Play TPC Sawgrass Online, Free
TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course is the permanent home of The Players Championship, often called the fifth major. Pete Dye's design in the Florida marshlands of Ponte Vedra Beach has been testing the best golfers in the world since 1982. Now you can play 13 holes of this legendary course free in your browser, built from real geographic data. No downloads, no sign-ups.
Click here to play TPC Sawgrass now
About the Course
TPC Sawgrass was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1980, purpose-built to host what was then called the Tournament Players Championship. Dye carved the Stadium Course out of flat Florida marshland, moving vast quantities of earth to create the spectator mounds and amphitheater-style viewing areas that gave the course its name. The concept — now called "stadium golf" — was revolutionary at the time and has since been copied at TPC venues across the country. Alice Dye, Pete's wife and a fine golfer in her own right, famously suggested the island green concept for the 17th hole.
The course was initially despised by tour players who found it brutally difficult and unfair. Dye softened it over the years, and today TPC Sawgrass is considered one of the best tournament courses in professional golf. Water comes into play on at least half the holes. The fairways are lined with waste bunkers, native scrub, and Florida pines. The greens are small and firm, demanding precise iron play. The closing stretch from 16 through 18 — with water threatening on every shot — is one of the most dramatic finishes in golf.
Hole-by-Hole Measurements
Our TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) layout runs to 13 holes and a par of 53, with 68 separate bunkers mapped across it. Each row below is measured off the geometry the game loads rather than copied from a scorecard.
Direct distance means the straight line from tee marker to pin. On a dogleg that is shorter than the route you would actually walk, so treat it as the carry the hole asks of you, not a card yardage.
A dash means we could not measure that hole reliably — 1 of the 13 fall into that category here.
| Hole | Par | Direct distance | Bunkers | Water | Green |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 177 yd | 2 | 1 | 409 yd² |
| 4 | 4 | 382 yd | 6 | 3 | 568 yd² |
| 5 | 4 | 450 yd | 9 | 2 | 577 yd² |
| 6 | 4 | 383 yd | 8 | 3 | 477 yd² |
| 7 | 4 | 439 yd | 7 | 2 | 481 yd² |
| 8 | 3 | 227 yd | 10 | 0 | 523 yd² |
| 9 | 5 | 572 yd | 6 | 2 | 467 yd² |
| 11 | 5 | — | 1 | 1 | 551 yd² |
| 12 | 4 | 323 yd | 2 | 2 | 609 yd² |
| 14 | 4 | 467 yd | 6 | 1 | 781 yd² |
| 15 | 4 | 443 yd | 4 | 2 | 577 yd² |
| 16 | 5 | 504 yd | 5 | 1 | 700 yd² |
| 18 | 4 | 437 yd | 2 | 1 | 570 yd² |
| Total | 53 | 4804 yd | 68 | 21 | — |
The distance total covers only the 12 holes with reliable measurements; the par total covers all 13.
Plan View of Every Hole
Below is every one of the 13 holes, drawn straight from the course polygons — fairway in green, green in a paler shade, bunkers in sand, water in blue. All are rotated tee-at-bottom so you can compare shapes directly.
Water is in play on 12 of the 13 holes here.
Where This Layout Comes From
The shapes above come out of OpenStreetMap — mapped by volunteers on the ground and from imagery. Converted, TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) gives 13 holes holding 68 bunkers and 21 water hazards.
Because the source is surveyed rather than stylised, hazard edges come out irregular. See about the project for the conversion pipeline and its limits.
Course data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence.
About These Measurements
Which hole plays longest?
Hole 9 is the longest at 572 yards tee to pin (par 5), and hole 3 the shortest at 177 yards (par 3). That is a spread of 395 yards across the layout.
Which hole has the most bunkers?
Hole 8, with 10 separate bunkers on it. The layout carries 68 in total across 13 holes, an average of 5.2 per hole, and each is drawn as its own traced outline rather than a generic circle.
What size are the putting surfaces?
The average mapped putting surface measures roughly 561 square yards. The largest belongs to hole 14 at about 781 square yards.
Why 13 holes rather than 18?
Mapping coverage of TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) is uneven, so we include holes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18 — those where a green and a tee could be paired reliably. The rest are omitted rather than filled in with invented geometry, so what you play corresponds to real mapped ground.
Do these distances match the published card?
No. They are straight-line tee-to-pin measurements taken from our own geometry — the distance the game asks you to cover. A real card measures along the intended line of play, so published numbers for TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) will read longer wherever a hole doglegs.
The Holes That Define It
The 17th (Island Green), Par 3. The most famous par 3 in golf. A 137-yard shot to a green surrounded almost entirely by water, with a tiny pot bunker as the only dry bail-out. Approximately 100,000 balls land in the water annually. Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, and countless others have hit shots into the lake here at the worst possible moments. It is the most televised hole in professional golf.
The 18th, Par 4. A demanding finishing hole with water running the entire left side from tee to green. The approach shot is played over the lake to a green pressed against the water's edge. Many Players Championships have been won and lost with approach shots that found the water on 18.
The 16th, Par 5. A reachable par 5 that begins the closing gauntlet. Going for the green in two means carrying water on the second shot. The risk-reward decision on 16 often sets up the drama that follows on 17 and 18.
The Difficulty
- Water everywhere. Water hazards come into play on the majority of holes. The course was built in a Florida marsh, and Pete Dye used every pond and canal to create strategic dilemmas.
- Small, firm greens. The putting surfaces are compact and reject approach shots that are not struck precisely. Missing a green here often means a difficult up-and-down with water lurking nearby.
- Wind off the Atlantic. Ponte Vedra Beach sits on the northeast Florida coast, and afternoon winds routinely change club selection by two or three clubs.
- Pete Dye's visual intimidation. Dye was a master of optical illusions. Railroad ties, waste areas, and water edges make distances harder to judge than they appear.
- The closing stretch. Holes 16 through 18 are among the hardest finishing holes on tour, with water threatening on every shot and tournament pressure at its peak.
Taking Your Shot
Drag backward from the ball in the direction opposite where you want to send it — like pulling back a slingshot. The farther you drag, the more power you apply. A trajectory arc previews your shot while you aim. Works on desktop (click and drag) and mobile (touch and drag).
Common Questions
Can I play TPC Sawgrass online for free?
Yes. This page hosts a free, browser-based version of TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course with 13 playable holes. There is no download, no sign-up, and no payment required. Click the Play button at the top of this page to start.
Is this the official Players Championship golf game?
No. Let's Golf Online is an independent fan project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by TPC Sawgrass, The Players Championship, or the PGA Tour. The real-world course reference is used descriptively to identify the course we have recreated. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
What is the island green at TPC Sawgrass?
The island green is the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, a 137-yard par 3 where the putting surface is almost entirely surrounded by water. Only a small front bunker offers dry land besides the green itself. About 100,000 balls are hit into the water each year. During The Players Championship, the 17th produces more dramatic moments than any other hole on the PGA Tour.
Who designed TPC Sawgrass?
TPC Sawgrass was designed by Pete Dye with input from his wife Alice Dye. The Stadium Course opened in 1980 and was the first course purpose-built for spectator golf, with mounds and viewing areas surrounding the greens. Alice Dye suggested the island green concept for the 17th hole, which became the most famous hole in modern golf.
How many balls go in the water on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass?
Approximately 100,000 balls land in the water surrounding the island green each year across all rounds played. During The Players Championship week alone, tour professionals hit an average of 30 to 40 balls into the water over four rounds. The lake has been drained and cleaned, recovering tens of thousands of golf balls at a time.