TPC Sawgrass through the years

TPC Sawgrass is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2020. What was once the vision of PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman has become one of the great venues in golf. Only Augusta National is in TPC Sawgrass' league when it comes to constant refinement and updating of the fan and player experience.

The PGA Tour acquired the 415-acre site in Ponte Vedra Beach for just one dollar. It opened in 1981 and hosted its first Players Championship in 1982. Jerry Pate won the event in spectacular fashion and threw Dye and Beman in the water, followed by himself to celebrate. The yardage of the Stadium that year was 6,851 yards. For the 2020 Players, it will play 7,245 yards.

TPC Sawgrass has seen many changes through the years both subtle and large. Dye was a visionary bringing his stadium concept and construction to the swamp, about a mile west of the Atlantic Ocean. His ability to build a course here was a tremendous feat, as was Beman's ability to finance the project. But not everything panned out in the long run: his terraced, grassy stadium seating was scrapped in favor of easier-to-maintain mounding. But the Stadium-style concept has become a tent pole of the TPC network golf courses which seek to provide high drama and ample spectating opportunities.

In 1987, Dye's Valley opened next to the Stadium Course. While it doesn't have a hole as famous as the island-green 17th, it is nevertheless a tournament-tested venue that was a past host to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.

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TPC Sawgrass - Dye's Valley Course

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

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4.4341764706

118

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TPC Sawgrass - THE PLAYERS Stadium Course

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

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4.9423764706

104

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The Players Championship has traditionally been held in March, with the exception of a stretch from 2007-2018. The main difference being the May event was staged on warm-weather bermuda turf instead of cool-season Rye grass. 2007 was a big year in that not only did the event transition to May, but the brand new clubhouse was completed in time for the event. Inspired by the former Ponce De Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, the 110,000-square-foot shrine to the Tour is free for anyone to visit and receive a tour.

In 2017, a brand new 12th hole was built in the hopes of bringing more drama and risk-reward to this stretch of the golf course. Formerly a more tactical, 358-yard par 4, it is now 302 yards and tantalizingly drivable off the tee and many players go for the green.

Pete and his wife Alice Dye are to be credited not for their bold vision but ability to create a golf course that doesn't favor any style of player in particular. Combined with the deep fields, it is one of the most unpredicable tournaments each year. 2020, the 40th year of TPC Sawgrass, is the first Players where neither Pete nor Alice are with us any longer. Alice Dye, who is credited for the idea of building the 17th island green, passed away on February 1st, 2019. Pete passed away on Jan 9th, 2020.

TPC Sawgrass, despite the fact it has become a home club for many PGA Tour players, has always been publicly accessible, so any golfer can see how their game stacks up on the Dyes' greatest creation. While it is one of the most expensive rounds of golf you can play in the United States, the fact it is dynamically and seasonally priced means you can at times play it for less.

Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package

FROM $487 (USD)

JACKSONVILLE, FL | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa and 2 rounds of golf at TPC Sawgrass Stadium & Valley Courses.