Tournament Players Club
(Stadium), FL, USA  

Love it or hate it, TPC at Sawgrass had the most immediate impact of any course built in a 60 year period -- from Augusta National (1933) to Sand Hills (1995). Harbour Town was more revolutionary but after opening in 1969, Harbour Town did not specifically impact other designs for years to come.

TPC signaled the official end of the unimaginative post World War II work and the beginning of the more interesting period we now enjoy. As much as any other course, it forced architects to change their direction.

The course really starts with this tricky approach to the 4th.

TPC has been a work in progress from day one. Like Spyglass Hill, it may have hosted a tournament one year prematurely. Some of the original greens were too severe and, even for Pete Dye, the course was too rough around the edges. In the last ten years, the course has seen many small changes (e.g., the removal of the bunker to the right and rear of the 16^th green). Most of these changes have been for the good of the course.

An 'unplayable' label still hovers over the course, which is unfortunate for that tends to obscure the good things that are going on here. The course is quite reasonable for players of all skill levels. The fairways are generous, and, with the cleared out areas under the trees, it is all but impossible to lose a ball other than in a water hazard. At under 7,000 yards from the tips against a par of 72, sheer length is distinctly not what this course is about. There are only a few par fours (the 5^th, 7^th, 14^th and 18^th) and one three par (the 8^th) where the player will have to play a long iron approach.

So where, then, does the perception of difficulty come? Primarily from the over-publicized 17^th and its island green. Many people think the rest of the course is similar to this hole when just the opposite is true. In fact, that is the real justified criticism of the hole -- it doesn't fit in well with the other 17 holes and that it was created for just the one purpose of providing drama for The Players Championship.

From the frequently seen aerial view, the 17^th hole does look extremely difficult, contrived and even silly. Playing it, however, offers an entirely different perspective. Standing on the tee with an 8- or 9-iron in your hands, the green looks (and is) large and not too intimidating. The difficulty comes with the wind. Is it a bad hole? No. What has been bad is the effect it has had on other architects and developers who feel that they must somehow fit an island green into their new courses. The final words on the subject should belong to Johnny Miller: 'Each course should have a hole that makes you ….pucker.'

Another criticism of the course is that it is 'artificial.' Any course built from a swamp is going to be artificial to a certain degree. Nonetheless, the course today is pure golf. Except for the first few holes on the back nine, there are no intruding houses, condominiums, etc. Since its opening, the course has matured into a real beauty. In fact, the four most visually striking courses out of Florida's 1,000 plus courses are Seminole, World Woods (Pine Barren) , Medalist and here.

The course is remarkably well balanced. The par threes are nicely spaced at 170, 210, 165 and 135 yards; the four par fives include one true three-shotter (the 9^th), two (the 2^nd and 16^th) that are often reachable in two and one marvelous par five (the 11^th) in the middle. In one stretch (4-7) there are four consecutive par fours and in another (14-15) two consecutive par fours. Otherwise, the player does not play consecutive holes of the same par.

Holes to Note:

5^th, 445 yards: Intimidating tee shot with a respectable carry to the fairway, but a very wide landing area. On this dogleg right the player can shorten his approach shot appreciably by challenging the more dangerous right side off the tee. The green is well-framed with plenty of room for a long approach to bounce onto the left side of the green while the mound on the right can tempt the foolhardy to go after a right hole location from too great a distance.

7^th, 420 yards: Fairly basic architectural stuff of which you see surprisingly little. Drive left toward the trouble and have a much better angle for the approach. Drive safely to the right and face a much tougher shot. However, as befits a hole of this length, there is a good amount of fairway left of the green, yet the undulations there force the player to work hard to save par.

10^th, 390 yards: Same principles as with the 7^th, just on a smaller, tighter scale as the yardage would dictate.

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