Getty Picture / Stan Badz / PGA TOUR
The PGA Tour is in Ponte Vedra Seaside, Florida this week for golf’s unofficial ‘Fifth Main’, The Gamers Championship. The island inexperienced at TPC Sawgrass is arguably probably the most well-known gap in golf and whereas there are a number of within the operating for that title just like the sixteenth on the Waste Administration or the twelfth gap at Augusta, the setup of the Island Inexperienced is unmatched.
Others in consideration could be #1 and 18 at St. Andrews, 18 at Pebble Seaside, and some others I’m most likely forgetting for the time being. However the island inexperienced of #17 at TPC Sawgrass is in ELITE firm even when we are able to’t agree that it’s probably the most iconic gap in golf.
Going again to final 12 months on the eve of the 2023 Gamers Championship, the PGA Tour arrange cameras at TPC Sawgrass’ seventeenth gap for instance how troublesome the island inexperienced actually is. They filmed a day’s price of newbie golfers testing their mettle.
What they discovered was, out of 175 makes an attempt on the opening in at some point 95 gamers hit 102 balls within the water. Each single group that performed the opening that day had a minimum of one participant hit a ball within the water on 17.
Novice Golfers Hit Pictures On TPC Sawgrass #17 And Fail
I’ve by no means performed TPC Sawgrass myself however buddies from my Junior Golf days all the time described it as a torturous expertise. The greens charges these are completely insane although I’m a Florida resident. And once I’ve acquired Streamsong simply down the street, paying a small fortune to go get crushed by Sawgrass doesn’t seem to be very a lot enjoyable to me.
There’s one thing in regards to the nerves main as much as #17 that increase the stakes. You play a full spherical understanding that shot is coming.
And once you step up on the tee field at #17, each mistake from the earlier 16 holes might be floating by way of your thoughts.
That stated, I’m stunned that there wasn’t a single group that didn’t get on the inexperienced. You’d suppose that golfers shelling out $500-$900/spherical could be higher than ‘common’.
This text was initially printed on March 7, 2023 however has since been up to date
