The Island Green
It plays 137 yards from the back tees and may well be the hardest hole in golf. But is it golf?
The 17th. hole at the TPC Sawgrass is a great “spectator” hole; and think that “Nascar” (people who are always waiting to see a good wreck) fans embrace it because of all the things that can and do, go wrong there.
The problem that we have with the infamous 17th. is that it does not reward a great shot. Case in point was Thursday’s opening round where Brandt Sneddeker hit a perfect wedge to the back left pin location. The ball (which was struck very well and had the right amount of spin) landed 20 inches from the hole, bounced on a hard part of the green and trickled 20 feet over the back edge into the water. Unfair.
There is nothing wrong with making a hole or course very difficult. In fact, most of the best players in the world prefer to compete on courses that test every part of their game. There is however, a fine line between difficult and goofy.
