Archive for the ‘golf’ Category

Justin Timberlake’s golf course has started building the Mirimichi-Callaway Performance & Learning Center.

The 10,200-square-foot building, perched over the driving range, may sound like heaven to students of the swing.

A screened-in patio shelters three hitting bays, so golfers inside hit out onto the range.

The facility will offer three high-tech systems for golf instruction and club-fitting: The Callaway Performance Analysis System, which captures swing speed, ball speed, launch angle, spin rates and other factors for finding the best club fit; Trackman Technology, which displays ball trajectory in real time; and V1 Golf Teaching System, which helps instructors diagnose swing flaws and offer lessons online.

The center should open when Mirimichi reopens in July.

The pop singer and his parents bought the former Big Creek Golf Course at 6195 Woodstock Cuba Road, reconstructed the course and reopened it last July. But they have closed it for the first half of this year for yet more renovations.

“The advanced technology and state-of-the-art building will make Mirimichi the one-stop shopping headquarters for the perfect set of clubs, custom-fitted to individual specifications,” golf director Greg King said in a prepared statement.

Check out this interview Justin did back in 09. it’s a nice little read

Justin Timberlake, with six Grammy awards and two Emmys, seems like any other golf-crazed everyman who might round out your foursome on a Sunday morning.

Get him talking, in fact, and it appears a sense of relief washes over JT when speaking about the game. In these conversations, there is no deflecting gossip from the tabloids nor any need to plug his latest vehicle. Truth is, his passion for golf is so frenzied, you get the feeling he would trade life as a pop superstar for one as a touring pro — if only he could keep his handicap low enough.

In advance of the PGA Tour’s upcoming Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, the tournament host sat down on the ESPN.com Hot Seat to discuss his recent hole-in-one, trading those Grammys for success on the course and the benefits of running his own event.

Q: Most guys who like golf will play a few rounds each week, maybe catch the telecasts on TV. You put your name on a PGA Tour event. That’s dedication.
A: Well, it’s way more selfish than you think. Really, it’s just an opportunity for me to hang out on the range and watch pros hit balls, you know? Out of all of the things that I get to do, this is probably one of the cooler things. And to top it off, we’re raising money for an amazing cause. At the end of the day, there are a million ways to raise money, but if you can actually have fun and play golf at the same time, it’s like, why wouldn’t you do that?

Q: Complete this sentence: If Justin Timberlake the entertainer brought sexy back, then Justin Timberlake the tournament host is bringing back ________.
A: Hmm, let’s see … eventually, Tiger.

Q: You just trumped my next question. When’s that going to happen?
A: I don’t know, man. I’m sure the guy is pretty busy. Didn’t he win there as an amateur?

Q: It was actually his first professional win back in 1996.
A: That’s right — first pro win.

Q: As a tournament host, are you more Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis or Bob Hope?
A: Well, I would say I’m probably a little bit of all three. Wasn’t Bing recognized as one of the best celebrity golfers as far as skill level? Wasn’t he really good? So my answer to the question is I’d probably try to be like Bing Crosby, but I’d probably wind up being slightly more like Bob Hope as far as skill level is concerned [laughs].

Q: Speaking of skill level, any thoughts about trying to play in your own tournament? Just a wild guess, but I bet you could pull a sponsor’s exemption.
A: You know what? You’re giving me an idea.

Q: You’re listed as a 6-handicap. How’s the game right now?
A: I’m playing to about that. Right now my index is a 5.2 or something. I haven’t looked at it recently, but the last score I posted was last week, and it was pretty true to that handicap.

Q: That’s pretty solid.
A: Man, you know what it’s like. Do you play?

Q: Of course.
A: Then you know what it’s like. I’m comfortable with that handicap. That handicap for me travels well. It gives me a couple of shots and forces me to play good golf all the time. For somebody like me, I don’t get to work on my game as much. I don’t have a lot of time to just go to the range and hit balls. The times that I get on the golf course, it’s like, ‘Well, I’ve got a day off, I should go play.’ That’s the most fun is actually getting to go play. But if I had time, I could become a range rat, easily. I could sit out there for hours and just chip and putt and work on everything.

click here to read the rest of the interview

For the third straight year, Golf Magazine is proud to honor the men and women who have left their marks on the spor

Innovators need not reinvent the game. They need simply to improve it, whether it’s through creativity and commitment, kindness and courage, or just good old-fashioned clever thinking.

This year’s recipients represent all of these qualities and many more, from a putting teacher who helps players improve through the use of state-of-the-art gadgets, to the grounds crews that keep overplayed public courses ship-shape, to a golfer-cum-model who wants to give the LPGA some much-needed buzz

The Man of the People: Justin Timberlake, 28, giving a ‘green’ course back to his hometown of Memphis

“I love this game. I learned it playing on a course in Memphis, Tenn., called Big Creek. It was the first place my dad taught me how to hit a ball. A couple years ago, my dad told me that the course was going to close and become a development. He said, ‘What if we buy it?’ I started laughing, but he wasn’t. He was serious. I said, ‘If you’re serious, so am I. Let’s do it.’

