![]() These would be large, gently sloping mounds up to 30 feet high. Key locations were designated around the 1st and 10th tees and at the 9th, 16th, 17th and 18th greens, where strategic viewing areas were built. Lakes were created not only for strategic play of a hole, but also for fill that was needed to create the contours of play and the first “stadium” mounding. Dye had noted that there were no more than 18 inches of elevation above the waterline anywhere on the property. The site was a North Florida wetland, flat and heavily wooded. With this concept, wind direction would have a more balanced influence on the field of players.įor the first time, spectator viewing was given full consideration in the design and layout of a golf course. The course routing was laid out so no two consecutive holes ever played in the same direction. There had to be both right and left doglegs. There had to be a selection of short, medium and long holes within the categories of par-3s, par-4s and par-5s. To meet this goal, an extensive effort was made to design a balanced golf course. Working with golf course architect Pete Dye, Beman wanted a course design that would favor no particular player or style of play. The TPC would be a course of great design and character that would be accessible to all golf fans. ![]() Prior to the construction of the TPC, nearly all of the great tournaments were played at private clubs where the average fan rarely had a chance to play.It would be the first true “ Stadium Course,” designed and built to improve the overall on-site fan experience. The course and surrounding areas would be built with spectators in mind.It would be the permanent home of THE PLAYERS, and it would be owned by the PGA TOUR players.The creation of TPC Sawgrass as host to THE PLAYERS was based on several unique concepts: From Chuck Cobb and his associates at Arvida, who bet on the difficulty of the task, not on the capability of the man doing the task.” It showcased a $100 bill, which is on display in the clubhouse with this inscription, “To Deane Beman, the man who did what we said couldn’t be done. With the club finally built about to officially open, Beman received a special plaque marking the occasion in March, 1980. To mark the occasion, Beman hit a ceremonial “first shot.” Not so happy with the result, Beman decided to take a mulligan and promptly hit another – the Tournament Players Club’s first mulligan. A formal ceremony to begin construction was held on the heavily wooded site. With the land in hand, approval to build this dream came from the PGA TOUR Policy Board quickly. They believed in the dream so much that they eventually sold 415 acres of wooded wetlands and swamp to the PGA TOUR for $1. He soon found allies in Jerome and Paul Fletcher, major landowners in the area. Arvida Chairman Charles Cobb even proposed a $100 “business sportsmanship” bet to Beman that he could never achieve his dream.ĭetermined, Beman sought other options to stay in Ponte Vedra Beach. Not only did they not want to sell, they didn’t believe that Beman would ever get financing or approval to buy a facility. The event was the only one owned by players of the PGA TOUR, and Beman’s vision was that this permanent host club would be, too.īeman first approached the owners of Sawgrass Country Club, the Arvida Corporation, and offered to buy their facility. The club was born from the dream of then PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman to create a special and unique host site for THE PLAYERS Championship. The history of TPC Sawgrass is synonymous with the history of the TPC Network itself.
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