the most iconic hole in golf

All you have to do is mention the words "island green" and anyone who knows the difference between a birdie and eagle should be able to visualize the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.


Above is a typical aerial shot of the Par 3 17th that I found on Google. What I didn't know about TPC at Sawgrass is that it's located in Ponte Vedra Beach, just outside Jacksonville. And it just so happened that there was a free tournament being played there this weekend: the Florida State Amateur Championship. So I figured even though I don't care about the tournament, why not show up, walk the famous hole, and be one of the guys in the peanut gallery who shouts "in the hole!" for some golf on Championship Sunday.

Here's what it looked like:

The Clubhouse. Nice.

The view from the 18th tee. With the clubhouse in the background, water guides you all the way to the green.

An action shot on 18. As you can see, there weren't any spectators and it would have been a dick move to yell "in the hole!"

A-ha! The island green of 17. Gorgeous.

The view from the back of 17 with the tee visible across the pond on the right.

The money shot. Standing on the 17th tee, staring across the water to an island, with a tight pin placement and a bunker to boot. It's intimidating to say the least.

For the record, Blayne Barber, a 19-year old won the tournament at -11. The runner up finished two under, and only three players finished under par. If Blayne Barber goes on to win a major, you heard it here first.