The 17th hole of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass will get plenty of attention this week. It always does when the PGA TOUR visits for The Players, and justifiably so. It’s an iconic hole in golf—a miss-or-make opportunity, and one that plays less than 150 yards but creates drama year after year.
As the 50th edition of The Players occurs, undoubtedly some amateur pundit on social media or otherwise will proclaim how easy the hole is being that it is so short. Of course, they’ve likely never made the long walk from the 16th with the peninsula green staring them in the face as the wind swirls from what seems like three different directions. Add in tournament pressure and it’s at a different level.
In case you missed it, in 2023 the PGA TOUR production team decided to see how amateurs would fare on what has become one of golf course designer Pete Dye’s (with the help of wife, Alice) lasting legacies.
I think you’ll enjoy watching the outcome.
