The Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, or as it is commonly known, the TPC at Sawgrass, is a golf course located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Just 12 miles from Jacksonville, Fla., and 20 miles north of historic St. Augustine.
TPC Sawgrass offers two championship golf courses that are open for the public to enjoy—The Players Stadium Course and Dye’s Valley Course. But it’s the Stadium Course that is one of the best-known courses in the world.
That is thanks to two things: It hosts The Players Championship every year, and its signature 17th hole. No. 17, a 132-yard, par 3, which is one of the most well-known island greens in golf. World-renowned golf course designer Pete Dye created a layout that challenges all parts of a player’s game while designing the course, although the idea for the island green on No. 17 came from his wife, Alice.
The creation of TPC Sawgrass as host to The Players was based on several unique concepts: First, it would be the permanent home of The Players, and it would be owned by the players. Second, the course and surrounding areas would be built with spectators in mind.
It would be the first true “Stadium Course,” designed and built to improve the overall on-site fan experience. Third, the TPC would be a course of great design and character that would be accessible to all golf fans.
This course was considered the debut of stadium golf, with plenty of pot bunkers and moguls to make even professionals squeal. The course design favors no particular player or style of play. There is a balanced selection of short, medium and long holes within the categories of par-3s, par-4s and par-5s.
There are both right and left doglegs and the course routing was laid out so no two consecutive holes play in the same direction.
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is a very challenging track, for pros and amateurs alike, with its combination of ribbon-like fairways running between tall trees or against numerous water hazards, and borders of long, snaking bunkers, with plenty of mounding thrown in, too.
The course plays to 7,215 yards with a stout USGA course rating of 76.8 and a slope rating of 155 (the maximum).
The front and back nine, in terms on hole difficulty ranking (since 1982), play at an average of 9.89 in the front and 9.11 in the back. Which suggests the back nine would play harder than the front nine. But when you factor in the stroke average plus/minus average, the front stands at 0.0651 with the back at 0.0613.
Not much difference. But historically, the strategy is to try and get your best score in the front nine, and hold on for dear grace in the back nine, especially in the last two holes.
Hole No. 1, par-4 392-yards, gives the golfer a good look at what he or she will be facing throughout the round: TPC Sawgrass’ challening layout of narrow, turning fairways, sand, water, trees. This hole is handicapped as the 10th most difficult.
Hole No. 2, par-5 532-yards, is handicapped as the second easiest hole. It is rare the player in this field who does not have the length to reach this green in two, although plenty of challenges surround the green.
The first big challenge for the players comes on the par-4 466-yards Hole No. 5. This hole is handicapped as the third most difficult on the course and the hardest hole on the front nine. This is a dogleg right where favoring the right side of the fairway--even straying into the bunker--often makes for an easier approach.
The par-4 442-yards Hole No. 7 and par-3 219-yards Hole No. 8 are handicapped as the fifth and fourth most difficult on the course. The longest par 3 on the course, although not a make-or-break test like the 17th, this hole can cause unwelcome late headaches for players who began the first or second round at the 10th tee due to the myriad of obstacles they must carry with their long iron.
In the back nine, players get a relief early with Holes No. 11 and 12. They are handicapped as the fourt hand third easiest holes on the course. The par-4 358-yards No. 12 is the shortest par-4 on the course, leaving most second shots inside 100 yards, making for dead-aim approaches.
But the last six holes provide five of the toughest nine holes in the course, including the two toughest and the infamous Island Green.
The par-4 467-yards No. 14 is the second most difficult on the course. Thanks in part to 15 yards added two years ago but also to a second string of mounds added along the right side of the landing area, now dotted with grass clumps. Add a green with plenty of slope and scores can start getting high in a hurry.
Players get a breather on those last five holes only on the par-5 507-yards 16th hole. The green sits across the water from the famous island 17th, and the toughest thing to watch for is not being in the middle of a putting stroke on the 16th while a player is hitting to the 17th green.
Many of the best golfers in the game have talked about the psychological impact of the 17th hole - how, during the final round of The Players Championship, those golfers in contention know throughout the round that the island green is lurking up ahead.
Even though the hole is much known for how many balls fall in the water and has a fearsome reputation, it’s ranking on the scorecard is only as the No. 13 handicap hole. So it’s safe to say the mind is a beautiful thing that likes to play tricks on everyone.
Once golfers get past the island green at No. 17, the home hole at TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course isn't exactly easy. In fact, it's quite intimidating itself, two closing shots with a ribbon of fairway running hard against water. Add to this a tiered green and you’ll understand why it’s handicapped as the toughest hole on the course.
Can’t wait to see your favorite players struggle? Neither can I. The Island Green and the 18th which is the No. 1 handicap hole on the course, how about that for a finish?