TPC Sawgrass
Played Sawgrass in 2018 with work buddies Elliott, Rob, and Don. Besides 17 what I remember most about Sawgrass is there is a ton of water and that made it really tough. I’ve heard some say this is over-rated and don’t waste the money. It is pricey, though this was company golf for me (I don’t usually ever allow that big of a greens fee to be paid for me but E-Train’s company had a relationship with Sawgrass). So maybe since I didn’t have to plunk down $500+ or so to play it, I don’t have the same feeling about it. Regardless, you still want to play it if for nothing else than to play the most memorable, photographed hole in all of golf.
I talked in the Torrey Pines write-up about how there are golf courses that are the must play in their respective cities. These are rarely public tracks, and you’ll regret it if you don’t play them. Torrey is that for San Diego and Sawgrass is definitely that for Jacksonville. I had been to Jacksonville maybe three or four times before playing Sawgrass. We came down for the Eagles Super Bowl and couldn’t get on. Then for whatever reasons, just didn’t play it until 2018.
Of course, Sawgrass is pretty memorable due to the Player’s Championship and the fact that every brand of computer golf game features it. Conditioning and hospitality are great. The bar at the clubhouse is great – in fact we had an event at the clubhouse and that was fantastic. So it’s definitely up in my top 50. I could walk you through the holes but it would be like a broken record on repeat. One has water up the right along the tee, two has water along the right up by the green, three is a par three with water left, right and in front. You get the idea. When we were there, they were just setting up for the Player’s so the rough was also up. Buy a few sleeves of conditioned balls or Top Rocks (Flights) before playing, you’ll need them. Oh, and adding to the scoring misery of the round, our buddy Rob tee shamed us into playing the blues.
Eighteen is a pretty fantastic hole. That’s a photo of 18 above. Water is omnipresent on the left so I hit my drive way right and it snuggled up behind the bleachers being built. Free relief. Before I can think I’m playing this hole smartly, I hit a decent approach shot toward the green but it moves just a little left and splash. Another gift to the golf gods.
Obviously though it’s all about 17! Tiger’s 60-foot putt in 2001. Sergio plunking two in the water and making a 7 to drop out of the 2013 (I think) Player’s but then getting an ace in 2017. It is the most feared wedge shot in golf. So how did I do? Splash. Our buddie Don made a 60-footer just like Tiger for birdie though. At the end of the round they’ll give you a bag tag of the 17th and will engrave your score. It was nice for him to be able to put a “2” on there. I also put a “2” as in H20.
I don’t really remember where we went for eats. The Super Bowl trip was a blur in 2005, but I think we ate at a pretty nice steak house by where we were staying in Jax Beach and Jacksonville Landing had some of the chains in downtown. I do know we golfed (I think Friday before the game) down in Hammock Dunes on one of the coldest and windiest days I’ve ever played in. The next day was beautiful. We also stayed once at the One Ocean Resort that had a couple of decent bars nearby and the restaurant there wasn’t bad either. I highly recommend taking the ride up and staying at Sea Island in Georgia. The Sea Island Resort has an awesome restaurant and two great courses — three if you can get on: that’s Ocean Forest (I couldn’t).
Golf Scrapbook 