Way too many TPC courses used on PGA Tour

[Jeff Schley]

First we shouldn't be surprised as these courses are primarily operated by the PGA Tour.  Thus they don't have to share any revenue from the course owners, as they typically have to do for other tour stops.  I just looked this PGA tour year's schedule and they are playing on:

Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
TPC Summerlin Golf Course, Las Vegas, NV

Waste Management Phoenix Open
TPC Scottsdale Golf Course, Scottsdale, AZ

Valero Texas Open
TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, TX

Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC Louisiana, Avondale, LA

THE PLAYERS Championship
TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

FedEx St. Jude Classic
TPC Southwind, Memphis, TN

Travelers Championship
TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, CT

The National
TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, Potomac, MD

The Greenbrier Classic
The Old White TPC at The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV

John Deere Classic
TPC Deere Run, Silvis, IL

Dell Technologies Championship
TPC of Boston, Norton, MA

There are 49 events (counting opposite field events) and 11 are at TPC courses.  Now I'm very happy that all PGA Tour events are set up as non profits and give away a substantial amount to charity.  However, in cases where the TPC's are used does this increase the charitable giving because their expenses are less for they are utilizing their own courses?  Does the PGA Tour collect their xyz fee for hosting an event as the course operators?  Not sure.

In any case I don't particularly enjoy the TPC courses, especially the greens IMO.  So to have 1 out of every 5 be TPC's I think is a bit much.  Thoughts?

BTW referencing the TPC list they have 14 public courses and 17 private courses.  Harding Park is a TPC now?

[Anthony_Nysse]

Weren't many of these courses built with the intention of hosting a yearly event? Part of the reason the Tour lent out the TPC brand? Also, doesnt the tour "rent" the course for the week if it's played on a TPC?


Career Builders is played at TPC PGA West.


WGC was played at TPC Doral.


Greenbrier event is played at Old White TPC at Greenbrier. 

[Tim Martin]

Although you might not like them using the TPC courses that often there shouldn’t be an ounce of shock that they go to a proprietary venue as often as possible as part of their model. As Tony Nysse suggested many were built to accomplish just that.

[JESII]

I’d prefer they played only TPC courses so the good courses could give up the pretense of worrying about them showing up.

[Jeff Schley]

Weren't many of these courses built with the intention of hosting a yearly event? Part of the reason the Tour lent out the TPC brand? Also, does the tour pent "rent" for the week if it's played on a TPC?


Career Builders is played at TPC PGA West.


WGC was played at TPC Doral.


Greenbrier event is played at Old White TPC at Greenbrier.

I missed the Greenbrier.  HOwever they don't list the Doral or PGA West.  I have never seen Doral as a TPC.  The PGA West has vaguely marketed itself as such, but not listed on their website either.

[JESII]

Doral is Trump


PGA West is PGA of America, no?

[jeffwarne]

I’d prefer they played only TPC courses so the good courses could give up the pretense of worrying about them showing up.

+1

[jeffwarne]

Trump was called a TPC for a short period.
It had a revolving door of owners/investment bankers before Trump and some genius may have worked some arrangement as they ran this once prixed property into the ground


I don't know why....and I'm baffled why anyone would think having TPC in the name would make a course more attractive...

[John Kavanaugh]

This is the result of the early fears of the pros being better than us. Just another failed solution.

[Tom_Doak]

This is the result of the early fears of the pros being better than us.

That's incorrect.  The genesis of the TPC network was 100% about taking $ from real estate developers for branding rights, and ongoing revenue from operations for the players' pension fund.


All TPC courses have some deal with the developer to host a Tour event, but not necessarily a regular-Tour event.

[Jeff Schley]

This is the result of the early fears of the pros being better than us.

That's incorrect.  The genesis of the TPC network was 100% about taking $ from real estate developers for branding rights, and ongoing revenue from operations for the players' pension fund.


All TPC courses have some deal with the developer to host a Tour event, but not necessarily a regular-Tour event.

Yeah it is about trying to get vertically integrated to help control costs and maximize profits/benefits.

I see that many architects have touring pros as "consultants", with who knows how much influence they have had.  I suspect for marketing purposes.

Tom have you ever been approached for any projects?  I'm sure you had to have been around Pete Dye when he was working on them.

[Jeff Shelman]

While I play fantasy golf, pay a little bit of attention to the Tour and watch some, I rarely make an effort to watch non-majors. I watch more this time of the year when there's snow on the ground in Minnesota or may flip it on to watch the last hour on a Sunday if the leaderboard is interesting. But the reality is that the day-in, day-out activities of the tour don't impact my life.


Where the tour plays and who wins/loses on tour doesn't have anything to do with my interest level in playing golf.


Would it be cool if they played more great courses than they do? Sure. But do I care that they play TPC courses on a regular basis? Not in the least. The tour is a business that looks to maximize revenue and reduce expenses. And while some of the TPC courses are short on great holes and many of them lack charm, it seems like they were largely built to handle crowds and make it spectator-friendly. I'm OK with that.

