TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 6
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 6
The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale has new greens, bunkers and a few other changes, but hasn't lost its character. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 1
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 1
The TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course opens with a short par 4. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 2
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 2
You don't want to be on the wrong side of the tree on the difficult par-4 second at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 4
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 4
The easiest hole at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course is the par-3 fourth. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 5
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 5
The new green on the par-5 fifth at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course includes a reshaped bunker and more places for pin placements. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 6
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 6
Bunkering modifications were among the changes to the par-4 sixth on the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 8
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 8
The par-4 eighth hole, which plays 475 yards from the tips, is the no. 2 handicap hole on the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 9
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 9
The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale ends the front nine with a 453-yard par 4. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 12
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 12
Water surrounds the back of the green on the par-3 12th at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 14
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 14
With a new elevated green and added length, the par-4 14th has become one the hardest holes on the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 15
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 15
Much of the fun in the Waste Management Open begins at the par-5 15th at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 16
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 16
There's nothing like playing the par-3 16th at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course with the bleachers still up. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 17
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 17
A large bunker guards the green on the short risk-reward par-4 17th at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 18
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TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course - no. 18
Like Oakmont, the 18th at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course now has "church pew" bunkers. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
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TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course: Tweaked and a little tougher, but still fun

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- At first glance the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course looks pretty much the same. After all, there are still the iconic 15th, 16th and 17th holes. They look virtually unchanged.

But following a $15 million renovation project by Tom Weiskopf last summer, there's more to it than meets the eye -- much more. Every green was resurfaced and holes 2,3,4 and 14 have brand new greens, some in different locations. Every bunker was renovated and many were moved into the landing areas to make it more difficult for the tour pros in the PGA Tour's Waste Management Open to fly them.

As an added benefit, some of the bunker movement has made the course play easier for recreational players, many of whom can't reach the new bunkers off the tee.

The idea was to make the course a little more challenging for the tour pros, who often torched the original 1986 design, done by Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Oddly enough, the 2015 winner, Brooks Koepka (-15), was just one stroke higher than the 2014 winner, Kevin Stadler, but 13 strokes higher than 2013 winner Phil Mickelson.

The 7,261-yard, par-71 course also got a little added length, particularly on the 14th, which gained almost 100 yards and can play as long as 495 yards now to an heavily bunkered elevated green. At the 2014 tournament, the 14th was the 13th hardest hole with a scoring average just under 4. In 2015, it was the hardest hole, playing to an average of almost 4.2 strokes.

Two other big changes came of the par-5 13th and the par-4 18th.

The 13th, where spectators moved a boulder to clear the way for Tiger Woods in 1999, no longer has a split fairway, requiring more precision off the tee.

The 18th, where long hitters used to blow it over a lake on the left, now has a series of "church pew" bunkers to deal with if they take that route, ala Oakmont.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
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TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course: Tweaked and a little tougher, but still fun