“The course was a landmark in the community; we had to save it. I’ve put my heart and soul into the project. We renamed it Mirimichi. We wanted to refurbish it. I asked some questions, and we found out we could make it a ‘green’ course – the first course in the U.S. to be designated as a certified Audubon International Classic Sanctuary. It was important to try to reuse water, to zero out our ecological footprint.

“Before we opened this summer, we had three missions: Create an amazing sanctuary for the community, create an eco-friendly course, and create a public course [that would be] mentioned in the same sentence as Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black. This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. It’s an awesome feeling to give this course back to the community.”

What happens in Vegas on Monday, October 12^th could prove to be the next shot heard round the world. Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:ELY) announced today that it is teaming up with Emmy and Grammy Award-winning artist Justin Timberlake in attempts to hit a hole-in-one for a $1 million charitable donation. As part of “Callaway Golf’s Justin Timberlake Million Dollar Diablo Shootout,” Timberlake, a Callaway Golf staff professional since 2008, will take three swings for a hole-in-one and look to generate a Callaway Golf donation of up to $1 million for Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Armed with Callaway Golf’s soon-to-be-released Diablo Forged Irons and Tour i Series golf ball, Timberlake will make his attempts on a 180-yard Par-3 hole in Las Vegas. This special event follows Justin’s first-ever hole-in-one, which found the bottom of the cup – also from 180 yards – this past July in Los Angeles. Signifying the impressive distance of Callaway’s new Diablo Forged Irons, Justin will attempt to replicate this rare golfing feat with a 6-iron, rather than with the 5-iron he employed for his previous ace.

“Justin has been a terrific addition to the Callaway Golf Family and we’re all pulling for him as he prepares for this exciting event that supports a terrific cause,” said George Fellows, President and CEO, Callaway Golf. “His game has improved greatly over the last two years and the new equipment he’s using is among the best we’ve ever introduced. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were able to pull this off.”

Callaway’s Diablo Forged Irons feature a more accessible sweet spot for maximum distance and strategic weight distribution for greater accuracy. Diablo Forged Irons’ sleek, tour-inspired styling and soft, responsive feel provide golfers with the confidence to be aggressive and play with an edge.

Prior to the October 12^th hole-in-one attempts, Callaway Golf will custom-fit Justin with a new set of Diablo Forged Irons, as well as with their soon-to-be released Diablo Edge Driver. Justin will test the new clubs under the watchful eyes of Callaway’s Sr. VP of Research & Development, Dr. Alan Hocknell and Director of Fitting & Instruction, Randy Peterson.

Justin Timberlake has been a hit as a pop music, TV and movie star, but he’s apparently not ready for City Hall.
Asked by a reporter today if he’d be willing to end Memphis’ political turmoil by running for mayor, Timberlake sputtered and smiled and put forth a different candidate. “I’d be the first to appoint my dad,” he said, referring to stepfather Paul Harless. “His record is way cleaner than mine.”
 Timberlake may not have political ambitions, but the 28-year-old former Millington resident and “SexyBack” singer was happy to be described as “an ambassador and a champion for the city of Memphis” as he introduced his new eco-friendly, state-of-the-art Mirimichi golf course to the media this morning. The par-72 course at 6195 Woodstock Cuba Rd. in Millington opens for public play Saturday.
“Mirimichi” reportedly is a Native American term for “place of happy retreat,” and today’s lovefest of a hometown press conference – which took place just north of the 18th green, on a handsome wooden deck where an outdoor bar and fireplace will be built – must have had a “Mirimichi” vibe for Timberlake. He’s used to dealing with invasive paparazzi and entertainment journalists more interested in his “(Expletive) in a Box” than his holes-in-one.
“I think this is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of in my life,” Timberlake said of Mirimichi.
Timberlake invested some $16 million in the course, which was the first in the country to be certified as a “classic sanctuary” by Audubon International, in recognition of the course’s “environmentally sustainable” design, which is intended to make it as friendly for wildlife and native plants as for golfers.
Only about 85 of the facility’s 200 acres are “mowable” turf; the rest has been given over to “native grasses,” according to Rich Peterson, Mirmichi general manager.
Said Timberlake: “I was able to pose the question, is it possible for a golf course to actually be ‘green’?”
Asked if Timberlake had done much “hands-on” work at Mirimichi, Randy Wilson – designer of the course, with Mike MacElhose – said: “The deal was, if he taught us how to dance, we would teach him how to run a bulldozer.”
Originally “beanfield farmland,” according to Mirimichi director of golf Greg King, the area has a lot of history for the Timberlake family. Paul and Lynn Harless (Timberlake’s mother) held their wedding reception at the Woodstock Hills Country Club that once occupied the site. Timberlake added: “Right there on the 10th tee is where I hit my first golf ball ever, when it was Big Creek.”
Paul Harless – a partner in the course with his wife and Timberlake – said Mirmichi is more than just another golf course. Thanks to Timberlake’s involvement and its eco-friendly design, it is expected to attract “national tourists” to Memphis, he said, and to “promote and contribute to the economic growth of Memphis.”
In recognition of this desire, Mayor Willie Herenton issued a proclamation declaring July 24 “Paul Harless Day” in Memphis. Special assistant Pete Aviotti, who attended today’s event to represent Herenton, said the declaration was historic because it would be Herenton’s last such proclamation.
Timberlake – dressed in conservative golf attire, including black slacks and a white shirt with black trim – said it wasn’t hard to decide to build a course in Millington rather than, say, Los Angeles.
“I could care less about celebrity,” he said. “This is where I grew up, and this is home … and it always will be for me. Any time you can give back to that and get 18 holes in, it’s a win-win.”
Said Lynn Harless: “We are so proud of Mirimichi and what we’ve created here. I was just equating it to birthing a new baby.”
Added Timberlake: “I’d like to say that I know nothing about birthing babies. That should cover the press for about two weeks, all over the world.”

