Sensational Sawgrass

You realize two things upon reaching the teebox of this medium length opener. Firstly, the course is immaculate. Sawgrass claims to be always “tournament ready”, and you can see why. It might be a little clichéd to suggest that the fairways are in better shape that most courses’ greens, but it’s absolutely true. The second, more daunting, realization is that the first hole is a darn sight more tricky than years of playing it on PlayStation will have you believe. In computer golf it’s easy to rip a 3-wood over the water and waste bunker that flanks the right side of the fairway. In reality, only the professionals would contemplate such a line. For holiday golfers, these hazards are well and truly in play.
First-timers think they ‘know’ the course, having watched the pros navigate their way around on countless occasions. But unless you can drive it 280-plus yards and dead straight, the hazards will make their presence felt. Take the waste bunkers. Watching THE PLAYERS Championship from the safety of your armchair, they look to be fairly gentle; the kind of trap that you might occasionally risk firing a hybrid or fairway wood out of. In actual fact, they are menacingly deep and steep-sided—TV’s two-dimensional view really doesn’t do them justice at all. Try and take on more than you can handle and you’ll find yourself in there for some considerable time. Swallow your pride and grab your sand-wedge.