Official Golf Guide of the Gulf Coast launched with aggressive distribution plan to increase fall golf packages and golf economic impact

Mass printing to reach over 600,000 potential golf visitors

BILOXI - More than 600,000 golfers are being reminded not to miss Mississippi's Golf Coast-its golf courses, hotels, gaming, history, fishing and culture-when planning their next golf vacation.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association (MGCGA) launched its 'Golf Tourism Initiative' last March to reverse the decline in golf package room nights. Part of that initiative was to form a 'Golf Marketing Committee' with equal representation of golf and lodging responsible for all golf-marketing decisions and the first Official Golf Guide. The golf marketing committee (with representatives from Holiday Inn, Isle of Capri, Casino Magic Bay St. Louis, President Broadwater, The Oaks and St. Andrews) completed the printing of its new Official Golf Guide of the Gulf Coast, which includes Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.

The 48-page, full color guide has 15 area courses and 34 area lodging properties representing Casino Resorts, Hotel/Motels, B&B's, Condominiums and Golf Travel Providers.

180,000 guides were inserted in major golf publications in the Fall in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the greater Chicago area to grow core Midwest markets this fall. An additional 100,000 will be inserted in major golf publications this month in Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the Carolinas to grow new eastern markets, says Kevin Drum, Executive Director of the MGCGA.

"This is by far the largest distribution ever of golf guides that promote the Mississippi Gulf Coast," Drum said, "in fact, this could be more golf guides than were distributed in all the golf programs in the past five ears in this one insert program."

Prospective golfers are directed to all the participating hotels directly so all inquiries go directly to the otel and they can fulfill the customers golf package requests. All the nformation in the guide will also be on www.GolfCoast.com, the Official eb-Site of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association and also the #1 golf web-site in the Gulf Coast.

"We hope to fill e-mail boxes and phone lines at area hotels with many golf package requests this fall, winter, spring and summer" says Drum.

Copies of the Official Golf Guide of the Gulf Coast will be available at all tourism outlets on the coast, area golf courses, hotels and welcome centers. More distribution is planned at the next meeting of the 'Golf Marketing Committee' to all requests for golf information from area tourism, regional golf shows, advertising, public relations and customer requests.

For more information call 866-383-GOLF or go to www.GolfCoast.com .