What Would a 10 Handicapper Shoot at TPC Sawgrass?

[BlakeBstone]

Blake, you're a +2 and avg 300 off the tee. That is NOT a 10 hdcp result.

I understand just saying that the course plays very fast unless it’s wet. Length is not the issue at sawgrass it’s all about shot placement

[IcemanYVR]

I played it 15 years ago back when I was a +1.4 from the back (non-tournament) tees and shot 76/74. I played pretty good both days and still didn't manage to shoot my handicap. In these conditions, I doubt a 10 handicap breaks 100. So many 10 handicaps are not equipped to deal with some of the lies and shots you can face, especially on missed shots.

[BNGL]

Having just walked inside the ropes the past couple days I'd say no.

[farmer]

Blake, you're a +2 and avg 300 off the tee. That is NOT a 10 hdcp result.

I understand just saying that the course plays very fast unless it's wet. Length is not the issue at sawgrass it's all about shot placement

From the tourney tees, length is absolutely an issue. A good club 10, maybe 240-250 off the tee, and generally not much clue about how to place the ball. Your ability and skill is miles better than any 10.

[lawst4days]

Now I am not saying it would be easy... But I would think it would be a little lower for a 10 handicapper. I think there would be a good chance of being around if not lower than 90...

 

I know its a very technical course. But it only plays 7189. I think if you can poke it out there to 300 and have a little accuracy, you would have a good chance of breaking 90.

 

Maybe on average you would end up just over 90... But i think you would be battling against 90 for sure.

 

Its an important reminder, the reason this course is so difficult for the pros is they are constantly attacking with long irons and hybrids on a high percentage of risk/ reward shots. A 10 handicapper may not be attacking so much.

[golfandfishing]

“ I think if you can poke it out there to 300 and have a little accuracy, you would have a good chance of breaking 90. ”

 

Lol.

[AutomaticTwoDown]

A 10's avg score would be, what, 85? At home. 7320 is a lot of golf course. Playing from the tourney tees, tourney pins and green speed, I can see a round getting away. 10's are better than average, but they are not heroic off the tee and wizards around the green.

It plays a lot shorter then that the fairways were super quick when I played just days after. I’m moderately long but was quite surprised at the roll out of the fairways.

 

On one I piped a 3 wood and had 124 left. On 2 I smashed driver around the corner and hit a long iron just off the left side. My normal 300 was going 325-330

How were your drives on 3 through 18?

[CheckJV]

I’ve played the Stadium Course twice and I’d guess a 10 capper would shoot over 100 from the tips. Most 10’s I know don’t drive the ball more than 230 yards on average. Couple the distance and accuracy requirements of the course and a score over 100 seems logical.

[JD3]

18 under over four rounds, including a doubles on 17 and 18

[GSDriver]

I read that story in Golf magazine about playing front tees and then tips, shooting triple digits....dunno. I was a 7 IIRC back in 2003 to 05 timeframe, have to look to be certain. Anyway, TSA left my clubs at airport, had to pay like $150 to rent clubs, shot 85 from the tips with one birdie on 17 (really)....if I wasn't so pissed and let it get to me that TSA left my clubs at airport, maybe would have done better. ( I played the sister course next, shot 76, after realizing the rental set wasn't that bad)

 

If you are decent ball striker and know your carry distances, it's an awesome layout. I think the talking heads and 'average players' are full of it with some of these stories or thoughts.

 

Anyone recall when Sawgrass first opened and the players had never seen 'stadium' golf before...some changes have been made, but I remember watching the PGA guys cursing at the layout, too funny.

 

Then again, I like Dye courses, always have.

[mlwenzlick]

I can see Augusta getting in folks heads, but other than #17 at TPC how many holes are really that "memorable" for the average 10 hcp? I was lucky enough to play Pebble Beach last winter and thought I would get destroyed just by the mind games and the recognition of every hole it would play. It ended up being one of the best rounds i've ever had (best was on a local 74/148, 73xx yards).

