Getting To Know: Fallen Oak

An Insightful Interview With Patrick LaRontonda, PGA Head Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Patrick LaRontonda who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Located fifteen minutes north of Biloxi, Miss., the par-72 links designed by Tom Fazio opened in 2006. Setting on 510 acres, it stretches 7,497 yards from the back tees and offers five sets of tees and strategic play options to challenge golfers of all skill levels. The championship course winds through an ever changing terrain along the edge of Desoto National Forest and features dramatic elevations incorporated among more than 4,000 oaks and other hardwood trees, ponds, streams, and wetlands.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Fallen Oak Golf Course is home to the PGA Tour Champions Rapiscan Systems Classic, if you are in the area why not play where the pros play.

It is worth noting, it is required to stay at Beau Rivage Resort and Casino to play the golf course. Golf and hotel packages are available by calling 877-805-4657.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Listen to your caddie. You will save several shots by taking their advice.

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
In 2014, Fallen Oak underwent a bunker renovation reducing from 89 bunkers to 65. Many of the aesthetic bunkers did not come into play for the better golfer and only penalized the high handicapper. In addition, many of the bunkers were reshaped to be less deep and more player friendly.

In 2019, Beau Rivage opened a Topgolf Swing Suite near the casino and a full sports book. These two additions should put the exclamation point on every guys golf getaway.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Fallen Oak has been decorated with a vast amount of honors since it opened. The most recent and noteworthy accolades:

* Host of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 PGA Tour Champions Rapiscan Systems Classic
* Ranked 1st - The Best Golf Courses in Mississippi 2020-2019 - Golf Digest
* Ranked 1st - The Best Golf Courses You Can Play in Mississippi 2020-2019 - Golfweek
* Ranked 38th - America's 100 Greatest Public Courses 2019 - Golf Digest
* Ranked 20 - Top 200 Resort Courses in America 2019 - Golfweek
* Ranked 2nd - Best Resort Courses 2018 - Golfweek
* Ranked 20 - Top 200 Resort Courses in America 2018 - Golfweek

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Hole 18, is Fallen Oak's signature hole. From the tee you need to be precise down the middle as massive sand bunkers guard the left side. In addition, trees come into play on the right including the course's name sake live oak.

The ideal play is to be down the right side giving you the best look at the green. The elevated green is protected by front sand traps. The bail out is to the right to avoid the water. Par is a great finishing score here.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
I love all the holes at Fallen Oak so it is tough to say which one is my favorite. If I had to choose, I like the first par 3, hole #3. From the tips the hole plays over 220 yards over water. The green tilts left towards the marsh so drawing a ball into the pin just fits my eye.

If I par this hole, I know I am off to a great round.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Fallen Oak offers one of the best 19th hole experiences. The bar/restaurant features a panoramic view of the Fallen Oak and the 18th hole.

Our signature drink is the Bloody Mary. What makes the drink so special is the vodka. Our Vodka is infused for six days with tomatoes, red pepper, green pepper, yellow pepper, onion, fresh garlic cloves, oregano, thyme, basil, ground black pepper and crushed red peppers. The Bloody Mary is just as memorable as the golf!

For the traveling golfer, do you have lodging onsite or partner with any area hotels?
The resort features 1,740 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites, 10 restaurants, four nightclubs and bars, a 1,550-seat theatre, an upscale shopping promenade, and a world-class spa & salon. Each room provides either a view of the Mississippi Sound, MGM Park or historic downtown Biloxi.

A golf trip to Beau Rivage and Fallen Oak is a luxury resort golf experience. The dining, entertainment and gaming are absolutely first class.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7487
Slope: 142
Rating: 76.5

More Information
Fallen Oak
2400 Highway 15
North Saucier, MS, 3974
877-805-4657
www.fallenoak.com

Revised: 10/30/2019 - Article Viewed 23,487 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.