FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 9, 2002

CONTACT:
Dan Shepherd, Buffalo Communications
dshepherd@billycaspergolf.com, 703.761.1444

Mississippi's Shell Landing Golf Club Selected As A
"Best-New Upscale Public" Course By Golf Digest

(JACKSON, Mississippi) - The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) Division of Tourism today announces that Shell Landing Golf Club in Gautier has been singled out for distinction by Golf Digest in the magazine's just-released "America's Best New Courses 2002" rankings.

Designed by PGA Tour star Davis Love III, Shell Landing is rated No. 5 in the category of "Best New Public Upscale" course. Located in Mississippi's sparkling Gulf Coast region, this championship, 18-hole, par-72 layout features all of the area's stunningly diverse natural resources. The awe-inspiring beauty and immaculate course conditions combine to create a memorable golf experience.

Named for the rare gopher turtles that thrive in the property's extensive, protected natural habitat, Shell Landing mixes tall pines, marshes, bayous and wetlands with rolling emerald hills to frame an inspired, challenging layout that is both fun and unforgettable.

"Shell Landing is an outstanding golf club and one of the reasons Mississippi was nominated last month as the 'Best Emerging Golf Destination' in 2002 by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators - and the only U.S. destination so honored," says Robert J. Rohrlack, Jr., Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority.

In addition to Shell Landing's critically acclaimed course, which offers five sets of tees ranging from 4,827 to 7,007 yards, the golf club provides:
· Exemplary personal service
· A top-of-the-line, 25-acre practice facility
· Finely appointed locker rooms
· Delicious food-and-beverage offerings
· A fully-stocked golf shop with brand-name apparel and equipment,
· Personal bag service/storage,
· Pro-line rental clubs
· A beautiful clubhouse surrounded by an elevated deck to capture panoramic vistas of the gorgeous course and surrounding environs

Located in the Gulf Coast, Shell Landing is a 5-iron away from luxurious, new casino resorts,
sugar-white-sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, world-famous cuisine, history and heritage, and other legendary attributes, the most famous of which may be the area's unmatched Southern hospitality.

For more information or to schedule a visit to Mississippi and Shell Landing, call toll-free to 866.801.8551 or go to www.visitmississippi.org to receive a free Golf Travel Guide and suggested play-and-stay itineraries.

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Mollie Gregory
Mississippi Development Authority/
Division of Tourism
P. O. Box 849
Jackson, MS 39205
601.359.3297
mgregory@mississippi.org