 

If you have the least bit of mental fortitude I see absolutely no problem breaking 105, tournament is another story because one bad hole could snowball in a hurry but that's all a theoretical argument since almost none of us will ever need to face those types of conditions. It's more about thought than hitting shots, mid cappers don't understand that most of the time.

[howellhandmade]

I’m a +1.8, played it 3 days after the players in 2011 from the championship tees and the pins were still in the Sunday locations. I shot 77 and I can honestly say it was one of the best rounds of my life. I’ve shot 61 twice (not there obviously) but felt like I hit it just as good as my lowest rounds. I made one stupid double on 6 because I chose the wrong line and it bounced into the pine straw behind a tree. Highlight was almost my near ace on 17. Those greens are absolute lightning. I got married there and my ex uncle is Mark Mccumber, made a few phone calls and got to play it. One of those rounds you’ll never forget.

 

Ex uncle?

[cbbaron]

I’m a +1.8, played it 3 days after the players in 2011 from the championship tees and the pins were still in the Sunday locations. I shot 77 and I can honestly say it was one of the best rounds of my life. I’ve shot 61 twice (not there obviously) but felt like I hit it just as good as my lowest rounds. I made one stupid double on 6 because I chose the wrong line and it bounced into the pine straw behind a tree. Highlight was almost my near ace on 17. Those greens are absolute lightning. I got married there and my ex uncle is Mark Mccumber, made a few phone calls and got to play it. One of those rounds you’ll never forget.

 

Ex uncle?

Think he meant exes Uncle

[Shilgy]

“ I think if you can poke it out there to 300 and have a little accuracy, you would have a good chance of breaking 90. ”

 

Lol.

Well yeah. But then there’s also a good chance you’d be a bit better than a ten! :)

[ctmason_98]

It’s a fair assumption that a 10 cap playing in any Tour event would shoot that.

 

And here come the ten cap WRXers discussing how they would break 70 at the easy courses like Houston, New Orleans, Vegas, Harbour Town, Augusta, Bethpage Black, etc. annnnnnnd go!

[Stall]

I played it, 8 years ago I think. It was Masters Sunday and the last day the course was open before it started its prep for the tournament. Rough was starting to grow and all the galleries/bleachers were set up.

 

I was UK 8 handicap at the time, so what, 6maybe translated across the water? I played off the blended tee's, partly due to being jet lagged, wanting to have fun with the rest of the guys in the group and using hire clubs.

 

I shot 14 over.

 

I also birdied 17! And gave tiger woods esque fist pumps and high fives with the caddy and my playing partners infront of those (empty) galleries!

 

Also, I thought 16 was a fantastic hole, the way it opens right up after you have hit the second shot

[Baitkiller]

As a 14 I wouldn't even take a score card. Set me up around or under 6500 with a couple friends and leave me alone. I would have a great time and regale the bar later with tales of my good shots and laugh about all the really bad places my golf ball went. Score? who cares.

And yeah, I would run back and play 17 twice if it was open.

[blaird]

We have a group of guys that go play it for a few days a couple weeks after the Players. Handicaps range from a couple plus handicaps to a high teens handicap. Theres also a guy thats about a 5 or so. I want to say he has broken 80 several times with some bad rounds being in the high 80s. I would figure a 10 handicap would shoot 85 or so on a good day and prob around 100 on a bad day. The guys that go play it down and all the way back as well.

 

I think it also depends on what kind of 10 you are. If you are a 10 that can move the ball out there a decent distance I would expect that person to be a little better than a short hitting 10. Again, this is just my opinion.

[Browns71213]

I've played both courses at Sawgrass and I really felt like I tried to protect my ball all day rather than playing the courses. The challenge when you move back to the tips is that you feel like you're constantly coming out of shoot. Couple that with a water hazard that takes half the landing area out of play on 17 of the 18 holes and you overthink & try to protect every tee shot.

[golfandfishing]

We have a group of guys that go play it for a few days a couple weeks after the Players. Handicaps range from a couple plus handicaps to a high teens handicap. Theres also a guy thats about a 5 or so. I want to say he has broken 80 several times with some bad rounds being in the high 80s. I would figure a 10 handicap would shoot 85 or so on a good day and prob around 100 on a bad day. The guys that go play it down and all the way back as well.

