TPC Sawgrass: Got a problem with the island green on no. 17?

Golf course architect Ian Andrew writes in his Caddy Shack blog that “The 17th at the TPC at Sawgrass is one of the greatest holes ever developed in golf. It is also one of the worst concepts ever to be copied by architects.”

“The concept has no recovery unless the island is expanded beyond the green perimeter – although even that is semantics to me. Every shot is either hit or miss the island – not long on options is it?” Ian continues. “… My personal belief is that recovery is a key component of the game. There is a fine line between extremely difficult and unfair – and this crosses ‘my’ line.”

Could explain why the TPC Sawgrass just came in no. 9 in Tim McDonald’s 2006 top 10 Florida golf courses. We should be seeing Tim’s 2007 list soon. No word yet on any changes in the rankings.

PS: Got a golf blog I should be reading? Let me know.