MILLINGTON, Tenn. — Justin Timberlake’s Mirimichi golf course is set to open July 25 in suburban Memphis after a $16 million renovation aimed at making it environmentally friendly.

The Commercial Appeal reported that Timberlake invested in reconstruction of the former Big Creek Golf Course after buying it late in 2007.

Mirimichi director of golf Greg King said Timberlake played the few holes that were ready in the early spring and King is eager for the celebrity owner to play the completed project.

Timberlake bought the golf course to save it from commercial development and the project was designed to be the first eco-friendly course to be certified by the Audubon Classic Sanctuary Program.

I am sure tomorrow there will be pictures of the opening , since Golf is a huge thing for Justin and now he finally has his own place! so stay tuned!

July 19, 2009–Motown great Smokey Robinson will participate in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Pro-Am event in Las Vegas Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Las Vegas golf course TPC Summerlin. An avid golfer and supporter of the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Robinson is excited to participate in this year’s event. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Pro-Am to support such an amazing organization,” said Robinson in a statement. “The Shriners Hospitals provide outstanding care for children every day and this event is a great way to show support while partaking in a sport I enjoy.”

Robinson’s countless hits and consistent contributions to the Motown label earned him the title of the “King of Motown.” As both a member of Motown group The Miracles and a solo artist, Robinson recorded 37 Top 40 hits for Motown between 1960 and 1987 including “Shop Around,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” and “Baby Baby Don’t Cry.” Robinson also served as the company’s vice president from 1961 to 1988. His most recent album, Time Flies When You’re Having Fun, will be released on Aug. 25, 2009. Robinson has been known play quite a bit at Las Vegas golf courses over the years. The defending champion of the professional tournament will be Marc Turnesa. Past champions of Las Vegas’ PGA Tour event include Jim Furyk (3 times) Tiger Woods (his first professional victory in 1996) and legends such as Greg Norman, Davis Love III and Curtis Strange, among others.

- las vegas golf / Mellisa D

Pop sensation. Restauranteur. Clothing designer. Mother lover. Justin Timberlake is hoping to pad this already extensive resume with one more entry: author. The 28-year-old golf enthusiast is looking to write a book about his beloved sport, reports The New York Observer.

Literary agent David Viglian, who has represented celebs like Clay Aiken and Shannon Doherty, recently sent editors a proposal for a memoir-like work in which JT recounts his many rounds of golf and who he’s teed off with.

It’s no secret Justin’s a big fan of the game, having been introduced to it by stepfather Paul Harless. “I can go on any golf course, anywhere. I can go on a golf course in Abu Dhabi and feel like I’m back home. That’s what I love about it,” he told Entertainment Tonight.

JT doesn’t have to travel far from home, though, to get in a few rounds. He owns a green green (an environmentally friendly course) in his Tennessee hometown, and just last year started his own charity golf event, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open. Penning a memoir about these experiences seems to be the next logical step in his love affair with the sport, though much-less interesting than a Britney Spears tell-all.

 

More Sources . . .

The ‘SexyBack’ singer has reportedly employed a literary agent to send out a short synopsis of the planned tome, in the hope of securing a publishing deal.

The book is said to be a memoir which follows “Timberlake’s time on the green and his experiences playing with various competitors”.

Agent David Vigliano got in touch with several editors last month, it has been claimed.

Justin’s love of golf is well known, and he plays with an impressive six handicap.

The 28-year-old singer owns his own golf course – the Big Creek Golf Course near Memphis – and has previously admitted his proudest moment relates to the sport.

