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Sawgrass - 120k lost balls

andyAVFC

andyAVFC

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I just read the following article claiming 100k to 120k balls are estimated to be put in the water on the 17th throughout the year.

This averages 3 to 4 per player.

Am I missing something or does this look like pure nonsense and hysteria? Firstly it just sounds ridiculously & I mean ridiculously high.

Convinently there is also a copy of the hole at "West Midlands Golf Club" in the UK, the green is about 20% larger which of course is a massive difference but it is also located in the Midlands which has stronger winds (on average 30% through the summer) than Sawgrass.

I've played here about 15 times and I'd say the average ball in water for the group is below 1. The 4 ball I play with there are 18hcp, 16hcp, 14hcp & myself.

thegolfnewsnet.com

How many golf balls go into the water at No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass every year?

How many balls go into the water at No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass when amateur golfers play the island-green par 3 by Pete and Alice Dye?
thegolfnewsnet.com thegolfnewsnet.com
 
I put 2 in there at last years Victory Cup. @Vosh68 put in at least one, so there's 3 that I know for sure but I believe there were more in our group of 8.
 
JB said:
I watched that again last week as I was working on Victory Cup stuff. That was a fun day.
This year's Victory Cup will be even better for THPers.
Click to expand...
Hard to imagine, but I have no doubt.

I think the video does a good job showing what can happen on this hole.
 
Deebo76 said:
Now this a great watch!!☺
Click to expand...
Things I learned.
Deebo is smooth under pressure.
THPers need to up their shoe game
Vosh shouldnt do a swing makeover 4 days before a THP Experience
Wind is hard
 
JB said:
Things I learned.
Deebo is smooth under pressure.
THPers need to up their shoe game
Vosh shouldnt do a swing makeover 4 days before a THP Experience
Wind is hard
Click to expand...
 
JB said:
Things I learned.
Deebo is smooth under pressure.
THPers need to up their shoe game
Vosh shouldnt do a swing makeover 4 days before a THP Experience
Wind is hard
Click to expand...
 
Keep pumping them in there. I will keep buying them gently used on lostgolfballs.com :p
 
I've played this course 5 or so times and what I have seen/found is that most golfers give the back tee's a try since they aren't that long, usually only playing 145. In some cases they will continue to hit balls while their friends video them until they get the right one onto the green. You also get a plaque your first time out that you can have engraved with your score. Not sure if this has something to do with it, but I def believe it has to do with the back tee's and golfers trying to make the perfect shot.

3 - 4 per player, does sound ridiculous but I have seen groups go into the drink trying to play the backs so.....

The funny thing is I usually play the white tee's when playing the Stadium course and that shot from the whites is comically easy, I usually par it, which is a welcome surprise considering I am usually limping in from 16 and 15.
 
That number is Not high at all. You get some wind blowing and the pin is located in a "come get me spot" and its not that easy as some might think. And the drop zone is just as difficult in the same wind. For this hole you leave your macho in the truck of your car.
 
Does seem a bit high, I can see a visitor playing a bucket list hole hit 3 or 4 off the tee just to say they got one on the green, but not the number as stated. Maybe it's a misprint or maybe the balls funnel over to that area by currents or something as they do in the photo I will shortly from my phone. Taken a my old local course Charleston National - in a spot where (apparently) balls from other holes/shots etc go based on the tides. It's not that hard a shot (only one of the balls in the photo are mine).88951E1E-AE98-4E60-81D7-0233E9C44709.jpeg3FA056E5-6409-471D-8715-D0123DFAEA7D.jpeg886DA58A-2503-456F-BA46-9705C12452E7.jpegF10E667C-412B-45DF-9CAB-D0D9DE5DC775.jpeg
 
JB said:
Things I learned.
Deebo is smooth under pressure.
THPers need to up their shoe game
Vosh shouldnt do a swing makeover 4 days before a THP Experience
Wind is hard
Click to expand...

we also learned that @JB is a jerk. for an example see the 6:13 mark of the live stream
 
JB said:
We didn’t learn that. Based on the last few years, that was already well established I am told
Click to expand...

my heart definitely stopped beating for a second lol
 
Good thing to know that my two times playing the hole have resulted in not donating to that total.
 
I played it three times in December, got two pars and lost two balls. I lost more balls on 16 and 18 than 17.
 
Leftyuk said:
I played it three times in December, got two pars and lost two balls. I lost more balls on 16 and 18 than 17.
Click to expand...
Hahahaha I lost 2 on 18 as well.
 
JB said:
Things I learned.
Deebo is smooth under pressure.
THPers need to up their shoe game
Vosh shouldnt do a swing makeover 4 days before a THP Experience
Wind is hard
Click to expand...
I heard you shouldn't trust the caddie and laser the yardage yourself :ROFLMAO:
 
jdtox said:
I heard you shouldn't trust the caddie and laser the yardage yourself :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Worst caddies I have ever had were at TPC.
Going to a place like Ballyhack and seeing how impressive they can be, is just a totally different experience.
 
the wind would make that hole so hard. I play a little par 3 in south florida frequently and we often have sustained winds of 15mph. On the first 9, I tend to pull the wrong club on every hole even without any water or emotions. On the second loop, I generally have it dialed in. By the third loop, it is just a matter of what type of swing.

without wind, that looks like a small target
 
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