Sensational Sawgrass

The Playing Experience

The excitement of playing a course of such status begins long before you reach the first tee. The driveway off PGA Tour Boulevard is lined with lampposts, each bearing a banner featuring the image of a former champion. You realize that you’ll soon be treading the same fairways as the very best players of the modern era. This is when the butterflies start to kick in.
Arrival is seamless. Cars pause in front of the clubhouse and bags are whisked away in a heartbeat. Check-in is strategically-placed inside what could be the biggest pro shop in the world. After meandering through seemingly endless displays of top-notch merchandise—and (hopefully) ignoring the obvious temptation to add several thousands of dollars worth of equipment to your collection—you reach the counter and pay, before heading to the locker rooms. Like everything else here, these are superbly appointed. A quick word about the staff: genuinely warm and unfalteringly polite, this is southern hospitality at its most welcoming.
After warming up at the club’s all-turf range and short game area (as you might expect from a club that counts a number of PGA Tour players, including Vijay Singh, among its clientele, the practice facilities at Sawgrass are seriously impressive), it’s time to play. The starter—over a tanoy system—announces that you’re to make your way to the first tee. Gulp.