The nation's first golf course to be certified by the Audobon Classic Sanctuary Program opened July 25 in Millington, TN, just north of Memphis. The course, called Mirimichi, is owned by singer-dancer-actor-golfer-lover Justin "Cry Me a Water Hazard" Timberlake, a Tennessee native. He purchased the property in 2007 to prevent commercial development and invested about $16 million to improve the course ecologically.
New features include 80% native trees and plants, with only 20% exotics. The course also features six lakes, two creeks, and four waterfalls, as well as habitats for plants and animals. Surrounding each water feature is an invisible 25-foot barrier where Audubon rules ban the use of chemical fertilizers or herbicides. Wildflower meadows and wetlands areas also enhance the 300-acre property. Details on the horticultural aspects of Mirimichi are available here.
The site has been a golf course since 1976, but Timberlake's goal is to provide "a place where golf and nature exist in harmony." And who understands harmony better than a boybander?