Everything you need to know about the iconic hole No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass: 14 aces and 1,037 water balls

The Tournament Players Club Sawgrass is one of the most picturesque and beloved courses on the PGA Tour. It was established in 1980 in Ponte Verde Beach, on the outskirts of Jacksonville, Florida and remains just as challenging 45 years on.

The course was specifically designed to host The Players Championship and has done so since 1982. TPC Sawgrass boasts a distinctive stadium-like format with fans standing above the greens on raised mounds. Most notable, however, is the so-called ‘Island Green’, one of the most recognisable and challenging holes in all of golf.

How difficult is the island green?

In simple terms, a 146-yard par 3 should be well within the reach of professional golfers. However the unique green placement, on an island with sheer drops into the water, make it one of the most difficult in the world. Just ask the roughly 100,000 golfers per year who see their balls plonk dishearteningly into the water. In professional competitions, 1,037 water balls have been recorded.

The initial design was for the 17th to be a simple par-3 green with a lake along one side but designers were running out of sand to condition the swampy area for a regular green. With a large crater remaining they opted to simply fill the majority of it with water and, inadvertently, create one of the most iconic greens in the world.

In 1998 golfer Brad Fabel managed to hit the green with his tee shot but watched on as a seagull landed alongside it, picked up the ball and promptly dropped it into the water. Fortunately for Fabel, it was adjudged that the bird constituted ‘outside agency’ and he was allowed to replace the ball in the original spot. Now, the spectacle has become such a popular part of the action Golf Channel dedicates 11 different cameras to the single par-3 hole, ensuring that every angle is covered.

At the 2001 tournament Tiger Woods played one of his most famous shots at the 17th hole. The monster putt was christened “better than most” by the television commentators and Woods has since described it as one of the best moments of his golfing life.

“One of the most iconic moments I’ve had in my career was the putt at 17,” Woods explained. “Down the hill, going right to left over the hill, back left to right at the end, putter up, huge fist pump. I threw it hard.”

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