Day 2 at TPC Sawgrass: The 17th Hole

Our first day in Ponte Vedra was chilly and rainy. But when we woke up the next morning, this was the view from our room at the Marriott.
The sun was out. It looked like a good day to play the Stadium Course.

The pool looked inviting, but temps were in the 60s. Plus, we had a 10:40am tee time.

After a stop at the Sawgrass Marriott spa to do a 30-minute golf stretch using a stretching pole,
we drove over to the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse to check in.

I went to the ladies locker room to change my shoes, since this golf course didn't seem like the kind of place where you could change shoes in the parking lot. Plus, they had free granola bars in a bowl there. Perfect for a golf snack.

We hit balls at the range till our forecaddie called us. They had just done a grounds treatment on the front nine, so we started at Hole 10.

It's cartpath only here. The grounds are so pristine, I even felt guilty walking on them in my rubber cleats. The forecaddie is the guy in the white jumpsuit, running ahead to locate someone's ball. He gave advice about where to aim to avoid trouble. Having him point out where the balls landed saved a lot of time.

The landscaping is gorgeous. Here's a huge tree dripping with Spanish moss (it's a parasite, I know, but it still looks pretty). There are no wooden posts to signify yardages. So, you either look for a sprinkler head or ask the forecaddie. I kinda wish I had bought a yardage book at the pro shop, though. They are only $5 and have drawings and distances for each hole.

In one hole, the forecaddie pointed out an alligator resting along the hill behind hubby. Or was it a crocodile? I can never remember which is which.

The back tees had a lot of forced carries.

The famous 17th Hole has forced carries for everyone.
And what a cute little bunker! Like a bellybutton!

Here's that par 3 from the other side.

The 17th hole green looks pretty far from the blue tees.
It's only 128 yards. I think I could make that with a 9-wood.

The 17th hole green looks closer from the white tees.
It's 115 yards from here. I would use a 6-iron, but I'd have to really kill it.

Hubby tees off from the whites.

He shoots. Does he score?

Yes! He made it! I knew he would.

My turn from the green tees. It's 92 yards from here. I use an 8-iron. I aim with a technique that Seri taught me. I put the club shaft across my chest and point it at the flag, then line up my feet parallel to the shaft. Seri told me she learned this on YouTube.

My backswing. Looks like my left arm isn't straight.
Also looks like I had too much sushi for dinner the night before.

The follow-through. Did I make it? Someone tell me I made it!

Yeah, I made it!!!
That's my pink ball in the front there.
The forecaddie is repairing all of our ball marks.

It took me three putts to hole out. I was afraid of hitting the ball too hard or it would roll off the other side of the green. So I bogeyed. Hubby made par.

We left that hole pretty happy. TPC Stadium Course is awesome!
From the championship tees, it's 137 yards to the green. I could make that with a 7-wood. I had so much fun playing the course, I didn't even worry about my driving distances. I just tried to play my best. I ended up with a 105 on my score card. Not bad at all (for me, anyway)!