The Seventeenth.....

[Atticus_Finch]

...at Sawgrass.

What's your opinion of it?

A hole that creates drama at the business end of a tourney or is it a gimmicky hole and all that's missing is the windmill?
I mean, it's not like Pete Dye spent a lot of time over the design of it, is it.
"Right boys, The seventeenth. I know, a tee there and a green there. Done. Right! who's for a pint?"
As you may have guessed, I'm not keen.

 

[Smiffy]

It can't be that bad.
How many times has it been copied???

 

[stevek1969]

I think its a great hole ,if i remeber Len Mattice was leading in the last round and he walked of there with a 9 or possibly more , tournament gone .
When they were building the course they came about the hole by accident they a dug out all of the ground and didn't know what to do with it then they realised stick an island green in fill with water and the rest is history . Personally i wouldn't like to play it with a one shot lead on a sunday ,great hole ,great course.

 

[medwayjon]

Gimmick and thats it.

The green is huge, there is one bunker that is only there out of sympathy really.

So what if it surrounded by water??? Its no different to a links par 3 that is surrounded by knee-deep crap.

So yes, a pointless hole, I know if I was on that tee I would fancy being on the green, no doubts.

 

[stevek1969]

At least you can hit out of knee deep crap you cant hit out the water .....

 

[Cernunnos]

Yes its a gimmick, but still a great spectackle. If you hit it & hold it you are a god. hit it or miss it & end up in jaques custau land, then you are not a god. Not only that but you have to re-load or drop. Something on the average parr3 no-one need do, unless the ball is likely to be lost in the thick stuff.

The hole is a crowd pleaser. There are clubs that have copied it. I've played a club "The West Midlands", that has a kind of copy of the 17th at sawgrass as its finishing hole. Its quite a feature... yes pointless, but one that is fun (sort of) to play. And the only time I've ever played a course where nearest the pin has been on the last hole.

 

[Imurg]

Great hole playing wise but it's one of the reasons the Players won't be recognised as a Major while its played there.
Ok, you could be playing the 17th at St Andrews and completely balls it up and take 7 but most Professionals won't take more than a bogey there.
17th at Sawgrass is a musthithtegreen hole. No more no less. So easy to dunk it 2 or 3 times and rack up a 8 or 9.
The powers that be don't want the possibility of Tiger or Phil missing out on a Major because a gust of wind stalled their ball and it gets wet!!

 

[madandra]

I like it because you see some Pro's go weak at the knees the same way a club golfer would.

 

[medwayjon]

At least you can hit out of knee deep crap you cant hit out the water .....

If you can find it!

 

[mattdeeks]

Love the look of it, yes it is a gimmick but its a knee trembling gimmick!

 

[John_Findlay]

I'm not a fan of such penal holes... but it does produce some drama for the telly. I'd prefer a hole where there's a chance to play a great recovery for the shot lost in the water. Great to watch. A nightmare to play, I imagine.

 

[nomadpaul]

Personally i love it . Professional golf is about the spectacle and its what the general golfing public want to see. Its almost as if the crowd can relate more to someone that plops one in the drink , thinking...' oh , he's human after all '
One of my local courses , Cranham , has an island green as their 140yd odd final hole.....with a smaller green than sawgrass. Its that psychological point though as take away the water and it wouldn't be a daunting hole at all but add that lake and see peoples attitde change

 

[medwayjon]

I could understand it being a knee-trembler if it were say 180yds as it would require a good strike to get the ball to stop but the 17th at Sawgrass is a doddle.

A fluffy 8-Iron into a receptive green with so much margin for error, no problem unless you are a bottle-job.

And yes, I have played par 3's with island greens before.

 

[madandra]

I could understand it being a knee-trembler if it were say 180yds as it would require a good strike to get the ball to stop but the 17th at Sawgrass is a doddle .

C'mon big boy ..... out of 10 shots how many do you think you could land on the green??????


I would say 4 or 5.

 

[stevek1969]

Has Medway changed his name to Tigerjohn ,he must be playing well to make such a boast , if i hit once i'd be happy.

 

[madandra]

I think The Players Championship has lost its appeal since it has been on Setanta.

 

[stevek1969]

Correct mate the coverage is poor at least when it was on sky you had the big build weeks before it plus you get to see Di Stewart ( total babe by the way ).

 

[vig]

I think it adds to the spectacle. To make it less penal, how about a 4' ring of sand built up around the green just above the height of the water.
Maybe a little gimmicky but you know what you gotta do.

There is one in the far east (covered by sky)where they can move the island, unless the commentators were winding everyone up.

 

[stevek1969]

Thats correct Vig you go out and back on a small barge i think it was matchplay between Europe and Asia the hole played a different distance everyday , now thats a bit of a gimmick.

 

[vig]

A gimmick yes but a good gimmick none the less.

Imagine hiting a ball to the set distance and some git moves the island