So I went to check out Justin Timberlake’s new golf course, Mirimichi, on Friday, which was media day. JT was there, of course, and made a brief welcoming speech. His parents, Paul and Lynn Harless, run the place, which is similar to the old Big Creek golf course only in the sense that it roughly follows the former layout. The fairways have been narrowed by plots of long grasses and bordering water hazards. The greens are slick and perfect, with lots of tricky undulations and surrounding traps. It’s a very tough track. Whether or not the average hacker is going to want to mess around in the tall grass looking for errant shots is anyone’s guess. I’ll give the lad and his parents big ups for ambition. It’s a potential world-class golf facility. Here’s hoping they can bring golfy back to Millington.
Members of the media got to play a round, and judging from the number of folks I saw chopping out of the deep stuff, it’s probably safe to say the course got the better of most of them. On the signature hole, number 11, a beautiful par 3 set next to a waterfall and fronted by a large pond, JT himself teed off with each group. He was briskly cordial, not particularly warm and friendly, which is probably par for the course (heh) for any mega-celeb who’s been in the public eye from childhood. He is obviously proud of the course.
For the record, he “choked down on a 7 iron” for the 165-yard shot. His swing is quick and strong. His form is solid. The forecaddy on the green said Timberlake had birdied the hole almost every time he’d played it on Friday. Not so, with our group. He hit it right of the green and it bounced into the drink. I did the same thing, for the record. So we’ve got that in common.
