Mirimichi, Millington, TN

Mirimichi is the Justin Timberlake Golf Course.  It is the only certified environmentally "green" golf course in the United States.  It's a links style course with 5 tee boxes, 5000+ yards from the forward tees.  The fairways are pretty wide open and fairly straight for the most part.  BUT there is lots and lots and lots of sand bunkers, rolling hills, water and even hidden hazards like streams.  The carts are equipped with GPS which came in very handy.  Because we were there in February, there were not as many hazards as there would be in the summer.  The water was down and the grasses were too.  But it was cart path only so we had a lot of walking because the fairways were so wide and rolling.  The forward tees give women a nice advantage, on some holes it made the greens almost driveable!  There were four par 3's, as usual, but all were really nice with a little bit of challenge to them.  Shown below is hole 11, The Wall.

There were two bathrooms on the course.  There's an area at the end of holes 9 and 18 that, in the summer, would be staffed and stocked.  It was a really nice patio area with a bar and barbecue and really nice area to sit and watch almost all the holes.  But because it was still winter, we had to drive back to the clubhouse for a hot dog.  The clubhouse is really nice with a performance and learning center and small outdoor seating area.  They don't serve wine, though, which I didn't like and because the outdoor patio wasn't open, there was no where for us to sit and watch golfers which I love to do.  There is a nice driving range, balls are included in the price of golf, and a putting green.  There's also a 9 hole, par 35, executive course which we didn't even see.  The cost for weekday golf is $65/weekend is $80 in the winter, not sure what the summer rates will be.  There were not a lot of golfers on the course.  We were behind a twosome who were taking there time, as were we.  We let a twosome who seemed to be in a hurry, golf through.  But other than them, we didn't see anyone else on the course, even though we knew there were others out there.  We will try to come back in the fall some year so we can see the course in it's full glory.

Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Nashville, TN

This is the nicest public course in Nashville.  A little pricey, perhaps, at $64 (including tax) winter rates, however, we really liked this course and would love to golf here when it's green.  Because of the rain, it was cart path only.  The fairways are quite wide and because it was cart path only, it took a long time for us to golf.  The greens were in really nice condition because they cover them with tarp every night.  The greens were really hard to judge and I couldn't figure them out until the back nine.  There were some really nice holes including a par 4 with an island green (picture below) and a couple par 3's that you had to go over water or swamp.  It was a true links style course but because it was the winter, we didn't have to contend with a lot of long grasses.  The carts are equipped with gps so you get a real accurate picture of the shots you need to hit.  There's a golf institute, driving range, putting green, very nice pro shop and clubhouse.

Bathrooms were located conveniently on the course.  We ate in the clubhouse after golf.  Food was good but my complaint is that we were unable to see any holes from the clubhouse.  We could see golfers tee off at hole 10 but that's about it.  There was a nice outdoor seating area but I don't know if you'd be able to see anything from there.  We'd definitely golf here again when we're in the area.
www.gaylordsprings.com

Hole 4 with island green

Hole 13 over water

Forrest Crossing Golf Course, Franklin, TN

This is a Nashville City Course.  It was a little chilly so there weren't many people on this course.  Because of the time of year, the course wasn't in the best of condition but the greens were OK...though a little unpredictable because of the weather.  It had rained quite a bit the day before and it was cart path only.  The starter was very nice and the ranger drove around frequently.  There are several sets of tees and the forward tees are very women friendly and are needed on this course.  Hole 9 (above) is a par 4 and has an island green.  The back 9 has several fun, unusual holes.  There is some elevation changes and water and other hazards.  My problem with the course is that it isn't very well marked.  It's sometimes hard to find the next hole, the appropriate tee and even, at couple times, which green you were hitting to!  We especially had trouble on the last hole...we could not figure out where to hit the all, even with the score card and the sky caddie.  They had a small snack bar, but at this time of year, only had hot dogs.  We enjoyed the course and would like to play it again when it's warmer and greener, even though with the trees and grasses grown, it will be a lot harder.