samedi 12 mai 2012

The clean TPC Sawgrass

The Players Championship is definitely played on a great golf course. The angles are great and the necessity to work the ball is essential on Pete Dye's TPC Sawgrass.

But the TPC Sawgrass we are seeing now is a cleaned up version of it, with maintained waste bunkers, flowers everywhere... from the real brute it once was, TPC Sawgrass is now "high-maintenance"

When it all started in 1982, TPC Sawgrass was rough around the edge, the greens were more severe than today, tall grasses here and there in the waste bunkers, and there was a lot of complaints. It was a shock for the PGA Tour Players.

Somehow, Jerry Pate won at 8-under par... so what was the fuss all about... Pete Dye brought the players on the line between talent, strategy, bravery and patience... he played in their minds more than any architect before. The design is soo good than even the soft version of it is great... but I would love to see the real beast back, just for one week...

And just something to think about: Jerry Pate won in 1982 at 8-under playing this ball !!!!


Would a player today break par playing this ?