Exploring the Legendary Golf Courses at Sawgrass Resort

February 02nd, 2024

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This year, The Players Championship will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and that's an excellent opportunity to visit TPC Sawgrass and celebrate this milestone with your golf buddies. What makes the resort's golf courses ranked among the top golf courses in the US?

If you plan a golf getaway in Florida, there's a must-visit place for every golfer, the TPC Sawgrass. The golf resort boasts  two impeccably maintained golf courses, both designed by the world-renowned architect Pete Dye:

  • The Players Stadium
  • Dye's Valley Course

TPC Sawgrass is known as one of the best public courses in the US. Whether you play the Stadium course or the less-promoted Dye's Valley course, you will have a great golf experience.

The Dye's Valley Course: A Balanced Golf Experience

Start your vacation at Sawgrass Resort by teeing off at the Dye's Valley Course, which provides an enjoyable golf round. Most of our clients like to play Dye's Valley because it offers a balanced yet challenging golf experience. Designed by Pete Dye, Bobby Weed, and player consultant Jerry Pate, Dye's Valley was recently recognized in Golfweek Magazine as one of the "Best Courses You Can Play" in Florida and is consistently rated as one of the top courses in the state. The golf course boasts large greens and fascinating water features sprawling across rolling hills and valleys. During a 2006 renovation, several bunkers were rebuilt to provide a more exciting golf experience. The 350-yard third one is the most notable hole on the course.

The Players Stadium Course: An Iconic Masterpiece

Due to its unique design, the Players Stadium challenges amateurs and tour professionals like no other golf course. Each hole in this course is a masterpiece, requiring experience, precision, and strategic thinking, especially the 17th hole, the most famous (and notorious) golf hole in the golf world.

The permanent home of The Players Championship was designed as the first stadium-like golf course to provide an unparalleled experience for spectators. The course boasts unique elements that make it one of the most appealing courses for golf enthusiasts from all over the world:

  • strategically placed bunkers and water hazards
  • manicured fairways and greens
  • consecutive holes that never play in the same direction
  • traditional Scottish links-style bunkers
  • waste sandy areas, numerous oaks, pines, and palm trees
  • water hazards sprawling across rolling hills and valleys

Steve Wenzloff of PGA Tour Design Services recently remodeled several holes, making the layout even more thrilling during tournament play.

Offers an Unparalleled Experience for Spectators

For the first time in the golf world, a golf architect gave spectator viewing full consideration in designing a golf course using grassy berms as "stadium" seating, offering many spectators unobstructed views of tournament play. Several key locations were created at the 9th, 16th, 17th, and 18th greens, where strategic viewing areas were built.

The Notorious 17th Hole

While every hole at the course presents a provocation even for experienced players, the infamous 17th hole adds a unique element to The Player's Championship, making it a pivotal tournament point. This par-3 masterpiece is 137 yards, but the island-like green is surrounded by water with only a narrow walkway that connects it to the rest of the course, leaving enough room for failure. You need to summon strategic thinking and all your golf skills to avoid joining those who have seen their golf balls sink in the water.