced carries), green speed, and rough length. Slope rating is the single best proxy for "how tough this course is."