PLAYERS Championship: Is the 17th the greatest hole on earth?

TPC Sawgrass is a one of a kind design by Pete and Alice Dye. The iconic 17th hole has provided moments for the ages. So is the world’s best hole?

TPC Sawgrass has a number of iconic holes. The track is often in the center of one of the great debates in golf: Which courses are the best? What is the best hole in the world though?

With the PLAYERS Championship fast approaching, the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass will the be the star as always. As armchair architects’ eyes gleam with glee at the island, is it the greatest hole in the world? It’s a topic that has gone on forever and a day.

With the PGA Tour headquarters as the backdrop, it definitely makes a good case. The glimmering water surrounding the round green, serves as nightmare fuel. There aren’t many holes in the world that scare fearless professional golfers. The 17th is the only hole that really seems to do this.

This is what makes the 17th so iconic. The dreaded feeling players get when they walk off the 16th green is unmatched. To some, it may be a thrill to have a date with Alice’s island of wonders. It’s the one hole that everyone wants to experience once. Some may look at it as the ultimate challenge. Others might dub it “overrated”.

During the Players Championship, it’s hard to beat teeing it up on 17 with a stadium of fans surrounding you. This atmosphere makes it a hole that stands out from the rest.

Embed from Getty Images

The famous “Road Hole” at St. Andrews is always a favorite for best hole. However, with the Old Course, it’s more about the entire layout itself, more so than one particular spot.

Not saying TPC Sawgrass isn’t about the whole layout. It’s a great golf course. However, it doesn’t have the title of “oldest course in the world” which St. Andrews is known for. Then we go back to the stadium environment.

Playing through the course, the anticipation likely intensifies, knowing that the island is near. In a way, it’s almost like a floating green, similar to the beautiful 14th hole at Coeur D’alene. Tons of eyeballs are dotted on you, and a ship load of water stands between you and the green. Not to mention, being the 17th hole gives the added pressure, knowing that one slip up can cost you one of golf’s most prestigious titles.

Oh, did I mention that you then would have to tackle the 18th, a scary hole in its own right? Sorry to break your spirits, but a boomerang shaped fairway with more water to the left is not a cakewalk.

More from Pro Golf Now

If you stop drinking water after this, then I apologize. But, another feature that some people may forget, is the tiny bunker on the 17th green. So, not only do you have to carry the water, but you have to make sure to miss that little bunker as well. Certainly, being on the beach is safer than swimming with the sharks, but it still makes saving par difficult.

With all of this being said, the hole still provides us with a dramatic scene. It doesn’t have the ocean like at Pebble Beach or the towering pines of Augusta National as its backdrop. But the stare down between the green and the golfer as water shines under the Florida sun is quite the dramatics. It’s you vs. the course, as we always say.

The 17th at Sawgrass is the one hole, that feels like you’re about to be in for an epic duel. It’s the ultimate player vs. hole battle. It’s the video game boss battle analogy. The island is the boss that you have to face, and the mastermind is Mrs. Dye.

The debate will always rage on about which hole is the greatest. If the island green 17th isn’t, it’s certainly on the Mount Rushmore in my book.

Next: Top 5 courses on the PGA TOUR

Where does the island green at TPC Sawgrass rank in your all-time holes list? Have you played it? If so, tell us about it in the comments or let me know on Twitter @ChiGolfRadio.

Home/Courses