Justin Timberlake invests in old SC golf course. Here’s how it will be updated

A 30-year-old par 3 golf course in Greenville is getting a makeover and new life as an entertainment venue with some golf on the side and Justin Timberlake is an investor.

Formerly Crosswinds, the course was designed by golfer Jay Haas and others in an investment group. It was bought four years ago by Davis Sezna, who has spent the past 50 years in the hospitality industry.

Until he sold his home recently, he and his wife Barb lived in Cliff’s Valley in northern Greenville County, a golf centered upscale community, one among many Cliff’s-related developments across the Upstate.

The Seznas also have a home in Palm Beach, Florida and are looking at other Cliff’s communities for their new South Carolina home.

Sezna said the renamed course, 3’s Greenville Golf, is the first of what he hopes are many more courses around the country centered on what he calls his three loves — golf, food and beverage and fun.

He suspects 60% of the business will be unrelated to golf. Food, beverage, entertainment, possibly an amphitheater. Originally an 18-hole course, 3’s Greenville is now 12 holes, 6.5 acres for the short game and a “humps and bumps” putting course.

There is also a course for kids adorned with a sign that says adults must be accompanied by a child.

The various courses have been reimagined and reconfigured. “The Shack” is being renovated now for food and beverage service with what he claims as the biggest ice machine in golf to keep the cocktails flowing. There will be indoor and outdoor dining, fire pits and everything including golf stay open until 11 p.m. Adding to that is in an exquisite sound system, Sezna said.

Timberlake’s involvement comes in the form of 8AM Golf, in which he is an investor. 8AM Golf bought 35 percent of 3’s. One of the companies in 8AM Golf’s portfolio is Nicklaus Companies, as in Jack Nicklaus, widely considered the best golfer in the world.

“The 3′s concept is one I’m extremely excited about,” Timberlake said in a news release. “Making golf more accessible, less intimidating, and more fun is a passion of mine, and that’s exactly what 3′s accomplishes with its 12-hole, par-3 layout and its relaxed, ‘all are welcome’ vibe.”

Sezna said he’s also looking at Nashville, Scottsdale and possibly Las Vegas for the 3s concept but he says he is unlikely to find a better community than Greenville.

He said he came to Greenville in 1971 as a University of Georgia golfer and the change in the community since then has been unparalleled.

“There are not many cities that have grown so positively,” he said, noting the support of Mayor Knox White.

“Knox has been a great supporter of good ideas and quality businesses,” Senza said.