 

I think it also depends on what kind of 10 you are. If you are a 10 that can move the ball out there a decent distance I would expect that person to be a little better than a short hitting 10. Again, this is just my opinion.

 

A 10 shoots 85 on his home course playing with his buddies. You think they can put up the same score during a PGA Tour event at Sawgrass?

[RichieHunt]

Tour pros always go overboard with their projections of what amateurs would shoot at courses. We saw this with Steph Curry who was told he wouldn't break 80 and he broke that easily with his 2 handicap.

 

My guess is that Tour pros almost never play with 10 handicaps. If they do, it's usually in a Pro-Am with somebody with a vanity handicap who is really a 20 handicap.

 

I will say this....they would shoot a much higher score at Sawgrass than they would at Augusta. Much more difficult course, particularly off the tee. And more approaches where water comes into play. My guess is a 10 handicap would probably shoot about 95-102 at Sawgrass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[Yuck]

If a 10 Capper finishes the day with the same golf ball he started with, he breaks 90 easily. Some tens are tens because they hit it very short and straight. A course like this should not throw them off that much. Some tens are wild, long and inconsistent. They have the potential for a huge score.

[Short Pete]

From the tournament tees anything under 95 is close to impossible for a 10. The Stadium course requires many of the second shots being delivered carry to the green. A 10 handicapper will hit it around 240 off the tee an will face a ton of long difficult approach shots. He will have some possible pars and some high numbers, because a crooked second shot means trouble on many holes there, and on many holes there is no real good space to lay up. If he plays a conservative round and hits it well he may get around in 95 to 99. If he is a little off he won't break 100. I am a short to medium hitting 12 hcp. I don't see myself making many pars from the Tiger tees, 7.100 yards is short for Tour Standard, but plenty long for 10 handicaps.

[Johnny_Fairway]

It has to depend in part on what swing the 10 brings to the course that day. I'm currently at a 13.6 index and shot an 82 and then a 104 the last two weekends at the same course and from the same set of tees.

 

A 10 is going to have a better game than a 13, but there still have to be some inconsistencies there that would led to a wide range of answers for the "what would he or she shoot" question.

[golfer07840]

Saw this on Golfweek.com

 

https://golfweek.com...-a-train-wreck/

 

I think the pros saying 120-150 are absolutely full of s***. I'm a 9 and I'm saying I'm breaking a 100 no ands, ifs, or buts about it. Even if I have had 3 margaritas tonight.

 

If a legit 10 played to their "potential" , per the slope/rating and using the course handicap calculator of the USGA, a 10 would shoot a 90 from the TPC tees.

 

Granted, that isn't under tournament conditions, so I'd say 95.

[golfer07840]

In case anyone cares (for some reason, I do)

 

Webb Simpson played to a +6.1 this week.

 

Had a +9.7 differential on Friday. Just crazy good.

[DavePelz4]

In case anyone cares (for some reason, I do)

 

Webb Simpson played to a +6.1 this week.

 

Had a +9.7 differential on Friday. Just crazy good.

 

Awesome post! Apologies for not knowing the answer but does ESC allow his double on 18 yesterday?

[golfer07840]

Is this round played by the 10 handicap with or without "MASH POTATOES" and/or "LIGHT THE CANDLE" being yelled in his/her back swing?

 

LMAO

 

"Light the Candle" ??? Ok, maybe I haven't been paying attention, but this is a new one.

 

Now, I did hear at Torrey Pines something about "Shrimp on the Barbie" .. but never "Light the Candle"

[straightshot7]

The original question was "a 10-handicapper is sent off the tournament tees — 7,189 yards — on Saturday morning. What does he shoot?"

 

What you shot with your buddies from 6,500 yards is not an equal comparison. But let's hear more about those scores. :read:

[Z1ggy16]

From the player's tips on a Sat morning with 4839473947 people around you? They'd probably never sniff 100.