The best golf courses in Biloxi, ranked for a first visit

The best golf courses in Biloxi for a first visit are Fallen Oak if you stay at Beau Rivage, then Grand Bear, The Bridges and Windance. Those four are the strongest tests on the coast. The Preserve, Shell Landing, The Oaks and Diamondhead's Cardinal fill out a trip, and Sunkist and Bayou Vista are the easy, cheap rounds.

This list of the best golf courses in Biloxi is for someone planning a first trip who wants to know which courses earn a tee time and what each one costs in money, driving and hassle. We rank on the course itself, then adjust for access, price and how easy it is to fit into a trip. Rates were seen in October 2026 and change through the year, so check before you book.

Quick facts

• Number one: Fallen Oak, Beau Rivage guests only.
• Best open to everyone: Grand Bear, Jack Nicklaus, Saucier.
• Hardest slope: The Bridges, 144 from the tips, closed Tuesdays.
• Most dependable conditioning lately: Windance, Gulfport.
• Best cheap round: Bayou Vista, $28 with a cart.
• Rule of thumb: pick one headline course, two mid-price courses and one easy round.

The best golf courses in Biloxi, ranked

Drive times below are routed estimates from downtown Biloxi with no traffic.

1. Fallen Oak: the course people plan the trip around

Tom Fazio's 2006 course in Saucier is regularly ranked the top course in Mississippi. It is the longest and highest-rated course on the coast, 7,487 yards with a 76.5 rating and 142 slope, set on rolling ground in pines and live oaks with wide fairways and big greens. Because only resort guests play, it has a quiet, private-club feel. It hosted the PGA Tour Champions event for years, and the current event there is the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational.

Trade-off: you must stay at Beau Rivage and book the round through the resort with your room. No public rate card is posted; GolfLink estimated about $275 for 18 with a cart, and older packages were quoted from $180 per person, double occupancy. It is about 29 minutes from downtown, and the resort runs transport. Read is Fallen Oak worth it before you commit, and the Fallen Oak course guide for the layout.

2. Grand Bear: the best course anyone can book

Jack Nicklaus's 1999 course sits about six miles into the De Soto National Forest, with tall pines, cypress wetlands, the Biloxi River on the closing holes and no homes. From the Grizzly Bear tees it is 7,204 yards and 143 slope, but five sets of tees run down to 4,802 yards. It hosted the PGA Tour Champions Rapiscan Systems Classic in 2022.

Trade-off: there is no dated rate card. GolfLink estimated about $170 with a cart in October 2026 and directories quote $65 to $150 by day and season, so phone the club or check GolfNow and TeeOff. Our routed drive puts it at about 57 minutes from downtown. The Grand Bear course guide and our Fallen Oak vs Grand Bear comparison go deeper.

3. The Bridges: the highest slope on the coast

Arnold Palmer's marsh course at Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis crosses more than 21 wooden bridges that total nearly a mile, with forced carries over wetland. The Purple tees play 144 slope, the highest in the area, and even the White tees carry a 139 slope for women, so most players should move up a set. The public rate for late October to early November 2026 was $99 Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and $109 Friday to Sunday, or $65 and $75 from 2 PM.

Trade-off: it is closed every Tuesday and sits about 56 minutes west of downtown Biloxi. If you stay at Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast, the Golf Package from $119 includes a night and unlimited golf that day. See the Bridges course guide.

4. Windance: the safest bet for conditioning

Mark McCumber's 1986 course in Gulfport is rolling and pine-lined with lakes, and recent reviews rate it the best-conditioned public-access course in Gulfport. From the Blue tees it is 6,708 yards and 139 slope, and combo tees fit every level. Peak 2026 rates were $110 (March to June and September to November) and $90 in the other months, with $85 from 2 PM in late October 2026. Anyone can book online 14 days ahead.

Trade-off: it is 41 minutes from downtown, and it closes for aerification on June 1-4 and August 3-6.

5. The Preserve: full service at a resort price

Jerry Pate's 2006 course in Vancleave was built with a conservation focus on protected wetlands and pine savanna, about 28 minutes from downtown. Every rate includes cart, GPS, range balls, bag service and tax. Trade-off: price. Fall 2026 was $175 Tuesday-Wednesday and $225 Thursday-Sunday, spring was $250, and the after-3 PM rate is $150.

6. Shell Landing: the east-side value play

Davis Love III's 2000 course in Gautier runs through marsh and pines with water on many holes, and from the Snapping tees it reaches 7,023 yards and 134 slope. It is about 25 minutes from downtown. Trade-off: rates are not posted online. GolfLink estimated about $99 with a cart; call the shop for the real number.

7. The Oaks: length and late-day value

The Oaks in Pass Christian is the longest public course on the west side, 7,006 yards and 140 slope from the Gold tees, with five tees down to 4,691 yards. Late-October 2026 rates were $99 weekday and $109 weekend, then $59 and $69 from about 2 PM and $39 and $49 from about 4 PM. It books a full year ahead. Trade-off: conditioning reviews from 2025 and 2026 are mixed, and cart-path-only after rain is common.

8. Diamondhead Cardinal: two courses and an academy

The Cardinal is the better-reviewed of Diamondhead's two 18s, a wooded course of 6,729 yards and 131 slope beside the coast's only indoor/outdoor golf academy. Rack is $115 with cart and range balls, but the online public sheet ran about $70 to $107 all-in on October 26, 2026. Trade-off: it is 47 minutes west and plays like a member course rather than a destination.

9 and 10. Sunkist and Bayou Vista: the easy rounds

Sunkist is 20 minutes from downtown, 6,232 yards and 125 slope, at $79 to $89 or $59 to $69 from about 2 PM. Bayou Vista, Gulfport's city course and the former Tramark, is 5,727 yards and $28 with a cart. Neither will test a good player, but both make a relaxed arrival-day or morning-after round. Our guide to cheap golf on the Mississippi Gulf Coast has more on the value end.

Building a first trip from the best golf courses in Biloxi

Pick your hotel first, because two of the top three courses are tied to casinos. Staying at Beau Rivage puts Fallen Oak in play; staying at Hollywood Casino makes The Bridges cheap. Our Biloxi golf packages guide compares every stay-and-play.

Then group rounds by area. The two Saucier courses are inland of Gulfport and Biloxi; The Preserve and Shell Landing are east; The Oaks, Diamondhead and The Bridges cluster at the west end. A sample four-round mix: Fallen Oak or Grand Bear, Windance, Shell Landing and one easy round at Sunkist. For a full schedule, see the Biloxi golf trip itinerary, and for every course including the ones that did not make this list, the full Biloxi golf courses guide.

Of the best golf courses in Biloxi, only Fallen Oak is closed to the public; the rest can be booked by anyone, though several are owned by casinos, so a first trip can mix both. Comparing coasts? Our best golf courses in Gulf Shores ranks the Alabama side the same way.

Plan it on the map

Open the Biloxi golf map to see these courses in 3D with their tees, rates and drive times from your hotel. The $30 plan turns your shortlist into a day-by-day trip, with each round placed on the day and in the part of the coast that fits it.