TPC Sawgrass is the home of the PGA Tour and their crown-jewel tournament, The Players Championship.
The Players Stadium Course, designed by Pete and Alice Dye to host the tournament, is best known for the island-green par-3 17th hole. Year after year, the world's best players take on the 17th hole during The Players. Year after year, some of the world's best players put their balls in the water at No. 17, stunting their chances of winning.
However, thousands upon thousands of amateurs play golf at TPC Sawgrass every year, and they all take on the island-green 17th at the Players Stadium Course. You might be shocked to know how many golf balls go in the water surrounding the green complex every year.
The PGA Tour estimates some 100,000-120,000 golf balls find their way into the water surrounding the green at the 17th at TPC Sawgrass. While the PGA Tour doesn't say publicly how many rounds at played at the course every year, that probably works out to 3-4 golf balls per player in the water at No. 17 on average. With the current peak green fee at TPC Sawgrass at $900, golfers who pay the money to get their chance on the 17th hole have no problem depositing a whole box of balls in the water to get their fill for the money.
Of course, there are plenty of players who get on the green without losing a ball. There are also plenty of players who deposit a whole box of balls in the water on No. 17.
The pros competing in the 2024 The Players Championship will contribute very little to that tally. On Thursday at The Players Championship is typically when the most balls find the water. The second round is typically the second most, with the weekend field rarely finding the water.
The highest one-day total in that stretch was 50 balls in Round 1 of the 2007 Players, the first year the event moved to May.
