Sicherlich ein etwas ungewöhnliches Ranking…aber dieses Loch ist ein Inselgrün, d.h. es liegt auf einer etwa 20m x 20m Insel in einem Teich. Man schätzt, dass jedes Jahr etwa 100.000 Bälle ihr Ziel verfehlen und ins Wasser plumpsen. Sie werden von Tauchern rausgefischt

Die Spielbahn zum 17. Loch ist nur etwa 130 m lang. Es ist ein Par 3 Loch. Man schlägt mit einem Eisen 9 oder einem Pitching Wedge für die Pros. Die spektakulärste Lösung dieses Golfproblems hatte vor einigen Jahren der Golfpro Fred Couples, der beim ersten Schlag das Loch nur ganz knapp verfehlte und dessen Ball im Wasser landete. Normalerweise startet dann der 2. Versuch aus der Dropping Zone 40 m seitlich des Grüns. Aber er probierte einfach den ganzen Spass nochmal aus: selber Abschlag, selber Schläger, selbe Haltung, selber Drive und – plopp – der Ball flog direkt ins Loch!

Elegant!

Wikipedia schreibt auch was dazu:

TPC Sawgrass’ signature hole is the Stadium Course’s 17th, known simply as the “Island Green”, although it is technically a peninsula. While gorgeous to view, the hole has been known to scare even the top professional golfers. It measures only 132 yards from tee to green (requiring only a pitching wedge for most pros), but consists of nothing but an undulating, 78-foot-long green and a tiny bunker in front of it. Save a small path to the green, the rest of the hole is completely surrounded by water, and its location amidst a canyon of trees causes the wind to swirl over the green. Club selection at 17 is a huge consideration, as there is nowhere to land the ball but on the green – or in the water. It is estimated that over 100,000 balls are retrieved from the surrounding water every year, courtesy of professionals and tourists alike trying their luck.

According to the TPC Sawgrass website, the design came by accident. The original design for the 17th was to be a simple par-3 green only partially surrounded by a lake. However, the soil surrounding the 17th consisted of sand – necessary to build a good golf course, but rare on the otherwise swampy property – and by the time the course was near completion all the sand had been dug from the area, leaving a large crater. Pete Dye’s wife, Alice, suggested the Island Green concept, remembering another course with a similar green; Dye was not thrilled at the idea but went ahead with it, in the process creating one of golf’s most recognizable holes.

Because of its enduring popularity among fans, ESPN has gone so far to devote one of its other channels (such as ESPN Classic) to un-interrupted coverage from the 17th during The Players, including live streaming online coverage at ESPN.com. ¹ NBC devotes 11 cameras during the tournament, all focused on the 17th. ² In May 2007, a record 50 balls landed in the water at the 17th hole in one round, which broke the single-round tournament record of 45 set in 2000. ³