The PLAYERS: How would an average golfer perform on the island green?

It might play less than 150 yards, but the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is a potential card-wrecker for the best players in the world.

We’ve seen players inexplicably find the water, some on several occasions, derailing their chances at scooping up the PLAYERS Championship.

Already this year, the likes of Justin Thomas and recent tour winner Thomas Detry have fallen victim to the hole. Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick also found the water on his way to a triple bogey six.

And that got us thinking. If the best players in the world are flummoxed by this hole, how would an average club golfer fare on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass?

To try and work out how an average player would cope with the pressure and difficulty of one of golf’s most infamous par-3s, we sought the insight of Shot Scope, industry leaders in GPS technology.

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The team at Shot Scope have access to data from thousands of golfers, measuring almost every insight you could think of.

For this exercise, we’re going to look at proximity to the hole from 125 yards. Although the hole plays somewhere between 125 and 150 yards for the pros, we’re going to be generous and let our average golfers go from the forward tees.

Then, it’s a case of seeing how average proximity stacks up from this yardage on a typical par-3. After applying these numbers to the green on 17, it makes for grim reading for the average player.

Even from the generous yardage of 125 yards, a 10 handicap golfer is only going to hit the green 41% of the time. That number falls to 25% for a 20 handicap golfer. Of course, that number is taken from any par-3, let alone one of the most intimidating holes in the world of golf.

Then, you’ve also got the factor in that any ball that lands short of the putting surface isn’t going to give any chance at success. Think about a par-3 at your club and the chances are you’ll have a fighting chance at getting a ball to run up onto the green. That’s not going to cut it here.

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As you can see from the graph below, if club golfers were to take dead aim at the Sunday pin position at the PLAYERS, even a scratch player is going to be swimming pretty regularly.

It should come as no surprise then, that for golfers whose handicaps are over 20, there is a huge dispersion pattern over the 17th green, with some even likely to miss the water on the wrong side of the hazard.

Our advice? If you ever find yourself on the tee at the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, aim for the middle of the green and hope for the best. You’re going to need all the luck you can get.

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor