NationMaster - Encyclopedia: TPC at Sawgrass

The TPC at Sawgrass is a well-known golf course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and was the inaugural Tournament Players Club. Sawgrass has two courses, the Stadium Course and the Valley Course, and is also home to the PGA Tour's world headquarters. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1814x1222, 1473 KB) Summary The famous 17th hole at the w:TPC at Sawgrass golf course. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1814x1222, 1473 KB) Summary The famous 17th hole at the w:TPC at Sawgrass golf course. ... Ponte Vedra Beach is a seaside village 20 miles south east of downtown Jacksonville, Florida, near St. ... Tournament Players Club (TPC) is a chain of American public and private golf clubs operated by the PGA TOUR. Most of their courses either are or had been hosts for PGA TOUR events, and even those that have never hosted an event on the main tour have frequently hosted events... The PGA Tour is an organization headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA that operates the USAs main professional golf tours for men. ...

The Stadium Course at the TPC at Sawgrass is home to The PLAYERS Championship, the PGA Tour's flagship event, and is widely regarded as one of the toughest golf courses in the world. Opened in 1980 and designed by noted golf-course architect Pete Dye, the Stadium Course was revolutionary for its radical "stadium" concept -- like in other sports, fans at the TPC sit in "stands" made of raised mounds of grass -- and for its brutal design. It is best known, though, for its signature hole, the par-3, 132-yard 17th, known simply as the "Island Green", one of golf's most recognizable holes. THE PLAYERS Championship is a prestigious annual golf tournament for professional male golfers which takes place every March on the PGA TOUR. The event was founded in 1974 as the Tournament Players Championship, played at Sawgrass Country Clubs Oceanside Course (a combination of the East and West 9-hole... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

1 History
2 The "Island Green"
3 The PLAYERS Championship winners at Sawgrass
4 See also
5 External links

History

Over 415 acres in the Florida swampland, Dye's masterpiece defined the term "target golf": narrow fairways lined with hazards like marshes and "waste bunkers" (long strips of sand that groundskeepers never maintain); dozens of deep "pot bunkers," strategically placed to catch even a slightly misplaced shot; thick rough that features craters and mounds; tall, shot-obstructing palm trees; and rock-hard, lightning-fast greens. When the first Tournament Players Championship was staged at the Stadium Course in 1982, the story was not eventual winner Jerry Pate but the complaints the players had about the course, a track supposedly built in their honor. "It's Star Wars golf, designed by Darth Vader," Ben Crenshaw pronounced. When asked if the TPC suited his playing style, Jack Nicklaus replied, "No, I've never been very good at stopping a 5-iron on the hood of a car." J.C. Snead called the course "90 percent horse manure and 10 percent luck." Over the following year, Dye tweaked the course, making the greens less severe and replacing several bunkers. After the changes, the course was far more "playable," and now the players look forward to taking it on. "Now it's a darn good golf course," Crenshaw said after the improvements. This article is about the unit of measure known as the acre. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ... A bunker is a defensive warfare fortification to protect oneself. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jerry Pate (born September 16, 1953) is an American golfer. ... The cover of the 2004 DVD widescreen release of the modified original Star Wars Trilogy. ... Darth Vader (41 BBY â€“ 4 ABY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. ... Ben Crenshaw (born January 11, 1952 in Austin, Texas) is an American golfer. ... Nicklaus celebrates his victory in the 1980 U.S. Open Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940 in Columbus, Ohio), also known as The Golden Bear, was a major force in professional golf, first on the PGA Tour from the 1960s to the mid to late 1980s, and then on... // J.C. Snead (born October 14, 1940 in Hot Springs, Virginia) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level. ...

The "Island Green"

TPC Sawgrass' signature hole is the Stadium Course's 17th, known simply as the "Island Green". While gorgeous to look at, the hole has been known to scare even the best of golfers. It measures only 132 yards from tee to green (requiring only a pitching wedge for most pros), but consists of nothing but an undulating, 78-foot-long green and a tiny bunker in front of it. Save a small path to the green, the rest of the hole is completely surrounded by water, and its location amidst a canyon of trees causes the wind to swirl over the green. Club selection at 17 is a huge consideration, as there is nowhere to land the ball but on the green – or in the water. It is estimated that over 100,000 balls are retrieved from the surrounding water every year, courtesy of professionals and tourists alike trying their luck. A pitching wedge is a kind of golf club. ...

According to the TPC Sawgrass website, the design came by accident. The original design for the 17th was to be a simple par-3 green only partially surrounded by a lake. However, the soil surrounding the 17th consisted of sand – necessary to build a good golf course, but rare on the otherwise swampy property – and by the time the course was near completion all the sand had been dug from the area, leaving a large crater. Dye's wife, Alice, suggested the Island Green concept, remembering another course with a similar green; Dye was not thrilled at the idea but went ahead with it, in the process creating one of golf's most recognizable holes.

The PLAYERS Championship winners at Sawgrass

Stephen Ames (born April 28, 1964 in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago) is a golfer on the PGA TOUR holding dual citizenship of Canada and Trinidad and Tobago. ... Fred Funk (b. ... Adam Scott (born June 16, 1980 in Adelaide, Australia), is a professional golfer and one of a crop of young Australians plying their trade on the major golf tours. ... Davis Love III (ie Davis Love the Third) is an American professional golfer born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 13, 1964. ... Craig Perks (b. ... Eldrick Tiger Woods (born December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California) is an American golfer, widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. ... Hal Sutton (born April 28, 1958 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American golfer and captain of the 2004 American Ryder Cup team. ... David Duval at 2005 Chrysler Classic of Tucson David Duval (born November 9, 1971) in Jacksonville, Florida, is a professional golfer on the US PGA TOUR. Duval graduated from the Episcopal High School of Jacksonville. ... Justin Leonard (1972- ) is an American professional golfer. ... Steve Elkington (born December 8, 1962 in Inverell, Australia) is an Australian golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. ... // Fred Couples on the cover of a 2000 biography by Kathlene Bissell. ... Lee Janzen (1964- ) is an American golfer. ... The cover of Shark (1998), a biography of Greg Norman. ... Nick Price (born January 28, 1957 in Durban, South Africa), is a professional golfer. ... Davis Love III (ie Davis Love the Third) is an American professional golfer born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 13, 1964. ... Steve Elkington (born December 8, 1962 in Inverell, Australia) is an Australian golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. ... Joseph Martin Jodie Mudd (born April 23, 1960 in Louisville, Kentucky) ia an American professional golfer. ... // Tom Kite (born December 9, 1949 in Austin, Texas) is an American golfer. ... Mark McCumber (b. ... Alexander Walter Lyle (Sandy Lyle) (born February 9, 1958) is a British golfer. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 kmÂ² 1. ... // John Drayton Mahaffey Jr. ... // Fred Couples on the cover of a 2000 biography by Kathlene Bissell. ... Hal Sutton (born April 28, 1958 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American golfer and captain of the 2004 American Ryder Cup team. ... Jerry Pate (born September 16, 1953) is an American golfer. ...

External links

Sawgrass home page
Golf Club Atlas Guide

Categories: Sports venues in Florida | Golf clubs and courses in the United States

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Contents

History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

The "Island Green"

The PLAYERS Championship winners at Sawgrass

See also

External links

History