And the classic example of that was at the Players Championship this year, when a lot of pros were unable to make pars on a 137-yard hole. Dye is referring to the 17th hole at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, a course that his father, Pete, designed and that opened in 1981. With its island green, the par-3 17th at Sawgrass is one of the most photographed holes in golf and has become a symbol of modern architecture. The green is easy to reach distance-wise, but there is no recourse for an errant shot. Island greens might be the future in a world in which 300-yard drives are becoming the rule rather than the exception.
Public courses are, after all, a service industry.
Each wants to give its customers what they want. Each new project responds to these changing tastes. A country club member, who plays the same course week after week, probably will prefer a playable course that challenges golfers with its nuances. A public-course golfer, who plays a different course each week, wants to be blown away with spectacular hazards. Pine Valley is often mimicked not so much because of its perennial No. 1 ranking but because of its visually stunning forced carries over huge waste areas.