TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course
Home of the island green - and the most feared 137 yards in golf.
The Course
Commissioner Deane Beman asked Pete Dye to build a course that would challenge tour pros and entertain fans in equal measure. Dye delivered a stadium-style layout with mounding for spectators and a sadistic streak a mile wide. It opened in 1980 and immediately became the permanent home of The Players Championship.
The course was a beast from day one - tour pros complained bitterly about its difficulty in the early years. Dye softened a few edges over time, but the DNA remains: water on seemingly every hole, tiny targets, and the constant feeling that your ball is one bad swing from swimming.
A 2023 renovation refreshed bunkers, greens complexes, and drainage. The course remains the ultimate examination of iron play under pressure.
Signature Holes
Hole 16 - Par 5, 523 yards
Risk-reward at its finest. Water guards the green, and Sunday pins bring eagles and disasters in equal measure.
Hole 17 - Par 3, 137 yards
The island green. 137 yards of pure terror. Over 100,000 balls a year find the water here. Take an extra club and swing smooth.
Hole 18 - Par 4, 462 yards
Water all down the left. The hardest finishing hole on tour that isn't a par 5. Hang on.
Designer
Pete Dye (1980)
Practical Info
Around $650 in peak season, which stings but includes cart and range. Book 2-4 weeks ahead minimum. Play the tees that match your game - the back tees at 7,189 yards with a 155 slope will humble single-digit handicaps. The Dye's Valley Course next door is an excellent (and cheaper) second round.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Green fee from | $650 |
| Fee notes | Peak season. Includes cart and range balls. |
| Location | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida |
| Par / Yardage | 72 / 7189 yards |
| Slope / Rating | 155 / 76.8 |
Worth it?
Yes for the experience, with eyes open. You are paying for the 17th hole and the walk through tour history. The course itself is brutally hard and occasionally unfair - but you will talk about that island green for the rest of your life.