PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- It's the home of the PGA Tour, but what's the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass like for amateurs?
All of us here at GolfAdvisor have had the chance to take aim at the infamous Stadium, which is sure to capture a lot of eyeballs during the Players Championship.
The flagship of the TPC Network, TPC Sawgrass opened in 1982, but has stood the test of time for its exacting, penal design by Pete Dye. It's an experience I've taken on twice, and by the back nine each time, my golf swing is in shambles.
Golf Channel's Matt Ginella is quick to point out in his four-star review of the Stadium that playing the right set of tees can play a big part into whether or not your day is grueling or fun.
"It's especially fair," Ginella wrote in his review. "And can be fun, if you play to the tees and yardages that match your ability."
"The only true forced carries are on the par 3s. As Alice Dye told me, you could almost putt your way from tee to green at the Stadium Course."
Morning Drive: Ginella's Journeys visits TPC Sawgrass
Easier said than done, there are still plenty of deep traps and fast greens. Like myself, GolfAdvisor's Jason Scott Deegan has taken on the Players Stadium Course twice, but has yet to draw much blood, describing the second time around as being "manhandled."
That said, Deegan does think he can offer some advice to those up for the challenge:
"I think the Stadium only rewards those who play within themselves. Don't let Dye trick you into pulling driver when only 3-wood is necessary. Don't even look at the pin on any hole, especially the par-3s."
GolfAdvisor's Mike Bailey had the most glowing things to say about the course in his 5-star review. In fact, he doesn't even thing Sawgrass is Dye's toughest test.
"It's difficult, yes," Bailey wrote. "But not nearly as unforgiving as some of Dye's more recent works like Pound Ridge or French Lick. For the complete experience, take a caddie and walk."
The rest of us, however, didn't award the Stadium a perfect overall rating. For myself, it wasn't because of the course difficulty, but because of a few issues with the daily operations (click here for the full review). While the course conditions (greens included) were perfect during my most recent round in January, the fact carts must always stay on the path year round and the only way to walk is with a caddie (a policy that can cripple pace of play), the facility left me feeling a little like a second-rate considering the $400-plus to tee it up.
Have you played the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass? Rate it on GolfAdvisor.
Do the PGA Tour Players consider The PGA Tournament with more esteem than The Players? My guess is that The Players tournament is a tougher test with a tougher field of players than The PGA Tournament. I predict that one day, The Players will replace the PGA Tournament in Golf's Grand Slam.
Hollis, Tour players greatly respect the PGA Championship. Fans may often find the US Open more significant, due to the name and how tough the course usually is, but if you talk to tour pros they often say the PGA is run and setup as fair and smooth as any tournament out there. Fields between the PGA and PLAYERS are pretty equal in strength, but my guess is the PLAYERS remains a "near-major" for quite some time.