Which is the toughest? A tour of the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, hole-by-hole
A hole-by-hole description of the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, which will host The Players Championship for the 40th time March 10-13. Scoring averages and rank (from 1 for most difficult hole to 18 for easiest) are for the 2021 Players.
No. 1
Par-4, 423 yards
On this slight dogleg to the right, a drive to the right side of the narrow landing area will give the player a good angle to approach the long and narrow green. A long fairway bunker, a lateral water hazard and grass bunkers await errant drives to the right, and dense trees guard the fairway to the left. Large maintained bunkers protect the front and left portions of the green. Grass bunkers in the front right, right and rear areas of the green protect the remainder of it.
2023 average: 4.016 (13th)
Key stat: Players seemed content with making a par and heading quickly to the second tee. The hole yielded the fourth-most pars on the course last year.
No. 2
Par 5, 532 yards
On this relatively short par-5, a high draw off the tee for right-handers is required and most can reach the green in two. A small pond and a large fairway bunker on the right guard the fairway and green from 175 yards out. Deep maintained bunkers are on both sides of the green, along with numerous grass bunkers. The mounds located around this green give spectators a good view of players attempting to reach the green in two shots and players attempting to save par.
2023 average: 4.664 (17th)
Key stat: It was the only hole in the 2023 Players that did not give up a double or a triple bogey.
No. 3
Par 3, 177 yards
A maintained spectator mound to the left of this medium-length par 3 offers a view of the entire hole. A shot requiring a middle to short iron is needed to reach the two-tiered green which slopes from back to front. A bunker fronting the green and grass bunkers to the right protect the putting surface, with a large maintained bunker to the left and rear left portion of the green.
2023 average: 3.126 (7th)
Key stat: This is the par-3 hole on the course that players ace less than Nos. 8, 13 or 17, with only five in tournament history. The last was by Denny McCarthy in 2021.
No. 4
Par 4, 384 yards
This short par 4 requires accuracy on every shot. The drive must avoid a lateral water hazard and a deep meandering fairway bunker on the right. Very large and severely sloped mounds protect the left side of this narrow landing area. A well-struck long iron or fairway wood from the tee will enable the player to hit a middle to short iron to one of the toughest greens on the course. Numerous treacherous pin placements on this very undulating two-tiered green make this a protected target and a tough shot. A water hazard protects the front and the left side of the green, while small but deep maintained bunkers protect the green on the right and in the rear.
2023 average: 4.183 (5th)
Key stat: Surprisingly, no eagle-twos last year. There have been 32 eagles at the short hole, the last in 2022 by Brian Harman.
No. 5
Par 4, 471 yards
This dogleg right offers a generous landing area for the drive, as it is the longest par-4 on the golf course. A long fairway bunker down the right side and beyond the landing area for the drive protects the fairway. After hitting a driver from the tee, the players will use long to middle irons on their second shots to this deep, narrow and rolling green. The green is protected by grass bunkers, maintained bunkers, a waste area and palm trees. This will be one of the hardest holes to play, and par will be a very welcome score.
2023 average: 4.188 (4th)
Key stat: Annually one of the most deceptively difficult holes on the Stadium Course. The 50 birdies made at the fifth were the fewest on a par-4 hole on the front nine.
No. 6
Par 4, 393 yards
One of the best examples of target golf on the course and one of architect Pete Dye’s favorites. The drive must avoid dense palm and pine trees on the right and two fairway bunkers and a lateral water hazard on the left. The slightly elevated green is protected by maintained bunkers, grass bunkers and clustered palm trees. The specific landing area on this hole offers players a level lie for their approach to the two-tiered green, which slopes down from right to left and back to front.
2023 average: 4.071 (12th)
Key stat: The last time a player eagled this hole in a tournament played to completion was Andy Sullivan in 2016. Anirban Lahiri hole out from the fairway in 2020 when the tournament was canceled after the first round.
No. 7
Par-4, 451 yards
A long hole with a slight dogleg right is bordered down the left side by a large fairway bunker and a lateral water hazard and trees on the right. The green is protected by maintained bunkers in the front and to the left, and severe slope off the back. The wind direction on this hole can make it very difficult to score well.
2023 average: 4.085 (10th)
Key stat: Take a par, pray for a birdie but don’t approach a second shot with too much wishful thinking. This hole has given up the fewest eagle-twos of any par-4 on the course (even No. 18, which has six), and there’s never been a 2 in the first of fourth rounds.
No. 8
Par 3, 237 yards
The longest par-3 on the course requires a long iron or fairway wood to carry a myriad of obstacles. The deep, narrow and sloping green is protected by numerous maintained bunkers and grass bunkers.
2023 average: 3.22 (3rd)
Key stat: In no shock, the field made the fewest birdies on any hole at the eighth last year with 35.
No. 9
Par 5, 583 yards
The ninth hole is the longest on the course and rarely reachable in two, and a new tee was introduced last year to give rules officials the option to extend it past 600 yards. A large lake and bunker to the right of the fairway collect stray drives, while woods to the left hinder second shots. It’s one of the most difficult second shots on par-5 holes on Tour, and the third shot isn’t easy, to a small green that is sloped from the front to the back right. A severely banked maintained bunker guards the left and rear of the green, along with a small maintained bunker. As this hole progresses from the tee to the green, it becomes narrower.
2023 average: 4.854 (14th)
Key stat: The longer tee didn’t trip the players up too much and the ninth remained a birdie hole, albeit well-earned. We’re still waiting for the first albatross in tournament history. All other par-5 holes on the course have at least one.
