TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course's entire raison d'être is to test the best golfers in the world for one week every year. All other play is incidental to that mission. If any golf course in the world is going to give not a single whit for the high-handicapper, wouldn't it be this course?
I'll never forget playing the course with a brash New Yorker, maybe he claimed he was an 18 hcp. However, I promise he couldn't of been a 30 hcp and he ended up picking up and dropping and hitting shots over a lot during the round, lost a ton of balls. In all honestly he might not of broke 100 on the front 9. Then his wife joined us, lovely lady, I'd say they were in their mid to late 50's. On the back 9 the presence of his wife and her video camera inspired some kind of super human effort the likes of which I have never again witnessed.
He starts the back; Par, birdie, par, birdie (we are playing the blue tees, not the pro tees (I talked him out of it on the 1st tee), bogie, bogie, bogie, birdie, bogie. For those counting, that's 1 over on 9 holes of one of the hardest courses you ever want to play. On 17, the pin was back up top like 2 meters from the water. He's a lefty and swings with the wrist movement of a squash player but from way inside a bit like Earl Anthony bowling strikes. He snap hooks this 8 iron into the wind that one bounces, hits the pin and drops dead 1 inch from history. It's all on film, every last second of it, even the gloating to all his friends and his tap in. The pros are nothing, he's thinking about playing in the qualifying for the main event. His name gets to go on the board for birdying the hole from the back tees. Caddy and film were witnesses.
I guess I'm just jealous. Jealous that I've yet to meet a lady that could inspire super human performance in me through the flick of a switch for all to enjoy throughout annals of history.
As for the course, I don't think there is an easy hole out there, not even an easy shot. It was really windy and Dye seemed to do a good job of always taking one complete side out of play and then penalizing you heavily for missing on the other side. The approaches to the greens were demanding. Felt like standing in the fairway trying to throw dart to bouncy boards where only the bullseye resulted in a GIR. Some of the recovery shots around the greens allowed you to understand the importance of not short siding yourself. The only problem was that every miss felt like a short side in 6 inch deep bermuda.
I'd go back if I really started playing excellent golf just for the challenge, but it truly would be the masochist in me just to see how up to the test I was. Otherwise I think it's a one off experience kind of thing but not for everyone. Definitely some cool features many of which lie in visual deception and intimidation. On every tee they just thought to themselves think of a really scary horror flick, ok, how would that look as a golf hole...