Golf Special Report: Mirimichi, the first eco- friendly golf course in United States owned by Justin Timberlake
Golf is a game of hard cash and Justin Timberlake has proved this notion by owning the first eco –friendly golf course of United States of worth $16 million. The course was inaugurated on Sunday 19th September, 2010.
Here is a quick review of the course.
Mirimichi golf course was initially known as the Big Creek golf club, however, when Timberlake bought it in late 2008; he changed its name to Mirimichi which means “happy retreat”. Along with a change in the name, many changes were bought in the layout as
well. The first of the changes was the grass, which was change to Bermuda, as it holds the ball more firmly on the greens. Secondly, the greens were altered. Few had extra yards added in them and four got extended towards the water zone, to add drama.
Moreover, few bunkers were either moved or completely eliminated, but the major difference was that of consistency of the sand, which was found in all bunkers. Crushed granite was used to make the sand bunkers. It served two purposes, one it added to the
beauty of the course and second it is clearly visible to the player, thereby, he does not get confused like Dustin Johnson.
As for the hazards are concerned, each hole comes in contact with water except the 15th. However, this does not suggest, that it is one of the easiest greens to achieve, as it has a fairly large tee with par4. Secondly, there are fairway bunkers
on both sides and if a player gets successful in deceiving them, there is grass surrounding the hole, which makes it difficult for shot to reach the pin without a bogey.
Moving forward, according to the media reports, there are ninety – one bunkers on 17 holes and apart from that, water comes twice into play in 12 holes. Thereby, Mirimichi is a tough test especially at the tees .With fairway bunkers on every hole, a player
should avoid going straight to the tees with a big stick.
Apart from the hazards, there is one more thing that needs the attention. A good shot selection is highly recommended on the course .As, a high, soft shot to hold the rock-hard greens won’t work wonders here. In fact, several holes allow for low, running
approaches, which means that a short game should be the strategy of the game plan. Another nice touch is the shaved grass around every green, which permit players to use short-game with bump-and-runs, pitches and even putts from off the green.
Moreover, the real jewels of “Mirimichi “are four holes of par 3. Water make legs tremble on three of them, while the other, no - 3, is a 223-yard behemoth of trouble with large bunkers facing the green. One of these four troublesome holes is the No. 11th,
which is nearly surrounded by water like an island. The only dry spot is found on the left side but that too has a bunker!
So much for the threats, coming to the relaxation offered by the course, there is a 9-hole, par-35 executive course, by the name of "Little Mirimichi” for beginners’ .It consists of six par 4s, two par 3s, one par 5 and five sets of tees ranging from 2,530
yards to 1,698 yards.
This is it for the course review of Mirimichi, the new name for Big Creek golf club, which is situated in Memphis, Tennessee. The course is a true artefact of beauty and one of the accomplishments of Justin Timberlake. Mirimichi is the first eco friendly
golf course and it is said by the regional director for the Golf Environment Organization, Bud Smart, that the course is a benchmark for all the golf courses that want to achieve the status of “green”.
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