Few courses test PGA Tourists-or everyday tourists-more than the TPC Sawgrass
Players Stadium course. To make it around Pete Dye's exacting design in one
piece, or even three pieces, is quite a feat. From the tips, the course has the
USGA's highest maximum Slope Rating, 155.
This ultimate target-golf layout
demands that you put your ball in the correct spot with each swing. It isn't so
much a case of whether you'll find trouble as much as how you'll handle it when
you do. That's what's so fun about watching the Players. Where else do you see
pros with real fear in their eyes?
With the tournament's move to May, the
course will look and play better than ever, especially after a renovation that
included rebuilding the greens and fairways with a drainage system to promote
firm, fast conditions. In addition, Dye restored bunkers, lake banks, bridges
and bulkheads. How appropriate that he became famous for his railroad ties here:
There isn't a more perfect place for a train wreck.
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,215
Year founded: 1980
Architect: Pete Dye
