What does TPC stand for before Sawgrass, River Highlands, Scottsdale and more?
Golf Culture

What does TPC stand for before TPC Scottsdale, TPC Sawgrass and TPC River Highlands?

A picture of the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass Credit: Chris Condon
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Many weeks on the PGA Tour, the best players in the world are competing on golf courses which have a three-letter acronym in their name: TPC Sawgrass, TPC Scottsdale, TPC River Highlands, TPC San Antonio. The list goes on.

So what does TPC stand for in those course and club names?

TPC stands for Tournament Players Club. Courses which have the TPC acronym in the name are part of the Tournament Players Club network. They're either owned outright by an organization affiliated with the PGA Tour, or their owners have licensed the TPC name to be a part of the TPC network of courses. Predominantly, TPC courses are private clubs without public access. Some, however, like TPC Sawgrass and TPC Scottsdale, can be played by the general public -- typically for a hefty green fee. A total of 18 of the 29 or so TPC courses are affiliated with the PGA Tour's golf-ownership group.

How did the TPC Network get its name?

At one time, TPC was an acronym for The Players Championship. When The Players first debuted in the 1970s, it wasn't known as The Players Championship, or The Players for short. It was formally known as the Tournament Players Championship. So, the acronym was easy: TPC. When TPC Sawgrass opened in 1980 to become the permanent home of the Tournament Players Championship, it became The Players and the TPC acronym was applied at the home of the PGA Tour.

The PGA Tour can use any TPC course to host a PGA Tour event rent-free, which makes it an attractive choice for hosting events because it can reduce costs, increase purses and further the charitable efforts of tournaments.

Here are the TPC Network courses you can play:

  • TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, Calif.
  • TPC Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev.
  • TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.
  • TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
  • TPC Colorado, Berthous, Colo.
  • TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Ariz.
  • TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
  • TPC Las Colinas, Irving, Texas
  • TPC Danzante Bay, Baja Peninsula, Mexico
  • TPC Tampa Bay, Tampa, Fla.
  • TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La.
  • TPC Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
  • TPC Dorado Beach, Dorado, Puerto Rico

Here are the TPC Network courses that are private clubs:

  • TPC Boston, Norton, Mass.
  • TPC Potomac, Bethesda, Md.
  • TPC River's Bend, Maineville, Ohio
  • TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Canada
  • TPC Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
  • TPC Treviso Bay, Naples, Fla.
  • TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.
  • TPC Prestancia, Sarasota, Fla.
  • TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, Ga.
  • TPC Michigan, Dearborn, Mich.
  • TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
  • TPC Summerlin, Summerlin, Nev.
  • TPC Jasna Polana, Princeton, N.J.
  • TPC Piper Glen, Charlotte, N.C.
  • TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.
  • TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is the founder, owner and operator of Golf News Net.

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