For a quick, fun, inexpensive golf vacation, head to Tunica, Mississippi near Memphis

Before we get ahead of ourselves with Tiger Woods euphoria at the U.S. Open at Olympic Club, the PGA Tour does have another stop to make before it goes to San Francisco in a week. This one comes in Memphis, Tenn., courtesy of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. The event is being played at the private TPC Southwind, but you may be surprised to learn that there’s some pretty good public golf in the area, too.

And it’s in Mississippi.

Just south of Memphis on the Mississippi Delta, what was once one of the poorest regions of the country has used gaming and golf to turn its fortunes around. And the beneficiaries are us – the public golfers. I’m talking about Tunica, Miss., and Tunica Resorts, located just a driver or two from the famous Crossroads – the birthplace of the blues.

Years ago, this wasn’t a very happy place. Slaves became sharecroppers, and the cotton-pickin’ work was hard and long for very little money. That’s what inspires the blues.

But now, with nine casino hotels in the area and several golf courses, it’s a destination. In nearby Clarksdale, there are blues clubs and blues museums, and the golf courses are designed by people like Hale Irwin and Mark McCumber. And it’s very inexpensive.

You can check out a story I wrote about the destination here. You’ll find quality golf, some pretty good Southern grub and even some fancy food in the casinos – and an interesting perspective.