He said: “I loved appearing on the cover of Golf Digest magazine. I’m not going to lie. I mean, I’m done. I don’t have to do another magazine cover ever again.”

It has also been claimed Justin refuses to take to the course with his girlfriend Jessica Biel as she is such a strong competitor.

A source said: “He prefers not to play with her since she’s gotten so good. It’s too bad because he got her into golf in the first place.”

If Justin does publish a book on the sport he won’t be the only famous person to have done so.

In 2008, rocker Alice Cooper penned a tome called ‘Golf Monster: A Rock ’n’ Roller’s Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict’.

NME.com | MTV.com | examiner.com

These are from Rick’s Twitter on the 25th

Justin Timberlake lines up his shot as he prepares to sink his ball on the tenth hole. 4/25/09

   
check out more in the Gallery ( x 73 )

Golf Digest, the United States Golf Association and NBC Sports have announced that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Justin Timberlake will join Michael Jordan in the 2009 Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge. The three celebrities will play with one amateur golfer who will be determined by online voting.

The foursome will play the Black Course at Bethpage State Park, the site of the 2009 U.S. Open, and attempt to break a score of 100. The 18-hole round will be taped by NBC Sports and air on Sunday, June 21st from 12:00pm — 1:30pm ET, immediately prior to the final-round broadcast of the U.S. Open.

All three celebrities have a single-digit Handicap and have been included in previous Golf Digest rankings of athletes and musicians. In the 2007 list of the top athlete-golfers, Jordan ranked T-30 with a Handicap of 1.2 and Roethlisberger ranked T-121 with a Handicap of 7. Timberlake, the host of the PGA Tour’s Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, was ranked T-15 with a Handicap of 6 in Golf Digest’s 2008 “Top 100 in Music” list. Timberlake played in the 2008 Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge and shot 98 at Torrey Pines

Butch Harmon, who is ranked No.1 in Golf Digest’s “America’s 50 Greatest Teachers” list, will once again caddie for Timberlake. Fred Couples, the 15-time PGA TOUR winner and 1992 Masters champion, will caddie for Jordan. Roethlisberger’s caddie will be announced at a later date.

Voting for the amateur participant runs through April 30th at www.gdopencontest.com. The four finalists are: Philippe de Kerillis (Erdenheim, PA), Larry Giebelhausen (Scottsdale, AZ), Dale Matthews (McLean, VA) and Bob Ray (Arnold, MD). Voters can make one selection each day and are automatically entered for the chance to win daily prizes and multiple grand prizes, including two trips to the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

In the December 2008 issue, Golf Digest asked readers to submit a six-word statement on why they thought they could break 100 at Bethpage Black. The four finalists were narrowed down from 73,581 entries.

The Golf Channel on April 11 will introduce “Golf in America,” a documentary series that takes a unique perspective on the sport. The first couple of episodes feature stories about a course in the Memphis, Tenn., area purchased by Justin Timberlake and another in Louisiana that’s maintained by prison inmates.

The episode featuring Justin will aire 4/12 and 9pm. check your local listings for exact time and channel for your area.

here is a bunch more of the pictures from 1/22 of Justin playing golf in Mexico.

here are some pictures of Justin playing a round of golf in Mexico , not sure of when …. I’ll try to get some info later. Thanks to the jjb!

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament penciled Ken Griffey Jr. into its starting lineup Tuesday.

Griffey, who passed the 600 career home run barrier last season and finished with 611, will join a celebrity field that includes former women’s soccer superstar Brandi Chastain, along with actor Bill Murray, who returns for the first time in two years.

Other familiar names in the Feb. 9-15 tourney at Pebble Beach Golf Course are actor Ray Romano, singer Justin Timberlake, former motorcycle king Kenny Roberts along with comedian George Lopez and actor Andy Garcia.

Defending AT&T champion Steve Lowery, who became the oldest winner of this event at age 47 when he beat V.J. Singh in a one-hole playoff, is back to try for a repeat.

Singh, a regular at the AT&T and the 2004 winner, is not expected to compete here this year.

Phil Mickelson, who won the AT&T in 2005 and 2007, has not yet committed to this year’s event.

However, PGA veterans Fred Couples, Jim Furyk, long-driving J.B. Holmes, 2001 and 2003 AT&T champion Davis Love III and Mark Calcavecchia will be part of the field.

In addition, Peter Jacobsen and Bobby Clampett return.

Practice rounds at all the AT&T courses – Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills – are Feb. 9, 10 and 11.

The four-day, 72-hole tournament tees off Feb. 12.

Single-day tickets are $60 and can be purchased on www.attpbgolf.com.

other information :: . .
The tournament will be televised:
Thursday the 12th and Friday the 13th on the Golf Channel 3-6pm Eastern
Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th on CBS 3-6pm Eastern