[Joe_Tucholski]

I think it totally makes sense to host PGA tour events on TPC courses.

I don't have intimate knowledge of hosting PGA tour events but from observations it appears not a ton of money is made directly from hosting events.  The two clubs I've been at that have hosted PGA tour events completed capital improvements as part of the agreement.  Basically any money the club would have made had to be put back into the course and locker room.  The club didn't have total control over these changes.

While the courses may not be the most interesting, most people don't watch PGA tour events for the courses, they watch because of the amazing skill of the players.

[Matthew Rose]

I suppose they're kind of a relic of the 1980s.... a lot of them still look that way. It's interesting how so many of them eventually get made over, though, like River Highlands and Avenel.

Do they even build new ones anymore?

[Greg Chambers]

TPC Colorado in Berthoud.

[Mark Kiely]

How does a course lose its TPC designation? I know the aforementioned Stadium Course at PGA West was once known as the TPC Stadium Course, but isn't any longer.

[Matthew Rose]

I'd guess the tour probably sells them.

Plum Creek here in Colorado is another example.

[Kyle Harris]

This was literally the intent and they succeeded.

Here's your bifurcation.

[Jeff Evagues]

Heron Bay in FL was a TPC - the Honda was there for a few years, But lost the name a while ago.

[Dan Gallaway]

I believe the club decides it costs too much to maintain the “TPC” moniker.  Snoqualmie Ridge outside of Seattle opted to dump the “TPC” last year.

[Dave Doxey]

Isn't TPC just a branding?  Clubs pay the tour for the branding rights?  Nothing special or unique about the actual courses that I can see.


I used to belong to Woodlands CC in Houston, which had a course branded as TPC, where the Shell tournament used to be played.  Course is no longer called TPC.  I assume the club stopped paying the tour for the rights. The Tour event also left the course. Not sure if the end of branding was a cause or a result.


Likely, paying for the TPC course brand helps the chances of landing a Tour event.

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Is it just me or does TPC Southwind actually look appealing to play this year? Did they do some extensive tree removal? Also surprised at how strong the field is.

[Steve Lang]

   Well... it is the PGA Tour... and the tournament player club brand does have some marketing cache' ... for golf and real estate.


I remember one evening finishing at the WCC TPC and meeting a guy at the club house who said he was seeking to play all the TPC courses... he was bummed that he couldn't get on the course unless he stayed at the resort,,,  so I said let's go,  and we got in a handful, closing out at the island green 13th... never saw a guy so happy to play 4 holes [size=78%] [/size]

[Tim Gavrich]

Not all TPCs are mindless corporate mediocre tests of golf. TPC River Highlands, for example, is one of the better courses the Tour plays each year. And it's finally getting its due with more high-profile players playing. I will say I'm not the biggest fan of the way they changed the bunkering a couple years ago, but nevertheless the course produces deserving champions and considerable drama while also weighing in at just 6,800 yards.

[Mike Bodo]

Would it be cool if they played more great courses than they do? Sure. But do I care that they play TPC courses on a regular basis? Not in the least. The tour is a business that looks to maximize revenue and reduce expenses. And while some of the TPC courses are short on great holes and many of them lack charm, it seems like they were largely built to handle crowds and make it spectator-friendly.

Although I tend to watch a fair amount of professional golf (including the ladies) and would love to see more classic era courses host tournaments and fewer TPC's on the men's calendar, I agree 100% with the last two sentences quoted. The courses chosen to hold professional men's tournaments nowadays are based on said courses ability to adequately host and support the numerous grandstands, merchandising tens, VIP structures, TV towers, digital scoreboards, food and hospitality booths/tents, etc. that now comprise the traveling circus known as the PGA Tour, in addition to the two U.S. majors played on rotating courses. The majority of classic era courses we never designed with these facilities and structures in mind and most parkland and woodland courses simply do not have the land space available to adequately accommodate a gallery, let alone all of the extemporaneous attractions that come with a tour event or major. Heck, most classic era courses barely had what would be considered by today's standards an adequate driving range and practice facility when they were designed, let alone the land needed to accommodate all of the aforementioned structures. Add to that the length of today's players and you see why such esteemed clubs as Shinnecock and Inverness felt the need to add such ridiculous length to their courses to make them challenging enough in the eyes of the USGA and PGA of America so that they could still be considered for hosting majors. The majority of classic era courses simply do not have the land to expand their length substantially enough to make them viable for hosting a professional men's tournament, nor the space to effectively accommodate a gallery, grandstands, VIP/merchandising structures, hospitality/food tents and the carnival attractions that come with hosing a PGA Tour event, U.S. Open or PGA Championship. In 5 - 10 yrs. I can see the ratio of TPC courses to non-TPC courses hosting tournaments on the PGA Tour increasing in favor of TPC for the reasons you and I sated.