No. 10
Par 4, 424 yards
A dogleg left features a large bunker down the left side of the fairway and very dense trees to the right, with a narrow landing area for the drive. Most players will select a fairway wood from the tee to set up a middle or short iron approach to the green, which is protected by two maintained bunkers in the front right. Grass bunkers crowd the entire left side of this deceiving green. From the landing area, the green seems large; it is narrow and fades away from the players. This green offers a variety of pin placements, making the position of the drive very important.
2023 average: 4.078 (11th)
Key stat: There’s an area 28 yards deep in the middle of the fairway, from 154 yards to 126 from the hole, where 70 percent of the players have historically landed their tee shots during the ShotLink Era.
No. 11
Par 5, 558 yards
Players attempting to reach this green in two shots need a long, accurate drive down the right side. The large fairway bunker stops shots hit through the left of the fairway, and dense trees knock down shots hit left of the driving area. Large overhanging trees crowd the preferred right side. Because the fairway is split by a lateral water hazard and two large bunkers, the player can elect to hit a middle iron to the fairway area on the right, which is guarded by a large oak tree. From this position, a short iron to wedge is needed for the third shot. A more daring alternative is to approach the green from the left side of the split fairway. The large maintained bunker runs the length of the second shot landing area and continues up and around the green. The lateral water hazard that splits the fairway continues around the back of the green. One maintained bunker covers the front of the green.
2023 average: 4.675 (16th)
Key stat: Ollie Schneiderjans hit a 368-yard drive in 2019.
No. 12
Par 4, 302 yards
Players will be able to drive the green most days but it comes with perils: A water hazard guards the left side of the green and several pot bunkers and difficult terrain protects the right side. A large fairway bunker stretches the length of the left side of the fairway and forces an accurate shot off the tee for those that do not attempt to drive the green. The green has several tiers, and slopes dramatically toward the water, penalizing wayward drives and approaches.
2023 average: 3.854 (15th)
Key stat: More players made birdie or eagle (34 birdies, one eagle) in the final round at the 12th than pars (34).
No. 13
Par 3, 181 yards
A water hazard protects this picturesque par-3 down the left side. The three-tiered green slopes drastically toward the water on the left side and is protected by two small and deep maintained bunkers. Spectators can get a great view from all the mounded areas on this medium-length par 3. Short-to-middle irons will be the choice of most players.
2023 average: 3.092 (9th)
Key stat: There were five aces on this hole in the 2006 tournament. Since then there have been only three, the last coming in 2021 by Corey Conners in the first round.
No. 14
Par 4, 481 yards
This hole rivals No. 18 for its difficulty. The narrow two-tiered driving area is paralleled down the left side by a narrow fairway bunker and a lateral water hazard. The right side is overshadowed by large, deep grass bunkers in a large mound. Between the driving area and the green is a vast bunker. The green is very large with severe undulations and long slopes. A maintained bunker protects the front left side of the green and a few other maintained bunkers hide among very large grass bunkers to the right and the rear of the green.
2023 average: 4.249 (2nd)
Key stat: The field made only 38 birdies on the hole in 2023, the fewest on any par-4 hole and the second-fewest after No. 8.
No. 15
Par 4, 470 tards
This dogleg right begins with a drive through a chute of trees and over water. The fairway bunker extends down the right side of the fairway to a paved path, then resumes to the left of the path and extends almost to the green. A large maintained bunker to the left and a small maintained bunker to the right front protect the green. There are grass bunkers to the right and rear of the green.
2023 average: 4.094 (8th)
Key stat: No triple bogeys came at this hole in 2023, joining No. 7 as the only par-4s without anyone recording a 7.
No. 16
Par 5, 523 yards
This short par-5 is reachable in two shots for almost every player and offers a chance to make up ground. The second shot still must carry a large lateral water hazard, a maintained bunker and a bulkhead. All these obstacles are to the right of the hole and start 150 yards from the green. To the left, a cluster of oak trees blocks a clear path to the green. Players who do not choose to attempt the green in two shots must direct their second shot to the narrow area protected by a grass bunker, a water hazard and the cluster of oak trees. The green has two tiers, sloping left to right toward the water that wraps around the rear of the green.
2023 average: 4.522 (18th)
Key stat: Every now and then, rumors surface about shortening this hole to a par-4. The players might revolt if they didn’t have this breather before tackling Nos. 17 and 18. Sixteen eagles and 209 birdies easily led all other holes.
No. 17
Par 3, 137 yards
Quite possibly the most recognizable hole in golf. The Island Green is two-tiered and has a small maintained bunker in the front. Club selection on this hole is critically important; with the tricky winds of spring, the championship could be won or lost here.
2023 average: 3.13 (6th)
Key stat: The aces have come in hot the last two years, with four. There has been only one other two-year period in the history of The Players when there were as many as two, in 2016 and 2017.
No. 18
Par 4, 462 yards
The dogleg left bordering the lake tempts players to hit as close as possible near the water to get a better angle and a shorter iron shot to the green, or play it safe to the right, but risk rough and trees. A collection of grass bunkers is in the front-right section of the green, while a lone maintained bunker stops shots hit left and long. This 18th has become one of the premier finishing holes in golf.
2023 average: 4.348 (1st)
Key stat: Mark McCumber, the 1988 Players champion, said it best when asked how to play No. 18: “With a two-shot lead.” There were only five birdies in the final round in 2023, and four double-bogeys.
2023 front nine average: 36.405
2023 back nine average: 36.041
2023 scoring average: 72.446
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Take a tour of the 18 holes of The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass
