TPC Sawgrass: The Invention of Stadium Golf

The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, the annual site of the Players Championship, changed how tournament golf courses were designed. In the late 1970s, PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman bought a soggy tract of Florida forest for $1 and sought to carry out his vision for a "stadium golf course." He hired architect Pete Dye for the project, and Dye delivered a wild, diabolical course that was initially scorned by the pros. Since then, the Stadium Course has abandoned many of its stadium-like earthworks and rugged aesthetics. The strategic character of Dye's design remains, however, and TPC Sawgrass is still one of the most interesting and exciting venues on the PGA Tour.

Featuring commentary by Deane Beman, Jerry Pate, Tom Doak, Sean Martin, Garrett Morrison, and Andy Johnson

Still images courtesy of the PGA Tour

Edited and produced by Cameron Hurdus
Footage by Andy Johnson
Story by Garrett Morrison
Additional graphic animation by Matt Golden

Sign up for The Fried Egg Newsletter to keep up to date with all things golf and golf architecture here:
https://thefriedegg.com/subscribe-to-...

The Fried Egg YouTube Channel:    / thefriedegg  

The Fried Egg on Social Media:
Instagram -   / fried_egg_golf  
Twitter -   / the_fried_egg  

The Fried Egg Team:
Andy Johnson -   / andytfe  
Brendan Porath -   / brendanporath  
Garrett Morrison -   / garrett_tfe  
Will Knights -   / willknightstfe  
Meg Adkins -   / megadkins_tfe  
Cameron Hurdus -   / cameronhurdus  

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
1:06 The Land
1:55 The Design
2:21 Stadium golf
4:41 Hole Strategy
7:16 The Evolution of the Stadium Course
9:00 TPC Sawgrass's Legacy