At 7 a.m. I was in the elevator of the Pearl River Casino near Jackson, Miss., on my way to play one of the Dancing Rabbit’s highly-rated golf courses. I nodded to a guy standing in the corner, his golf bag slung over his shoulder.

“Looks like a good day for golf,” I mumbled, noticing his eyes were a tad bloodshot.

“Perfect,” he replied taking a sip from a paper cup of coffee clutched in his free hand. “Had a great night at the tables, so I’m pumped.”

“Out late?”

“Only until about 3,” he replied walking off, clubs clanging.

Make sense?

Although golf and gaming may sound like an oxymoron, more big-player resort casinos are being built, not only to attract people who love to play poker, slots and black jack, but golfers as well.

Clearly this is a formula that works. At Pearl River, Lake of Isles in North Stonington, Conn., and Turning Stone in Verona, N.Y., casinos and designer golf courses are happily co-existing along with major entertainment complexes, shopping and dining options.

For great golf, accommodations and casino action, here are some to consider. 

Foxwoods Resort Casino and Lake of Isles, North Stonington, Conn.
www.foxwoods.com

Owned by the Mashantucket Pequot, the two Lake of Isles courses are just across the street from the three towering hotels and six casinos of Foxwoods Resort Casino.

The stunning North and South courses, both designed by Rees Jones, have raised the bar for golf in the Northeast. The South course is private; the North course is open for public play.

Golfers are rewarded with staggering drama as they wind their way through 900 acres of wooded countryside and around a 90-acre lake. Players encounter huge carries over deep ravines, wide fairways narrowing to immaculate greens, tees perched high on rock ledges and sprawling sculptured bunkers.

A big plus here is the extensive golf academy that features four year-round indoor and outdoor teaching studios, 60,0000 square feet of teeing space, multiple target greens, a large putting green and a practice chipping, pitching and bunker area.

For accommodations, nightlife, dining, gaming and entertainment, Foxwoods is rather like a city undercover with a spa, soaring atrium lobby and endless shopping. Rooms are decorated in soft creams, chocolates and beiges with a hint of color — masculine enough for the men, pretty enough for the women.

Green fees are from $125. There is also a Play and Stay Package, which is priced from $215 per person and includes one night’s accommodations, a round of golf with a cart and practice balls.  

Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.
www.turningstone.com

Before the Oneida built Turning Stone Casino and the superb golf courses west of Syracuse just off the Thruway, Verona’s claim to fame was the harness races.

Now there is more to bet on including skin games on arguably three of New York State’s top golf courses — Kaluhyat (ga-LU-yut); Atunyote (uh-DUNE-yote), site for the Turning Stone Resort Championship, and Shenendoah.

There’s also a no-slouch par-3 course, Sandstone Hollow, which impresses even big hitters.

Kaluhyat and Shenendoah share a handsome clubhouse, while Atunyote, 2-1/2 miles from Turning Stone, and Sandstone Hollow each have their own respective facilities. Each course is distinctly different.

Kaluhyat, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and playing 7,105 from the tips, uses everything in Jones’ arsenal — sizable elevation changes, narrow chutes from tees to wide-sweeping links-like fairways, many large bunkers, forced carries, dog legs and six lakes.

This is a target course with a lot of memorable holes. Take the second hole, a 406-yard, par-4 that requires more than 200 yards of carry over wetlands and a green that slopes away on both sides.

Or No. 11, a slight dog left 621-yard, par-5 with a wide swath of wetlands to carry on your drive — except from the reds where this hazard is taken out of play and presents a rather wimpy picture. Then golfers face more wetlands crossing in front of the green. It’s one of the more memorable par-5s.

Atunyote (the Eagle) is a Tom Fazio gem playing 7,315 from the tips. This is more parkland in style with a number of lakes, vast bunkers, rock formations and rolling landscape.

And Shenendoah designed by Rick Smith, plays more than 7,100 yards. Like Atunyote, it is more links-style in character — especially on the back nine — with grasses, wide sweeps of fairways and behemoth bunkers. This is also not an easy track, but is less punishing than Kaluhyat for higher handicap golfers.

In terms of accommodations, rooms are fairly large and beds and linens get high marks. Some rooms are located over the Casino; others in the 19-story Tower. For those seeking more space and luxury, The Lodge features suite accommodations with views of the courses.  

Pearl River and Dancing Rabbit  Golf Club, Jackson, Miss.
www.dancingrabbitgolf.com and www.pearlriverresort.com

In 1830, Mississippi’s Choctaws signed away their territories in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.  Since then, the Choctaw Nation has recovered some of its ancestral lands, built two fabulous golf courses — Dancing Rabbit’s Oaks Course and Azaleas designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate and developed the Pearl River Resort complex with two casinos, a world class spa and two hotels.

The Azaleas course evokes a sense of Augusta National with its flowering shrubs tucked into the hills and under trees in exuberant profusion and wide lush fairways. Some holes offer choices.

For example, the 453-yard, par-4 third features a split-level fairway. Players can take the longer route on the right with less carry over the wetlands or stay left for a shorter approach to the huge green.

Then when accustomed to the generous landing areas, there is the 571-yard, par-5 fifth, a dogleg right heading uphill to a slightly elevated green. The narrow fairway is treacherous with a steep drop down to a creek bed on the left, while the right is bordered non-stop by trees. Scary.

The par-3s on this course are fun. The 184-yard seventh plays over a valley to a green surrounded by trees and protected by a large bunker.

Opened two years after the Azaleas course in 1999, the Oaks Course plays 7,076 yards from the tips and is graced by wetlands, ponds, sprawling bunkers and rolling fairways.

Aptly named, the course runs through tall stands of white oak trees and is generally considered one of the best in the state. Characterized by large landing areas and plenty of bunkers along with some formidable carries, the Oaks is blessed by being laid out on a landscape of great natural beauty, of streams and waterfalls and lush greenery.

Pearl River has two adjacent casino hotels — Silver Star Hotel and Casino and Golden Moon Hotel and Casino — with a combined 1,000 rooms. They also have more than 5,000 slot machines, 115 table games and 14 poker tables, including the popular Texas Hold'em. The Spa at Silver Star has saunas, steam baths and a full program of treatments.

Play and stay packages start at $119 including room, golf, cart and breakfast.