Sunday, January 27, 2013

Great Dye Golf Courses

The architect, Pete Dye, has opened some famous golf courses in the United States and beyond. Some of Dye's courses are regular PGA Tour venues, and are ranked among the top golf courses. These are a few of the more famous Dye golf courses.

The Players Stadium Course (TPC Sawgrass)

As the seasonal venue for the Players Championship you might have heard of this one already. This course is set within 415 acres of Florida Swampland. The Players Stadium Course extends some 7,215 yards from the gold tees, although this can be reduced to almost 5,000 from its green tee positions. Along its fairways there are a variety of waste bunkers, otherwise long strips of sand, and the course includes slick putting greens.

This course includes the great Island Green hole. That's a short par-3 hole that has a green located in the middle of a lake. At 132 yards you can probably reach the green with an 8-iron, and certainly a seven, but if the ball lands a few yards off it then it's in the water.  


The finishing hole at this illustrious course is also among the more exciting. The 462 yard par-4 has a fairway that plays alongside a large lake. It's similar to the 18th at Pebble Beach, with water dominating the left flank of the hole.

Whilstling Straits

Whilstling Straits Course is located in Wisconian. This is a golf course that is located alongside two miles of Lake Michigan, and so there's plenty of water on the holes. Eight of its holes play alongside it. The course is also notable for its rolling greens, grass-topped dunes and elevation variations. Having hosted the PGA Championship its a notable championship course, and among the top ranked in the United States.

It extends some 7,790 yards. As such, its holes have plenty of distance. Among them the par-5 fifth hole which is 603 yards. With a hole layout that zigzags from left to right this is the Snake hole. Here a notable slice of the lake comes into play with water along the left side of the hole's fairway.  


Harbour Town Links

The Harbour Town Links is another of Dye's classic golf courses. This golf course, located in South Carolina, is one that is ranked among the top golf courses in the United States. It is approximately 7,101 yards, and is dominated largely by par-4 holes. Along its holes are narrow fairways, oaks, pines, dark lagoons and palmettos.

The signature hole is most probably that of the 18th. This is a 472 yard par-4 that plays alongside the Calibogue Sound on the left side of its fairway. Behind its Bermuda grass green is that of the red and white striped Harbour Town lighthouse which rises some 90 feet.

The Ocean Course

This Dye golf course is one of five at the Kiawah Island resort in South Carolina. Having hosted the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship the Ocean Course is probably the most famous. As a course located on the coast it has some scenic coastal golf holes which cover some 7,365 yards. Check out this post for further details.  

The Ocean Course, Players Stadium Course, Harbour Town Links and Whilstling Straits are among the most famous Dye golf courses. They include innovative holes combined with scenic landscapes, and are certainly exciting golf courses to play at. The best thing is they are all resort courses which can be played at without club membership.

No comments: