Course Review - TPC Sawgrass & Santo da Serra

After young gun Ricky Fowler finally chalked up his first win, the US PGA Tour moves to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for the Players Championship, the self-styled 5th Major. Sawgrass is the birthplace of the TPC (Tournament Players Course) Network, the headquarters of the PGA Tour, and the prototype of the Stadium Course concept of enhancing the on-site fan experience.

Designed in 1981 by iconic architect Pete Dye whose other credits include Harbour Town Links, Kiawah Island and Whistling Straits, this course in a suburb of the north Florida city of Jacksonville is respected as one of the toughest in the world. TPC Sawgrass is a truly balanced layout with short medium and long holes within each par category, doglegs both left and right, and a routing that ensures that no two consecutive holes ever play in the same direction.

Tight fairways, gnarly rough, cavernous pot bunkers and lightning-fast greens with perplexing contours have been etched out on this piece of reclaimed swampland, creating 6600m of spectacle and intimidation. But however noteworthy and special the other 17 holes are, it is the ground-breaking island green par 3 17th that has been capturing the imagination since its debut on television screens three decades ago. This 125m signature hole has a green that is wider than it looks from the tee, but tricky swirling winds make it a spectators’ dream where the Championship can be won and lost in the blink of an eye.

The European Tour returns to Santo da Serra for the20th playing of Madeira Islands Open, 500Km off the northwest coast of Africa. Ranked in Top Ten courses in Portugal, Campo da Serra is the creation of master designer Robert Trent Jones Sr who is also credited with Valderrama and Spyglass Hill.

Jones took the original 1937 layout and completely redesigned it in 1991 into three 9 hole loops, the Machico, Desertas, and Serras, with the Machico and Desertas coming together to form the Championship Course. Players and spectators will be enthralled by the beautiful unspoilt panoramic Atlantic Ocean and mountain views. The club’s signature holes are the unforgettable 3rd and 4th on the Machico loop, carved out of the stunning natural landscape.