There’s little wonder many regard The Players Championship as a Major in all but name.
As well as factors including huge prize money, a world-class field and elevated world-ranking points, the PGA Tour’s flagship event also has a permanent home fit for one of the sternest tests in golf, while one of the holes is among the most iconic on Earth.
TPC Sawgrass opened in 1980, and has hosted The Players Championship every year since 1982, but what are some of the little-known facts about the venue that help make it so special? Let’s find out.
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The Bargain Land Purchase
Deane Beman struck a deal to buy the land in early 1979
(Image credit: Getty Images)
When former pro Deane Beman was the PGA Tour commissioner in the 1970s, he had the idea of opening a course that would be player-owned and capable of hosting the circuit’s flagship event.
He originally wanted to buy Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where the event was held between 1977 and 1981, but his efforts came to nothing, as the owners didn’t want to sell.
Undeterred, and spurred on by a $100 bet with one of Sawgrass Country Club’s owners that he’d never realize his dream, Beman turned his attention to a 415-acre piece of swampland to the further north west of Florida.
In January 1979, he struck a deal with the landowners to purchase it for just $1, writing a check for the sum, which, to this day, is displayed in the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse. He collected the money for his bet, as well, and the bill for the $100 wager also has pride of place there.
Nowadays, it’s not just the famous Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course at the site, but the Dye’s Valley Course, too.
A Stadium Golf Pioneer
The Stadium Course has mounds for fans to sit and enjoy unobstructed views
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Beman wasn’t just determined to open a permanent home for The Players Championship, he also wanted to provide stadium golf for fans. But what was it?
Well, the idea stemmed from Beman’s own experience. With a height of just 5 feet 7 inches, he had been frustrated watching the 1974 Phoenix Open after finding himself constantly needing to peer around the back of fans’ heads to catch the action.
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