Embrace the Gimmick that is the 17th at Sawgrass

by Ryan Ballengee on May 4, 2009 4:23 PM EDT

Depending on who you talk to on which day at the Players Championship, they will tell you varied opinions of the island green, par 3 17th hole. Personally, I think it is a gimmick hole. Still, it is unique and compelling. If you can't hit a 140 yard shot to a relatively decent sized green, then you shouldn't be there anyway. The only time that the 17th is ridiculous is when the wind picks up and club selection becomes a total crapshoot.

Anyway, Golfweek's Monday scramble really embraces the idea of the gimmick hole. In fact, they drew up some ways to make 17 even more of a gimmick hole. Here's one of many examples you'll find over there.

Perhaps the 17th hole just need a massive golf robot that can swat balls out of the air at random.

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Gimmick this...

It is a bit of a gimmick.

Still, kind of like our take on how the PGA could expand their audience (here:http://blog.niceballz.com/2009/04/16/can-the-pga-survive-pt-posttiger-suggestion-no-2.aspx) we think the 16th at Scottsdale is gimmicky…and fun.

You’re right though, guys can’t be too whiney about this…suck it up and slap it on the green.

by NiceBallz on May 4, 2009 7:19 PM EDT reply actions

There’s nothing wrong with a good ole gimmick hole every now and then. The Church Pews at Oakmont are a gimmick, but pretty badass too. So long as it’s only a hole or two, I’m fine with it.

Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.

by Ryan Ballengee on May 4, 2009 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions

16 at Scottsdale is nowhere near the gimmick that 17 at Sawgrass is. the only pressure at Scottsdale is the crowd reaction – you’re not going to lose shots like a slightly miscalculated shot at Sawgrass.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on May 4, 2009 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions

It's not gimmicky when you're the first.

You’re just avant-garde then. I would put the 14th at Coeur d’Alene (floating green) and the 16th at Vintage Club Desert Course as more gimmicky than Sawgrass.

Frankly, if you have played Golden Tee golf at a bar in the past ten years, you would see courses that defy physics. Yet it’s a wildly popular game, so there must be some mass appeal for holes like this.

by Cairo on May 4, 2009 10:57 PM EDT reply actions